scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of a Qingyuan Mushroom Culture System Based on Emergy

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gu ◽  
Lai ◽  
Liu ◽  
He ◽  
Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Culture System ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Labor Cost ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Net Income ◽  
Mushroom Cultivation ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Mushroom Culture

The Qingyuan mushroom culture system (QMCS) in Zhejiang Province has been recognized as the source of the world’s first artificial cultivation of mushrooms with a history of more than 800 years. The system embodies the farming wisdom of the local people who have adapted themselves to and utilized nature and has integrated the traditional bark hacking method with multiple modern patterns for mushroom cultivation based on artificial microbial strains. We have investigated the input–output operation of farmers and assessed and analyzed emergy indicators in a bid to reflect and compare their economic and ecological benefits, as well as their sustainable development by analyzing the three typical mushroom cultivation patterns. The cost-benefit analysis of the three patterns shows that the sawdust medium-cultivated method (SMCM) is characterized by dominance in both net income without labor cost and labor productivity; while the evaluation based on emergy indicators has proven that each has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of ecological and economic benefits and sustainable development. Among them, the bark hacking method (BHM) features the highest utilization rates of local and renewable resources, the smallest damage to the environment, the lowest production efficiency, and the highest exchange efficiency, but the sawdust medium-cultivated method is just the opposite, and the log-cultivated method (LCM) is the most favorable one for sustainable development. As its agricultural heritage, the QMCS’ core of dynamic protection and adaptive management lies in enhancing the sustainable development of its agricultural production methods. It is recommended that the three patterns be improved by targeting their respective shortcomings and at the same time, integrate their advantages to explore a new sustainable development pattern for mushroom cultivation.

scholarly journals Will our next revolution support or obstruct the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals?

Bionatura ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 832-835
Author(s):  
Nicolas Serrano-Palacio ◽  
Jorge Gómez-Paredes
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Ripple Effects ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Internet Of Things

The so called “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR) 1, is an emerging phenomenon which will likely transform our lives and affect multiple sectors of society. This new revolution encompasses and combines a wide range of new technologies, such as quantum computing, nano and bio-technology, artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and advance automation. Foreseeing all the impacts and ripple effects that these technologies will have in our societies, in the next years, is a sizeable and difficult task. Much of the debate has usually been focused on automation, which the Cambridge Dictionary defines as “the use of machines or computers instead of people to do a job, especially in a factory or office” 2. The ongoing debate focuses, on the potential of automation to generate production efficiency benefits vs. the threat to increase unemployment lines. But the actual effects (positive and negative) of this revolution may be much wider and deeper, including social and environmental impacts closely related to sustainable development. Following, we present a brief non-exhaustive commentary on some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of the 4IR from the perspective of the 17 goals adopted by all parties to the United Nations on September 2015, as part of an agenda to tackle global problems and reach sustainable development3.

scholarly journals Critical analysis of methodological approaches to assessing sustainability of arctic oil and gas projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 249 ◽  
pp. 463-479
Author(s):  
Aleksei Cherepovitsyn ◽  
Pavel Tcvetkov ◽  
Olga Evseeva
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Environmental Safety ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Development Economic ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Meta Analyses

Development of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic is one of the priority tasks for the economy of the Russian Federation; however, such projects are associated with significant risks for the environment of nearby regions. Large-scale development of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic should be based on the principles of sustainable development, which imply a balance between socio-economic benefits and environmental risks. The purpose of this study is to analyze the gaps in scientific knowledge on the issues of assessing sustainability of Arctic oil and gas projects (OGPs) and systematize the key problematic elements of such assessments. The analysis was carried out in terms of four key elements that determine the feasibility of implementing Arctic OGPs in the context of sustainable development: economic efficiency, social effects, environmental safety and technological availability. The methodology for conducting bibliometric analysis, which included more than 15.227 sources from the Scopus database over the period of 2005-2020, was based on PRISMA recommendations for compiling systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Methodological problems of assessing sustainability of Arctic OGPs were mapped and divided into four key sectors: consideration of factors that determine sustainability; sustainability assessment; interpretation of assessment results; sustainability management. This map can serve as a basis for conducting a series of point studies, aimed at eliminating existing methodological shortcomings of the sustainable development concept with respect to Arctic OGPs.

