scholarly journals Classification of Sustainable Activities: EU Taxonomy and Scientific Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6460
Author(s):  
Caterina Lucarelli ◽  
Camilla Mazzoli ◽  
Michela Rancan ◽  
Sabrina Severini
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Scientific Production ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Geographic Patterns ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Modelling Analysis ◽  
The Eu

In March 2020, the European Commission published the EU Taxonomy, a classification system of economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. Motivated by this policy initiative, we propose a bibliometric analysis, based on the Web of Science database for the period January 1990–March 2020, regarding the extant scientific production related to the EU Taxonomy environmental objectives and macro-sectors. We find that a considerable number of scientific works—161,595 publications—have investigated Taxonomy-related areas, showing that the EU Taxonomy defined a working method, based on the cooperation among regulators, academics, and industry, representing a valuable example of evidence-based policy making. Furthermore, topic modelling analysis shows that extracted papers focused on improvements in production processes, innovation, and environmental performance. Thus, exploiting time and geographic patterns of the scientific publications, we perform a multivariate analysis to investigate its relationship with subsequent levels of pollution. Our evidence shows that, for the past, a higher level of EU Taxonomy-related publications is associated with a lower level of CO2 emissions, supporting the view that scientific production has a societal impact in terms of environmental sustainability. Accordingly, now that EU Taxonomy-related topics have been incorporated into policy measures, further positive environmental effects are expected from here on out.

scholarly journals Will the EU Taxonomy Regulation Foster Sustainable Corporate Governance?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12316
Author(s):  
Alessio M. Pacces
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Law And Economics ◽  
Securities Regulation ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Financial Products ◽  
Principal Agent Problem ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure ◽  
The Eu

EU securities regulation has established a taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities. This article discusses, from a law and economics standpoint, the potential of this taxonomy to support sustainable corporate governance. Corporate governance can be an efficient way to channel investor preferences towards sustainability because the concentration of institutional shareholding has lowered the transaction costs of shareholder action. However, there is a principal-agent problem between institutional investors and their beneficiaries, which depends on greenwashing and undermines sustainable corporate governance. This article argues that introducing environmental sustainability into EU mandatory disclosure aligns the institutional investors’ incentives with the interest of their beneficiaries and may foster the efficient inclusion of sustainability in corporate governance. The argument is threefold. Firstly, the EU taxonomy may curb greenwashing by standardizing the disclosure of environmental sustainability. Secondly, this information may become salient for the beneficiaries as the same standards define the sustainability preferences to be considered in recommending and marketing financial products. Thirdly, sustainability disclosure prompts institutional investors to compete for sustainability-minded beneficiaries. Being unable to avoid unsustainable companies altogether, institutional investors are expected to cater to beneficiaries’ preferences for environmental sustainability using voice instead of an exit.

The role of environmental sustainability in the freight transport mode choice

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 560-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Bask ◽  
Mervi Rajahonka
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Intermodal Transport ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transport Mode ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
The Eu

Purpose Transport is the European Union (EU) sector that produces the second highest amount of greenhouse gas emissions. In its attempts to promote the environmentally sustainable development of transport, the EU has focussed on intermodal transport in particular – but with limited success. It is important to understand how freight transport is selected, which criteria are used and what role environmental sustainability and intermodal transport play in the selection. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of environmental sustainability and intermodal transport in transport mode decisions. The authors look at this issue from the perspective of logistics service providers (LSPs) and buyers, as they are important stakeholders in guiding this process. Design/methodology/approach To gain a holistic view of the current state of research, the authors have conducted a systematic literature review of the role of environmental sustainability and intermodal transport in transport mode decisions. The authors have further examined the findings concerning requests for quotations (RfQs), tenders and transport contracts, as these are also linked to decisions on transport choice. Findings The findings from the literature review include the results of descriptive and structured content analysis of the selected articles. They show that the discussion on environmental sustainability and intermodal transport as a sustainable mode, together with the transport mode selection criteria, RfQs/tenders and transport contracts, is still a rather new and emerging topic in the literature. The main focus related to the selection of transport mode has been on utility and cost efficiency, and only recently have issues such as environmental sustainability and intermodal transport started to gain greater attention. The findings also indicate that the theoretical lenses most typically used have been preference models and total cost theories, although the theoretical base has recently become more diversified. Research limitations/implications There is still a need to extend the theoretical and methodological base, which could then lead to innovative theory building and testing. Such diverse application of methodologies will help in understanding how environmental sustainability can be better linked to mode choice decisions. Practical implications The findings will be of interest to policy makers and companies opting for environmentally sustainable transport solutions. Social implications If the EU, shippers and LSPs take a more active stance in promoting environmentally sustainable transformation models, this will have long-lasting societal impacts. Originality/value It seems that this systematic literature review of the topic is one of the first such attempts in the current body of literature.

