Gaps between Attitudes and Behavior in the Use of Disposable Plastic Tableware (DPT) and Factors Influencing Sustainable DPT Consumption: A Study of Hong Kong Undergraduates

Total waste from human activities, including waste plastics, is huge in Hong Kong. In particular, as a result of the prevention and control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, take-away meals increased tremendously in Hong Kong, generating disposable plastic tableware (DPT). Although Hong Kong has a charging scheme for plastic bags, it does not have a scheme for plastic tableware. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the attitudes and behavior of people in Hong Kong toward DPT. Our study focused on undergraduate students in Hong Kong, given that they will play a significant role in the future of environmental sustainability. The attitudes and behavior of Hong Kong undergraduate students toward DPT were examined through an online survey with 385 respondents. A multiple stepwise regression was conducted to investigate whether cognitive attitude formation factors could explain the sustainable attitudes formed by undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The survey results revealed that most undergraduates considered DPT to be one of the major causes of environmental damage in Hong Kong;however, many of them, particularly those who strongly agreed with this statement, said that the problem of DPT did not affect their quality of life. The regression analysis showed that imposing a DPT charge would be the most significant driver to reduce its use. The research findings identified gaps between attitudes and behavior regarding the use of DPT and the factors influencing sustainable DPT consumption.

Questão ambiental e pandemia: a destrutividade do sistema do capital na ordem do dia

O presente artigo tem como objetivo refletir sobre a relação entre a questão ambiental, crise estrutural do capital e a pandemia do novo Coronavírus. Compreendemos neste trabalho que a pandemia do novo Coronavírus que gera a doença nomeada de Covid-19 está organicamente relacionada com a crise do capital, como fruto do processo de acumulação capitalista avidamente crescente que necessita da exploração inesgotável dos recursos humanos e naturais, tornando-os mercadorias. Essa dupla exploração em ritmo galopante, inerente à ordem sociometabólica do capital, constituem elementos fundamentais para o atual cenário de crise mundial. Para tal reflexão, caminhamos sob a perspectiva do método dialético-crítico de Marx, utilizando-se como metodologia a pesquisa de caráter bibliográfico e documental. Dividimos o trabalho em duas seções centrais: a primeira discute a questão ambiental e a ordem sociometabólica do capital, relação de acumulação e destrutividade;a segunda realiza a relação entre os três eixos de discussão: a crise do capital, a pandemia e a questão ambiental.Alternate :This article aims to reflect on the relationship between the environmental issue, structural crisis of capitalism and the new Coronavirus pandemic. We understand in this work that the pandemic of the new Coronavirus that generates the disease named Covid-19 is organically related to the crisis of capitalism, as a result of the accumulation process greedily growing capitalist that needs the inexhaustible exploitation of human resources and natural, making them commodities. This double exploration at a galloping pace, inherent to sociometabolic order of the capital, constitute fundamental elements for the current scenario of world crisis. For such reflection, we walk under the perspective of the dialectical-critical method of Marx, using bibliographic and documentary research as a methodology. We divided the work into two central sections: the first discusses the environmental issue and the order sociometabolic of capitalism, relation of accumulation and destructiveness;the second analyzes the relationship between the three perspectives of the discussion: the crisis of capitalism, the pandemic and the environmental issue.

What is hidden in the luggage? First assessments of illegal seashells gathering in Sardinia (Italy)

Natural souvenirs collection has been identified as a driving force in biodiversity and habitat degradation of tropical marine ecosystems. This work considers this phenomenon in the Mediterranean region taking Sardinia (Italy), one of the most renowned tourism destinations, as a case study. The biological material seized at Cagliari-Elmas Airport (years 2019–2020: 138 kg) was analyzed: 199 taxa were identified, gastropods (112 species, 7866 pieces) and bivalves (63 species, 34,218 pieces) resulted the most represented classes. Twenty-two protected species were found in the tourists' luggage including Patella ferruginea and Pinna nobilis, the invertebrates most threatened with extinction in the Mediterranean Sea. This study demonstrates that the illegal collection of natural mementos is common in Sardinia, thus its relevance is not limited to tropical regions. Regulation, enforcement and compliance shortcomings emerged, highlighting the importance of strengthening stakeholders' collaboration for a deeper insight on this phenomenon and implementing effective conservation strategies.

Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience: Disaster Risk Management Strategies

This book is part of a six-volume series on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience. The series aims to fill in gaps in theory and practice in the Sendai Framework, and provides additional resources, methodologies and communication strategies to enhance the plan for action and targets proposed by the Sendai Framework. The series will appeal to a broad range of researchers, academics, students, policy makers and practitioners in engineering, environmental science and geography, geoscience, emergency management, finance, community adaptation, atmospheric science and information technology.This volume offers the international guidelines and global standards for resilient disaster risk reduction and lessons learned from disasters, particularly the COVID-19 and Cholera pandemics. A resilient health system and an effective disaster risk management Index are then suggested. The book further emphasizes urban resilience strategies with local authorities, adaptation strategies for urban heat at regional, city and local scales, and lessons from community-level interventions. Also addressed are coastal erosion, displacement and resettlement strategies. Land use planning and green infrastructure are suggested as tools for natural hazards reduction. Human security in times of climate change and urban heat at regional, city and local scales is discussed for an integrated action, with case studies based in Manila, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, India, Spain, and Ghana. Structure design for cascading disasters resulting from mining and flooding is presented and sustainable smart city planning using spatial data is recommended. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Ecology in the age of climate change: Challenges facing the effective implementation of nature-based solutions in terrestrial ecosystems