scholarly journals Applying Sustainable Development Principles and Sustainable Operating Practices in Shale Oil and Gas Production

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-149
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Shields
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Shared Value ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
Social License ◽  
Oil Gas

Shale oil/gas is one of the most rapidly growing types of unconventional fossil fuel development and the abundance of this resource has postponed peak oil and gas. Physical scarcity of hydrocarbons is now less likely to occur in the near future; however, the likelihood of social scarcity is increasing. Despite the clear economic benefits of production in terms of jobs, tax revenue, and the provision of energy resources and industrial feedstocks, there is hostility toward shale oil/gas extraction in many parts of the world. This is due to concerns about how environmental, social, and economic impacts are managed and mitigated,and how risks and benefits are distributed among industry, governments and civil society.The application of sustainable development principles and sustainable operating practices is recommended as a partial remedy for this situation. Sustainability accounting frameworks based on criteria and indicators of sustainability and best practice codes of conduct represent two possible approaches for tracking how sustainable a firm’s practices are. These also provide a foundation for corporate social responsibility and can assist firms in gaining social license to operate. Also needed are estimates of a given operation’s net contribution to sustainable development. Possible methods include benchmarking against industry standards,achieving mature business conduct, gaining sustainability certification, demonstrated use of both design for environment and shared value creation methodologies, and integrated sustainability assessment. Conceptual progress has been made in applying sustainability to shale oil/gas; however, significant progress in applying these tools and methods in the field is needed because the sector tends to be judged by the behavior of the least responsible firm. Moreover, if best practices and shared value creation are set aside during the current or a future downturn, public cynicism about the sector will increase, and social license may be lost and even more difficult to regain.

scholarly journals Sustainable Mining in Thailand: Paradigm Shift in Environmental Management

2014 ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saneh Niyomthai ◽  
Annuwat Wattanawan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Sustainable Mining ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Monitoring System

Thailand’smining industry has always been considered as an industrial activity generating significant environmental burdens. This is because environmental management in the sectorwas given lower prioritycompared with economic benefits. The resulting adverse environmental effects in areas surrounding some mining areas required government interventions.Accordingly, the sustainable development of mineral resources requires a delicate balance of economic, environmental and societal considerations. To respond to this challenge, Thailand needs a paradigm shift in environmental management towards sustainablemining, in order to maximize benefits from exploitation of the mineral resources,whilst ensuring co-existence and mutual benefits of mining activities and their surrounding communities.This article seeks to provide some information about a fundamental change in theprinciples, approach and strategies of environmental management towards sustainable mining inThailand. The main mechanism includes changing in visions and strategies towards sustainable mining, applying various sustainability assessment tools in licensing and decision-making processes, decentralizing the environmental monitoring system to local authorities and communities, as well as enhancing the use of the sustainable development principle to all mining operators through various projects. An establishment of a rehabilitation fund, ahealth surveillance fund and a community infrastructure improvement fund are also required for development of any new mining project to guarantee rehabilitation works and risk management efforts during and after the mine’s life.

scholarly journals Transport Economics and Sustainable Development in Ukraine

2019 ◽  
pp. 272-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Hens ◽  
Leonid Melnyk ◽  
Oleksandr Matsenko ◽  
Olena Chygryn ◽  
Candy Chamorro Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Pollution Effects ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Transport Project ◽  
Promotion Effectiveness

The contemporary development of transport systems is characterized by an ecological, technical, social and economic contradictions. An acceptable global solution can be obtained by matching relevant criteria. This paper provides a synthesis of economic and organizational peculiarities on sustainable development to transport internationally, it reviews recent trends in this respect and applies international trends to Ukraine. Authors concluded that environmental pollution effects connected with transport system’s development providing additional costs in different spheres of society that gives the opportunity to assert on necessity of integration the research outcomes on green mobility in applied activity. This article summarizes the implemented transport project examples and analyzed their role in realizing sustainable development principles. The authors proved that all creating programs and projects in transport should be based on such interconnected principles: transport planning and localization of production and consumption; transition to more environmentally efficient transport; improving the technology and fuel. In addition it was suggested to include the transport greening principles in criteria’s of economic efficiency in transport. The strategies to reorient the Ukrainian transport industry towards resource-saving approaches are formulated. Substantiated that applying energy-efficient approaches in transport will result in socio-ecological and economic benefits, including ecological, social, public health, transport and urban components. The authors analyzed advantages and disadvantages of different kind of modern transport vehicles in the context of sustainable development principles realization that allows understanding which economic sectors and entrepreneurs should be involved in the process of transport greening creating the basis for public, private and foreign investment attraction. Keywords: transport system, sustainable development, transport greening promotion, effectiveness, benefits

