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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 10 November 2021

Wolfgang Buchholz and Dirk Rübbelke

Climate finance is regularly not only seen as a tool to efficiently combat global warming but also to solve development problems in the recipient countries and to support the…

1332

Abstract

Purpose

Climate finance is regularly not only seen as a tool to efficiently combat global warming but also to solve development problems in the recipient countries and to support the attainment of sustainable development goals. Thereby, conflicts between distributive and allocative objectives arise, which threaten the overall performance of such transfer schemes. Given the severity of the climate change problem, this study aims to raise concerns about whether the world can afford climate transfer schemes that do not focus on prevention of (and adaptation to) climate change but might be considered as a vehicle of rent-seeking by many agents.

Design/methodology/approach

Future designs of international transfer schemes within the framework of the Paris Agreement are to be based on experience gained from existing mechanisms. Therefore, the authors examine different existing schemes using a graphical technique first proposed by David Pearce and describe the conflicts between allocative and distributional goals that arise.

Findings

In line with the famous Tinbergen rule, the authors argue that other sustainability problems and issues of global fairness should not be primarily addressed by climate finance but should be mainly tackled by other means.

Research limitations/implications

As there is still ongoing, intense discussion about how the international transfer schemes addressed in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement should be designed, the research will help to sort some of the key arguments.

Practical implications

There are prominent international documents (like the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) seeking to address different goals simultaneously. While synergies between policies is desirable, there are major challenges for policy coordination. Addressing several different goals using fewer policy instruments, for example, will not succeed as the Tinbergen Rule points out.

Social implications

The integration of co-benefits in the analysis allows for taking into account the social effects of climate policy. As the authors argue, climate finance approaches could become overstrained if policymakers would consider them as tools to also solve local sustainability problems.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors will not only examine what can be learnt from the clean development mechanism (CDM) for future schemes under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement but also observe the experiences gained from a non-CDM scheme. So the authors pay attention to the Trust Fund of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which was established with global benefit orientation, i.e. – unlike the CDM – it was not regarded as an additional goal to support local sustainable development. Yet, despite its disregard of local co-benefits, the authors think that it is of particular importance to include the GEF in the analysis, as some important lessons can be learnt from it.

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2022

Muneta Yokomatsu, Junko Mochizuki, Julian Joseph, Peter Burek and Taher Kahil

The authors present a dynamic macroeconomic model for assessment of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies under multiple hazards. The model can be used to analyze and compare…

Abstract

Purpose

The authors present a dynamic macroeconomic model for assessment of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies under multiple hazards. The model can be used to analyze and compare various potential policies in terms of their economic consequences. The decomposition of these effects into multiple benefits helps policy makers and other stakeholders better understand the ex ante and ex-post advantages of DRR investments. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A dynamic real business cycle model is at the core of this research. In the model multiple natural hazards modeled stochastically cause shocks to the economy. Economic outcomes, most importantly, output can be assessed before and after disasters and under various DRR policies. The decomposition of benefits aims to quantify the concept of triple dividends.

Findings

In case study applications in Tanzania and Zambia, the authors find that investments into physical infrastructure and risk transfer instruments generate a variety of benefits even in the absence of disaster. A land use restriction with planned relocation for example reduces output in the short run but in the long run increases it. Overall, policy effects of various DRR interventions evolve in a nonmonotonic manner and should be evaluated over a long period of time using dynamic simulation.

Originality/value

The novelty of this study lies in the economic quantification of multiple benefits described in the triple dividends literature. This helps comparing ex ante, ex-post and volatility-related economic effects of multiple disasters and related physical and financial DRR investment options. As observed in the case studies, the model can also identify overlooked temporal heterogeneity of co-benefits of DRR investments.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2017

Luz Fernández, Andrea Cardoso Ventura, Jose Célio Andrade, Julio Lumbreras and Jose Ramon Cobo-Benita

The clean development mechanism (CDM) project is a cost-effective instrument to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to transfer technology and capital from industrialized to…

1111

Abstract

Purpose

The clean development mechanism (CDM) project is a cost-effective instrument to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to transfer technology and capital from industrialized to developing countries. HRM practices are important sustainable development co-benefits of CDM projects and Brazil is the third largest CDM project developer in the world. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the HRM practices declared by Brazilian CDM projects and how these practices have been, in fact, implemented by the proponents of these projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methodology was developed, based especially on qualitative and quantitative methods, in the Brazilian context.

Findings

The authors found that CDM activities are improving recruitment, human resource participation and training practices in Brazilian companies, influencing the integration of environmental management into HRM practices – green HRM. In addition, the study presents hints of interesting avenues to explore in further studies. For example, why is it that some organizations are able to change the routines associated with organizational learning and/or culture while others are not.

