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A learning subjectThe importance of a programme theory, a strategy; Hidden assumptions; A theory of change for sustainable development; Methods and material; References; 4 An inherent strategy in the goals; The economic dimension; Goal 1: no poverty; Goal 8: decent work and economic growth; Goal 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure; Goal 10: reduced inequalities; Summary; The social dimension; Goal 2: zero hunger; Goal 3: good health and well-being; Goal 4: quality education; Goal 5: gender equality; Goal 6: clean water and sanitation; Goal 7: affordable and clean energy

Distillery wastewater in the form of spent wash is a complex and strong industrial effluent, with high load of organic pollutants that may deplete dissolved oxygen on being discharged into aquatic systems and contaminate groundwater by leaching of pollutants, while untreated spent wash disposed on land acidifies the soil. Stringent legislative measures have therefore been framed in different countries for discharge standards of distillery effluent. Utilising the organic pollutants present in various types of wastes as food by mixed microbial populations is emerging as an eco-friendly approach in the recent years, in which complex organic matter is converted into simpler forms, and simultaneously useful gases are produced as renewable and clean energy sources. In the present study, wastewater from a rice bran based distillery has been used as the substrate in a dark fermenter, and native microbial consortium from the digester sludge has been used as the inoculum to treat the wastewater and produce hydrogen. After optimising the operational conditions in batch reactors, sequential batch mode and continuous flow stirred tank reactors were used to study the best operational conditions for enhanced and sustained hydrogen production and removal of pollutants. Since the rate of hydrogen production by the microbial consortium during dark fermentation is influenced by concentration of organic matter, pH and temperature, these operational conditions were optimised in batch mode studies. Maximum hydrogen production rate (347.87ml/L/d) was attained in 32h dark fermentation while a good proportion of COD also got removed from the wastewater. Slightly acidic initial pH seemed to favor biohydrogen production. In continuous stirred tank reactor, high H2 production from distillery wastewater was obtained from a relatively shorter substrate retention time (SRT) of 48h and a moderate organic loading rate (OLR) of 172 g/l/d COD.

Cover -- Series: In the National Interest -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Australia on the Brink: Avoiding Environmental Ruin -- At the Edge of the Cliff -- The Global Picture -- Investing in Cleaner Energy -- Using Energy Efficiently -- Modernising Transportation -- Tackling Other Emissions -- Using the Whole Toolkit -- A Clever Country? -- The Fundamental Issue of Growth -- A Demanding Population -- A Sustainable Future Australia? -- Grounds for Cautious Optimism -- Acknowledgements -- Notes -- About this Book -- About the Author -- In the National Interest: Other Books on the Issues that Matter.

Waste generation and management are closed linked to population, urbanization and affluence. The waste production per capita rises as a result of many factors such as migration to urban centers, population growth, change in the habits of consume, etc. The energetic potential contained in the Urban Solid Waste has gained importance in the last years; mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism try to provide the right tools to encourage the inversion in projects that mean Greenhouse Gasses emissions reduction, and also to become valuable tools for the sustainable development of developing countries in cooperation with developed countries. The energetic security also, is becoming one of the main challenges of Chile. The country imports almost three quarters of its energetic consume, which places the country in a vulnerable situation due to the volatility of the energy prices and interruptions in the supply chains. In order to promote the diversification of the energetic matrix and achieving a higher autonomy grade Chilean government has promoted the Non Conventional Renewable Energy. The main purpose of the investigation was to set a base to understand the actual conditions of the landfills located in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile, as sources of landfill gas as a fuel. It also explored the different use possibilities for the gas, and the Clean Development Mechanism as auxiliary financing tool. The study attempted to become a useful tool which promotes the renewable energy sources and the improvement of the waste management conditions in Latin America.

The Chinese government is going to &ldquo ; push ahead the revolution of energy production and consumption, and establish a clean, low-carbon, secure, and efficient energy system&rdquo ; which points out a direction for the energy industry in the new era. Using the analytic hierarchy process of the system analysis method, we constructed an indicator system of the modern Chinese energy system, and by determining the weighting of each indicator, we obtained the composite index of the modern Chinese energy system, as well as four sub-indexes of clean, low-carbon, secure, and efficient. Then, we investigated policy changes and energy development characteristics of important periods, and performed historical trend analysis. Finally, we forecasted the composite index and four sub-indexes by 2050, and proposed an energy development path and policy suggestions to achieve a modern Chinese energy system as soon as possible.

Solar energy has been used in Indian organizations at a very slow pace. Then government of India has decided to aid consumers choosing to invest in solar in hopes of supporting "green energy" movement. Solar energy is clean and free of emission which is great for the environment. We have to select a size of a solar system in and optimum way to reduce the recurring cost of energy. In this paper we present a case study for implementing solar energy sources in order to meet an energy demand at C.C.S. University, Meerut with lowest cost. It would be beneficial to switch over to renewable energy source like solar, wind, tide and biomass. This study basically focuses on making use of solar energy as alternative source of energy. The objectives of the study are the consumption pattern of electric energy in C. C. S. University, Meerut; to study the effect of the use of solar energy in C. C. S. University, on cost of energy consumed and to study other benefits of solar energy at C. C. S. University campus, Meerut. The field of study is focused at C.C.S. University campus, Meerut and generalized findings and suggestion have been given based on the secondary data. The problem is formulated as to minimize the recurring annual expenditure of electric energy at C.C.S. University campus by use of solar energy. Classification-JEL : D23, O13, Q42

