Search Results (10,009)

Although recreational experience segmentation is widely used in coastal tourism research, existing motivational frameworks have been developed primarily in island and protected-area destinations, leaving urban, open-access, developing-country contexts theoretically underexplored. This study addresses that gap by identifying the dimensions of recreational experience and market segments for the city of Salinas, Ecuador—an accessible, family-oriented, urban coastal destination—to advance sustainable tourism management. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 385 tourists; 374 cases with complete scale responses were retained for analysis. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified seven motivational dimensions: environment and sustainable recreational resources, learning and knowledge, affective well-being and creative harmony, interest and enjoyment in the experience, aquatic natural resources and wildlife, cognitive stimulation and emotional connection, and hedonic well-being. A K-means cluster analysis, validated through the elbow method (inflection at k = 3) and silhouette coefficient (0.25), revealed three distinct tourist segments: intensive recreational tourists (n = 183; 48.9%), moderate recreational tourists (n = 136; 36.4%), and passive recreational tourists (n = 55; 14.7%). Chi-square tests confirmed significant associations between clusters and sociodemographic variables including gender, marital status, and number of visits. This study offers four theoretical contributions: it reports a more detailed motivational factor structure than previously documented three- and four-factor models for coastal destinations; it proposes recreational amotivation—grounded in self-determination theory—as a candidate visitor profile that merits further theoretical and empirical validation; it advances a destination-type-sensitive motivational framework; and it provides boundary condition evidence clarifying the contextual scope of recreational experience theory. These findings offer actionable segmentation tools for destination managers seeking to differentiate and sustain coastal tourism markets. Full article

Sustainable development has become a strategic priority for countries seeking long-term economic prosperity while balancing social, environmental, and institutional objectives. According to the April 2026 International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook projections, Türkiye is expected to become the largest economy among the selected major Muslim economies in terms of nominal gross domestic product. Motivated by this development, this study benchmarks Türkiye’s sustainable development performance against nine comparable economies and examines the relationships between selected Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators and economic performance. The analytical framework integrates benchmarking, correlation, SDG network analysis, regression modeling, and explainable machine learning using SDG and macroeconomic data. The findings reveal both synergies and trade-offs among the selected SDGs. Strong positive relationships emerge between SDG12 and SDG13 and between SDG4 and SDG16, confirming the interconnected structure of sustainable development. Türkiye ranks second in overall SDG performance and performs particularly strongly in clean energy, innovation and infrastructure, and international partnerships. Regression results identify education, clean energy, innovation, and climate action as statistically associated with economic performance. Under a strict year-based chronological holdout and rolling-origin validation framework, the tuned Random Forest model achieved the strongest out-of-sample predictive performance. SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis indicates that one-year lagged economic performance is the dominant predictor, while current macroeconomic conditions and selected SDG indicators provide additional predictive information. The findings demonstrate substantial temporal persistence in economic performance and show that sustainability indicators complement prior economic information in forecasting. The study contributes to sustainability research by integrating comparative assessment, systems-oriented analysis, econometric modeling, and explainable machine learning while clearly distinguishing statistical association from predictive contribution. Full article

This research concentrates on the electric vehicle (EV) industry in China and Japan. China is the largest and Japan the third-largest auto production country after the U.S. This study explores the current and future transition to battery electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles in Japan and China. Three Japanese auto companies, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, and BYD from China are studied in this research. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are actively pursuing the development of hybrid electric vehicles in Japan. Meanwhile, the research examines the Chinese EV company BYD, which is a major global competitor in the EV industry. This study compares the companies in terms of their strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and export destinations and delineates their competitive strategies and outlooks. In addition, the study examines the elements of the supply chain needed for building EVs, such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. Furthermore, this research discusses some of the issues with EVs, such as the challenges related to the production and recycling of batteries and the implications as far as green and sustainable practices regarding EVs in the selected countries are concerned. The final part of this research explores how the production of EVs can affect the global reduction of carbon emissions. The findings of this study indicate that the transition to EVs depends on the structural position as far as the supply chain, the manufacturing of electric batteries, charging stations, and the size of the operations are concerned. The results indicate that BYD is in a stronger position in terms of the infrastructure necessary for the production of EVs. Meanwhile, Japanese auto companies are focused on hybrid EVs due to infrastructure related to EV batteries, supply sources, and charging stations. In addition, this research provides informative insights into the future of electric vehicles in the global market. The study offers recommendations for a comprehensive approach that integrates national policies, technological innovation, and the environmental impact of the transition to electric vehicles on a global scale. Full article