Originality/value

The overall results suggested that there is further potential within GHG emissions reduction projects to improve green HRM.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 37 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 March 2023

Katie D. Ricketts, Jeda Palmer, Javier Navarro-Garcia, Caroline Lee, Sonja Dominik, Robert Barlow, Brad Ridoutt and Anna Richards

Private retail and brand-driven sustainable procurement standards are influencing global agri-food markets, shifting trade and export priorities and reshaping food supply chains…

Abstract

Purpose

Private retail and brand-driven sustainable procurement standards are influencing global agri-food markets, shifting trade and export priorities and reshaping food supply chains. Using the case of Australian beef, the authors construct and evaluate three procurement activity “portfolios” and evaluate how these activity sets pull towards or against diverse organisational goals and/or science-based sustainability objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the academic and practitioner literature identified three key pillars for sustainable Australian beef procurement: animal welfare, environmental management and climate change (i.e. emissions). A subset of sustainable beef production activities (n = 100) was identified through this review plus semi-structured interviews with Australian beef retailers and industry bodies. This activity set was filtered (n = 40) and scored by a panel of science experts via a series of workshops and an additional survey. Using these data, the authors use a k-means cluster analysis (k = 3) to consider the strong or weak contributions of each activity portfolio towards typical sustainable beef goals.

Findings

A portfolio-based view of sustainable procurement puts the trade-offs between activities and the need for clear sustainability prioritisation into sharp focus. The authors find that individual strategies may be singularly more or less impactful, complex or popular, but when combined as a suite of activities enacted towards a particular goal or set of goals, essential for success. The authors find that obtaining balance across sustainable beef pillars versus within specific pillars can narrow the optimal set of activities that can succeed against multiple sustainability goals.

Practical implications

For procurement managers, the balance between clear focus and multidimensional progress is a difficult challenge. It requires the bold identification and articulation of an organisation’s interlocking corporate, industry or environmental objectives and flexibility on the strategies, tools and resources required. The authors posit that shifting away from a focus on rigid metrics may be useful in breaking the impasse on meaningful action.

Social implications

Using a set of known activities and strategies that a procurement manager might draw from in operationalising sustainability goals, the authors cluster activities into three discrete activity portfolios. Each portfolio requires differing levels of effort, implementation complexity and potential for within-pillar and cross-pillar impact (i.e. co-benefits). Assessing the evidence and potential for cross-pillar impacts of individual strategies is a complex undertaking, indicative of the systems and tangled interactions that characterise sustainability science more broadly.

Originality/value

By assessing how the procurement function can be leveraged and operationalised towards sustainability goals through a lens of optimal portfolio management, the authors provide a way forward for the procurement managers working within large retailers and agri-food businesses to progress towards multiple sustainability pillars simultaneously.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 November 2021

Simone Borelli, Michela Conigliaro and Fabio Salbitano

Public spaces within our cities are being redefined through a wide range of nature-based solutions (NBS) including green spaces. In this chapter, we will focus on public green…

Abstract

Public spaces within our cities are being redefined through a wide range of nature-based solutions (NBS) including green spaces. In this chapter, we will focus on public green spaces in the wider sense. If well planned and managed, green spaces can promote social inclusiveness by enhancing the livebility of neighborhoods and promoting the development of social interactions. The creation of new green space does not automatically lead to socially just and inclusive development; co-benefits should be available and accessible to the entire community. Prejudices, marginalization, and discrimination on socioeconomic condition, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, or disability still prevent the equitable distribution of these benefits and need to be fully understood before any planning process is undertaken. The governance of public green spaces is still viewed primarily as a matter for the state or as a purely private activity. It is important, therefore, to identify ways to ensure the integrated and transdisciplinary participation of diverse actors, as is shown in some examples from different countries. The planning and design of green interventions should start with the evaluation of existing or potential trade-offs between environmental and social development. Urban green spaces must be designed as places for multiple and diverse social groups. If all these issues are duly considered and addressed, NBS can serve as climate mitigation and adaptation tools that produce co-benefits for societal well-being, thereby serving as strong investment options for sustainable urban development and making our cities green, healthier, and happier places to live.

Details

Nature-Based Solutions for More Sustainable Cities – A Framework Approach for Planning and Evaluation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-637-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Diana Bogueva, Dora Marinova and Talia Raphaely

The purpose of this paper is to explore reasons behind meat consumption. It aims to find out what motivates meat consumers and explore the opportunities of social marketing to…

6245

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore reasons behind meat consumption. It aims to find out what motivates meat consumers and explore the opportunities of social marketing to counteract negative environmental and health trends.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory Australian survey of Sydney consumer red meat choices is used covering dietary preferences, meat eating patterns, reasons and levels of concern for economic and environmental issues. Analysis of dietary guidelines and marketing campaigns in relation to the survey findings is conducted.

