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... challenge is now to familiarize policy-makers with the capacity of these accounts to capture the environmental sustainability of economic activity. 2 Table 1 is a 'hybrid'-physical and monetary-accounting framework, which can be considered the centrepiece of the revised SEEA. The table shows the main physical indicators in italics. ...Similar publications
Vietnam is currently in the process of renovating the general educational curriculum, shifting from a content-based to a competency-based approach, with mathematical creativity as one of the core competencies. This paper aims to determine the correlations of perception, emotion, and behavior in sustainable development of mathematical creativity for...
The cessation or downsizing of mining activities induced complex challenges for entire regions in Romania, leading to depopulation, poverty, and pollution. Resource-dependency locked these regions in a mono-industry setting where it was difficult for new development paths to emerge. This paper presents a historical overview of a well-known Romanian...
Problem-based learning (PBL) has a history of producing strong educational results in engineering; however, global society is challenged by highly complex environmental, socio-political and technical problems summarised in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This obliges us to explore educational approaches that address complexity. Yet, co...
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... Dimensions of Energy Sustainability Since the Brundtland Report in 1987, motivation has been promoted. Following that, several efforts were made to capture various aspects of energy sustainability by merging renewable and conventional sources in order to revolutionize the future (Pinter et al., 2005;Patlitzianas et al., 2008;Singh et al., 2012;Petrillo et al., 2016;). Renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass, play a pivotal role in addressing climate change by emitting minimal to no greenhouse gases, a primary driver of environmental shifts. ...
The purpose of this paper is to present a decision support framework, able to assess and optimize the energy use in smart cities. This paper has taken a sincere endeavour to develop an innovative integrated analytical framework as a benchmark to understand to what extent the energy has been consumed in smart city spectrum. Initially five sectors (construction, water management, transport, waste treatment and public services) of smart city and their corresponding sub-factors are identified based on industry, academia partnership. Once the data were gathered, those were analysed using various statistical tools. This research is useful for the policymakers, executive people, especially those are working or involved in smart city development projects. The developed framework helps to identify the significant energy consumption sector and also suggest the suitable green energy alternatives for developing a cleaner and sustainable future. As this study discusses the various parameters related to smart city energy consumption sector in western India, it will have a huge practical potential on the proposed operational smart cities in India. Literature has witnessed minimum number of studies have been carried out on this proposed framework and that could improve the wellbeing of the people living in the cities.
... Since the term "sustainable development" was coined in the 1987 report "Our common future" (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987), efforts have been made to monitor and track progress on the different fields of sustainable development across sectors, mainly by using sustainable development indicators (SDIs). This resulted in large numbers of possible indicators with little or no guidance for individuals or organizations in choosing the most relevant ones, or as Pinter et al. (2005) termed it, an "Indicator Zoo." ...
... This changed somewhat with the advent of the Millennium Development Goals and eventually the UN SDGs (United Nations 2015) and their respective indicator sets, both gaining wider global acknowledgement; but the situation today remains largely the same. It is still challenging for actors across sectors to choose in which way they monitor sustainability or compare indicators to find the ones best suited to assess their efforts towards sustainability (Pinter et al. 2005;Rasche 2010). So, the challenge is not to find indicators, but rather to know which ones to choose. ...
... In Pinter et al. (2005), the term "zoo" has been used to describe chaos and lack of structure. What if we used the term in a different way? ...
In order to measure progress towards the aims outlined by the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, data are needed for the different indicators that are linked to each UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Where statistical or scientific data are not sufficient or available, alternative data sources, such as data from citizen science (CS) activities, could be used. Statistics Norway, together with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, have developed a taxonomy for classifying indicators that are intended to measure the SDGs. The purpose of this taxonomy is to sort, evaluate, and compare different SDG indicators and to assess their usefulness by identifying their central properties and characteristics. This is done by organizing central characteristics under the three dimensions of Goal, Perspective, and Quality. The taxonomy is designed in a way that can help users to find the right indicators across sectors to measure progress towards the SDGs depending on their own context and strategic priorities. The Norwegian taxonomy also offers new opportunities for the re-use of data collected through CS activities. This paper presents the taxonomy and demonstrates how it can be applied for an indicator based on a CS data set, and we also suggest further use of CS data.
... To ensure the relevance of indicators and facilitate effective communication with decision-makers and the public, experts should focus on establishing a clear relationship between the indicators and the underlying facts they represent [38]. Pintér et al. (2005) [39] and Krellenberg et al. (2010) [40] argued that a smaller set of indicators holds greater relevance for decision-making. However, given the diverse range of goals and targets, relying solely on a limited number of indicators that decision-makers can easily comprehend is unrealistic [39,40]. ...