scholarly journals Financial Aspects of the European Green Deal

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
M. Strezhneva
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Eu

The climate policy of the European Union became the key priority for the European Commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen. This article analyses both its internal and external dimensions, while concentrating on the finances of the European Green Deal, the multiyear strategy for the EU socio-economic development. The methods are demonstrated which the EC employs to mobilize public and private capital for the realization of the green transit, including the financial instruments designed to assist businesses when investing in clean energy and industry. The notion of ‘sustainable’ investment is specified that Brussels is guided by when working out its financial decisions. The EU taxonomy, a green classification system that translates the EU's climate and environmental objectives into criteria for specific economic activities for investment purposes, is presented. The research reveals how the market and regulatory powers of the EU are brought to bear in rolling out its controversial Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. By means of this transnational taxation Brussels hopes to avoid carbon leakage: the situation that allegedly may occur if European carbon-intensive businesses were to transfer production to other jurisdictions with laxer emission constraints. Yet a lack of flexibility in applying the CBAM is causing concern in many countries of the world, including the USA, Brazil, South Africa and China. In EU-Russia relations in particular, it risks increasing political tensions and/or causing trade retaliation due to low levels of mutual trust. Russia developing energy transition plans of her own, her efforts in this respect are now visibly stimulated by the declared EU intention to externalize its regulatory practices. At the same time, Moscow perceives this externalization as an imposition which is most unwelcome and hurts Russia disproportionally. Presumably, the European Union could put more effort in negotiating and developing this latest European initiative with international partners to win new willing ears for it.

scholarly journals Benchmarking the Swedish Diet Relative to Global and National Environmental Targets—Identification of Indicator Limitations and Data Gaps

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1407
Author(s):  
Emma Moberg ◽  
Hanna Karlsson Potter ◽  
Amanda Wood ◽  
Per-Anders Hansson ◽  
Elin Röös
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food System ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
System A ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Imported Foods ◽  
Fine Resolution ◽  
Global And Local

To reduce environmental burdens from the food system, a shift towards environmentally sustainable diets is needed. In this study, the environmental impacts of the Swedish diet were benchmarked relative to global environmental boundaries suggested by the EAT-Lancet Commission. To identify local environmental concerns not captured by the global boundaries, relationships between the global EAT-Lancet variables and the national Swedish Environmental Objectives (SEOs) were analysed and additional indicators for missing aspects were identified. The results showed that the environmental impacts caused by the average Swedish diet exceeded the global boundaries for greenhouse gas emissions, cropland use and application of nutrients by two- to more than four-fold when the boundaries were scaled to per capita level. With regard to biodiversity, the impacts caused by the Swedish diet transgressed the boundary by six-fold. For freshwater use, the diet performed well within the boundary. Comparison of global and local indicators revealed that the EAT-Lancet variables covered many aspects included in the SEOs, but that these global indicators are not always of sufficiently fine resolution to capture local aspects of environmental sustainability, such as eutrophication impacts. To consider aspects and impact categories included in the SEO but not currently covered by the EAT-Lancet variables, such as chemical pollution and acidification, additional indicators and boundaries are needed. This requires better inventory data on e.g., pesticide use and improved traceability for imported foods.

scholarly journals ANÁLISIS COMPARATIVO ENTRE SALINAS SOLARES TRADICIONALES Y OTRAS ACTIVIDADES ECONÓMICAS EN UN ESTUARIO PROTEGIDO PORTUGUÉS

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noa Sainz-López
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sea Salt ◽  
In Situ Monitoring ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Salt Production ◽  
Solar Saltworks

