Search Results (91)

This study proposes a comprehensive framework for establishing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) in Thailand, addressing three core design elements: scope, cap setting, and allowance allocation. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights from expert and stakeholder consultations, the research identifies a practical and strategic pathway for implementation. The proposed framework recommends a phased approach, with the initial phase covering 222 high-emitting facilities across seven key sub-industrial sectors. This scope, defined by a 25,000 tCO₂e threshold, is estimated to cover approximately 42.64% of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ETS cap for the first phase is set at 20 MtCO₂e, aligning with national climate targets outlined in Thailand’s draft NDC 3.0. For allowance allocation, free allocation via output-based benchmarking is identified as the most suitable method for initial implementation, given its feasibility and effectiveness in incentivizing efficiency improvements. Furthermore, the standard cost model (SCM) was applied to assess compliance costs, indicating an annual administrative burden of 21,534 h and THB 42.18 million. These insights provide policymakers with a baseline for streamlining monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) requirements. The findings suggest that the proposed framework is a robust and strategic model, tailored to the unique economic and regulatory context of Thailand, providing a clear path to achieving the nation’s ambitious sustainable climate goals. Full article

As the global demand for energy-efficient solutions grows increasingly urgent, passive design strategies emerge not only as a means to support the reduction in energy consumption but also as a pathway to minimizing building operational costs while enhancing thermal comfort and architectural attractiveness. On the other hand, the recognition and significance of building environmental certification schemes are steadily increasing worldwide. Within this context, this research investigates the extent to which passive bioclimatic principles are understood, applied, and incentivized in contemporary sustainable building practices in Greece—focusing in particular on their representation within the LEED certification credit structure. Drawing on a questionnaire survey completed by 89 experienced Greek construction professionals, the findings indicate a significant gap between the theoretical value attributed to passive design and its practical implementation. The respondents attribute this gap to two key factors within the Greek context: the lack of adequate education and awareness among key project stakeholders, and the considerable complexity associated with the collaborative frameworks required from the early design stages. Additionally, LEED appears to offer limited incentives for integrating passive design strategies. Instead, it tends to favor technological solutions and follows a standardized structure with minimal scope for regional customization. Enhancing LEED’s region-specific features to reward passive strategies proven effective in local contexts would be particularly expedient in reinforcing its role as a robust and impactful tool for promoting sustainability. Full article

Green roofs (GRs) are emerging as effective tools for mitigating urban runoff, particularly in cities facing challenges related to increased impervious surfaces and flooding risks. This study evaluates the potential hydrological performance of GR retrofitting in São José dos Campos, Brazil, based on municipal legislation, focusing on the effects of reducing the Effective Impervious Area (EIA) in urban watersheds. Using a range of projected EIA reduction scenarios (Mandatory, Incentivized, and Ideal), this study compares key hydrological indicators such as peak flow attenuation, runoff volume reduction, and hydrograph delay during rainfall events with different return periods. The results show that retrofitting with GRs significantly attenuates peak flows and delays runoff, with the ‘Ideal’ scenario (EIA = 16%) achieving peak flow reductions of up to 41% and runoff volume reductions of 35%. However, the effectiveness of GRs diminishes for high-intensity rainfall events, suggesting that GRs are most effective for frequent, low-intensity storms. These findings demonstrate the potential of GRs in reducing flooding risks in urban environments, highlighting the importance of integrating GRs into broader sustainable drainage systems. This study further emphasizes that while financial support is crucial for promoting GR adoption, it alone is not sufficient. Policies should be complemented by educational efforts and urban regulatory measures to ensure widespread adoption and long-term impact. This research provides urban planners and stakeholders with evidence to enhance urban resilience, sustainability, and effective flood risk management. Full article