Human development in the European Union remains uneven, and it is still unclear how economic, social, environmental, and institutional conditions jointly shape it. Understanding this question is essential for EU cohesion and sustainability policy, since Member States differ widely in governance capacity and development trajectories. This study proposes and empirically tests an extended Triple Bottom Line framework in which governance is treated as a fourth sustainability subsystem and examines its influence on the Human Development Index (HDI) in the 27 EU member states over 2000–2024 (675 country-year observations). Composite dimension indices are constructed through principal component analysis and validated with KMO and Bartlett diagnostics, and the analysis combines two-way fixed-effects models, Mundlak within–between decomposition, dynamic panels, a parsimonious system GMM estimator, and Driscoll–Kraay standard errors. The institutional dimension is the most robust positive correlate of HDI across all specifications, and its long-run effect remains significant. The environmental dimension is negatively and significantly associated with HDI, revealing a development–environment tension rather than a welfare effect, while CO₂ emissions display a positive coefficient in disaggregated models, reflecting development-stage and energy-structure effects. The economic dimension matters mainly as a long-run structural difference between countries, not as short-run within-country variation, and institutional and environmental effects are more pronounced in Central and Eastern Europe than in Western Europe. The findings imply that EU policies aimed at strengthening governance quality and supporting a just green transition—including the European Green Deal, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), and cohesion policy instruments—are central levers for sustaining human development. Full article

Access to safe, nutritious, and sustainable food remains a major challenge in many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where food insecurity, malnutrition, and foodborne diseases frequently coexist. Despite growing recognition of the interconnections between food safety, nutrition security, and sustainability, monitoring systems often assess these dimensions separately, limiting the effectiveness of policy interventions. This study conducted a structured methodological review and framework development study of indicators used to monitor food safety, nutrition security, and sustainability within food systems, with particular emphasis on LMIC contexts. Peer-reviewed literature and internationally recognized monitoring frameworks, drawn from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, and institutional repositories including FAO, WHO, World Bank, and GAIN, were systematically reviewed, yielding 75 sources encompassing 54 peer-reviewed articles and 21 institutional reports, from which 47 indicators were identified and assessed. Indicators were evaluated according to relevance, data availability, methodological robustness, and policy actionability. The review identified a core set of ten operationally relevant indicators, including the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS), Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W), Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), foodborne disease burden indicators, cost of a healthy diet, and post-harvest loss rates. Building on these findings, an integrated indicator selection framework is proposed to support context-specific monitoring and decision-making in LMICs. The results suggest the value of a One Health approach that links human, animal, and environmental health, and three One Health interface indicators, antimicrobial resistance prevalence in food chain isolates, zoonotic disease incidence attributable to food, and pesticide residue exceedance rate in fresh produce, are explicitly integrated into the proposed framework with LMIC-specific implementation pathways. A key limitation of this review is that it did not employ formal systematic methods and may not have exhaustively identified all relevant indicators across the full breadth of the published literature. Full article

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming firms’ innovation processes and creating new opportunities for sustainable development; however, empirical evidence on how firm-level AI capability influences eco-innovation under different digital environments remains limited. Drawing on the Natural Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capability Theory, this study examines the effect of AI capability on firm-level eco-innovation and investigates whether national digital economy development strengthens this relationship. The analysis uses an unbalanced panel of 5564 listed firms from 15 Asian economies over the period 2017–2024. Firm fixed-effects models are employed as the primary estimation approach, while moderation analysis is complemented by System GMM, propensity score matching, and Heckman two-step estimation to address potential endogeneity and sample-selection concerns. AI capability is measured using a disclosure-based index derived from textual analysis of firms’ annual and sustainability reports. The results indicate that AI capability is positively associated with eco-innovation and that this relationship is significantly stronger in countries with more advanced digital economies. These findings suggest that supportive digital ecosystems enhance firms’ ability to convert AI capability into sustainable innovation outcomes. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that national digital economy development serves as an important contextual condition shaping the effectiveness of firm-level AI capability in promoting eco-innovation. Full article

