Search Results (30)

Confronted with the climate emergency, reducing CO₂ emissions has become a priority for all nations of the world because the follow-up of humanity depends on it. Most European Union (EU) member states have pledged to cut their net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and reach full carbon neutrality by 2050, using 1990 as the baseline year. Despite this common effort, there is still a lack of effective decision-making on carbon neutrality strategies applied throughout the life cycle of a building in all EU countries. A common strategy is proposed in this study to fill this gap in the literature. The building sector is a real lever for reducing the carbon footprint and saving energy. Currently, the methodology for achieving large-scale carbon neutrality is well established. However, there is only a limited number of experts worldwide who have mastered this technology, making it challenging to develop a standardized approach for all nations. The absence of extensive, regular, and consistent data on carbon emissions has considerably hindered the understanding of the root causes of climate change at both the building and neighborhood levels. Is it not it time to break this barrier? With this in mind, this study was carried out with the intention of proposing a common method to achieve carbon neutrality at the neighborhood scale in European Union countries. The most significant parameters having a direct impact on carbon emissions have facilitated the adaptation of the three types of neighborhood in the different capitals of the EU countries, in particular, local building materials, microclimate, the energy mix of each country, and the mode of daily transport. The life cycle assessment of the three districts was conducted using the Plaides LCAv6.25.3 tool in combination with Meteonorm software version 8.2.0, considering a 100-year lifespan for the buildings. In addition, the cost of the various environmental impacts is assessed based on the monetary indicators for European Committee for Standardization indicators method. The main results showed that the distribution of carbon dioxide is 73.3% higher in urban areas than in sustainable neighborhoods and 39.0% higher in urban districts than in rural districts. Nearly zero emissions in the next decade are again possible by applying the scenario involves global warming combined with the complete (100%) renovation of all buildings and the transition to 100% electric vehicles along with the use of solar panels. This strategy makes it possible to reduce between 90.1% and 99.9% of the emission rate in residential districts regarding EU countries. Full article

Addressing climate change and promoting social justice are crucial sustainable development goals. However, the quantitative assessment of how energy transition policies impact social justice remains a significant challenge. To address this gap, we develop a novel Energy Transition Social Justice Framework (ETSJF) that integrates four dimensions (energy supply, energy demand, procedural justice, and distributive justice) and three perspectives (individual, group-organizational, and society). The ETSJF index is constructed to measure the progress of social justice in China’s energy transition from 2010 to 2021. The index exhibits a robust growth trend, increasing from 269 in 2010 to 965 in 2021, with an average annual growth rate of 12.9%. The years 2014 and 2020–2021 mark turning points, coinciding with the implementation of transformative policy initiatives and China’s carbon neutrality pledge. Employing multi-source data analysis, we evaluate the impact of energy transition policies on social justice using the Energy Transition Policy Impact Intensity (ETPII). Our analysis reveals that energy transition policies significantly positively impact overall social justice (ETPII: 1.133), with variations across dimensions. Energy supply shows the most potent effects (ETPII: 1.203), while procedural justice exhibits the weakest impact (ETPII: 0.804). These findings offer policy implications for achieving a just and inclusive energy transition. The proposed ETSJF and ETPII enable the systematic monitoring of social justice progress and offer methodological tools for policymakers to optimize energy transition policies through data-driven decision-making. Full article

This paper investigates points of vulnerability in the decisions made by backers and campaigners in crowdfund pledges in an attempt to facilitate a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem by increasing the rate of good projects being funded. In doing so, this research examines factors that contribute to the success or failure of crowdfunding campaign pledges using eXplainable AI methods (SHapley Additive exPlanations and Counterfactual Explanations). A dataset of completed Kickstarter campaigns was used to train two binary classifiers. The first model used textual features from the campaigns’ descriptions, and the second used categorical, numerical, and textual features. Findings identify textual terms, such as “stretch goals”, that convey both elements of risk and ambitiousness to be strongly correlated with success, contrary to transparent communications of risks that bring forward worries that would have otherwise remained dormant for backers. Short sentence length, in conjunction with high term complexity, is also associated with campaign success. We link the latter to signaling theory and the campaigners’ projection of knowledgeability of the domain. Certain numerical data, such as the project’s duration, frequency of post updates, and use of images, confirm previous links to campaign success. We enhance implications through the use of Counterfactual Explanations and generate actionable recommendations on how failed projects could become successful while proposing new policies, in the form of nudges, that shield backers from points of vulnerability. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI) is a historic pledge aiming at increasing political will to achieve universal access to immunization services and includes ten commitments to shape the future of immunization in Africa. Methods: To analyze African countries’ performance in achieving the fourth ADI commitment, a cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted including the 54 African Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) out of 55 African Union (AU) Member States. The fourth ADI commitment aims at increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of immunization delivery systems and has four performance indicators. Results: The median percentage of districts with less than 10% of dropout rate between the first dose of diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP1) and the third dose (DTP3) was 86.5%, ranging from 22% to 100%. Thirty-four countries (63%) recorded 80% or above of districts with less than 10% dropout rate between DTP1 and DTP3. Eleven countries (20.3%) and ten countries (18.5%) sustained 90% or above coverage for DTP3 and first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1), respectively, in the past three years (2021–2023). Four countries (7.4%) had 44.5 skilled health workers per 10,000 people. Out of the 54 WHO Member States, 7 achieved at least three of the four indicators of the fourth ADI commitment (13%). Conclusions: It is critical, as a follow up to this study, to document best practices from the seven countries that achieved the fourth ADI commitment. Additionally, a deeper analysis of factors associated with achieving the ADI commitments is required. Full article

Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions has become a worldwide environmental problem, posing a great threat to human survival. As the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China has pledged to reach peak carbon emissions by no later than 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. It is found that a carbon tax is a powerful incentive to reduce carbon emissions and promote an energy revolution, but it may have negative socio-economic impacts. Therefore, based on China’s 2020 input–output table, this paper systematically investigates the impacts of a carbon tax on China’s economy, carbon emissions, and energy by applying a computable general equilibrium model to determine the ideal equilibrium between socio-economic and environmental objectives. Based on energy use characteristics, we subdivided the energy sector into five major sectors: coal, oil, natural gas, thermal power generation, and clean power. The results show that when the carbon emission reduction target is less than 15%, that is, when the equilibrium carbon tax price is less than 54 yuan/ton, the implementation of a carbon tax policy can significantly reduce carbon emission and fossil fuel energy consumption, while only slightly reducing economic growth rate, and can achieve the double dividend of environment and economy. Moreover, because the reduction of coal consumption has the greatest impact on reducing carbon emissions, the ad valorem tax rate on coal after the carbon tax is imposed is the highest because coal has the highest carbon emission coefficient among fossil fuels. In addition, as an emerging clean energy source, hydrogen energy is the ideal energy storage medium for achieving clean power generation in power systems. If hydrogen energy can be vigorously developed, it is expected to greatly accelerate the deep decarbonization of power, industry, transportation, construction, and other fields. Full article

This study examined whether fixed or flexible funding mechanisms influence crowdfunding success. Under the fixed funding mechanism, the pledges contributed to the crowdfunding campaign projects are returned to the backers if the project fails, whereas, under the flexible funding mechanism, the project creator can keep all the raised pledges, irrespective of whether the project succeeds or fails. Secondary data consisted of reward-based crowdfunding projects retrieved from The Crowd Data Centre. Logistic regression was employed to respond to research objectives. The results reveal that the fixed funding mechanism increases the probability of success more than flexible funding. Entrepreneur experience, spelling errors, and project description negatively affect crowdfunding success, and backers positively affect crowdfunding success. The findings guide entrepreneurs seeking financing to design and choose an appropriate funding mechanism that effectively reduces the failure rate. Although many entrepreneurs seek funding in the crowdfunding market, relatively little research has been conducted on the influence of flexible or fixed funding mechanisms on crowdfunding success in Africa. This study provides entrepreneurs with appropriate financing strategies that enhance crowdfunding success. The empirical literature indicates that the flexible funding mechanism creates distrust among backers due to unrealistic target amounts. Full article

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the interactions within the intellectual property pledge financing framework involving SMBMEs, banks, and third-party intermediaries, focusing on factors that promote sustainable cooperation. Methods: The research employs an evolutionary game model to simulate and analyze strategic interactions among the stakeholders, considering bounded rationality and asymmetric information. Results: Key findings include the positive correlation between SMBMEs’ reputation and timely repayment, the adverse effects of patent devaluation on cooperation, and the reasonable loan interest rates for facilitating GPPFG cooperation. The study also highlights the need for a transparent information platform and reasonable breach of contract compensation. Conclusions: The paper concludes that an efficient GPPFG mechanism is crucial for SMBMEs’ financial support and green transformation. It suggests that third-party intermediaries play a significant role in risk reduction and innovation facilitation. The study acknowledges limitations and calls for future research to explore technological innovations and improve intermediary service systems for SMBMEs’ sustainable development. Full article

Two-thirds of UK higher education institutions operate as energy-intensive buildings and have failed to achieve the 2020 goal of reducing emissions by 43% from 2005 levels, as pledged in 2005. Converting existing buildings into low-emission ones is challenging, and setting achievable targets with sustainable design strategies is crucial. A case study was conducted on the University of Dundee’s dental clinic, analysing the economic viability of a hybrid microgrid with an on-site solar photovoltaic, natural-gas-fuelled combined heat and power generator, and the national grid. Three design configurations were analysed: Grid + CHP, Grid + PV, and Grid + PV + CHP. The results showed that the Grid + PV + CHP system has the lowest levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and is over 75% more cost-effective and shows a minimum of 7.5% reduction in emissions. This configuration has a simple payback period of 2.9 years, a discounted payback period of 2.6 years, a return on investment of 30.1%, and an internal rate of return of 34.4%. Full article