At this stage of the Great Acceleration of the Anthropocene, humanity is experiencing the global issues of worsening climate change impacts, devastating damage from more frequent and severe natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which are attributable to ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. The global community recognises that these issues pose severe societal and economic risks. “Nature-based solutions” have been posited as a means to address these threats. Nature-based solutions utilise natural terrestrial ecosystem functions to provide environmental, social and economic benefits at low cost. The growing social demand for nature-based solutions constitutes an opportunity for the field of ecology to expand beyond the conventional focus on biodiversity and conservation and shift to presenting biodiversity and ecosystem functions as the basis of human well-being and social sustainability. We sought to identify a trajectory for ecological research that is aimed at contributing to the effective implementation of nature-based solutions. First, we summarise current social needs related to terrestrial ecosystem utilisation. Next, we provide an overview of existing literature and knowledge regarding biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystem function, which are critical to nature-based solutions. Finally, we identify outstanding ecological hurdles to the implementation of these strategies and propose a way forward based on our findings. We explain that any basic presentation of ecological processes requires addressing the impacts of climate change and the interrelatedness of biodiversity, climate and social systems. Enhanced ecological process models are critical for linking biodiversity and ecosystems with climate and social systems. It is crucial to establish a framework that embeds monitoring systems, data infrastructure and delivery systems within society to mobilise terrestrial ecosystem and biodiversity data and results. Furthermore, the implementation of nature-based solutions must include acknowledging trade-offs in objectives and transdisciplinary research with other fields and stakeholders with the shared goal of transformative change. Ecological research must demonstrate more clearly how terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems are linked to human health and well-being, as well as how they are affected by production and consumption systems. In the age of climate change, the knowledge and tools of the ecologist form the foundation of nature-based solutions and provide an indispensable theoretical basis for this approach.Alternate :æŠ„éŒ²äººæ–°ä¸–ã®å¤§åŠ é€Ÿã¨ã‚‚å‘¼ã°ã‚Œã‚‹æ°—å€™å¤‰å‹•ã®æ™‚ä»£ã«ãŠã„ã¦ã€æ°—å€™å¤‰å‹•å½±éŸ¿ã®é¡•åœ¨åŒ–ã€è‡ªç„¶ç½å®³ã®æ¿€ç”šåŒ–ãƒ»é »ç™ºåŒ–ã€COVID-19の世界的流行などの地球規模の問題が増大している。国際社会では、ã"ã‚Œã‚‰ã®å•é¡Œã¯ç”Ÿæ…‹ç³»ã®åŠ£åŒ–ã‚„ç”Ÿç‰©å¤šæ§˜æ€§ã®æå¤±ãŒè¦å› ã§ã‚ã‚‹ã"と、そして社会経済にも多大な損害ã‚'与える大きなリスクであるã"とが共通の認識となりつつある。そのような状況ã‚'åæ˜ ã—ã€é™¸åŸŸç”Ÿæ…‹ç³»ã®å¤šé¢çš„ãªæ©Ÿèƒ½ã‚'活用するã"とで、低いコストでç'°å¢ƒãƒ»ç¤¾ä¼šãƒ»çµŒæ¸ˆã«ä¾¿ç›Šã‚'もたらし、社会が抱える複数の課題の解決に貢献する「自然ã‚'基盤とした解決策」という新しい概念に大きな期待が寄せられている。ã"の解決策への社会的なニーズの高まりは、生態学が長年取り組ã‚"できた生物多様性や生態系の保全に関する課題ã‚'超えて、生態学が生物多様性や生態系が豊かな人é–"社会ã‚'継続し発展させる知的基盤となるã"とや、生態学の社会的有用性ã‚'示す機会である。そã"で本稿では、気候変動時代における「自然ã‚'åŸºç›¤ã¨ã—ãŸè§£æ±ºç­–ã€ã®å®Ÿè·µã«å‘ã‘ãŸç”Ÿæ…‹å­¦ç ”ç©¶ã®æ–¹å‘ã¥ã‘ã‚'目的とし、陸域生態系の活用に対する社会的なニーズの現状ã‚'概観する。その上で、「自然ã‚'åŸºç›¤ã¨ã—ãŸè§£æ±ºç­–ã€ã®éµã¨ãªã‚‹é™¸åŸŸç”Ÿæ ‹ç³»ã®ç”Ÿç‰©å¤šæ§˜æ€§ã‚„ç”Ÿæ…‹ç³»æ©Ÿèƒ½ã«é–¢ã™ã‚‹çŸ¥è¦‹ã‚'整理して課題ã‚'抽出し、ã"れらã‚'è¸ã¾ãˆã¦ä»Šå¾Œã®ç”Ÿæ…‹å­¦ç ”ç©¶ã®æ–¹å‘æ€§ã‚'å…·ä½"的に示す。まず、現象の基礎的な理解という観点からは、生物多様性ã‚'含む陸域生態系と気候システムや社会システムとの相äº'関係性ã‚'含めた包括的な気候変動影響のメカニズムの解明と、予測・評価のためのプロセスモデルの高度化ã‚'進めるã"と、そして同時に、陸域生態系と生物多様性の変化ã‚'ç¤ºã™ãŸã‚ã®åŠ¹æžœçš„ãªãƒ¢ãƒ‹ã‚¿ãƒªãƒ³ã‚°ã¨æƒ…å ±åŸºç›¤ã®å¼·åŒ–ã‚'行い、データや分析結果ã‚'社会に還元するフレームワークã‚'構築するã"ã¨ãŒå„ªå…ˆäº‹é …ã§ã‚ã‚‹ã€‚ã‚ˆã‚Šå®Ÿè·µçš„ãªè¦³ç‚¹ã‹ã‚‰ã¯ã€ã€Œè‡ªç„¶ã‚'基盤とした解決策」の実装や社会変革などにおいて共通の目標ã‚'ã‚‚ã¤ä»–åˆ†é‡Žã¨ã®å­¦éš›ç ”ç©¶ã‚'積極的に行うã"とにより、実装における目的é–"のトレードオフã‚'示すã"と、健康・福祉の課題や生産・消費システムの中での陸域生態系や生物多様性への影響や役割ã‚'示すã"ã¨ãªã©ãŒå„ªå…ˆäº‹é …ã¨ãªã‚‹ã€‚æ°—å€™å¤‰å‹•ã«ä»£è¡¨ã•ã‚Œã‚‹ä¸ç¢ºå®Ÿæ€§ã®é«˜ã„ç'°å¢ƒä¸‹ã§ã€åŠ¹æžœçš„な「自然ã‚'åŸºç›¤ã¨ã—ãŸè§£æ±ºç­–ã€ã®å®Ÿæ–½ãŸã‚ã«ã¯ã€ãã®ç§‘å­¦çš„åŸºç›¤ã¨ãªã‚‹ç”Ÿæ…‹å­¦ã®çŸ¥è¦‹ã¨ãƒ„ãƒ¼ãƒ«ã¯ä¸å¯æ¬ ã§ã‚ã‚Šã€ã¾ãŸãã®å®Ÿè£…ã‚'通じた社会変革へのé"筋においても生態学の貢献が期待されている。