Although geothermal energy is globally recognized as a clean and reliable source of heat and electric power its development can inadvertently lead to adverse outcomes that disproportionately disadvantage women. Based on good practices and lessons learned, this report introduces ways that geothermal projects can mitigate risks and pursue opportunities to address gender gaps within the project cycle. It outlines the risks and opportunities associated with (i) changes in land and natural resource use, (ii) changes to employment and economic patterns, and (iii) changes to environment and health. Beyond mapping risks and opportunities, the report makes the case for focusing on the gaps between men and women from the project outset. Once gaps, key stakeholder risks, and additional development opportunities have been identified, project teams have an opportunity to address them through actions. The report provides guidance on how to include specific monitoring and evaluation indicators in the results framework for geothermal projects that measure progress toward closing gaps between men and women. In addition, the report contains an overview of guidance and toolkits developed, selected global case studies, and other resources so that project teams, governments, and geothermal developers have additional guidance on hand to prepare more equitable projects.

This article provides an analysis from a European perspective of the influence of environmental objectives on American energy policy. It describes how environmental legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, NEPA and the Surface Mining Act, constrains growth in the energy sector by way of cost increases in energy production and use and interference with, the pursuit of energy security (e.g., through constraints on coal extraction and use, nuclear development and off-shore exploration). At present, despite the Bush Administration's restrained position on the greenhouse effect, environmental objectives appear to have a high priority in the setting of energy policy. Thus, even before the current Gulf crisis, there was a growing interest in energy conservation as a policy objective.

This paper explores the transition to electric cars in Brazil. The country has been successful to reduce its carbon footprint using biofuels, but it is facing a dilemma in vehicle electrification. It cannot shift abruptly to battery electric vehicles, as current consumers are unable to afford them and investment in recharging infrastructure is uncertain. However, it has a significant manufacturing base, and it cannot isolate itself from global industrial trends. This study relies on the inductive case study method, identifying the core green technologies in vehicle electrification and extrapolating their trends, to explain how the transition process is feasible. The emergence of a dominant design (set of core technologies defining a product category and adopted by the majority of players in the market) in small and affordable segments is essential for the diffusion of electric cars in developing countries. Biofuel hybrid technologies may support the transition. The Brazilian industry can engage in electric vehicle development by designing small cars based on global architectures, targeting consumers in emerging markets. The article contributes by using a dominant design core technologies framework to explain and map the transition to electric vehicles in developing countries, supporting academic research, government, and industry planning.

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Information Management, specialization in Marketing Intelligence ; Circular Economy (CE) is posited as a solution to the rise of environmental impact with economic prosperity by introducing alternative systems of production, consumption and disposal. The recent attention that this holistic framework has been gaining on government implementation policies and businesses structures is due to a significant amount of successful projects already implemented around the world and data driven information supporting CE practices as effective and attainable on a global scale. Consumer engagement is considered one of the key challenges that Circular Economy has been facing to achieve a higher level of implementation. To understand consumer's motivations, to adopt distinct forms of consumption not only on the purchase phase but also on using and discarding products is the central objective of this research. The present work aims to consider previous studies of culture, altruism and need for social status as dimensions that were proved to predict, motivate and supports consumer's action towards sustainability; understanding cultural orientation effects on altruism (pure and competitive) and need for social status, proposing a match between pure altruism and circular economy engagement. The findings indicate that people with horizontal collectivism cultural orientation will be motivated by pure altruism and individuals with vertical individualism cultural orientation will be motivated by competitive altruism. Furthermore, that pure altruism motivation will drive circular economy engagement. By combining identity goals and consumer's motivation for engaging in a circular economy we contribute with knowledge for the elaboration of strategies and public policies for enhancing and stimulating circular economy acceptance on a consumer's perspective.

In recent years, natural disaster and military conflicts forced vast numbers of people to flee their home countries, contributing to the migration crisis we are facing today. According to the UNHCR, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reached the highest level since World War II. Post-disaster housing is by nature diverse and dynamic, having to satisfy unique socio-cultural and economical requirements. Currently, however, housing emergencies are tackled inefficiently. Post-disaster housing strategies are characterized by a high economic impact and waste production, and a low adaptability to location-based needs. As an outcome, low quality temporary shelters are provided, which often exceed by far their serving time. Focusing on temporary shelters suitable for the transitioning period between emergency accommodation and permanent housing, TERRA-ink addresses new construction methods that allow for time and cost efficiency, but also for flexibility to adapt to different contexts. TERRA-ink aims to develop a method for layering local soil, by implementing 3D printing technologies. With the aid of such a construction system, the goal is to create durable structures that can be easily de-constructed once they served their purpose. The use of locally sourced materials in combination with additive manufacturing is investigated aiming at reductions in financial investments, resources and human labor, as well as at simplified logistics, low environmental impact and adaptability to different situations and requirements. Such a building system has the potential of combining low-and high-tech technologies, in order to facilitate a fully open and universal solution for large scale 3D-printing using any type of soil.

Research on sustainability transitions has expanded rapidly in the last ten years, diversified in terms of topics and geographical applications, and deepened with respect to theories and methods. This article provides an extensive review and an updated research agenda for the field, classified into nine main themes: understanding transitions; power, agency and politics; governing transitions; civil society, culture and social movements; businesses and industries; transitions in practice and everyday life; geography of transitions; ethical aspects; and methodologies. The review shows that the scope of sustainability transitions research has broadened and connections to established disciplines have grown stronger. At the same time, we see that the grand challenges related to sustainability remain unsolved, calling for continued efforts and an acceleration of ongoing transitions. Transition studies can play a key role in this regard by creating new perspectives, approaches and understanding and helping to move society in the direction of sustainability.