This study shows that Traditional Solar Saltworks can be competitive with other land uses in the Nature Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo Antonio Saltmarshes (“Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António”, in Portuguese), sited in the estuary of the Guadiana River (SW Iberian Peninsula, Europe); particularly, if they are specialized in extraction of Fleur de Sel (or Flower of Salt), a gourmet variety of sea salt. Artisanal sea salt production based on solar evaporationmethods of millennial history in the area is an environmentally sustainable activity in harmony withsaltmarsh landscape. Two crystallizers of a 1 ha Traditional Solar Saltworks were monitored during 70 days from June to August 2015 with the purpose of gathering detailed production data. Monitoring comprised weighing of daily Fleur de Sel harvest while coarse salt survey in one crystallizer, implied packing and weighing after two months. The competitiveness of this new commercialized variety ofsea salt was assessed with respect to other ongoing economic activities in the area, such as aquaculture,industrial salt production, and tourism. Comparison focused on the relationship between the occupied surface and production´s revenue. Water consumption was used as an economic and environmental sustainability indicator. Data were obtained through in-situ monitoring, literature review and from official statistics and spatial data sources. The results indicate that Fleur de Sel extraction in Traditional Solar Saltworks can be a high profile land use form in the area of Nature Reserve, which on a long-term basisis a sustainable activity from a socio-economic and environmental point of view.

scholarly journals OVERVIEW OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF SMALL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN UKRAINE AND IN THE WORLD

2021 ◽  
pp. 204-213
Author(s):  
D.V. Lyapin
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The State ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Modern Classification ◽  
Public Policy Instruments ◽  
The Eu

Small and medium-sized enterprises are a much broader concept than just enterprises, and additionally include individual entrepreneurs and the self-employed. SMEs in a broad sense are precisely the sector that is seen in the EU and around the world as a key component of national security and a key element of employment. SMEs is a guarantee social stability and are an important element of innovative development and, accordingly, significantly affect the success of Ukraine's integration into the EU. The current state of SME development in Ukraine is generally proportional to the state of SME development in the EU, but the regulatory conditions for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises still do not fully meet the requirements and standards that should ensure economic growth. Therefore, in Ukraine the process of accumulation and understanding of the world experience of developed countries in the field of procedures for the formation of state policy on SMEs is becoming increasingly important. And the first stage of this process is the proper definition of the object of regulation - that is, the development of unambiguous terminology and criteries - which economic subjects belong to the group of micro, small and medium. The article considers the stages of development of a modern classification of SMEs in Ukraine, presents the positive and negative components of this process. The process of bringing the classification of SMEs in Ukraine in line with European practice is analyzed. Peculiarities of SME classification in the context of formation of state support programs are considered. The expediency of adopting the classifier of economic activities (KVED:2010) in the form of the law of Ukraine has been studied (at this time - as normative act of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine). The article shows that in most developed countries the classification of SMEs is not completely universal for different policies (fiscal, support policy, export, etc.) - and even within one country, different classifiers of SMEs can be used. Therefore, the emphasis is not on the formal compliance of SMEs with certain criteria, but on a meaningful understanding of the qualitative and fundamental differences between micro and small and medium-sized businesses. And the definition that public policy towards micro, small and medium-sized businesses has qualitatively different goals and should use different public policy instruments.

scholarly journals Identification of Regional Smart Specialisations on the Basis of Aggregate Measures – A Case of the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-80
Author(s):  
Beata Bal-Domańska ◽  
Elżbieta Sobczak ◽  
Elżbieta Stańczyk
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Ferrous Metal ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Linear Ordering ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Endogenous Potentials ◽  
The Eu

AbstractResearch background: Strengthening endogenous potentials, enhancing competitive advantage based on research and innovation remains an important component of regional development policy. Over the years this task has been carried out through e.g. the identification and support focused on smart specialisations.Purpose: The purpose of the assessment was to identify smart specialisations in the Dolnośląskie voivodeship and evaluate their competitiveness against the background of other voivodeships.Research methodology: The set of diagnostic indicators as well as the dynamics and location measures calculated on their basis, and also linear ordering methods using a weights system (Synthetic Measure of Smart Specialisations – SMSS) were used to identify regional smart specialisations. A statistical analysis was conducted on the basis of data at the level of PKD divisions (Polish Statistical Classification of Economic Activities; NACE is the EU equivalent). The identification was carried out taking into account the period 2012–2017 and focused primarily on 2017.Results: As a result, 4 RSSs were identified, of which the first two are the mining of non-ferrous metal ores and the production of motor vehicles.Novelty: The study proposes, based on the example of the Dolnośląskie voivodeship, the possibility of using linear ordering methods in determining the region’s smart specialisations (RSS), i.e. unique regional qualities and assets, which may constitute its competitive advantage, supported by appropriate research and development facilities and essential for the development of modern and innovative sectors of the economy.