The development of digital technologies such as blockchain has provided new possibilities for solving the financing difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In order to explore the mutual influence of the participants in the supply chain, this paper constructs two static tripartite game models for traditional and digital supply chain finance, including a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), a core enterprise (CE), and a financial institution (FI). The conditions for SME, CE, and FI to participate in digital supply chain finance, and the equilibrium strategy (repayment, repayment, loan) after participating in digital supply chain finance, are figured out. It is found that compared with the traditional supply chain, the digital supply chain expands the probability range of repayment for SME and CE by the change of pledge rate and default loss and broadens the probability range of repayment for CE by the change of default loss. Further, compared with the traditional supply chain finance, the greater the pledge rate of digital supply chain finance and the smaller the default loss, the stronger the willingness of the SME and CE to participate in the digital supply chain and the lower the willingness of the FI. After the three parties participate in the digital supply chain, however, the conclusion is the opposite. The smaller the pledge rate and the greater the default loss, the stronger the repayment willingness for the SME and CE and the stronger the loan willingness of the FI. Therefore, it is suggested to find the critical values of pledge rate and default loss and raise these two variables to an appropriate range to encourage all parties to voluntarily and consistently participate in digital supply chain financing. Full article

No vaccine has been more effective in reducing disease burden, especially in preventing child deaths, than measles-containing vaccine. The return on investment makes measles-containing vaccine one of the most cost-effective public health measures available. Exhaustive reviews of biological, technical, economic and programmatic evidence have concluded that measles can and should be eradicated, and by including rubella antigen in measles-containing vaccine, congenital rubella syndrome will also be eradicated. All World Health Organisation Regions have pledged to achieve measles elimination. Unfortunately, not all countries and global partners have demonstrated an appropriate commitment to these laudable public health goals, and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on coverage rates has been profound. Unsurprisingly, large disruptive outbreaks are already occurring in many countries with a global epidemic curve ominously similar to that of 2018/2019 emerging. The Immunization Agenda 2030 will fail dismally unless measles and rubella eradication efforts are accelerated. Over half of all member states have been verified to have eliminated rubella and endemic rubella transmission has not been re-established in any country to date. In 2023, 84 countries and areas were verified to have sustained elimination of measles. However, without a global target, this success will be difficult to sustain. Now is the time for a global eradication goal and commitment by the World Health Assembly. Having a galvanising goal, with a shared call for action, will demand adequate resourcing from every country government and global partners. Greater coordination across countries and regions will be necessary. Measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome eradication should not remain just a technically feasible possibility but rather be completed to ensure that future generations of children do not live under the shadow of preventable childhood death and lifelong disability. Full article

Gastric cancer (GC) remains a significant global health challenge, with late-stage diagnosis impacting treatment options and decreased survival rates. To address this, there has been a growing interest in the development of innovative screening and diagnostic methods. Over the past 20 years, nanobiosensors have undergone multiple iterations and unveiled remarkable features that pledge to reshape patient care. Despite the excitement over the plethora of ground-breaking advancements for cancer detection, use-ready samples and streamlined healthcare information monitoring and usage, this technology is still awaiting entry into clinical trials, urging a closer gaze within the medical community. Oligonucleotide-based biosensors, leveraging DNA or RNA’s long-term storage of information, offer great specificity and sensitivity, as described throughout this paper. Consequently, this renders them as an ideal choice for revolutionizing GC diagnosis and facilitating early intervention. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of this cutting-edge, invaluable technology and its limitations across various aspects. Full article

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Northern Territory (NT). Accessible and culturally appropriate cancer screening programs are a vital component in reducing the burden of cancer. Primary health care plays a pivotal role in facilitating the uptake of cancer screening in the NT, due to the significant challenges caused by large distances, limited resources, and cultural differences. This paper analyses health care provider perspectives and approaches to the provision of cancer screening to Aboriginal people in the NT that were collected as part of a larger study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 staff from 15 health services, including 8 regional, remote, and very remote primary health care (PHC) clinics, 3 hospitals, a cancer centre, and 3 cancer support services. Transcripts were thematically analysed. Cancer screening by remote and very remote PHC clinics in the NT is variable, with some staff seeing cancer screening as a “huge gap”, while others see it as lower priority compared to other conditions due to a lack of resourcing and the overwhelming burden of acute and chronic disease. Conversely, some clinics see screening as an area where they are performing well, with systematic screening, targeted programs, and high screening rates. There was a large variation in perceptions of the breast screening and cervical screening programs. However, participants universally reported that the bowel screening kit was complicated and not culturally appropriate for their Aboriginal patients, which led to low uptake. System-level improvements are required, including increased funding and resourcing for screening programs, and for PHC clinics in the NT. Being appropriately resourced would assist PHC clinics to incorporate a greater emphasis on cancer screening into adult health checks and would support PHCs to work with local communities to co-design targeted cancer screening programs and culturally relevant education activities. Addressing these issues are vital for NT PHC clinics to address the existing cancer screening gaps and achieving the Australian Government pledge to be the first nation in the world to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2035. The implementation of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program in 2025 also presents an opportunity to deliver greater benefits to Aboriginal communities and reduce the cancer burden. Full article