Climate Change and the Great Power Rivalry in the Arctic

The world politics of the 2020s seems to consist of two realities: People are concerned about an ecological catastrophe, as tion kills and climate change threatens societies. The focus of this article is to discuss climate change, and state politics in the Arctic in the context of the two realities. Behind this is the assumption that climate change mitigation is a challenge to state politics and national security. The commentary assumes that, although in world politics, there is a new (East-West) great power rivalry with its related conflicts, no armed conflicts appear in the Arctic, but environmental degradation and rapid climate change still threaten the people. The study firstly analyses how environmental issues came onto the political agenda of States, in particular, that of the Arctic states;secondly, it discusses huge investment packages and great power rivalry as substitutes for climate change mitigation, revealing the political inability of states;thirdly, it examines the Arctic from the point of view of functional cooperation on environmental protection, and that on science;and finally, it concludes what has possibly gone wrong in state politics related to the environment, and could be taken as the biggest challenge.

Editorial Introduction

1. Overview of 2nd International Conference on Science in Engineering and Technology - 22nd Sustainable Environment and Architecture (ICoSiET SENVAR 2022)The covid-19 pandemic caused a great shock to people around the world, for it caused a massive scale lockdown in the 21st century. It took millions of lives, affected people's health [1], and created enormous disruption in education systems in more than 200 countries [2]. Furthermore, Covid-19 also account for unprecedented damage to the global economy[3][4], separating people from their loved ones and friends and transforming our built environment in fear of infection[5]. The use of spaces in our living environment then changes dramatically. The lesson should be drawn from this pandemic, for it can never be predicted when the next one will arrive [6]. A future design of the built environment shall be arranged comprehensively. Not only do we have to consider the socio-economic and sustainable living environment, but also how to create a resilient and healthy built environment. Thus, the impact of the pandemic can be minimised through planning, design, structural, physical and technological means.On the other hand, the pandemic introduces a hybrid life to us where a virtual world has become a necessity. Tantalising global challenges in our degradation environment with energy and natural resources depletion force us to have an energy-conscious awareness while providing a safe, healthy, smart and sustainable living environment. The design of the built environment thus should elaborate the virtual world and reality, which involves advanced and robust information and technology not only for the present situation but also for visionary looking to future needs. Therefore, we promote "the Green-Smart Design and Technology for the Present and the Future Built Environment” as the theme for the 2nd International Conference on Science in Engineering and Technology – 22nd Sustainable Environment and Architecture (ICoSiET SENVAR 2022).The ICoSiET SENVAR 2022 is a joint conference to bridge the role of architecture, engineering, and multi-disciplinary field stakeholders in sharing their precious ideas, theories, concepts, designs, research and experiences in creating a better world for all. This conference is hosted by the Architecture Department of Engineering Faculty, Tadulako University. ICoSiET was first organised in 2020 in Palu, Indonesia and then became a biannual conference to provide an academic forum, especially in engineering.Meanwhile, SENVAR is an annual gathering for scientists, scholars, and architects focusing on discussions related to the natural and built environment, such as building design and architecture, outdoor and indoor comfort, local and global green, urban planning and sustainability. SENVAR was first initiated and started by the late Professor Mas Santosa from the Department of Architecture, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) in 2000 as a seminar on environmental architecture;in 2011, it changed the name to Sustainable Environment and Architecture [7]. This year we have the privilege to host ICoSiET and SENVAR and combine them into ICoSiET SENVAR 2022, putting two communities in one frame to be blended in the most recent issue of the smart and sustainable built environment.

