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Recent reports based on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have revealed that no country is in line with achieving the targets of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, with the slowest progress being witnessed mainly on goals that are focused on the environment. This study examines environmental performance indicators for assessing the sustainability of building projects.

The study uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. An extensive critical comparative review of the literature resulted in the identification of ten environmental sustainability indicators. One hundred and sixty-seven questionnaire responses based upon these indicators from the Ghanaian construction industry were received. Data were coded with SPSS v22, analysed descriptively, and via inferential analysis. These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with six interviewees who are fellows of their respective professional bodies, a senior academic (professor in construction project delivery) and a government official. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through the side-by-side comparison of the qualitative data with the quantitative data.

The findings from the study suggest that all the indicators were important in assessing building projects' environmental sustainability across the entire life cycle. Key among the identified indicators is the effects of the project on “water quality, air quality, energy use and conservation, and environmental compliance and management”. The interviewees further agreed to and confirmed the importance of these identified indicators for assessing the environmental sustainability of building projects in Ghana.

Compared to existing studies, this study adopts the exploratory sequential design to identify and examine the critical indicators in assessing the environmental sustainability across the entire lifecycle of building projects in a typical developing country setting, i.e. Ghana. It reveals areas of prime concern in the drive to place the local construction industry on a trajectory towards achieving environmental sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to examine safety lighting at an existing US government facility.

Field measurements of exterior illumination were conducted at four building sites housing laboratories, offices and a cafeteria at night and the findings were compared to the industry recommendations, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) safety lighting recommendations.

Laboratory, office and cafeteria building exteriors were classified as “high hazard” due to area wildlife, potentially dangerous equipment and chemicals, the threat of intruders, and uneven terrain. Some sites' existing light levels fell far below industry recommendations and others greatly exceeded recommendations. Most of the existing lighting was uneven, unsustainable, rendered colors poorly, produced glare and/or remained energized when no one was present.

This study is limited by the small number of sites and limited geographical area of the sites. Lighting field studies can improve user safety, save energy and reduce facilities' waste.

This study employs a relatively simple approach to examine safety lighting that facility managers could adapt for their own facilities to inform improvements.

The current lack of lighting field studies, safety lighting research and case studies regarding government facilities is addressed by contributions of this research.

Night lighting reflects the prosperous development of economic and the increasingly rich and colorful cultural life. Currently, various technical standards, protocols and management specifications have been developed to build a safe, comfortable and economical lighting environment. However, prevailing evaluation systems focus on objective indexes of illumination and have ignored environmental characteristics and subjective feelings and lacked consideration of regional culture, economic benefit, management and maintenance. In this context, a lighting evaluation system combining subjective and objective is proposed for the first time in this study to explore approaches to guide the development of a healthy and comfortable urban night-time environment.

Existing research and relevant lighting standards are analyzed and an evaluation model with a logical hierarchy is constructed by combining with the evaluation theory that is set based on people and the environment. The index weights were scientifically determined on the basis of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The rationality and validity of the proposed evaluation system is verified in accordance with field projects and case studies.

Taking into account traditional and cultural factors, the evaluation model established has an acceptable accuracy. Evaluation based on subjective-objective combination can provide a scientific basis for the management and optimization of night lighting.

The proposed evaluation system can serve as a guiding reference for other areas of cultural identity and esthetic perspective.

This paper mentions the quick reactions of Vietnam to avoid explosive catastrophes before and during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The work presented here has profound implications for future research of disaster response and preparation for future pandemics. In order to estimate the causal general effect of the pandemic, the authors have to do a quantitative survey at the end of the pandemic.

The difference in damage caused by the pandemic between the great powers and Vietnam is the quick reaction. It plays a decisive role. In attempting to tackle emerging phenomena in the pandemic, this study is deliberately broad-based. Considerable attention is given to explaining each methodological choice. It centers on a core case of Vietnam. Using data from multiple methods, it adopts publish media and contemporary research during the pandemic as a way to draw out key themes within the core case.

The paper focuses on the lessons for the post-pandemic consist of the Buddhist conception (cause and effect) based on the quick reaction of the Vietnamese government and the adaptation of Vietnamese people. This is a key success for the future anti-pandemic process.

The paper is not exploring the pandemic within a larger scale of all nations to approach a general lesson for the world.

The success of the first anti-pandemic phase does not guarantee that subsequent efforts will be successful. Respecting the “opponent” (the coronavirus) is the best way to avoid falling into the deadly subjective trap that some great powers have encountered.

This article highlights the rapid response of the Vietnamese before and during the coronavirus pandemic. From that, the article draws some lessons for the next similar disasters based on the cause and effect.

A quick reaction is one of the most important ways to deal with any disaster. After a half year of the coronavirus pandemic spread, Vietnam has 408 infectious cases and no deaths within 96,208,984 people (The Ministry of Health of Vietnam on July 22nd, 2020). Vietnam achieved success with the least expensive price that should be finding in risks and issues in the future.

This paper aims to identify factors influencing and shaping community perceptions of oil companies which present fertile ground for a better understanding of their actions.

A qualitative methodology is adopted where primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews from members of three communities in the Niger Delta: Ogbunabali community in Port Harcourt (Rivers State), Biogbolo community in Yenagoa (Bayelsa State) and Ogunu community in Warri (Delta State). The interview data were recorded, transcribed and qualitatively analysed using content analysis with NVivo software.

Perceptions regarding negative and positive aspects of the oil companies were identified. These included environmental concerns; lack of compensation; health effects; lack of social development; neglect of communities; not creating employment opportunities; and providing community and educational support.