... To ensure the relevance of indicators and facilitate effective communication with decision-makers and the public, experts should focus on establishing a clear relationship between the indicators and the underlying facts they represent [38]. Pintér et al. (2005) [39] and Krellenberg et al. (2010) [40] argued that a smaller set of indicators holds greater relevance for decision-making. However, given the diverse range of goals and targets, relying solely on a limited number of indicators that decision-makers can easily comprehend is unrealistic [39,40]. ...
... Pintér et al. (2005) [39] and Krellenberg et al. (2010) [40] argued that a smaller set of indicators holds greater relevance for decision-making. However, given the diverse range of goals and targets, relying solely on a limited number of indicators that decision-makers can easily comprehend is unrealistic [39,40]. Composite indicators can serve as valuable complements to single indicators without necessitating significant changes to the existing indicator framework. ...
This study aims to identify sustainable countries within the European Union in terms of renewable energy. The objective is to support renewable alternatives and enhance sustainability in the renewable sector among the top economic countries. The study reviews key drivers of sustainable development, establishes criteria for each dimension, and selects up-to-date indicators. The fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and expert judgments are employed to rank the countries, ensuring unbiased results, and reducing uncertainty. The findings indicate that Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, and Italy exhibit their positions from the most advanced to the lower sustainable countries, respectively. Energy and environmental indicators play a primary role as the most influential drivers. Economic factors contribute as tertiary drivers, while social and institutional indicators have a relatively minor influence. Notably, Sweden, Belgium, and Ireland, despite being among the last three in terms of economic ranking, emerge as the most sustainable countries in renewable energy, surpassing stronger economies such as France, Germany, and Spain. On the other hand, the Netherlands, Poland, and Italy, as middle economy countries, rank lower in terms of sustainability. These results provide insights for harnessing renewable energy in high-growth economies and offer valuable policy advice for implementation.
... In line with the advent of the urban sustainability concept in policy and academic circles, a wide range of measuring projects for monitoring and evaluating the sustainability performance of cities around the world have been developed (e.g., ISO, 2018;Global Platform for Sustainable Cities, 2018). Some authors have labeled the field of sustainability indicators an "indicator industry" (King et al., 2000) or a "zoo" (Pintér et al., 2005). ...
Using a systematic literature review and bibliography, this paper aims to map the research field of urban sustainability. The keywords “urban sustainability and urbanization” were used to search the Web of Science database. Following fair and unambiguous criteria, the most significant research in urban sustainability analysis has been chosen. The fundamental goal of this research is to provide a bibliometric analysis of nearly thirty years of urban sustainability research. In total, 787 articles were extracted from the literature database on the Web of Science. The literature was analyzed using VOSviewer, a scientific mapping software program. Incorporating multiple network analysis approaches such as keyword co-occurrence, co-citation, and bibliographic coupling, VOSviewer is used to determine prominent topic areas and to identify relevant authors, publications, and journals. The present state of urban sustainability research has been assembled to identify research gaps and propose future research paths.
... The processes related to the specific individual plant will bring information in regard to areas where water can be saved and the most appropriate strategy/range of actions to be put in place for reducing water demand and increasing industrial value added per unit of water consumed (Dworak 2007). In the sphere of evaluating sustainability, a common technique through corporations is to measure the performance by appropriate indicators (Pinter et al. 2005;Bell & Morse 2008), which is, as stated by Tahir & Darton (2010), a simple reflection of issueswater eco-efficiency indicators. Initiatives in Europe showed that the use of indicators is essential in the development of policies for water resource management, also for the optimization of production processes, products, and services (Carrasquer et al. 2017). ...
The aim of this work is to provide the necessary steps to acquire the total cost of water at industrial facilities. Therefore, the research was developed in three parts: literature review to identify the available tools related to water management; a case study in the context of the dairy industry; and an analysis and discussion of results achieved. Water applications for process and utility end-users in the manufacturing context require pre- and post-treatment – these are interconnected assets that increase the cost of water, and introduce system inefficiencies, thus, they represent a challenge faced by companies and energy/utility managers. A meta-analysis approach was used to examine data from several independent studies of water management, in order to determine overall trends. The sources utilized during the study were water-related scientific publications, Master theses, books, companies, and standards’ websites. The results of the study highlight that auditing can be used to investigate water flows within productive processes entirely, as well as within individual process units and operations. The present study incorporates water-related thinking about supply and demand costs, opportunities, and strategies, promoting energy systems thinking and providing an internationally replicable solution to calculate the true cost of water.