Agrarian receipts as a tool for the structural transformation of financial and credit relations in the agrarian business of the region

2019 ◽  
pp. 40-53
Author(s):  
Yuliia Nehoda
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Structural Transformation ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Bank Lending ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Agricultural Business ◽  
Business Entities

The subject of the research – is a set of organizational-economic relations arising in the process of structural transformation of financial and credit relations in the agricultural business. The purpose of the article is a retrospective analysis of structural transformations of financial and credit relations in the agricultural business, evaluation of the effectiveness and feasibility of the introduction of agricultural receipts as a new instrument of lending to the agricultural business of the regions. Methodology of work – system-structural and comparative analyzes (to determine the effectiveness of the crediting mechanism according to the agricultural receipts of the farmers of the region); monographic (when studying the problems of the functioning of the mechanism of lending to agrarians by agrarian receipts) economic analysis (when carrying out a comparative analysis of the mechanism of classical bank lending to the agrarian business and the mechanism of lending to agrarians according to agrarian receipts); modeling and forecasting (when determining ways to overcome the existing deficiencies in the mechanism of lending to agrarian business entities of the region according to agrarian receipts). The results of the work – a retrospective analysis of the structural transformation of financial and credit relations in the agricultural business was carried out. The mechanism of crediting agrarians according to agrarian receipts and the scale of its distribution in the agrarian business of the region are considered. A comparative analysis of the mechanism of classical bank lending to the agrarian business and the mechanism of lending to agrarians according to agrarian receipts was carried out. In the framework of the pilot project “Agrarian receipts in Ukraine” of the international financial corporation (IFC) in partnership with the Swiss Confederation in Ukraine, the example of the Poltava region defined the effectiveness of the crediting mechanism according to the agrarian receipts of the agrarians of the region. The advantages and disadvantages of the mechanism of crediting the subjects of the agrarian business on agrarian receipts are noted. The ways to overcome the existing shortcomings of the mechanism of crediting the subjects of the agrarian business of the region according to agricultural receipts are determined. Conclusions – according to the results of the conducted research, the effectiveness of the mechanism of lending to the agricultural business of the regions according to agricultural receipts was proved, its advantages and disadvantages were noted, and attention was also focused. Proposed in Art. 7 of Law No. 5479-VI clearly delineate cases and restrictions on the debtor’s reimbursement of expenses incurred by the lender with the acquisition of the right to grow and harvest the pledged crop of agricultural products, which will ensure the principle of equality of parties on economic benefits and distribution of credit risks according to agricultural receipts.

OPTIMAL ANALYSIS OF FARM AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY EQUIPMENT BASED ON MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

2020 ◽  
pp. 333-340
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modelling ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Constraint Equation ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Agricultural Machinery ◽  
Optimization Analysis ◽  
Agricultural Modernization ◽  
Actual Equipment ◽  
Optimal Allocations

With the development of science and technology, the degree of agricultural mechanization is getting higher and higher. Agricultural machinery is an important support for the development of agricultural modernization. Optimizing the allocation of agricultural machinery is conducive to improving agricultural production efficiency and economic benefits. In this paper, mathematical modelling method is mainly used in the analysis and optimization of agricultural machinery configuration. By determining the objective function and constraint equation, combined with the actual situation of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the linear programming model and workload model of agricultural machinery and equipment optimization are established. Finally, the actual number of agricultural machinery and equipment and the number of optimal allocations of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps farm were compared. The effectiveness of the optimization model is verified by comparing the optimized agricultural machinery equipment with the actual equipment. The results show that the optimized equipment model has good optimization effect. On the basis of reducing the number of agricultural machinery and equipment, the matching rate of agricultural machinery is improved, and the operation cost of agricultural machinery is effectively reduced. It is hoped that this study can provide certain reference and reference for the optimization analysis of agricultural machinery and equipment based on mathematical modelling.