Blockchain technology (BT) is increasingly recognized as a transformative digital infrastructure for advancing environmental, economic, and social sustainability. However, academic research on its sustainability potential remains fragmented, with limited integration of theoretical models, sector-specific applications, and system-level impacts. This study addresses these gaps by conducting a systematic literature review of 131 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and early 2025, guided by the PRISMA 2020 framework. The analysis is structured around the three pillars of sustainability, exploring the mechanisms through which blockchain enables transparent governance, ethical consumption, resilient infrastructure, and inclusive development. Anchored in Institutional and Stakeholder theories, the review develops an integrative dual-framework that overlays four technical components of BT (data, network, consensus, and application) onto institutional pressures and stakeholder-engagement dynamics. The framework shows how BT enhances resource efficiency, supply-chain traceability, and social inclusion across sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, healthcare, education, and logistics. The study makes two principal contributions. First, it unifies previously dispersed findings into a holistic model that links BT’s technical capabilities with organizational and societal conditions. Second, it provides actionable guidance: policymakers should harmonize cross-border standards and incentivize energy-efficient consensus protocols, while managers should co-design stakeholder-inclusive pilots to scale sustainable BT solutions. Collectively, these insights map a research and practice agenda for leveraging blockchain to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Due to global warming, ozone depletion and their ramifications on the Arctic and Antarctic snowscapes, there has been an incentivized drive towards net zero-carbon emission policies by several countries. These policies extend to several sectors, including several manufacturing and processing industries and transportation, which are a few of their notable stakeholders. In the transportation sector, this journey towards net zero-carbon emissions is aided by the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) due to their zero-carbon emissions during operation. However, they might have zero running emissions, but they do have emissions when charging through conventional sources. This research paper looks at the carbon emissions produced by both electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles during their operational stages and compares them based on a 200,000 km driving range, battery manufacturing emissions and different power production alternatives to draw up some very important recommendations. The analysis presented in this paper helps in drawing conclusions and proposes ideas which, when included in transport policies, will help curb global warming and eventually lead to the sustainable development of the transport sector. The analysis in this study shows that the emissions needed to produce a single battery unit have increased by approximately 258.7% with the change in battery production locations. Furthermore, charging EVs with a fossil-fuel-dominated grid has shown an increase in emissions of 17.98% compared to the least emissive ICE car considered in the study. Finally, policy update recommendations which are essential for the sustainable development of the transport sector are discussed. Full article

Background: Landscape approaches are recognized for their holistic view on development and conservation. However, they encounter sustainability and localization challenges due to short-term funding constraints and dependence on external experts. In this paper, we examine commoning as a means of land tenure interventions that enable mixed land use and community stewardship. Methods: Based on desk research and 20 interviews, an institutional analysis was performed on two landscape management cases to shed light on commoning processes and land tenure changes, as well as their impact on land use and community stewardship. Results: In the first case, a collaborative governance model was developed through policy interventions, which provided not only institutional frameworks but also financial resources to incentivize landowners to cooperate with nature conservation groups and share management rights over their land. In the second case, a community land trust model was used by self-organized civil society actors to develop ecovillage practices and ensure the balance of conservation and agricultural uses. In both cases, we found that land tenure innovations in terms of boundary rules, choice rules, aggregation rules, as well as rules for higher-level action situations, were key to enabling land rights sharing, mixed land use, and different levels of stewardship depending on the preferences and capacity of stakeholders. Conclusions: Commoning could address the sustainability and localization challenges faced by landscape approaches to mixed land use and long-term adaptive management. Full article

Mine water is both wastewater and a valuable unconventional water resource, and its recycling is crucial for the sustainable development of coal-resource-based cities. In response to the complex interactions among multiple stakeholders in the process of mine water recycling, this study innovatively develops a four-party evolutionary game model involving local government, coal mining enterprises, mine water operators, and water users. For the first time, key variables—mine water pricing, water volume, water rights trading, water resource taxation, and objective utility of water resources—are systematically integrated into a multi-agent game framework, extending the analysis beyond conventional policies, such as penalties and subsidies, to explore their impact on recycling behavior. The results show the following: (1) There are 10 possible evolutionary stabilization strategies in the system. The current optimal strategy includes supply, input, use, active support, while the ideal strategy under the market mechanism includes supply, input, use, passive support. (2) Local governments play a leading role in collaborative governance. The decisions of coal mining enterprises and mine water operators are highly interdependent, and these upstream actors significantly influence the water users’ strategies. (3) Government subsidies exhibit an inverted U-shaped effect, while punitive measures are more effective than incentives. The tax differential between recycled and discharged mine water incentivizes coal enterprises to adopt proactive measures, and water rights trading significantly enhances the users’ willingness. (4) Mine water should be priced significantly lower than fresh water and reasonably balanced between stakeholders. Industries with lower objective utility of water tend to prioritize its use. This study provides theoretical support for policy optimization and a market-based resource utilization of mine water. Full article