Agricultural biomass, comprising animal manure, food processing residues, lignocellulosic agricultural by-products, and other agro-industrial wastes, is generated in large quantities worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Although these residues pose significant environmental disposal challenges, they represent abundant renewable carbon resources that can be valorized into biofuels, contributing to sustainable waste management and circular bioeconomy initiatives. Biohythane, a gaseous fuel consisting of hydrogen and methane, is primarily produced through two-stage anaerobic digestion, in which dark fermentation generates hydrogen-rich intermediates that are subsequently converted into methane during methanogenesis. The separation of these stages enables independent optimization of hydrogen and methane production, resulting in improved substrate conversion efficiency and higher energy recovery than conventional single-stage anaerobic digestion. In addition, the presence of hydrogen enhances combustion characteristics while reducing greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide emissions. This review critically evaluates recent advances in biohythane production from agricultural biomass through a structured assessment of peer-reviewed literature retrieved from major scientific databases. The selected studies were synthesized to examine biomass feedstocks, pretreatment technologies, microbial communities, metabolic pathways, reactor configurations, and process optimization strategies influencing biohythane production. The review further discusses the advantages and limitations of different agricultural residues, identifies current technological and economic challenges, and highlights emerging research opportunities to improve process efficiency and facilitate the sustainable commercialization of biohythane as a low-carbon renewable energy source. Full article

The implementation of construction 3D printing (3DP) offers a viable approach to enhancing productivity, optimizing material use, and advancing sustainability in infrastructure development, particularly in developing construction markets where economic constraints, labour reliance, and environmental challenges persist. This study proposes and empirically tests a theory-based framework to evaluate the perceived critical success factors (CSFs) shaping readiness for the adoption of 3DP within the Egyptian construction sector. The proposed framework is fundamentally grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) perspective, wherein Resource and Technology Optimization (RTO) and Innovation and Creativity in Design (ICD) constitute the technological dimension, Strategic Project Management (SPM) and Organizational Support (OS) represent the organizational dimension, and Stakeholder and Client Engagement (SCE), Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives (SEI), and Policy and Regulatory Considerations (PRC) define the environmental dimension. A total of 157 valid responses collected from construction professionals were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index (RII) and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Because construction 3DP remains at an early, pre-commercial stage of diffusion in Egypt, the survey captures professionals’ perceptions of adoption readiness rather than verified implementation performance. This sample exceeds the requirements of a priori statistical power analysis (n = 103 to detect medium effects with seven predictors at a power of 0.80 and α = 0.05) and the inverse-square-root criterion (n = 137), thereby providing adequate statistical power for the structural estimates. However, generalizability remains bounded by the purposive, single-country sample. The RII findings indicate that inaccurate budgeting and scheduling, limited managerial competence, shortages of skilled labour, cultural resistance, and inadequate awareness constitute the most significant barriers to adoption. The structural model accounted for 81.6% of the variance in 3DP adoption. Furthermore, all hypothesized relationships were positive and statistically significant, with 95% confidence intervals excluding zero; SPM (β = 0.4851), RTO (β = 0.4195), and SCE (β = 0.3343) were identified as the most influential determinants, followed by OS, ICD, SEI, and PRC. Discriminant validity was supported by both the Fornell–Larcker and heterotrait–monotrait (HTMT) criteria, and full collinearity diagnostics indicated no substantial common-method bias. The results reveal that successful 3DP adoption is determined not solely by technological preparedness, but also by effective alignment of managerial capabilities, resource optimization, stakeholder trust, sustainability orientation, and regulatory support. Beyond prior TOE- and SEM-based 3DP studies, which have largely examined technology acceptance in developed markets or tested aggregate constructs, this study advances the field by disaggregating the three TOE contexts into seven empirically tested CSF constructs, quantifying their relative influence, and providing the first empirically tested adoption framework of this kind for the Egyptian construction sector, grounded in perception survey data. The resulting framework can support the prospective implementation of sustainable construction technologies in infrastructure sectors in developing countries. Full article

Against the dual backdrop of global ocean governance and food security, promoting the coordinated development of marine economic green development efficiency and inclusive growth is of significant practical importance for countries to improve marine ecology, narrow the wealth gap, and safeguard blue granary security. This study takes China’s three major marine economic circles and 11 coastal provinces from 2002 to 2024 as research subjects, employing methods including the Super-efficiency SBM model, the CRITIC-TOPSIS, Haken model, kernel density estimation, the Dagum Gini coefficient, and the ARIMA time series model to measure the spatiotemporal evolution of the synergy between marine economic green development efficiency and inclusive growth, as well as to forecast future trends. The results indicate that (1) the synergy level of the three major marine economic circles has been continuously increasing, with the full coastal zone’s synergy level rising from 0.48 in 2002 to 0.81 in 2024, with inclusive growth playing a dominant role throughout the period; (2) the synergy level of all Chinese provinces has been continuously improving with narrowing disparities—the Gini coefficient declined from 0.252 to 0.072, and the hypervariable density contributed an annual average of 47.22%; and (3) forecasts show that, from 2025 to 2029, the full coastal zone’s synergy level will rise from 0.82 to 0.84, with all economic circles showing an upward trend. The findings of this study can provide references for global coastal economies in formulating marine green sustainable development policies. Full article