Vietnam is the world’s largest cement exporter. In 2022, it produced 118 Mtpa cement while emitting 109 Mtpa cement-related CO_2, equal to 33% of Vietnam’s total CO₂ emission. As Vietnam has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050, unabated cement-related CO₂ emission must be drastically reduced in the future. This paper investigates the contribution of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonizing Vietnam’s cement industry to make cement production cleaner and more sustainable. A first-of-a-kind CO₂ source-sink mapping exercise was conducted to map 68 cement plants to subsurface sinks, including oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers, using four CCS field development concepts. The results have identified four first-mover CCS projects where CO₂ emissions from 27 cement plants are mapped to nearby offshore subsurface CO₂ sinks. Two of these projects are located in Vietnam-north, one in Vietnam-central, and one in Vietnam-south. In the Vietnam-south CCS project, CO₂ emission from the Kien Giang province is transported and stored in the offshore Block B gas field. In the other three CCS projects, CO₂ emission is transported to nearshore saline aquifers in the Song Hong Basin. At a CO₂ capture rate of 90%, these four projects will mitigate 50 Mtpa CO₂, which is 46% of cement-related CO₂ emission or 15% of total CO₂ emission from Vietnam, thus making Vietnam’s cement production cleaner and more sustainable. Future research should focus on subsurface characterization of saline aquifers in the Song Hong Basin. The methodology developed in this study is usable in other cement-producing countries with significant CO₂ sinks in the nearshore continental shelf. Full article

China has pledged to peak its CO₂ emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. To meet these goals, China needs to accelerate the electrification of passenger vehicles. However, the rapid development of electric vehicles may impact the supply of critical raw materials, which may hinder the low-carbon transition. Therefore, the impact of vehicle electrification on CO₂ emissions and the corresponding bottlenecks in the supply of critical raw materials should be systematically considered. In this study, we developed the China Automotive Fleet CO₂ Model (CAFCM) to simulate a mixed-technology passenger vehicle fleet evolution. We further assessed the impact of energy and CO₂ emissions and evaluated the demand for critical battery materials. We designed three scenarios with different powertrain type penetration rates to depict the potential uncertainty. The results showed that (1) the CO₂ emissions of passenger vehicles in both the operation stage and the fuel cycle can peak before 2030; (2) achieving the dual carbon goals will lead to a rapid increase in the demand for critical raw materials for batteries and lead to potential supply risks, especially for cobalt, with the cumulative demand for cobalt for new energy passenger vehicles in China being 5.7 to 7.3 times larger than China’s total cobalt reserves; and (3) the potential amount of critical material recycled from retired power batteries will rapidly increase but will not be able to substantially alleviate the demand for critical materials before 2035. China’s new energy vehicle promotion policies and key resource supply risks must be systematically coordinated under the dual carbon goals. Full article

Background: The United Nations high-level meeting (UNHLM) pledged to enroll 30 million in tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) by 2022, necessitating TPT expansion to all at tuberculosis (TB) risk. We assessed the uptake and completion of a 12-dose, weekly isoniazid–rifapentine (3HP) TPT regimen. Methods: Between February 2018 and March 2019 in Dhaka, community-based TPT using 3HP targeted household contacts of 883 confirmed drug-sensitive pulmonary TB patients. Adhering to World Health Organization guidelines, contacts underwent active TB screening before TPT initiation. Results: Of 3193 contacts who were advised health facility visits for screening, 67% (n = 2149) complied. Among these, 1804 (84%) received chest X-rays. Active TB was diagnosed in 39 (2%) contacts; they commenced TB treatment. Over 97% of 1216 contacts began TPT, with completion rates higher among females, those with more education and income, non-slum residents, and those without 3HP-related adverse events. Adverse events, mainly mild, occurred in 5% of participants. Conclusions: The 3HP regimen, with its short duration, self-administered option, and minimal side effects, achieved satisfactory completion rates. A community-focused TPT approach is feasible, scalable nationally, and aligns with UNHLM targets. Full article