Asymmetrically examining the impact of green finance and renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation and renewable energy investment: The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Chinese economy

The recent global recession due to Covid-19 has led to a drop in natural resource prices, which has contracted energy demand. Amid this concern, environmentally sustainable renewable energy projects have become uncompetitive and an obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model proposed by Shin et al. (2014), to asymmetrically explore the impact of green bonds on renewable energy investment and environmental pollution and the impact of renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation in China over the period 1970–2020.​ The results show that the expansion of green bonds (GB+) significantly promotes renewable energy investment and reduces environmental pollution, while the contraction of green bonds (GB−) significantly reduces renewable energy investment and stimulates environmental damage. Likewise, expansion of renewable energy consumption (REC+) significantly reduced environmental degradation, while contraction of renewable energy consumption (REC−) significantly contributed to environmental degradation. Moreover, the result also validates the existence of inverted U-shaped EKC hypothesis in China The VECM Granger causality test indicate that renewable energy investment, green finance, renewable energy consumption, CO2 emission, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have long term causality. Chinese policymakers must focus on strengthening green finance, which will encourage renewable energy investment and renewable energy generation. Moreover, renewable electricity output greatly facilitates renewable energy investment, so China must innovate policies to take into account renewable electricity rather than fossil fuel generation in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Community-based disaster risk reduction efforts in facing the threat of abrasion disasters at Bungin Beach, Bekasi Regency during the covid-19 pandemic

Abrasion causes coastal areas to have a very high level of dynamics and often has an impact on environmental damage, so it needs to be anticipated. In the last 2 years, the whole world has faced a crisis caused by the pandemic due to Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19). During the pandemic, the environment where coastal communities live is still threatened with abrasion. Some mangrove planting and rehabilitation activities had to be stopped to suppress the spread of the virus. The purpose of this study was to identify the role of community groups (Tourism Awareness Group) as a key factor in overcoming abrasion events during the Covid-19 pandemic at Bungin Beach. Interviews and direct observations were conducted to obtain survey data. Additional analyzes were then carried out through relevant journals and literature reviews. As a result, from 1997 to 2021 there has been abrasion on Bungin beach. The Tourism Awareness Group plays a role in post-pandemic recovery, especially in the economic sector. Through mangrove planting activities, not only to restore the economy of coastal communities during the pandemic but also to protect coastal ecosystems from the threat of abrasion on Bungin Beach.

Green Commercial Aviation Supply Chain—A European Path to Environmental Sustainability

The last century has witnessed European commercial aviation flourishing at the cost of environmental degradation by boosting greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. However, the outcry for net-zero emissions compels the sector's supply chain to a minimum 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below the 1990 level by 2030 and zero CO2 emissions by 2050. This study examines a European environmental sustainability path toward a green commercial aviation supply chain. Driven by literature and a review of related documents, two propositions were advanced to orient perspectives on the relationship between pollution and the commercial aviation supply chain and actions being taken toward environmental sustainability. In semi-structured interviews, seventeen aerospace associates endorsed pollution sources in the commercial aviation supply chain during the four stages of the aircraft life cycle, including extracting the raw materials, manufacturing, ground and flight operations, and end-of-service. They recommended transitioning into green commercial aviation through the widespread deployment of innovative technologies, from modifying airframes to changing aviation fuel, utilizing alternative propulsion systems, adopting circular manufacturing, and improving air traffic management.