Background/Objectives: We conducted a virtual exchange program (VEP) to facilitate discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among nursing students in Belgium, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand and to assess the improvements in international competencies. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with a pre- and post-test design, students who voluntarily participated in the VEP were compared with a matched group of non-participants. International competencies were assessed using the STRENCO (Strengthening multi-professional competencies in mental health) Competency Assessment Tool, a self-assessment tool. Hence, this analysis is based on self-reported data, which were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Results: The analysis included 29 and 34 students in the intervention and control groups, respectively. A significant interaction effect between group and time was observed for intercultural competence (p = 0.004, 95% confidence interval (CI): [0.18, 0.87]), personal growth (p = 0.013, 95%CI: [0.10, 0.79]), and digital competence (p = 0.020, 95%CI: [0.09, 1.05]). In contrast, the interaction was not significant for language skills (p = 0.168, 95%CI: [−0.10, 0.58]), global engagement (p = 0.716, 95%CI: [−0.28, 0.40]), and international discipline learning (p = 0.058, 95%CI: [−0.02, 0.87]). Conclusions: This SDG-focused VEP involving nursing students from four countries across Europe and Asia provided a structured approach to international exchange education and may have enhanced intercultural competence, personal growth, and digital competence as components of international competencies. This study is expected to explore future VEP-based practices and international exchanges. Full article

Decarbonization has been set as the ultimate target of the European energy policy, and, under this frame, Greece has substantially reformed its electricity mix over the last two decades. Yet, the rapid transition of the country’s electricity production system towards a model that strongly relies on non-controllable renewables, without improving its energy storage means, has caused several adverse impacts that reasonably raise serious concerns about its sustainability. Further questions arise when accounting for the projections and underlying assumptions reported in the National Energy and Climate Plan. In this vein, key policy, societal, technical, sustainability and science issues are discussed, involving the challenges, perspectives and potential drawbacks of Greece’s long-term energy planning. To reveal the critical role of storage, a toy simulation-optimization model is applied at the national scale to evaluate several scenarios of wind and solar P/V development under the premise of a theoretically fully decarbonized mix. This allows the exploration of trade-offs between energy storage and power capacity needs against key performance metrics (frequency and quantity of deficits and percentage of rejected renewable energy). Preliminary feasibility issues are also highlighted by considering alternative configurations of pumped hydropower storage units and associating their approximative investment costs with scale and geometry. Full article

This paper examines the concept of green growth within the G7 countries, particularly the connections between energy transition, green innovation, financial inclusion, and the circular economy. The analysis of the data using the CS-ARDL model reveals strong long-term and short-term relationships between these variables and green growth. It is demonstrated that energy transition, measured by the Energy Transition Index (ETI), positively affects green growth, as the coefficient of energy transition in the long run is positive, 0.45, which explains the need to adopt renewable energy sources. Green innovation (based on environmental patents) has a positive contribution as well (coefficient = 0.28), which highlights its contribution towards sustainable economic development. The significance of financial inclusion comes out, and its coefficient is positive and significant, 0.40, in the long run, indicating the importance of financial access in facilitating green investments. Conversely, the negative correlation that was found between carbon intensity and green growth indicates that going low on emissions per unit of GDP is an essential component of a sustainable process (coefficient = −0.20). Green growth is augmented by the interaction of the practice of the circular economy and financial inclusion (long-run 0.12). These results highlight the importance of combined policies that can facilitate energy transformation, innovation, financial inclusion, and the strategy of the circular economy to attain sustainable growth in G7 countries. Full article