... According to Gunnarsdottir [3] and Pinter et al. [32], there are four different frameworks that are used to develop indicators for sustainable development, as follows: causal chain framework, system dynamics, issue-or theme-based indicators, and mixed approach frameworks ( Figure 5). The causal chain framework structure sustainability problems show causality relationships. ...
The energy sector is experiencing various transformations. Simultaneously, merger and acquisition (M&A) activities in the sector are surging globally. Extensive research has focused on and analyzed M&As from the perspective of acquirer- and target-level financial performance. In comparison, a significantly lower number of studies have analyzed the macroeconomic impact of M&A activities. The field of and interests in sustainability have also been expanding in recent decades. Sustainable development goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” by 2030, is among other sustainable development goals that were established by the UN (United Nations). However, the synthesis of indicators for measuring sustainable development and M&A performance remains a relatively vaguely explored field. Here, we perform SALSA (search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis) and analyze which M&A and sustainable development performance indicators may be used when analyzing M&A within the energy sector. The employment of an eligible set of indicators measuring sustainable development and M&A performance may be used by practitioners, governments, and scholars for the purpose of monitoring, tracking, and the communication of the progress. The results imply that most popular sustainability measurements are indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED). There is a growing number of studies focusing on and applying country-specific methodologies. The measurement of M&A and sustainability performance faces difficulties in practice implementation due to a lack of availability of data, information, and databases, etc.
... A central component in all sustainability indicator initiatives concerns the development of the accompanying conceptual frameworks (Hák et al., 2016;Maggino, 2017a;Pintér et al., 2012), which disaggregate the measured concept (e.g., "urban sustainability") into more specific categories based on specific framing logics (e.g., domains, themes, goals, etc.). Given the influence that these frameworks exert (Pintér et al., 2005;Turnhout, 2009;UN, 2007), each framework should be constructed consciously and with consideration of the context and purposes of the indicator initiative in question (Hartmuth et al., 2008;Hatakeyama, 2018;Munier, 2011). ...
... To address the topic, a number of authors in the past have discussed different types of conceptual frameworks, both for sustainability indicators in general (Gallopín, 1997;Lyytimäki & Rosenström, 2008;Pintér et al., 2005;Ramos et al., 2004) and for indicators dedicated particularly to urban sustainability (Maclaren, 1996;Nathan & Reddy, 2012;Olalla-Tárraga, 2006). However, what is lacking in the work of the above authors is: (1) explicit discussion of the purposes of conceptual frameworks, and (2) a systematic empirical exploration of different types of frameworks used in indicator initiatives. ...
... To support the design of these frameworks, the analysis presented in the preceding results sections aims to make explicit the available options at the disposal of indicator set developers. The dedicated focus on the discussion and analysis of frameworks, and the unprecedentedly broad empirical sample of indicator initiatives that it draws from, permit the present article to make the following novel contributions compared to earlier scholarly work on the subject (Gallopín, 1997;Lyytimäki & Rosenström, 2008;Maclaren, 1996;Nathan & Reddy, 2012;Olalla-Tárraga, 2006;Pintér et al., 2005;Ramos et al., 2004): (1) The framework typology refines our knowledge of types of indicator frameworks by giving each type a clear definition that demarcates them from each other, and by elaborating on their internal structure, sub-types, and potential categories; ...
Urban sustainability is today commonly considered to be a crucial determinant of global sustainable development, and indicator-based assessments represent a popular means of operationalizing this complex concept. An important aspect of these assessments concerns the elaboration of accompanying conceptual frameworks. Despite the pivotal role of such frameworks, they are often developed in an unstructured manner, without consideration of their potential purposes and impacts, and without awareness and evaluation of available options. Here, we discuss this topic based on both theoretical considerations and the analysis of the conceptual frameworks of 67 urban sustainability indicator initiatives. The discussion makes two contributions: First, we provide guidance for assessment developers for leveraging the potential of conceptual frameworks. Second, considering the analyzed frameworks as de facto definitions of urban sustainability allows us to advance understanding of the meaning of this complex concept, and to critically discuss the conceptual shortcomings that remain in current assessment practice.
... This would ensure a globally harmonized perspective in terms of account thematics, and efficiently relieve the accounting practitioners from the burden of making decisions outside their primary domain of competence (Rochet & Rice, 2005). An awareness of language differences, and a common understanding of the goals, the process, and the accounting terminology is of critical importance (Bracken and Oughton, 2006;Polasky et al. 2015) to avoid an eventual 'indicator zoo' scenario (Pintér et al., 2005). These thematic working groups can then also become key forums for the exchange of knowledge and practical experiences, where forerunners can provide support to the less advanced. ...
The UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA) aims at regular and standardised stocktaking of the extent of ecosystems, their condition, and the services they provide to society. Recording the condition of ecosystems is one of the most complex pieces in this exercise and needs to be supported by consistent guidelines. SEEA EA defines the condition of an ecosystem as its overall quality, measured in terms of quantitative metrics describing its abiotic and biotic characteristics. One of the key challenges lies in identifying the most appropriate metrics for each ecosystem type that capture these essential characteristics.
The objective of this paper is to create a well-defined framework for transparent and operative development of ecosystem condition indicators, which can be used in ecosystem accounting and ecosystem assessment studies. Starting from the SEEA EA documentation and a small targeted systematic review, we identified 12 key criteria, which we grouped according to their roles during the indicator development process. Five conceptual criteria (intrinsic relevance, instrumental relevance, sensitivity, directional meaning, and framework conformity) outline the priorities for identifying relevant characteristics of the ecosystems. Five practical criteria (validity, reliability, availability, simplicity, and compatibility) provide guidance on identifying concrete quantitative metrics for the selected characteristics. Finally, two ensemble criteria (comprehensiveness, and parsimony) ensure the completeness and complementarity of the final set of metrics.
To tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, the condition of ecosystems needs to be better recognized in national economic planning. The proposed framework supports the selection of a concise set of salient and credible ecosystem condition indicators through a transparent, repeatable and scientific process. This can make the compilation of ecosystem condition accounts more accessible and more standardised on a global level, which is a key prerequisite for the success of SEEA EA. Additionally, the framework presented in this paper may be useful in other contexts where ecological, environmental, or sustainability indicators need to be identified.
... Zhvillimi i qëndrueshëm kërkon mbi të gjitha matje sasiore të nivelit të qëndrueshmërisë për të vlerësuar se në çfarë mase po arrihet qëndrueshmëria, për të ndjekur progresin drejt qëndrueshmërisë dhe për të siguruar informacione dhe udhëzime për projektet e zhvillimit të qëndrueshëm të problemit të marrë në analizë (Kates et al., 2005). Nevoja për të vlerësuar qëndrueshmërinë ka rritur zhvillimin e qasjeve dhe mjeteve të ndryshme të matjes, të cilat përfshijnë tregues, standarde, auditime, indekse, parametra të kontabilitetit, vlerësimin e vlerësimit apo edhe sisteme të tjera raportimi (Pintér, 2005). Treguesit e qëndrueshmërisë gjithnjë e më shumë njihen si mjete të dobishme dhe janë zbatuar gjerësisht për të matur dimensione të ndryshme të qëndrueshmërisë. ...
... Accordingly, core targets and indicators that they should jointly implement were selected. A set of headline indicators are useful as a monitoring tool to track and explain progress of SDGs at the regional and local level and provide a reference framework to identify priorities for policy action (Pinter, Hardi, and Bartelmus 2005;Lafortune et al. 2020;Perić, Hofmarcher, and Simon 2018). The shared SDGs indicators also promote mutual learning and accountability by allowing municipalities to compare performance with each other. ...
This study aims to develop and evaluate the indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (hereafter SDGs) for local governments in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea from the perspective of the glocal (global + local) mainstreaming of SDGs and localization. Through surveys and focus group meetings, 35 SDGs indicators that are to be implemented by both the Gyeonggi Provincial government and 31 separate local governments were selected and an overall index was calculated by standardizing 27 indicators whose statistical data was made available at the local level. Through the comparative analysis of the fuzzy-set, this paper revealed the four ideal types along with the arrangement of two variables, the socio-economic SDGs index (S) and the environmental SDGs index (E), which are derived from the thirty-one local governments. In short, some examples of this arrangement are the Type 1 (S*E: “sustainable local gov.”) including Hanam City (fuzzy score, 0.729); Type 2 (S*e: “imbalanced local gov.(I)”) including Hwaseong City (0.862); Type 3 (s*E: “imbalanced local gov.(II)”) including Gapyeong County (0.922); and Type 4 (s*e: “unsustainable local gov.”) including Pyeongtaek City (0.650). As a result, this paper suggests policy priority should be placed on the local governments of Type 4 where all three dimensions of sustainable development pose challenges. Furthermore, it is important for Type 2 and Type 3 to enhance policy coherence for sustainability as the gap between socio-economic and environmental sustainability appears wide.