A major limitation regards the small number of respondents selected from the communities. The sample of the interviewees was constrained by their availability and accessibility, which might have injected some bias. Gathering data from other stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations, consumers, investors and creditors may provide a deeper understanding of social and environmental practices. Another approach would be to extend this study by examining the perceptions of relevant government officials towards social and environmental concerns in developing countries.

The qualitative research methodology utilised in this study uses content analysis to examine views of communities about oil companies’ commitments to their social and environmental concerns. An understanding of social and environmental commitments allows diverse stakeholders such as communities to become more engaged with issues affecting them.

In the Rio Grande Valley, natural gas corporations have proposed building up to five export terminals for shipping to overseas locations liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG terminals constructed would have adverse consequences for the people living in the area. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the conflict between citizen groups and corporations.

Using a narrative approach, theories by Boje, Debord, Bauman and Best and Kellner, the paper analyzes and tests the strategies and resources and stories utilized by proponents and opponents of the LNG terminals in the Port of Brownsville. Examined are internet media as artifacts for the analysis, in addition to an evaluation of political protests and demonstrations.

Corporate globalization may be halted because of resistance put forth by local opponents – citizen and environmental groups – offering resistance due to perceptions that the local economy and environment may be severely damaged.

LNG corporate expansion continues globally. The research provides a glimpse into one how one locality may resist capitalist domination, protecting its own economy and environment.

The assessment provides a practical means to examine how local resistance may successfully avert unwanted fossil fuel industries.

Local citizens’ groups may have the means necessary to stop the LNG terminals from locating in the Rio Grande Valley; however, capitalist globalization may be too much of an irresistible force to overcome.

This research paper demonstrates the conflict inherent to globalization through the economic and environmental consequences that occur when citizen groups oppose corporate fossil fuel expansion into their community.

The study aims to assess the gap in the awareness of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements for green housing development among built-environment professionals in meeting the housing need in Nigeria.

The study is a cross-sectional survey of built-environment professionals in the Physical Planning Units (PPUs) of Federal Tertiary Educational Institutions in South-Western Nigeria. The LEED v4 scoring system for New Construction and Renovation was adopted for the survey questionnaire on five point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using the MIS and Kruskal–Wallis Rank sum Test.

Awareness of the LEED requirements varies across the categories. Sustainable site is ranked first while innovation and regional priority ranked from the rear. There is variation in awareness among the professionals. The Land Surveyors are followed by the Architects while the Builders ranked last.

The scope of the study is limited to the professionals in the PPUs in the study area. However, the findings are indicative. The low level of awareness of some of the requirements and the extent of variation among the professionals will negatively impact the integrated design approach and collaborative effort needed for green housing to meet the housing deficit in Nigeria.

The study is limited in scope. The low level of awareness of the requirements coupled with the extent of variation among the professionals will negatively impact the integrated design approach and collaborative effort needed for green housing to meet the huge housing deficit in Nigeria.

The study takes the lead to assess the awareness of the requirements for green housing development based on the LEED impact categories. Improving the awareness of these requirements will enhance their implementation and consequently impact the quality of housing provision. The professionals need to bridge the knowledge gap to enhance collaboration and productivity for green housing development.

Focuses on the direct and indirect impact of environmental abuse on human wellbeing. In some instances, the impact of environmental abuse on human health is not still unknown, merely being subject to scientific suspicion. This would suggest caution and the need for preventive measures to be applied. The threat to human health from environmental factors is not an isolated problem that exists on a national level. There are environmental factors that affect human health on a global level or are so widespread as to be considered global problems. Other environmental problems cross national boundaries and achieve regional importance.

The purpose of this paper is to address a project for lighting an old town in Italy. Its originality lies in the holistic approach that aims to fulfil several objectives. One is to reduce energy consumption by using efficient lamps and advanced control systems; the second one is to make the network viable and useful for many purposes by integrating ICT devices; the third one is to provide a new identity to the older part of the city by using new technologies and design concepts; while the last one is to ensure street and pedestrian safety according to codes and standards.

The plan of the city of Bagheria and the stock of luminaires of the city are analysed. A multidisciplinary approach has been adopted in order to: analyse the existing lighting infrastructure highlighting critical areas; design a new displacement and select typologies of luminaries able to provide proper light quality and distribution; propose an aesthetic solution and technical design for relevant historical building; and to include in the design process the concept of a new multifunctional pole. Together with an analysis of social benefits, an assessment of economic costs and benefits are discussed.

The project allows good energy savings, meets the standard requirements and gives a relevant and strategic improvement in social and environmental management of the city.

The work provides an example of integrated design of street lighting infrastructures for urban renovation in old cities in degraded environments.

Several multivariate statistical methods were comprehensively used to interpret the temporal, spatial patterns and source identification of surface water pollution in Bohai Bay with the large and complex data. Twelve variables water quality indices were surveyed at 12 sites three times a year (May, August, and October) from 1995 to 2005. Cluster analysis (CA) grouped the eleven years into two clusters, Cluster A (1995 to 2001 except 1998) and cluster B (2002 to 2005 and 1998), and spatial CA divided the entire area into three groups. The results of discriminant analysis showed that the temporal CA and spatial CA were effective with 90% and 83.3% correct assignments, respectively. In cluster A, the pollution sources mainly were nutrient factor from non-point source and Hg pollution, oil and organic pollutions were relatively light. In Cluster B, the organic pollution became the mainly pollution source, and the nutrient pollution was still serious problem. In the results of spatial analysis, the group 1 was mainly affected by anthropogenic pollution, the group 3 was seriously affected by oil spill pollution and nutrients pollution, and the group 2 reflected relatively strong water self-purification ability.