The Existence of Geothermal Energy in Communication Perspective and Sustainable Environment in Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-52
Author(s):  
Indriyati Kamil ◽  
Oekan S Abdoellah ◽  
Herlina Agustin ◽  
Iriana Bakti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Geothermal Energy ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Nature Reserves ◽  
Communication Model ◽  
Conservation Areas ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Communication Models ◽  
The Government

This article highlights the dynamics of geothermal energy in the Kamojang nature reserve in Indonesia. A nature reserve is a conservation area that must be protected and preserved, because it has unique flora and fauna, and rare ecosystems whose existence is threatened with extinction. After going through a long study process by an integrated team, the government finally made a policy to change the function of the nature reserve into a Nature Tourism Park. Changes in policy changes to the function of nature reserves cause pros and cons in the community, and cause conflicts between government and environmental activists. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that cause changes in the function of nature reserves into natural tourism parks in the Kamojang conservation area of Indonesia, as well as to identify appropriate communication models in the management of geothermal energy through communication and environmentally sustainable approaches. Research findings show that the factors that cause changes in the function of nature reserves into tourist parks include; the interests of geothermal energy to meet national energy needs and electricity infrastructure, accommodate the needs of surrounding communities that utilize water resources in conservation areas, and restore ecosystems. The communication model for geothermal energy management that we propose at the same time is also a novelty namely; ecopopulism approach, negotiation approach, collaboration, and equating meaning and orientation to environmental sustainability. Type of Paper: Empirical Keywords: Geothermal Energy, Nature Reserves, Conservation Policies, Communication Models and Sustainable Development.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management Practices for Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Challenge for Business Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2956
Author(s):  
Tomas Cherkos Kassaneh ◽  
Ettore Bolisani ◽  
Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Critical Resource ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
Future Business

In the last decades, business competition has been increasingly among supply chains (SCs) rather than individual firms. Today, considering the challenges of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, it is becoming even more vital to coordinate and co-manage company resources, activities, and innovative efforts at the SC level. Consequently, knowledge, which is a critical resource for companies, needs to be managed properly not only in single firms but also across SCs. For the education of business managers, this implies a double challenge: first, to make students and future executives become aware of the knowledge management (KM) practices that can be adopted; second, to facilitate the assimilation of these practices for the effective management of SCs, to ensure higher economic and environmentally sustainable performances. Standard definitions and classifications can be of great help, but the current studies are very fragmented. This study contributes by exploring the literature and examining the KM practices that are proposed and defined by the different authors. A systematic review and a descriptive analysis of selected papers showed the trend and focus of papers in the KM and SC fields. In addition, based on the definitions and classifications drawn from the literature, this paper discusses a possible systematization of the key KM practices in SCs. The major contribution of this paper is the effort of re-definition and re-classification of KM practices and their potential importance for effective and sustainable SC management. This analysis can be especially useful for organizing KM courses targeted to current and future business managers.

scholarly journals Dry and Wet Climate Periods over Eastern South America: Identification and Characterization through the SPEI Index

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Anita Drumond ◽  
Milica Stojanovic ◽  
Raquel Nieto ◽  
Luis Gimeno ◽  
Margarida L. R. Liberato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Central Brazil ◽  
Moisture Analysis ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Wet Climate ◽  
Climate Events

A large part of the population and the economic activities of South America are located in eastern regions of the continent, where extreme climate events are a recurrent phenomenon. This study identifies and characterizes the dry and wet climate periods at domain-scale occurring over the eastern South America (ESA) during 1980–2018 through the multi-scalar Standardized Precipitation–Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). For this study, the spatial extent of ESA was defined according to a Lagrangian approach for moisture analysis. It consists of the major continental sink of the moisture transported from the South Atlantic Ocean throughout the year, comprising the Amazonia, central Brazil, and the southeastern continental areas. The SPEI for 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of accumulation was calculated using monthly precipitation and potential evapotranspiration time series averaged on ESA. The analysis of the climate periods followed two different approaches: classification of the monthly SPEI values as mild, moderate, severe, and extreme; the computation of the events and their respective parameters (duration, severity, intensity, and peak). The results indicate that wet periods prevailed in the 1990s and 2000s, while dry conditions predominated in the 2010s, when the longest and more severe dry events have been identified at the four scales.

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