Search Results (132)

Urban areas are at the forefront in addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Among the key responses are nature-based solutions, which are increasingly being integrated into policy frameworks but which require strong community engagement for their effective implementation. This paper presents the findings of surveys conducted within the Place Lab in Katowice, Poland, an initiative developed as part of an international project and used as a participatory tool for co-creating and implementing green infrastructure. The project applies both place-based and people-centred approaches to support European cities in their transition towards regenerative urbanism. Place Lab activities encourage collaboration between local authorities and residents, enhancing awareness and fostering participation in environmental initiatives. The survey data collected during the project allowed for the evaluation of changes in public attitudes and levels of engagement and for the identification of broader societal phenomena that may influence the implementation of nature-based solutions. The findings revealed, for instance, that more women were interested in supporting the project, that residents tended to be sceptical of governmental actions on climate change, and that views were divided on the trade-off between urban infrastructure such as parking and roads and the presence of green areas. Furthermore, questions of responsibility, awareness, and long-term commitment were frequently raised. Building on the survey results and the existing literature, the study proposes a set of indicators to assess the contribution of citizen participation to the adoption of nature-based solutions. While the effectiveness of nature-based solutions in mitigating climate change impacts can be assessed relatively directly, evaluating civic engagement is more complex. Nevertheless, when conducted transparently and interpreted by experts, indicator-based assessment can offer valuable insights. This study introduces a novel perspective by considering not only drivers of engagement but also the obstacles. The proposed indicators provide a foundation for evaluating community readiness and commitment to nature-based approaches and may be adapted for application in other urban settings and in future research on climate resilience strategies. Full article

South Africa’s bioeconomy strategy identifies bio-innovation as a key driver of economic growth and social development, with plant breeding playing a central role in improving food security through the development of high-yielding, resilient, and high-quality crops. However, consumer perceptions of recent advances, particularly new breeding techniques (NBTs), remain underexplored. This study examines South African consumer attitudes towards plant breeding innovations, using a mixed-methods approach. The initial focus group interviews informed the development of a structured quantitative survey examining familiarity, perceptions, and acceptance of plant breeding technologies. Consumer awareness of plant breeding principles was found to be limited, with 67–68% of respondents unfamiliar with both conventional and modern plant breeding procedures. Despite this information gap, consumers expressed conditional support for modern breeding techniques, especially when associated with actual benefits like increased nutritional value, environmental sustainability, and crop resilience. When favourable effects were outlined, support for general investment in modern breeding practices climbed from 45% to 74%. Consumer purchase decisions emphasised price, product quality, and convenience over manufacturing techniques, with sustainability ranked last among the assessed factors. Trust in the sources of food safety information varied greatly, with medical experts and scientists being ranked highly, while government sources were viewed more sceptically. The results further suggest that targeted education could improve customer confidence, as there is a significant positive association (R² = 0.938) between familiarity and acceptance. These findings emphasise the significance of open communication strategies and focused consumer education in increasing the adoption of plant breeding breakthroughs. The study offers useful insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders working on engagement strategies to facilitate the ethical growth and application of agricultural biotechnology in support of food security and quality in South Africa. This study contributes to a better understanding of South African consumers’ perceptions of plant breeding innovations and food safety. The research findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders in developing effective engagement and communication strategies that address consumer concerns and promote the adoption of products derived from diverse plant breeding technologies. Full article

As global concerns about climate change and air quality intensify, nations are increasingly adopting sustainable transportation solutions, with electromobility emerging as a key alternative. This study investigates the factors influencing powertrain technology choice and the barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption in Poland, focusing on insights from technically educated youth, early-career researchers, and academic professionals. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the study investigates public perceptions, motivations, and challenges associated with EV uptake in a country historically reliant on fossil fuels. Key drivers such as environmental considerations, government policies, and infrastructure development are evaluated alongside persistent obstacles, including high initial purchase costs, inadequate charging networks, range anxiety, and scepticism about battery performance. While the sample is not representative of the broader Polish population, it provides insights from a technically literate cohort likely to shape future technological and policy advancements. Our findings reveal that the adoption of EVs among this group is influenced by factors such as technological innovation and government policies, while barriers include high initial costs, limited charging infrastructure, and scepticism about perceived sustainability, battery life, and performance. The research also highlights the critical role of education and awareness in shaping attitudes toward EVs. This study, though limited by sample size and demographic focus, offers valuable contributions to understanding the early-stage adoption of EVs in Poland and serves as a foundation for future research targeting a more diverse population. The applied research model is scalable, providing a framework for broader studies that could include different age groups, geographical regions, and professional sectors. Full article

