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Under current global conditions, finance may play a critical role in allocating investment to sustainable enterprises and projects, thereby hastening the transition to a low-carbon circular economy. Finance promotes risk assessment and, as a result, can aid in addressing the inherent ambiguity surrounding environmental concerns such as the impact of carbon emissions on climate change. In recent decades, thinking about sustainable finance has progressed through several stages, with the emphasis steadily changing from short-term profit to long-term value creation. This study seeks to conduct an examination of the concept and premises of sustainable corporate finance based on literature research, with the goal of bringing arguments to the need to shift the financial paradigm. This emerging perspective emphasizes that, while profit creation and maximization are important, firms must also seek other goals that have an impact on society, such as those connected to sustainable development. The integration of environmental, social, and governance components into financial decision-making processes is referred to as sustainable finance. Recent developments highlight the importance of businesses' commitment to responsible behavior in transforming the company into a truly sustainable enterprise that adds value to the business, society, and the environment.

This book discusses current challenges in Japan, focusing on the nation's rapidly aging population and low birth rate, along with persistent public bond issues with heavy interest payments, the potential collapse of social security systems, and income inequality, as well as the global picture. In turn, it examines the accessibility of global fossil fuels and feasibility of large-scale solar energy use. A new theory of money, interest, and capital is put forward, together with a proposal for an alternative system of international monetary cooperation, to promote a more sustainable and equitable world. Specific topics discussed include • the inverted population pyramid, due to the dramatic change in human life spans and declining birth rates; • the rapidly shrinking workforce, aging population, and declining GDP share sourced from industry; • disproportionate debt expansion due to public bond issues and coping with a persistent budget deficit; • the potential collapse of social security systems combined with income inequality; and • how to mitigate these bio-economic predicaments. Global Energy Sources offers an essential guide for policymakers, economists, researchers, and all those concerned with establishing a sustainable and equitable society from both energy and monetary perspectives. Further, it will be of interest to readers around the world, as the lessons learned from Japan are crucial to other developed societies that may eventually face the same types of challenge.

Front Cover -- SMART TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE -- SMART TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE: Upscaling in Developing Countries -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS -- FOREWORD -- PREFACE -- INTRODUCTION -- 1 - Smart Agriculture: Scope, Relevance, and Important Milestones to Date -- 1.1 INTRODUCTION -- 1.2 SCOPING CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES -- 1.2.1 Southern Africa Biophysical Characteristics -- 1.2.2 Socioeconomic and Political Environment -- 1.2.3 Recent Extreme Events Recorded in Southern Africa -- 1.2.4 Supportive Initiatives in Agriculture Development in the Last 10Years -- 1.3 BUILDING IN SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN CLIMATE SMART TECHNOLOGIES -- 1.4 RELEVANCE OF SMART TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA -- 1.5 THE ECONOMICS OF APPLYING SMART TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE -- 1.6 INVESTING INTO TARGETED TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE -- 1.7 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- 2 - Climate Scenarios in Relation to Agricultural Patterns of Major Crops in Southern Africa -- 2.1 INTRODUCTION -- 2.2 SOUTHERN AFRICA IN CLIMATE CHANGE AND HISTORICAL CHANGES -- 2.2.1 Rainfall -- 2.2.2 Temperature -- 2.3 CLIMATE CHANGE TRENDS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA -- 2.3.1 Long-Term Observations -- 2.3.2 Temperature -- 2.3.3 Rainfall -- 2.4 FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS OVER SOUTHERN AFRICA -- 2.5 DETERMINING FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS -- 2.5.1 Rainfall -- 2.5.2 Temperature -- 2.6 PROJECTED CHANGES IN EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS OVER SOUTHERN AFRICA -- 2.7 IMPACTS OF FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS ON CROPS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTIVITY -- 2.7.1 Crop Production -- 2.7.2 Livestock Production -- 2.8 CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- 3 - Advancing Key Technical Interventions Through Targeted Investment -- 3.1 INTRODUCTION -- 3.2 CLIMATE CHANGE, INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMENT, AND CROP PRODUCTION

"This discusses the challenges that the developing world faces when implementing and utilizing environmentally friendly techniques for the adoption of sustainable practices in developing countries"--

The purpose of this paper is to explore if technological innovation strategies produce economic incremental returns on the competitiveness indexes, and at the same time, produce an unfavorable impact on the social, environmental, and human systems of a region. Also, under what conditions or drivers this happens. Metrics of performance of innovation strategies were used on cities that have had remarkable innovative indicators. The correlation between innovation performance, environmental recovering, productivity, and social quality of life was analyzed. It was found that regulations, rule of law, incentives, inclusive use of technology, systemic vision, flatten organizations, hierarchical structures, and decentralized management responsibilities help in leveraging the impact of technological innovation to drive economic growth; however, the impact on the environment regeneration and on the social gap is highly questionable.

At present the fashion and textile industries are under political and environmental pressure to make their business models more sustainable. In response, transformative thinking within the industry is pushing forward a sustainable paradigm shift. One consequence is that traditional design tools are challenged to incorporate and contribute to the solutions. In this paper, we focus on the fashion collection, which is traditionally understood as a range of garment designs, that are seasonally determined. As the notion of the fashion collection is under-researched, the aim of the paper is to investigate ways in which the fashion collection may be recalibrated as a design tool furthering sustainable strategies. Therefore, we studied collection building practices at three companies, representing different sustainable business and design strategies. The main contribution of the study is insights on how the collection as a design framework is applied by the companies. The collection transpires as a transformative design tool that aids designers and companies in different ways to fulfil their strategy and maintain their business.

Tourism sector in Tunisia faces several problems that range from economic challenges to environmental degradation and social instability. These problems have been intensified because of the increased competition in the tourism market, the political instability, financial crises, and recently terrorism problems have aggravated the situation. As a consequence, a new framework that promotes sustainable tourism in the country and increases its competitiveness is urgently needed. Planning for sustainable tourism sector requires the integration of complex interactions between economic, social and environmental aspects. Sustainable tourism principles can be implemented with the help of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process, which ensures the full integration of economic, social and environmental considerations while planning for the tourism sector in Tunisia. Results of the paper have broad implications for policy makers and tourism professionals.

The scene in Iraq is most troubling; and further failure therein - especially failure in sustainable reconstruction - will compound the tragedy and bring grievous harm to too many: in Iraq, the United States, the Middle East and the Western world. Yet, the current efforts at reconstruction cannot succeed -- as we seem to be making many of the same mistakes that were made post-invasion. Simply put, a national occupying power cannot reconstruct a massive societal vacuum by working only top do