A CMT Device for Electric Energy Meter Detection

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Zeng ◽  
Yongfu Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Constant Magnetic Field ◽  
Electromagnetic Interference ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Labor Cost ◽  
Automatic Testing ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Detection Technology

Background: Detection technology is a product development technique that serves as a basis for quality assurance. As electric energy meters (EEMs) are measurement instruments whose use is mandatory in several nations, their accuracy, which directly depends on their reliability and proper functioning, is paramount. In this study, to eliminate electromagnetic interference, a device is developed for testing a set of EEMs under a constant magnetic field interference. The detection device can simultaneously test 6 electric meters; moreover, in the future, it will be able to measure the influence of magnetic field strength on the measurement accuracy of EEMs, thereby improving the production efficiency of electric meter manufacturers. Methods: In this study, we first design a 3D model of the detection device for a single meter component; then, we establish a network, which includes a control system, and perform the planning of the path of a block that generates a constant magnetic field. Finally, we control the three-axis motion and rotation of the block using a PLC to implement detection for the five sides of the EEM. Results & Discussion: The proposed device can accurately determine whether an EEM can adequately function, within the error range prescribed by a national standard, under electromagnetic interference; this can enable reliable, automatic testing and fault detection for EEMs. Experiments show that our device can decrease the labor cost for EEM manufacturers.

scholarly journals Neighbourhood Modelling for Urban Sustainability Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4654
Author(s):  
Javier Orozco-Messana ◽  
Milagro Iborra-Lucas ◽  
Raimon Calabuig-Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Policy Impact ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Data Repositories ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Climate Action

Climate change is becoming a dominant concern for advanced countries. The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework whose implementation relates to all human activities and is commonly guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), which set the scene for sustainable development performance configuring all climate action related policies. Fast control of CO2 emissions necessarily involves cities since they are responsible for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) is clearly involved in the deployment of SDG 13 (Climate Action). European Sustainability policies are financially guided by the European Green Deal for a climate neutral urban environment. In turn, a common framework for urban policy impact assessment must be based on architectural design tools, such as building certification, and common data repositories for standard digital building models. Many Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment (NSA) tools have been developed but the growing availability of open data repositories for cities, together with big-data sources (provided through Internet of Things repositories), allow accurate neighbourhood simulations, or in other words, digital twins of neighbourhoods. These digital twins are excellent tools for policy impact assessment. After a careful analysis of current scientific literature, this paper provides a generic approach for a simple neighbourhood model developed from building physical parameters which meets relevant assessment requirements, while simultaneously being updated (and tested) against real open data repositories, and how this assessment is related to building certification tools. The proposal is validated by real data on energy consumption and on its application to the Benicalap neighbourhood in Valencia (Spain).

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment and Agricultural Supply Chains Evidence-Based Multidimensional Analyses as Tools for Strategic Decision-Making—The Case of the Pineapple Supply Chain in Benin

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2060
Author(s):  
Doriane Desclee ◽  
David Sohinto ◽  
Freddy Padonou
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Agricultural Supply

Contributing to Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 is a shared objective of all institutions and people. The challenges differ according to the characteristics of every context. In developing countries, strongly dependent on the agricultural sector, agricultural supply chains are recognized as crucial for economic growth and enablers for livelihood improvement. Moreover, sustainable development issues are correlated and can meet in agricultural supply chains. For several decades, parallel to decision-makers, the research community has elaborated sustainability assessment tools. Such tools evolved to fit with actuality, but it is challenging to find decision-making support tools for sustainable development adequate in agricultural supply chains and developing countries contexts. There is a necessity to define evidence-based tools and exhaustive analytical frameworks according to sustainability multidimensionality and strategical tradeoffs necessity. The VCA4D method aims to go beyond the limits of previous methods. It proposes a combination of multidisciplinary analytical tools applied empirically to analyze agricultural supply chains in their context. It provides evidence-based analytical results allowing to identify enablers for strategic sustainable and inclusive interventions. However, to even better meet contextual exhaustiveness’s expectations and indicators’ robustness to lead to relevant interventions, we should insist on a stricter framing of contextual data collection processes.

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