Article
Environmental Studies
Anna Ernst, Doris Fuchs
Summary: This paper investigates the influence of key actors in the German Energiewende, finding that they can exert various forms of influence with potential risks of lack of neutrality. Social learning among key actors can contribute to sustainability transformation, but does not guarantee conflict resolution.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Frank Hueesker, Robert Lepenies
Summary: This study highlights the existence of pesticide lock-ins in Europe, which prevent effective regulation of water pollution caused by hazardous pesticides. The findings suggest that these lock-ins, including infrastructural, institutional, and behavioral factors, are self-stabilizing and can only be addressed through significant resources, time, or extraordinary opportunities.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisa Dilling, Meaghan E. Daly, William R. Travis, Andrea J. Ray, Olga Wilhelmi
Summary: Urban water systems need to adapt to increasing population and changing climate. This study explores the adaptive capacity of major metropolitan water systems in the US to drought and whether it enables transformative adaptation. The research finds that adaptive capacity can be influenced by specific actions taken and their effects on the system, and social dimensions such as public acceptance and collaboration are as critical as physical elements. Changes in practices during drought, combined with sustained engagement and education, can lead to long-lasting changes in values around water, a precursor to transformative adaptation.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS
(2023)
Article
Urban Studies
Carel Dieperink, Stef H. A. Koop, Mado Witjes, Kees Van Leeuwen, Peter P. J. Driessen
Summary: Cities face water challenges and can build alliances to proactively manage them, using methodologies like the City Blueprint Approach. This paper demonstrates the potential of this approach through its application in four cities, comparing the results with good practices in the City Blueprint database. However, in-depth city-to-city learning and tailoring are needed for effective implementation. The paper concludes with suggestions for enhancing C2C learning in urban water management networks.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ilke Borowski-Maaser, Morten Graversgaard, Natalie Foster, Madeleine Prutzer, Allard Hans Roest, Floris Boogaard
Summary: The European Union Water Framework Directive encourages active stakeholder involvement in achieving sustainable water management, highlighting the importance of local experience and understanding in cooperative governance processes. Research shows that social learning and successful co-governance are closely linked, with active stakeholder involvement and shared process memory facilitating cooperation among multiple stakeholders and the discovery of new solutions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Els Belmans, Lieve Borremans, Lone Soderkvist Kristensen, Nicoleta Alina Suciu, Eva Kerselaers
Summary: The research proposes a practical guide for water governance assessment and improvement, consisting of three steps: assessment, implementation of a multi-actor process, and evaluation. Implementing the guide in different action labs showed progress towards goals, with water managers appreciating the integrated approach and the leaders finding the guide hands-on and practical.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sascha Stark, Lisa Biber-Freudenberger, Thomas Dietz, Neus Escobar, Jan Janosch Foerster, James Henderson, Natalie Laibach, Jan Boerner
Summary: Countries worldwide are implementing bioeconomy strategies for sustainable transformation; research applies a system-level theory to analyze mechanisms and pathways of bio-based transformation; outcomes depend on governance and can generate positive or negative impacts, leading to key lessons for designing strategies for sustainable bioeconomies.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yan Peng, Hanzi Chen, Tinghui Li
Summary: This study investigates the impact of digital transformation on ESG performance of publicly listed companies in China. The findings suggest that digital transformation has a positive effect on ESG performance, and this effect remains robust even after conducting various robustness tests. Furthermore, the study identifies variations in the influence of digital transformation on different dimensions of ESG performance, and reveals that it affects ESG performance by optimizing human capital structure, enhancing operational efficiency, and promoting green innovation.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Minsup Kim, Kichul Park, Wonsang Kim, Sangwon Jung, Art E. Cho
Summary: The study demonstrates a target-specific drug design method using a deep learning algorithm and a water pharmacophore model to autonomously generate a series of target-favorable compounds.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL INFORMATION AND MODELING
(2021)
Article
Business
Marvin Hanisch, Curtis M. Goldsby, Nicolai E. Fabian, Jana Oehmichen
Summary: The rapid expansion of digital technologies has created new forms of organizing and increased data and knowledge exchange. However, this poses challenges for effective governance mechanisms. This paper highlights the role of digital governance in facilitating exchange relationships and proposes a typology of governance modes and a heuristic for choosing the optimal governance. Our study advances the governance literature by defining digital governance as a distinct form and outlining key mechanisms and choices in the digital era. Future research in this field is also identified.