Application of GIS-Based AHP Model for the Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Lockdown on Environment Quality: The Case of Kabul City, Afghanistan

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the industrial, financial, and social aspects of our daily life due to the implementation of lockdown to protect against the spread of the virus. In addition, the lockdown deduced by COVID-19 has promising positive impacts on air quality and environmental pollution. This study aims to monitor the effects of lockdown on environmental degradation during the pandemic in Kabul city, the capital of Afghanistan, using geospatial data and a statistical model of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). To achieve the purpose of the study, the most essential influencing factors on air quality were generated from different sources using Google Earth Engine (GEE) and GIS environment;Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index NDMI) were calculated using Sentinel-2MSI, Carbon Monoxide (CO) was obtained from Sentinel-5P TROPOMI, and land surface temperature was retrieved from MODIS data. The generated thematic layers (before COVID-19, and during a lockdown of COVID-19) were weighted and rated using the AHP analysis. The weighted layers were spatially overlayed to obtain the final output. Consequently, the environmental quality degradation maps before and during COVID-19 were generated to assess the differences over the 22 districts of Kabul city. The findings of the study show that Kabul city is covered by the very low, low, moderate, high, and very high degradation of the environment by 3.17%, 5.33%, 20.54%, 26.63%, 44.32% before COVID-19 in 201,9 respectively, while the percentages are changed to 4.37%, 8.99%. 16.55%, 37.47%, and 32.62% during the lockdown caused by COVID-19 in 2020. The changes in the percentage of environmental degradation in Kabul city particularly in high and very high zones confirm the positive impact of the lockdown of COVID-19.

Driving Factors and Scale Effects of Residents' Willingness to Pay for Environmental Protection under the Impact of COVID-19

In recent years, environmental degradation and the COVID-19 pandemic have seriously affected economic development and social stability. Addressing the impact of major public health events on residents' willingness to pay for environmental protection (WTPEP) and analyzing the drivers are necessary for improving human well-being and environmental sustainability. We designed a questionnaire to analyze the change in residents' WTPEP before and during COVID-19 and an established ordinary least squares (OLS), spatial lag model (SLM), spatial error model (SEM), geographically weighted regression (GWR), and multiscale GWR to explore driver factors and scale effects of WTPEP based on the theory of environment Kuznets curve (EKC). The results show that (1) WTPEP is 0–20,000 yuan before COVID-19 and 0–50,000 yuan during COVID-19. Residents' WTPEP improved during COVID-19, which indicates that residents' demand for an ecological environment is increasing;(2) The shapes and inflection points of the relationships between income and WTPEP are spatially heterogeneous before and during COVID-19, but the northern WTPEP is larger than southern, which indicates that there is a spatial imbalance in WTPEP;(3) Environmental degradation, health, environmental quality, and education are WTPEP's significant macro-drivers, whereas income, age, and gender are significant micro-drivers. Those factors can help policymakers better understand which factors are more suitable for macro or micro environmental policy-making and what targeted measures could be taken to solve the contradiction between the growing ecological environment demand of residents and the spatial imbalance of WTPEP in the future.

Determinants of environmental disclosure of mining industry near the COVID-19 outbreak: Some Indonesian evidence

In their business operations, mining companies that process natural resources must deal with environmental degradation. The companies shall do environmental preservation to mitigate global warming due to business processes and make an environmental responsibility report to ensure a sustainable business. Whether the COVID-19 pandemic affects environmental responsibility is the focus of this study. The pandemic disrupts all sectors, including the mining industry. Therefore, this study investigates the level of environmental reporting made by mining companies before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, this study also investigates the determinants of the level of environmental reporting disclosed in either the annual report or sustainability report. Thirty-seven companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in the mining sector in 2019 and 2020 were used as a sample. Results from the Wilcoxon signed rank analysis suggest that the level of environmental disclosure increased following the epidemic's spread, contrasted to levels prior to the outbreak. The multiple regression analysis reveals that public ownership and size are likely to enhance environmental disclosure. Meanwhile, leverage tends to reduce environmental disclosure. The analysis offers perspective on the capital market authority agency's new strategy aimed at enhancing aspects that could influence environmental responsibility disclosure.

