The nexus between sustainability dimensions and support for climate action: Perspectives of highway professionals in Ghana

Abstract

The impact of climate change on sustainable development is felt across all areas of life, including transportation. The United Nations, however, reports that maximizing on the interlinkages between the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement by leveraging climate action and SDG synergies, has the potential of achieving both agendas. Taking inspiration from the reported synergies and trade-offs, which exist between climate action and the delivery of the SDGs, this study explored the bidirectional relationships between climate action support and the level of importance attached to sustainability criteria by highway professionals in Ghana. Stated preference data was collected from 162 highway professionals in Ghana using a structured questionnaire. The study employed structural equation modelling approach for hypothesis testing. Six sustainability criteria were considered: economics, environment, technical aspects, project implementation, social equity and culture, and resource utilization. The results highlight the complex interplay between sustainability priorities and climate action support in highway development. Economic considerations and resource management practices emerged as key drivers of climate action support. Surprisingly, environmental, technical, social, and project management dimensions did not significantly influence climate action support. However, climate action support positively and significantly influenced attitudes towards all highway sustainability dimensions. This study addresses a major gap in the literature in terms of establishing bidirectional relationships between climate action support and sustainability perceptions, particularly in the field of highway infrastructural development. It also provides insights for regulatory and policy development in developing countries for sustainable highway infrastructure development. The bidirectional relationships imply the need for policies, which consider broader systems by prioritizing actions that target both ends of the relationship. This will promote collaboration across fields, leading to more comprehensive and long-term solutions. Moreover, this study contributes to the broader discussion on integrating climate action with sustainable development goals in the context of highway infrastructure.