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Shirin Malekpour, Sylvia Tawfik, Chris Chesterfield
Summary: Urbanisation, population growth, and climate change are driving the shift from large-scale centralised infrastructure to localised nature-based solutions, requiring collaborative governance for implementation. However, limited guidance exists on designing collaborative governance for nature-based solutions, necessitating the development of a framework through synthesising theoretical frameworks and practice-based knowledge.
URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jia Dong, Pu Yang, Chen Zhang, Duanyun Cao, Ying Jiang, Jing Guo
Summary: The solvation of amphiphile molecules plays a crucial role in various physical, chemical, and biological processes. This study investigated the interfacial effects on molecular solvation using qPlus-based noncontact atomic force microscopy and discovered ordered water-methanol clusters formed on Cu(110) and Cu(111) surfaces. It was found that water and methanol were incompletely mixed on the Cu(110) surface, while methanol could be solvated within the water hydrogen-bonding network on the Cu(111) surface, resulting in molecular-scale complete mixing. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the complete mixing was induced by the weaker interaction between the complex and the Cu(111) substrate. This work provides insights into the fine-tuning of molecular solvation behavior through proper interfacial engineering.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Paul C. Stern, Kimberly S. Wolske, Thomas Dietz
Summary: To provide information for climate decisions, it is important to combine climate models with an understanding of the feasibility of choice options in specific decision contexts. Design principles (DPs) offer useful tools for guiding choices by articulating general relationships among decisions, decision processes, and outcomes across various research domains. Identifying and utilizing DPs with widespread resonance can provide tentative guidance for climate choices and help set a scientific agenda for informing future decisions.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lukas Paul Fesenfeld, Jeroen Candel, Franziska Gaupp
Summary: The success of the European Union's Farm to Fork strategy relies on the establishment of a legislative framework for sustainable food systems and the implementation of a new governance architecture. Key elements include deliberative governance, science-policy interfaces, independent monitoring, obligatory reporting, and strategic and adaptive policy design.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Islam Yousef Hasan Daoud, Sudeh Dehnavi, Lars Ribbe
Summary: Jordan, considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, has taken steps towards good water governance. However, research shows that there is room for improvement. This study evaluates water security governance in Jordan and identifies gaps and challenges in good water governance. The findings highlight the importance of implementing good water governance principles and practices to achieve water security.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matteo Garau, Paola Castaldi, Giacomo Patteri, Pier Paolo Roggero, Giovanni Garau
Summary: The study found that the addition of municipal solid waste compost can significantly improve the growth of Cynara cardunculus, reduce the uptake of toxic elements in the soil by plants, and increase the metabolic activity of soil microbes.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Sara Chahine, Vittoria Giannini, Pier Paolo Roggero, Sara Melito
Summary: The external application of proline (Pro) was found to have significant effects on the growth of common bean seeds under fluoride salt stress, especially at higher temperatures.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cristian Alarcon Ferrari, Mari Jonsson, Solomon Gebreyohannis Gebrehiwot, Linley Chiwona-Karltun, Cecilia Mark-Herbert, Daniela Manuschevich, Neil Powell, Thao Do, Kevin Bishop, Tuija Hilding-Rydevik
Summary: This commentary focuses on the potential of citizen science to address legitimacy issues in the knowledge base used for transformative governance in the context of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. The commentary argues for the renewal of traditional Environmental Monitoring and Assessment to better implement the SDGs and presents citizen science as a democratic innovation that can strengthen the legitimacy of this process. This approach is seen as especially relevant for analyzing the implementation of SDGs in rural settings with conflict-laden resource contexts.
Article
Management
Ray L. Ison, Kevin B. Collins, Ben L. Iaquinto
Summary: This paper discusses the shift from reliance on the linear model of innovation to a second-order modality of research practice more suitable for sustainable development goal (SDG) implementation. A purpose-driven design of a 'learning system' was successfully tested and evaluated in the Australian urban-water sector to enact a 'systemic inquiry' capable of generating social learning. This praxis innovation is best suited for uncertain, complex, and contested situations.
SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geography
Jonathan Raikes, Timothy F. Smith, Neil Powell, Dana C. Thomsen, Eva Friman, David Kronlid, Roy Sidle
Summary: Crisis management planning and response can be enhanced through mutual learning among regional governments and organizations. Comparative analysis of crisis management perspectives in different regions reveals the impact of global processes on crisis characteristics and scales, necessitating the inclusion of more international perspectives in future regional governance.
GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Management
William Cook, Esther Turnhout, Severine van Bommel
Summary: The article delves into FSC forest certification audits as a way to give meaning to FSC standards. The authors analyze the practices of FSC forest management auditors in multi-day audits in Africa and Spain, using Goffman's elements of dramaturgy. Findings show that auditing practices involve performances where auditors and auditees interact, with front stage and back stage performances constantly alternating as they perform for each other and for an absent audience. The analysis demonstrates the importance of professional values in these performances, which may overshadow the accountability of the FSC system grounded in improving forest conservation and management.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Vittoria Giannini, Laura Mula, Marcella Carta, Giacomo Patteri, Pier Paolo Roggero
Summary: Sunflower cultivation in the Mediterranean area is threatened by climate change, with earlier sowing dates and irrigation strategies proving effective in preventing yield losses from drought stress. Winter and early sowing dates have shown potential to significantly increase achene productivity, highlighting the importance of water management in Mediterranean regions.
AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Simone Di Prima, Vittoria Giannini, Ludmila Ribeiro Roder, Filippo Giadrossich, Laurent Lassabatere, Ryan D. Stewart, Majdi R. Abou Najm, Vittorio Longo, Sergio Campus, Thierry Winiarski, Rafael Angulo-Jaramillo, Antonio del Campo, Giorgio Capello, Marcella Biddoccu, Pier Paolo Roggero, Mario Pirastru
Summary: The study used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) as a non-invasive technique to investigate the linkages between heterogeneous soil structures and non-uniform flow, creating three-dimensional diagrams of wetting dynamics. Results revealed strong connections between different types of soil heterogeneity and non-uniform flow.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Antonio Pulina, Sergio Campus, Chiara Cappai, Pier Paolo Roggero, Lorenzo Salis, Giovanna Seddaiu
Summary: This study demonstrates that trees have a significant impact on soil carbon balance in Mediterranean cork-oak silvopastoral systems, highlighting the importance of management practices aimed at increasing herbage production, tree cover, and regulating tree distribution for enhancing ecosystem services such as soil organic carbon sequestration.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Madeline R. Shelton, Joannette J. Bos, Kevin B. Collins, Ray L. Ison, Benjamin L. Iaquinto
Summary: The study aims to promote the transition of Australian cities to water sensitive cities that can withstand natural disasters, water shortages, and climate change. Through systematic inquiry activities and the design of a learning system, we identified the necessary conditions and characteristics for transitioning to water sensitive cities, and provided a baseline dataset for future evaluation. Additionally, leadership, a supportive institutional environment, and interdisciplinary collaboration for knowledge co-production are essential for this transition.
AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF WATER RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Development Studies
Richard Chepkwony, Severine van Bommel, Frank van Langevelde
Summary: This article examines the spatial biopolitics of acaricide use and management of TBDs in Laikipia, Kenya. The results reveal power relations, tensions and contradictions arising from the clash between indigenous knowledge and western veterinary thought in the control of TBDs.
SOCIETY & NATURAL RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Katja Malmborg, Ida Wallin, Vilis Brukas, Thao Do, Isak Lodin, Tina-Simone Neset, Albert Norstrom, Neil Powell, Karin Tonderski
Summary: This study presents a comparative analysis of four research projects that applied participatory futures methods, aiming to co-produce knowledge about the future provision of ecosystem services in a specific study area. The analysis highlights the importance of flexibility in research design and the need for adaptation as the process unfolds.
ECOSYSTEMS AND PEOPLE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Mats Malqvist, Neil Powell
Article
Communication
Marie Garnier, Margit van Wessel, Peter A. A. Tamas, Severine van Bommel
Summary: This article reports on an analysis of the UK chicken meat production industry, investigating how newspapers hold corporate power to account. The study found that current media practice is not compatible with holding corporate power accountable, raising serious concerns at the levels of the case, media practice, and media scholarship.
JOURNALISM STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Communication
Marie Garnier, Peter A. Tamas, Margit van Wessel, Severine van Bommel
Summary: The news media, particularly newspapers, are expected to provide a forum for constructive societal debate, especially for complex and wicked problems. However, an analysis of British newspaper coverage of the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak showed that while multiple problem definitions and causal interpretations were presented, the coverage did not connect the issue to related topics, engage in systemic contestation, or problematize the structure. Despite diverse definitions of the problem, there was near consensus on a single technical solution, which did not fully support the open, constructive, and informed public debate that news media are expected to facilitate.