This study employs the social–ecological system (SES) framework to investigate the operational mechanisms of farmer apartment housing in Village L, demonstrating how such mechanisms ensure housing security for villagers in land-constrained contexts. Through a case analysis of Village L, we reveal that the effective implementation of farmer apartments relies on four interconnected elements: socio-political and economic conditions, homestead resource allocation within the resource system, institutional governance rules, and collaborative interactions among the government, village collectives, villagers, and enterprises. By integrating fragmented resources, optimizing participatory governance, and fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation, Village L has established a closed-loop operational model of “resource intensification–democratic decision-making–synergistic co-construction”. This model preserves villagers’ homestead entitlements and addresses housing demands through centralized construction, striking a balance between equity and efficiency in land-scarce areas. The findings underscore that farmer apartment housing represents a viable pathway for achieving “housing-for-all” in resource-limited areas, contingent upon institutionalizing village collectives’ self-governance capabilities and incentivizing broader societal participation (e.g., NGOs and enterprises) to form a diversified investment framework. Policy refinements should prioritize scaling context-specific governance innovations while safeguarding farmers’ land rights during urbanization transitions, offering replicable insights for regions facing similar land use challenges. Full article

This study investigates a two-stage production–inventory model with subsidy policies for paper cup recycling. The model includes remanufacturers, recyclers, and consumers, taking into account their preferences for different recycling channels. The negative binomial distribution of investment fund w is introduced and briefly studied. The influence of various subsidy strategies on the optimal pricing, profit, and recycling volume of the reverse supply chain is discussed. Numerical simulations show that increased consumer recycling preferences positively impact the recycling volume and profit. When subsidies are limited, subsidizing remanufacturers leads to higher recycling volumes, while subsidizing consumers results in higher profits at lower-to-middle subsidy levels. The findings suggest that policymakers can leverage different subsidy strategies to effectively manage the paper cup recycling supply chain and promote sustainability by incentivizing key stakeholders to participate in the recycling process. For example, subsidizing remanufacturers can increase the overall recycling volume by making it more financially viable for them to collect and process used cups, while subsidizing consumers can boost their participation and willingness to properly dispose of cups for recycling, leading to higher profits for the reverse supply chain. Full article

Material depletion, environmental degradation, and cultural revitalization pose significant challenges to heritage conservation in China. Within the context of heritage restoration, the principles of the circular economy (CE)—including R1 (Reduce), R2 (Reuse), and R3 (Recycle)—can provide a structured framework for sustainable interventions. By prioritizing resource efficiency, minimizing waste generation, and repurposing materials, CE strategies support the preservation of cultural heritage while mitigating environmental impact. This study explores the role of waste material upcycling in sustainable heritage conservation (SHC) in tandem with the revitalization of cultural narratives. This study examines the core factors affecting sustainable restoration practice through the lens of the circular economy theory and sustainable heritage conservation theory. The research design adopts mixed methods whereby quantitative web surveys are conducted among practitioners of conservation and complemented with qualitative case studies from CE-based intervention restoration projects in China. The study identifies five independent variables—upcycling of waste materials, resource efficiency, stakeholder engagement, economic viability, and cultural narrative revitalization—with sustainability-driven innovation acting as a mediating factor. Preliminary findings indicate that upcycling enhances material longevity and minimizes restoration expenses while promoting social acceptance of circular practices through stakeholder engagement. Revitalizing cultural narratives enhances historical continuity while preserving intangible heritage. The results indicate that CE-based interventions positively influenced SHC, with sustainability-driven innovation as a mediator. With this, it was concluded that introducing circular economy principles in heritage conservation would promote environmental sustainability, economic viability, and culture-building resilience. Policy recommendations include incentivizing upcycling technologies, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and embedding CE principles in national heritage policies. Full article

The coexistence of the winner’s curse and cost overruns in the construction industry implies a cost pendulum in which the winning bid is undervalued, whereas the final payment to the contractor is overvalued. We posit that this results from a strategic interaction between three stakeholders: the public agency (PA), the project manager (PM), and the winning contractor, and we propose a game-theoretic framework to model this dynamic. In the current state of practice, the subgame between the contractor and the PM leads to opportunistic contractor behavior and lenient supervision, resulting in increased costs for the PA. We analyze how procedural and cultural interventions by the PA, specifically shifting from a low-bid to an average-bid auction and incentivizing stricter PM oversight, alter the strategic equilibrium. Our findings indicate that while each change alone provides limited improvement, implementing both significantly reduces cost overruns by aligning stakeholder incentives. The findings of this analysis provide insight into how public agencies can mitigate the widespread problem of cost overruns. Full article