We Are (Not) the Virus: Competing Online Discourses of Human-Environment Interaction in the Era of COVID-19

Previous research has found that social media may be a particularly influential means of circulating ideologies about climate justice. In this article, we analyze social media discourses of universal human responsibility for pollution and ecosystem destruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, epitomized by the viral hashtag #WeAreTheVirus. We then examine three types of counterdiscourses that oppose misinformation and false universalization of human responsibility. These counterdiscourses include: (1) metadiscourses of ecofascism and racial injustice, (2) counterslogans that ascribe responsibility to systemic injustice rather than individual humans (e.g. "Capitalism is the virus,” "The system is the virus”), and (3) memes that parody the #WeAreTheVirus discourses (as in the sarcastic phrase "Nature is healing, we are the virus”). We demonstrate that the former two nonparodic counterdiscourses emerged in part in the comments of #WeAreTheVirus Tweets, while the parodic memes emerged in separate Tweets, which were a site of shared humor rather than controversy. We further demonstrate that, while both #WeAreTheVirus discourses and counterdiscourses have occurred relatively rarely since their period of virality and have broadened to a range of domains outside of human-environment interaction, counterdiscourses have nevertheless had a wide-ranging impact, increasing metadiscourses of ecofascism and permeating material landscapes through graffiti and signage.

The impact of financial tools in environmental degradation management: the relationship between Co2 emission and ESG funds.

This study aims to determine whether ESG funds can be used as an effective tool for environmental sustainability. ESG funds, which first appeared in the 2000s and were exported by environmentally friendly companies, are among the most effective tools for increasing firm value and managing environmental degradation. The causality relationship between the ESG funds, one of the environmentally friendly investment instruments, and the CO2 emission values, which are used as an environmental degradation criterion, was investigated in this study. The study used 209 daily data sets from July 31, 2020, to May 28, 2021. The symmetric developed by Hacker and Hatemi-J (Appl Econ 38:1489-1500, 2006), the asymmetric developed by Hatemi-J (Empir Econ 43:447-456, 2012), and time-varying asymmetric causality tests were used as models. According to the study results, while there is no symmetric causality between CO2 emissions and ESG funds, there is causality between CO2 emissions and ESG funds prices for negative shocks and between CO2 emissions and ESG funds trade volume for positive shocks. The results of a time-varying asymmetric causality test also support that this causality relationship varies by period. As a result, ESG funds can be used as a strategic financial tool to improve environmental quality during the COVID-19 period; however, this may vary for different sub-sample periods.

Investigating the N-shaped EKC in China: An imperious role of energy use and health expenditures

Since the industrial revolution, the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has been steadily increasing. Notably, China emitted 27% of the world's GHGs in 2019, making it the world's most significant contributor to climate degradation. The key objectives of this investigation are to ascertain the N-shaped association between CO2 emissions and economic growth in the presence of energy use and domestic government health expenditures. Besides, the research inspected the role of the Belt and Road Initiative through economic globalization in China. The study utilized the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model and found that N-shaped EKC exists in China. Furthermore, the study discovered that economic globalization improves ecological excellence in the short run. Nonetheless, energy consumption and health expenditures considerably amplify the intensity of CO2 emanation in China in the long run. The research suggested that installing green industry through economic globalization can imperatively lessen environmental degradation. Moreover, installing technological firms will be more beneficial in the long run to overcome environmental degradation rather than importing from other countries. The study elaborated momentous causation effects among the study variables through the Granger causality test.

