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A Possible Way to Encourage Sustainable Consumption
21-40Views:352With the growth and spread of the concept of sustainable consumption and with the re-emergence of issues related to needs, the basic concepts of consumption need to be analyzed from aspects not inspected by mainstream economics. Consumer behaviour is largely determined by the prevailing values of society and nowadays consumption symbolizes social status. The purpose of this study is to critically examine the concept of utility, to review traditional and alternative concepts and aspirations related to the promotion of sustainable consumption. The authors argue, that utility can not only be examined by narrow economic considerations; the values of present and future generations also must be taken into account when determining what is considered to be useful. The study concludes by presenting alternative financial solutions that encourage sustainable consumption. The presented examples demonstrate, that complementary currency models are suitable means to encourage sustainable consumer behaviour. These are external motivational tools eliciting the desired behaviour through reward schemes.
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The Relationship Between Renewable Energy Consumption, Net Energy Import, Greenhouse Gas Emission and Human Cap
58-71Views:169The measures to improve energy efficiency and increase of renewable energy production and consumption should be encouraged in the interest of sustainable development. Many factors can influence the use of renewable energy such as the level of economic development of an economy, nationals’ and the main economic actors’ environmental awareness, energy import dependency, ratio of the urban population, and government subsidization intensity among the others. The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the share of renewable energy in the total energy consumption and net energy import as a percentage of energy use less production, greenhouse gas emission per capita and human capital using by OECD countries data from 1990 to 2014. The results indicate that there is a negative relationship between net energy import and renewable energy consumption, and also negative relationship can be shown between the amount of greenhouse gas emission per capita and renewable energy consumption. However, we identified a positive relationship between human capital and renewable energy consumption for energy importer countries above a certain level of human capital.
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Examination of the Relationship between Renewable Energy and Economic Performance
234-243Views:206Many countries are making considerable efforts to achieve solutions to environmental problems that we face today and developing renewable energy resources is one of the potential long-term solutions that constitute an absolute priority from a sustainable development perspective. The usage of renewable energy is one of the critical future challenges to reduce greenhouse gas emission and decrease energy dependency at the same time. Thus, replacing traditional energy sources with renewable ones, like Hydropower and wind power to produce electricity instead of fossil fuel. The objective of this study is to find a relationship between renewable energy consumption, macroeconomic factors, and the environment. There is a reliable and significant (at 1% significant level) association between REC with GHG and GDP and a relatively strong association with EC.
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Sustainability, sustainable supply chain management
322-328Views:868With the rapid development of the world economy, the growing scarcity of natural resources and the degradation caused by pollution, environmental protection has become a major concern for countries and regions of the world. Sustainability is a common subject in many parts of the world and the various research areas among policy makers, journalists, scientists, universities and social debate. It is generally accepted, that companies also play an important role in addressing the challenges of sustainable development. In this role, making a key challenge to balance often conflicting pressures caused by sustainable development, that is, the level of corporate economic performance against environmental deterioration and social disruption. Effective integration of sustainability principles into companies requires action beyond the borders of organizations. The issue of sustainability is becoming more and more prominent in corporate governance. One of the most important area of supply chain management is for companies to gain a competitive edge in the market. This has a significant impact on the natural environment, and there is a growing need to integrate environmental thinking in supply chain management and processes, which is why companies are increasingly focusing on sustainable development, taking on more CSR initiatives and achieving a greener supply chain. Sustainable and green supply chain management practices have been developed over the past decades, trying to integrate environmental considerations into organizations by reducing unwanted negative consequences for the environment of production and consumption processes. In this article, I have examined the issues of sustainability and sustainable supply chain management, mainly based on descriptive secondary literature.
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Energy-Efficient Buildings, a step towards Sustainability in Pakistan
109-124Views:304With every passing year, energy consumption in the world is increasing drastically. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels which are also depleting in a fast manner. Buildings consume a significant amount of energy all over the world and the demand for energy is also increasing unremittingly in buildings. Developed countries are taking profound measures in order to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable by achieving nearly zero energy stage. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis from the past few decades. The building sector in Pakistan deserves special attention in this regard since the energy consumption in buildings in Pakistan is feverishly high. Many types of research have been carried out in Pakistan by the United Nations and Energy Department of Pakistan in order to devise applicable methods that not only provide thermal comfort to the occupants but also make a building energy efficient. Renewable energy also plays an important role in compensating building energy demands. It is easy to achieve nearly zero energy state in a good energy efficient building if it is coupled with renewable energy sources then it will make it self-sufficient in energy demand. A survey is also carried out to determine the thermal comfort of the occupants in different types of areas. Also, solar energy analysis is also taken into account to highlight the solar power potential in Pakistan. Several recommendations have also been suggested to implement energy efficiency measures in Pakistan.
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Food Security and Economic Growth: An Income Level Comparison
16-29Views:192Food security is a fundamental but often neglected aspect of economic growth and sustainable development. This paper examines the effect of food security on productivity (GDP/capita) over time, while taking the income level of various countries into account. Dynamic panel regression analyses suggest that food security is positively related to productivity, but this effect is stronger in more developed countries. The study highlights the complexity of the economic problems faced by the least developed countries, where increasing the consumption and supply of food is insufficient for significantly increasing economic performance.
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The Alternative Use of Straw
331-343Views:140The problem addressed in this work is to examine the feasibility of using straw in innovative and alternative ways, focusing on aspects of cost sensitivity in subject areas of building investment and energy compsumption. I analysed the energy efficient performance of a straw bale building and compared that with those of a conventional construction, a newly-constracted building and a passive house. In my study I assessed the figures of costs of emboided energy, primary energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission. I made calculations in terms of energy costs for a lifespan of 50 years. Considering that straw-bale construction uses an excellent and sustainable insulation material, its energy use is by 25.38% less than that of conventional construction.