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy (RE) sources is an essential step in mitigating climate change and ensuring environmental sustainability. However, large-scale deployment of renewables is accompanied by new challenges, including the growing demand for rare-earth elements, the need for recycling end-of-life equipment, and the rising energy footprint of digital tools—particularly artificial intelligence (AI) models. This systematic review, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, explores how lightweight, distilled AI models can alleviate computational burdens while supporting critical applications in renewable energy systems. We examined empirical and conceptual studies published between 2010 and 2024 that address the deployment of AI in renewable energy, the circular economy paradigm, and model distillation and low-energy AI techniques. Our findings indicate that adopting distilled AI models can significantly reduce energy consumption in data processing, enhance grid optimization, and support sustainable resource management across the lifecycle of renewable energy infrastructures. This review concludes by highlighting the opportunities and challenges for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders aiming to integrate circular economy principles into RE strategies, emphasizing the urgent need for collaborative solutions and incentivized policies that encourage low-footprint AI innovation. Full article

Implementing a carbon pricing policy in any country remains a complex challenge, requiring the careful navigation of economic, social, and political factors to ensure policy coherence and stakeholder buy-in. Given the critical role of carbon pricing in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, this study provides empirical evidence on the impact of carbon price implementation on carbon emission reductions globally. The study is motivated by the a priori assumption that carbon pricing policies incentivize polluters to adopt carbon-neutral technologies, leading to emission reductions. Using data from 30 jurisdictions between 1990 and 2020, comprising both developed economies and eight emerging markets where either a carbon tax, an emission trading system, or both have been implemented, we assess the effectiveness of carbon pricing mechanisms while controlling for economic growth, population, energy intensity, and environmental policy stringency. The findings confirm that carbon pricing leads to a significant reduction in emissions, with the Emission Trading System proving to be more effective in accelerating emission reductions than the carbon tax. Specifically, the Emission Trading System is associated with a 12.06% reduction in carbon emissions, compared to an 8.91% reduction under the carbon tax. These results underscore the importance of market-based mechanisms in driving decarbonization efforts. The findings also have critical policy implications, highlighting the need for tailored carbon pricing strategies that align with national economic structures and political contexts. Robustness checks and policy recommendations are provided to guide policymakers in designing effective carbon pricing frameworks to enhance climate mitigation efforts. Full article

To address the pressing challenges of quality and sustainability in agricultural product supply chains, this paper proposes a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance framework. Adopting the perspective of collaborative governance and sustainability, the paper develops an evolutionary game model of the Chinese agricultural product supply chain. This model involves four key stakeholders: agricultural enterprises, the government, NGOs, and consumers. It integrates sustainability principles to ensure that the decisions of each stakeholder contribute to the quality and safety of agricultural products while also promoting long-term environmental and social well-being. The simulation results demonstrate the critical importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in strengthening governance and promoting sustainability. Based on these findings, the government is advised to implement technology-driven oversight mechanisms, such as AI-based inspections and blockchain traceability. Additionally, a tiered penalty system should be established, escalating penalties for repeat offenders. Regulatory cost-sharing mechanisms can also help ensure continuous enforcement without imposing excessive financial burdens on any single party. NGOs play a vital role in exposing corporate violations and can be more effective through targeted financial support and crowdsourced monitoring platforms. Consumers, as active participants in governance, should be incentivized with reward-based reporting systems and verified compliance feedback, which influence enterprise reputation. Public–private sustainability partnerships and real-time transparency platforms can further facilitate active participation from all stakeholders. By implementing these measures, the regulatory framework can evolve from traditional enforcement to a dynamic, data-driven governance model, fostering long-term sustainability and risk reduction in agricultural production. Full article

Work safety governance is a critical component of corporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance, particularly in high-risk industries. Effective safety supervision systems not only protect workers’ wellbeing, a key social metric in ESG frameworks, but also enhance corporate governance through improved risk management and regulatory compliance. The supervisory system represents a major institutional innovation in China’s approach to addressing increasingly complex work safety governance challenges. This study constructs an evolutionary game model involving the central government, local government, and high-risk enterprises to analyze the evolutionary characteristics of stakeholder behaviors. Through system simulation, we examine how key parameter changes affect the stability of system equilibrium points. Our findings reveal that (1) the current supervisory system effectively incentivizes both local governments to conduct safety supervision and high-risk enterprises to comply with safety investment requirements. (2) While government penalty levels do not affect strategy combinations, both insufficient and excessive penalties slow the system’s evolution toward optimal states. (3) Local governments tend to choose non-regulatory strategies when transfer payments and enterprise subsidies are inadequate. (4) Insufficient supervision intensity from the central government leads to local government non-regulation, and although this can be addressed by increasing supervision intensity, excessive supervision reduces the system’s evolution speed toward ideal states. Based on these findings, we propose policy recommendations for rational supervision intensity control, scientific reward–punishment mechanisms, and enhanced safety information transparency. This framework provides insights into the relationship between governance mechanisms and corporate long-term sustainability, which has been shown to improve ESG standards. Full article