In his final notebooks, published as On Certainty, Wittgenstein articulated a radical conception of the structure of rational evaluation, one that had arational hinge commitments at its heart. This proposal has recently been extended to the religious case, in the form of quasi-fideism, which treats basic religious commitments as being hinge commitments. My interest in this paper is how religious hinge commitments relate to one’s fundamental ideological commitments, such as the kinds of basic political or economic certainties that prevail in a predominantly capitalist society. While I argue that there are significant overlaps between fundamental religious and ideological commitments, there are also some significant divergences, which is why the former tend to be more plausible candidates to be genuine hinge commitments. In particular, I maintain that while allowing that there can be religious hinge commitments extends hinge epistemology beyond the paradigm, commonsense, cases that was Wittgenstein’s focus in On Certainty, it doesn’t thereby open the door to there being ideological hinge commitments, given the important ways in which religious and ideological hinge commitments diverge in their properties. Full article

Circular economy marketing (CEM) represents an innovative approach to aligning business strategies with sustainability objectives. This paper explores the role of CEM as a driver of green marketing innovation, emphasising strategies that minimise environmental impact on business competitiveness while enhancing consumer engagement. Using a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA methodology, we identified 39 high-impact studies across multiple industries, categorising findings into key themes, theoretical frameworks, and marketing strategies. The analysis highlights emerging trends, including the shift toward product-service systems (PSSs), behavioural nudging, transparent sustainability branding, and integration of digital technologies such as AI and blockchain to enhance traceability and consumer trust. Findings reveal that while circular economy marketing presents opportunities for businesses to differentiate themselves and build long-term sustainability strategies, significant challenges remain, including scalability issues, consumer scepticism, and risks of greenwashing. Moreover, gaps in standardising impact measurement and industry-specific adaptation hinder wider implementation. Business model innovation, policy support, and collaborative efforts are crucial in overcoming these barriers. This study provides insights for businesses, policymakers, and researchers, highlighting how CEM fosters green innovation and competitiveness. Future research should compare the effectiveness of various strategies to accelerate the transition toward sustainable marketing practices through regulation and interdisciplinary collaboration. Full article

The main objective of this study was to investigate European consumers’ intentions to purchase cosmetics and detergents with green ingredients made from recycled CO₂. Aiming to better understand both moral and practical criteria of consumers’ intentions, a combination of the Values-Beliefs-Norms and the Theory of Planned Behaviour models served as the basis of this study’s theoretical framework. The combination was extended with risk perception about global warming, scepticism and media influence. Online interviews were conducted with stratified samples based on gender and age distributions in France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Structural equation modelling and moderation analyses were employed to analyse the data. The results indicated that consumption intentions are generated by consumers’ biospheric values and a sequence of risk perception, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility while they are directly determined (in declining order) by perceived behavioural control, personal norms, attitudes and subjective norms. Subjective norms indicated additional indirect impacts on consumption intentions through personal norms and ascription of responsibility. Moderation also indicated that the relationship between perceived behavioural control and consumption intentions is stronger in consumers, who are less sceptical towards ecological claims on packaging, while the relationship between personal norms and consumption intentions is stronger in consumers, who are less influenced by advertisements. Theoretical, managerial and social implications were derived from the results. Full article

Greater engagement with alternative food supply chains is considered a key factor in reducing a range of environmental and social harms associated with the global agri-food system. However, consumer engagement with these supply chains is low, and little research has investigated this issue in the Australian context. This study aimed to identify Australian consumers’ drivers and barriers in procuring food grown locally from alternative grocery retailers. Self-reported primary or co-equal grocery shoppers (n = 325) completed measures of drivers and barriers to shopping for locally produced food (within 200 km) from alternative retailers, as well as current behavioural engagement with such. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four key drivers (Food Shopping as an Expression of Values, Food Shopping as a Socio-Emotional Experience, Avoiding “Unnatural” Food, Protesting the Duopoly) and two key barriers (It’s All Too Hard, Local Food Scepticism). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that together, these drivers and barriers explained a significant 9% of the variance in the frequency of alternate shopping practices, of which only the barrier It’s All Too Hard accounted for a significant amount of unique variance. Findings point to ways to encourage engagement with sustainable food systems, as well as critical barriers to overcoming disengagement. Full article