The contradiction between economic growth and carbon emissions restricts the sustainable development of developing countries. Whether territorial spatial functional conflicts (TSFCs) are statistically associated with the intensification of this tension remains an important empirical question that has not been fully addressed. This study comprehensively employs multiple spatiotemporal analysis methods to analyze the spatiotemporal association between TSFC intensity and the synergy state of economic growth and carbon emissions in Sichuan Province, China, over the period 2010–2022. The results show that the territorial spatial functional conflict index (TSFCI) level has significant explanatory power for the spatial heterogeneity in both the CCD and the decoupling elasticity index (DEI) between economic growth and carbon emissions, with q-values of 0.081 and 0.023, respectively, both passing the significance test at p < 0.001. The time-stratified geographical detector results further reveal that the explanatory power of the TSFCI for the DEI reaches significant levels across all four periods (2010–2013, 2013–2016, 2016–2019, and 2019–2022), with q-values of 0.254, 0.065, 0.118, and 0.030, respectively, exhibiting pronounced phased fluctuations. These findings demonstrate, from both spatial and temporal dimensions, a substantial association between TSFCs and the synergy between economic growth and carbon emissions, with the association characterized by phased fluctuations and nonlinear features. These results provide spatiotemporal empirical evidence for the close linkage between TSFCs and economic–carbon contradictions, while the causal inference that TSFCs exacerbate the contradiction is supported only by theoretical mechanism deduction rather than direct empirical proof. Further analysis suggests that the territorial spatial governance approach of alleviating the economic–carbon contradiction by coordinating TSFCs and optimizing territorial spatial development and conservation patterns is theoretically plausible. This study provides empirical reference and theoretical implications for developing countries to mitigate the contradiction between economic growth and carbon emissions by optimizing territorial spatial development and conservation patterns. Full article

Social media has become a central arena for informal learning and civic participation, yet its capacity to convert exposure into meaningful sustainability engagement remains uncertain. This study examines the role of social media in enhancing awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among Arab youth and explores how digital platforms function as spaces for informal learning. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was administered to 370 respondents aged 17–45 across several Arab countries (primarily the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria—countries selected because they are among the region’s most digitally connected societies and jointly represent the Gulf, Levantine, and North African sub-regions), measuring social media usage patterns, levels of SDG awareness, and forms of digital engagement; the data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (Pearson correlations, t-tests, and one-way ANOVA) that tested four hypotheses derived from an integrated research model. The findings show that visually oriented platforms, particularly Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, dominate youth media consumption, and that social media is the leading source of SDG-related information for the majority of respondents. However, engagement remains largely passive, confined to viewing, liking, and resharing content, revealing a persistent gap between awareness and active participation. The hypothesis tests confirm this pattern: SDG awareness is strongly associated with digital engagement (r = 0.71, p < 0.001), whereas breadth of platform use plays only a marginal role (r = 0.11, p = 0.044) and membership in sustainability-focused online groups confers no significant awareness advantage. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications Theory and Knowledge Management Theory, the study introduces the Digital Awareness–Engagement Conversion Model (DAECM), which conceptualizes the staged transition from digital exposure to engagement and advocacy. The results underline the need for interactive, localised, and youth-centred digital strategies that can translate passive awareness into sustained sustainability action. Given the non-probability sampling design, the findings are interpreted as exploratory. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a significant public health challenge in Europe, despite a sustained decline in disease incidence over recent decades. This narrative review briefly traces the historical development of TB diagnosis and focuses on the evolution of TB control protocols from the early twentieth century to the present across Europe, through a longitudinal comparative analysis of its geographical regions. A literature search was conducted using publications, guidelines, and surveillance reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and national public health authorities. The analysis follows a geographical framework encompassing Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Europe, reflecting historical, socioeconomic, and healthcare system differences. This study presents the transition from traditional diagnostic approaches based on clinical assessment, chest radiography, and smear microscopy to modern molecular and immunological techniques, including Xpert MTB/RIF assays and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs). Similarly, treatment strategies have evolved from sanatorium-based supportive care to standardized, evidence-based short-course regimens employing first- and second-line anti-TB drugs. However, marked regional differences remain in the implementation of contemporary protocols. Western and Northern European countries have largely adopted advanced diagnostic technologies and comprehensive surveillance systems and are approaching TB elimination targets. In contrast, Eastern Europe continues to bear a disproportionate disease burden, driven by multidrug-resistant TB, HIV co-infection, and socioeconomic disparities. TB control protocols in Southern Europe are progressively converging with those of Western Europe through the adoption of modern diagnostic approaches, standardized treatment regimens, and WHO-endorsed guidelines. The findings of this study underscore the need for greater harmonization of TB control protocols across Europe through an initiative coordinated by the ECDC/WHO. Accelerating progress toward TB elimination in the European Region will depend on expanding access to modern diagnostic technologies, implementing targeted interventions in high-burden settings, and strengthening cross-border collaboration through coordinated public health policies. Full article