Towards a Multidimensional Model for Evaluating the Sustainable Effect of FDI on the Development of Host Developing Countries: Evidence from Africa

This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the sustainable impact of FDI on the development of host African countries. Previous empirical studies seem to have overestimated the impact of FDI by limiting its effects to one aspect or sub-aspect of sustainable development. This study focuses on the sustainable/net effect of FDI on development in Africa. To achieve this, a multidimensional model that combines two opposing views (mainstream theory of economic development and dependent theory) was tested. Panel data of 35 African countries with the PMG/ARDL approach were used to probe the sustainable effect of FDI from 1990 to 2020. The key findings of this study reveal that the overall estimated sustainable effect of FDI on real GDP per capita is statistically minuscule for the entire sample. Thus, the effect of FDI on the development of host African countries is not inherently more important. The most striking result that emerged from the data is that environmental degradation is the dominant variable that adversely influences overall development in Africa. Another striking finding that emerged from the data is that income inequality, in general, has a significant negative impact on real GDP per capita in the long run. More importantly, the results of this study confirm that CO2, GINI, and GOV play important roles in the relationship between FDI and African development. Estimates of the error correction term for each specific country are negative and statistically significant. The fastest speed of adjustment was observed in Morocco, while the lowest was recorded in South Africa. Furthermore, this study presents different policy implications based on the long-term results.

Antimicrobial Resistance: The Potent Enemy Lurking Behind COVID-19

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a global pandemic due to its high transmissibility and pathogenicity. It is a beta clade zoonotic coron-avirus like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Though no effective medication has been developed against the deadly COVID-19 disease, henceforth old antimicrobial drugs have been repurposed to treat the COVID-19 patients. In this report, a brief account of the used medication and the potential mechanism of antimicrobial drugs against SARS-CoV-2 has been provided. Based on the earlier in-cidences, the antimicrobials are expected to lose the battle against SARS-CoV-2. The vast lacuna in the research and development of vaccines has led to overuse of the already formulated antimicro-bial drugs, which in turn has led to a distressing problem called "Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)". A complete assay of AMR has been given including its cause, mechanism, spread, and conse-quences. The other two interlinked problems, namely environmental deterioration and secondary in-fections, are elaborated. Moreover, to combat the AMR problem, the way forward has been discussed in detail.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Nature, nurture, (Neo-)nostalgia? Back-casting for a more socially and environmentally sustainable post-COVID future

Commentaries on lived experiences of COVID-19-induced ‘lockdown' have simultaneously directed public imaginations backwards to draw inspiration and fortitude from historical periods of national and global challenge, and forwards into futures characterised by greater environmental sensitivity and community resilience. In this article, we argue that individuals' and households' practical coping strategies from different phases of lockdown within the UK offer clues as to how adaptive embodiments of close connection – to nature and community – both inform contemporary practices of everyday resilience and signpost towards enablers of a more socially compassionate and environmentally sustainable future. Our novel approach to conceptualising post-COVID recovery draws on ‘back-casting' – an approach which envisages pathways towards alternative, ‘better' futures – to work back from the notion of sustainable lifestyles, through participants' narratives of coping in/with lockdown, to the forms of adaptation that provided solace and encouragement. We highlight how these embodied and emotional adaptations constitute a form of nascent ‘neo-nostalgia' capable of reaching beyond the enabling of coping mechanisms in the present to inform long-lasting capacity for individual and community resilience in the face of future socio-environmental crises.

Sustainable finance, natural resource abundance, and energy poverty trap: the environmental challenges in the era of COVID-19.

Energy poverty is a global challenge and the scarcity has been emerging as a global issue. Therefore, the relationship among energy scarcity, sustainable finance, and carbon emissions is analyzed with the help of global data from 40 developing countries until the beginning of the COVID-19 era. For empirical results' estimation, the study analyzed a panel data ranging from 2000 to 2019. To measure the energy poverty, some part of population that has no access to energy is considered, and empirical analysis based on augmented mean group (AMG) regression method was carried out. The findings of the study suggest the inverse relation among energy poverty and carbon emissions. Moreover, a negative relationship was also observed between sustainable finance and carbon emissions. These findings highlight that alleviation of energy poverty can intensify environmental pollution. While improvement in access to clean energy will benefit society by alleviating energy poverty and controlling carbon emissions. Moreover, improvement in the share of sustainable finance in total investment may improve the environment quality by reducing carbon emissions. Therefore, it is suggested that regional plans along with sustainable finance are required on a priority basis for the promotion of clean energy to control carbon emissions and alleviate energy poverty at the household level.