This paper argues that the Armenian genocide, the genocide of the Greeks of Pontus and the Greek Catastrophe, and the Nestorian and Assyrian genocide, all of which took place during the late Ottoman Empire, were not isolated historic incidents, but rather different phases of a broader agenda of Christian extermination in Asia Minor. The early 19th-century Ottoman Christian scepticism over the established status quo of the millet system, which had served as a platform of religious conflict resolution and intercultural dialogue but dictated subordination to Islam, was perceived as defiance by Ottoman Muslims, who interpreted the Christian strife for social equality as the loss of their privilege, thus creating bottom-up pressure for violence, resulting in the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the majority of Ottoman Christians between 1822 and 1922. Full article

Distinct spiritual attitudes and convictions may promote scepticism towards medical interventions, potentially influencing vaccine attitudes. This study investigated the impact of spirituality and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) use on perceptions of vaccine harmfulness, with a focus on COVID-19 and mandatory childhood vaccinations. Additionally, it examines whether spirituality indirectly influences vaccine hesitancy through CAM use and beliefs in conspiracies. A cross-sectional probability-based survey was conducted with over 1300 participants from South Tyrol, Italy, in 2023, using the GrAw-7 (Gratitude/Awe) scale as a measure of the experiential aspect of non-religious spirituality. Statistical analysis encompassed Spearman’s correlation and linear regression to assess the associations between spirituality and vaccine perceptions. A mediation model was applied to evaluate the role of spirituality in shaping attitudes towards vaccination. Higher experiential spirituality was associated with increased perceived harmfulness of COVID-19 and mandatory childhood vaccinations. Spirituality as well as perceived harmfulness of COVID-19 vaccination and mandatory childhood vaccination were correlated with age, increased CAM utilisation and conspiracy ideation, while institutional distrust was solely associated with vaccine scepticism but not with spirituality; well-being and altruism were only associated with spirituality. Mediation analysis revealed that experiential spirituality accounted for a modest but significant portion of the influence of CAM use and conspiracy thinking on vaccine perceptions. Experiential spirituality may indirectly influence vaccine perception by affecting CAM use and conspiracy thinking. Public health initiatives should incorporate spiritual beliefs and convictions into communication strategies and present vaccinations as a community responsibility. Engaging spiritual and community leaders can enhance the acceptance of vaccines among spiritually inclined groups. Full article

The role of human rights is increasingly subject to scrutiny and debate. However, historically, human rights functioned as powerful tools for social change. In this context, this paper explores the origin, evolution and impact of the Inter-American Human Rights System, analysing its impact from three perspectives. First, it reviews empirical studies that advocate distinguishing between compliance with the system’s orders and their broader impact. Case examples are presented to demonstrate how compliance with general orders, such as guarantees of non-repetition, can influence human rights practices across the region, even when compliance is only partial. The analysis highlights that impact extends beyond formal compliance, encompassing the strategies of human rights organisations, interactions between national and international spheres, and progress in the recognition and justiciability of rights, along with measures aimed at benefiting specific groups. Finally, the relationship between the region’s democratic development and the system’s relevance is explored, highlighting its remarkable adaptability to emerging realities and societal demands despite persistent challenges. In the face of prevailing scepticism, the system continues to function as a vital mechanism for promoting social transformation across Latin America. Full article

Vaccine hesitancy presents a significant challenge to public health, particularly in culturally diverse regions, such as South Tyrol, Italy. This article examines the interplay between political influences, conspiracy theories, and vaccine hesitancy in South Tyrol, an autonomous province characterised by its linguistic diversity and historical scepticism toward central authority. This study aimed to identify the important drivers of vaccine hesitancy and propose targeted strategies to enhance vaccine acceptance. Peer-reviewed and grey literature was examined to explore the sociocultural factors, political dynamics, and conspiracy narratives influencing vaccine hesitancy in South Tyrol. The analysis incorporated publicly available materials, including propaganda from anti-vaccine organisations, and regional public health data to contextualise the findings. Vaccine hesitancy in South Tyrol was influenced by historical tensions with the central government, cultural alignment with Austrian healthcare practices, and politically motivated opposition to vaccination. Conspiracy theories disseminated by local organisations and political entities exploit concerns regarding governmental overreach and personal autonomy. These dynamics are compounded by the selective misrepresentation of scientific discourse, which further polarises public opinion. Addressing vaccine hesitancy in South Tyrol requires culturally sensitive communication, community engagement through trusted local figures, transparency in health policies, and the proactive monitoring of misinformation. These strategies can mitigate mistrust and promote vaccine acceptance in regions with similar sociopolitical complexities. Full article