Findings

The survey highlights: lack of awareness about the link between meat consumption and environmental well-being; widespread inaccuracy of health messages related to meat consumption; influence of the meat industry in promoting excessive meat consumption; pervasiveness of the link between red meat consumption and national identity, social status, prestige and masculinity; and urgent need for government-supported social marketing interventions and the demarketing of meat.

Originality/value

This is the first study to propose social marketing based on the health and environmental co-benefits of reduced red meat consumption.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 November 2016

Cassandra Pillay and Jeroen van den Bergh

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between climate change, its negative impacts on human health and its role in catalysing public engagement for climate policies. It aims…

3146

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to clarify the relationship between climate change, its negative impacts on human health and its role in catalysing public engagement for climate policies. It aims to increase public support for climate-mitigation strategies by showing the medical case for negative climate-induced health impacts, the economic burden it entails and the public response to climate change that may be expected when health frames are used.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews medical, economic and behavioural studies focusing on climate-induced health impacts, its economic costs and its potential for catalysing public engagement for climate policy.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about the various direct and indirect effects of climate change on human health which includes both physical impacts (infectious and non-infectious diseases) and non-physical impacts (mental disorders and reduced labour productivity). Extreme events such as storms, floods and droughts further seriously affect the health of many people, as they restrict food production and water supply. Economic damage costs of climate-induced health impacts are underestimated. Together, natural science, medical and economic studies warrant giving more attention to health in public debates on climate change. The more so as evidence of behavioural studies suggests that the use of health frames reinforces public concern for climate issues.

Originality/value

This paper argues that climate-induced health impacts and their economic costs should be given more serious attention in discussions about climate-mitigation strategies. They can augment public support for climate policy.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 8 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2022

Baoxin Qi, Mu Tian and Yajun Wu

This study aims to answer few questions, such as which factors influence the local government’s choice of private firm investments; what factors influence private firms’ choice of…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to answer few questions, such as which factors influence the local government’s choice of private firm investments; what factors influence private firms’ choice of specific local government to make a local investment; and why do some private firms gain a competitive edge by choosing a stakeholder management model of “running the government” in the context of the Chinese transition economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a case study approach, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Daqing–Geely Case, 2010, and explains why Geely chose Daqing considering the firm perspective and why the Daqing city Government chose Geely considering the local governments’ perspective.

Findings

This study highlights the concept of “co-beneficial” cooperation between government–business by virtue of the institutional innovation of the quasi-property system. In addition, it reveals that the private firms and local governments in the “Daqing–Geely mode” work together for mutual benefits by putting fair negotiation and contract mechanisms in place. Resultantly, private firms secure the commercial interests, and the local governments bring in improved efficiency.

Originality/value

This study consolidates the theory of stakeholders, thereby strengthening the current understanding of “special offer” and “universal offer.”

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2019

Michel Xocaira Paes, Gerson Araujo de Medeiros, Sandro Donnini Mancini, Flávio de Miranda Ribeiro and Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how improvements in municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMS) can contribute to a transition toward circular economy (CE) in urban…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how improvements in municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMS) can contribute to a transition toward circular economy (CE) in urban areas, outlining actions and guidelines for public policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was carried out in three municipalities located in the state of São Paulo in terms of: diagnosis; elaboration of more positive scenarios in terms of CE and scaling of economic and environmental benefits; and outline actions and guidelines for public policies of MSWMS.

Findings

In developing countries like Brazil, MSWMS can contribute to a transition toward a CE through new public policies and management practices, or even through the improvement of those that already exist. Examples of this are the integration of the informal sector of the recycling chain and service sector related to repairs of clothing, shoes, furniture and electronics as well as composting at the food production site. This could be strengthened by legal and financial mechanisms, training and carbon credit projects. Moreover, there is a need for integration of public policies between different levels of governments and sectoral policies.

Originality/value

This paper developed a methodology to examine the potential for a transition toward a CE through the MSWMS in different scenarios and cities. This methodology allows to advance the implementation of the concept of CE in urban areas of developing countries and generating co-benefits to the local economy and the global environment.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 59 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 31 July 2023

Jan Anton van Zanten

Sustainable development requires businesses to improve their positive and reduce their negative impacts. This chapter discusses how the impact of business on sustainable…

Abstract

Sustainable development requires businesses to improve their positive and reduce their negative impacts. This chapter discusses how the impact of business on sustainable development can be measured and managed using the sustainable development goals (SDGs). First, it introduces two complementary approaches for measuring impact: a top-down approach that departs from the economic activities that companies undertake; and a bottom-up approach that defines the impacts of individual companies. Second, it argues that companies can manage their impacts on the SDGs through a nexus approach. Instead of treating SDGs as isolated silos, a nexus approach aims to advance multiple SDGs simultaneously (creating co-benefits) while reducing the risk that contributions to one SDG undermine progress on another (avoiding trade-offs).

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