Consumer interest in organic food has surged globally, driven by health, sustainability, and ethical considerations. Key factors include perceived safety, nutritional benefits, and environmental impact, while high prices and limited availability remain barriers. This study examines the factors influencing organic food preferences among Greek consumers, focusing on attribute importance, demographic variations, purchasing locations, and regional differences. A sample of 250 consumers was analysed using a best-worst scaling methodology to research the importance of organic food attributes. The two main attributes were then further analysed using ordinal regression models. Health benefits, particularly the absence of chemicals, emerged as the most valued attribute, followed by nutritional value, absence of GMOs, better taste expectations, and environmental impact. Certification showed intermediary importance, and price, country of origin, availability, and natural appearance were found to have lower importance. Women and highly educated individuals show greater recognition of organic food’s health and nutritional advantages. Consumers in rural regions exhibited stronger preferences for organic products, influenced by cultural traditions, trust in local sourcing, and economic accessibility, while urban consumers displayed more scepticism. For the Greek participants included in the study, supermarkets dominate organic food sales due to affordability and convenience. Full article

The school-to-work transition (STWT) represents a pivotal challenge in individual development, necessitating a global and interdisciplinary approach to address its inherent complexity. This article examines some key characteristics of the current labour market, focusing on the Italian context, which is undergoing profound transformations that disrupt traditional production systems. In the contemporary landscape, labour market instability has become a norm rather than an exception, often resulting in unclear future prospects and leaving individuals—particularly adolescents—grappling with uncertainty and a lack of direction. For younger generations, this sustained uncertainty exacerbates the challenges of an already delicate and transformative phase of life, generating scepticism toward both present realities and future possibilities. The evolving skills required to navigate the STWT present significant challenges for educational planning, particularly within institutional, organizational, and pedagogical dimensions. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are reshaping lifestyles and work environments, further complicating the dynamics of STWT transition. It is essential to undertake comprehensive pedagogical reflection and rigorous research to critically evaluate and redefine educational strategies and policies. Such efforts are crucial for equipping adolescents with the resilience and adaptability required to navigate instability and uncertainty, fostering preparedness for an unpredictable future. Full article

Despite the growing importance of green consumption, the green attitude–behaviour gap remains a key challenge, highlighting the discrepancy between consumers’ expressed environmental concerns and their actual sustainable-purchasing practices. This study identified key determinants of consumers’ sustainable behaviours and the influence of sustainable development goals-related marketing communication across socio-demographic groups. A quantitative causal research design was employed based on a self-administered online questionnaire targeting the Slovenian population (N = 502). The findings indicate a positive, though weak (ρ = 0.384), correlation between consumers’ attitudes and their behaviours. A substantial and significant positive influence of marketing communication, psychological, and social determinants on pro-environmental behaviour was found, while lifestyle inhibited this behaviour. An analysis of the marketing communication dimension showed that it had the greatest influence on men, consumers aged 35 years or more and those with lower education and income, especially through the information received, trust, and advertisement attractiveness. These results suggest the need for tailored marketing strategies that emphasise practical benefits and trustworthy information to effectively promote sustainable practices. This research underscores the importance of clear and credible marketing communications in fostering sustainable consumer behaviour, particularly in regions where scepticism towards marketing claims is widespread. Full article

Lion transformation, among San-Bushmen, is arguably the most dramatic and spectacular instance of animal transformation. Transformation is a central component of San curing and initiation ritual and of certain San hunting practices. Moreover, it is a recurrent theme in San mythology, art and cosmology, all of them domains of San expressive and symbolic culture that are pervaded by ontological mutability (manifested most strikingly in the therianthropes of San myth and art). Lion transformation is a phenomenon that has received much mention in the ethnographic literature on Khoisan ritual and belief, through information that is based not on first-hand but second- or third-hand ethnographic and ethno-historical information. In the paper, I describe my own eye-witness account of what San people deemed a lion transformation by a trance dancer, which I observed in my early field work among Ghanzi (Botswana) Naro and = Au//eisi San in the 1970s. This is followed by my own musings on the actuality or reality of lion transformation, from both my own perspective and from what I understand to be the indigenous perspective. In terms of the latter, lion transformation—and animal transformation in general—is a plausible proposition. Indigenous doubt and scepticism, deriving from a rarely if ever fully conclusive witnessing of such transformations, are assuaged in a number of epistemological, cosmological and phenomenological ways. These are not available to a Western cultural outsider with a Cartesian mindset, nor to a Westernized—and perhaps also Christianized—insider, whose cosmos has become “disenchanted” through historical–colonial and contemporary–acculturational influences. Full article