PLOS sustainability and transformation最新文献

{"title":"Tackling the complex web of sustainability challenges requires transformative, cross-cutting science: A new chapter for PLOS Sustainability and Transformation","authors":"Lian Pin Koh","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000118","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"60 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141804936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holistic approaches to assess the sustainability of food systems in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review","authors":"Estelle Fourat, Eric Blanchart, Miriam Cué Rio, M. Darias, A. Diedhiou, Isabelle Droy, Frédéric Jacob, Pierre Janin, Marjorie Le Bars, Alissia Lourme-Ruiz, I. Mekki, Philippe Méral, Pascale Moiti-Maizi, Josiane Seghieri, Eric O. Verger","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000117","url":null,"abstract":"Food systems and their sustainability have been extensively studied in high-income countries (HICs), yet less so in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), despite their importance for global food security. In this study, we conducted a systematic scoping review to describe the extent, range, and nature of peer-reviewed literature assessing the sustainability performance of food systems in LMICs. The review revealed a recent and heterogeneous literature. From this diversity, 3 archetypes of epistemological approaches emerged, classified by their purpose: observational, modeling, and transformative. All 3 approaches apply existing or tailored methods to specifically study food systems, and their objectives are to observe, model, or transform different parts of the food systems towards sustainability. Gaps in the literature include inconsistent definitions of food systems and frameworks and understudied drivers of food systems sustainability. Therefore, the development of a comprehensive and systematic inventory of frameworks and their sustainability is crucial to determine the most suitable interdisciplinary methodologies for specific contexts and generate actionable knowledge for food systems transformation.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"53 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141805659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme adoption: Determinants and financial implications for cocoa production in the Centre region of Cameroon","authors":"Boris D. Soh Wenda, Hugues Nken, Hubert N. T. Takam, Christian E. Eloundou, Dorothy E. Fon","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000115","url":null,"abstract":"This study evaluates the level of adoption of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme in the Centre region of Cameroon, ascertains the drivers of adoption, and evaluates the financial implications of the levels of adoption. Using cross-sectional data obtained from 100 cocoa growers in the Central region of Cameroon and employing a Generalised Ordered Logit estimation technique alongside a one-way ANOVA test and Tukey’s test for post-hoc estimations, we show that 50%, 17%, and 33% of cocoa growers are complete adopters, partial adopters, and non-adopters of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ cocoa certification scheme, respectively. The findings also reveal that the likelihood of having partial or complete adoption is higher among farmers who have introduced orange trees in their orchards, own more extensive orchards, and have more years of experience in cocoa farming. Furthermore, the likelihood of having complete adoption is higher for farmers with a lower planting density in their orchards and a tertiary level of schooling. Farmer’s age has a mitigated effect on the likelihood of adopting certification schemes by reducing the likelihood of having partial or complete adoption against non-adoption and at the same time raising the likelihood of complete adoption against no or partial adoption. The study also concludes that the financial performance of cocoa growers varies based on their level of adoption of the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ certification scheme. Farmers who have achieved certification status tend to have higher farm earnings. Based on these findings, non-adopters and partial adopters are encouraged to fully adhere to the Rainforest Alliance-UTZ certification standards. By doing so, they can increase their financial gains, enhance their livelihoods, and reduce the negative environmental impacts of cocoa farming.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"24 20","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141816747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"To trust or not to trust? Trust landscape of organic animal husbandry: Mapping consumer attitudes and information demands in Germany","authors":"E. Bayer, Sarah Kühl","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000102","url":null,"abstract":"A mainly positive attitude of consumers towards organic animal husbandry with its higher keeping standards compared to the legal regulations is evident. However, less is known about consumers’ detailed expectations of organic husbandry and in particular their attitude and trust along the value chain of organic animal products. Which consumers trust the most, and how do they want to be informed about organic animal husbandry? Where along the chain are trust deficits that should be addressed in the future to support sustainable food consumption with high animal welfare standards? To answer these important questions a survey was conducted among 729 German meat consumers. Using a cluster analysis, various consumer groups were identified based on their trust levels. Further, these groups were characterized regarding their general attitude, their information behavior, their evaluation of current media reporting, and their preferred way to be informed (emotional/rational) about organic animal products. The results revealed three clusters that clearly differ in their trust level of organic husbandry. Respondents assigned to the first cluster are committed organic consumers with high trust and the most positive attitude. The second cluster, combines respondents who are generally open to organic meat consumption and showing the second highest trust level and positive attitude towards organic. They show a slight favor for a more rational presentation of information. The third cluster is the smallest and can be described as the skeptics with a low interest in organic. The results indicate a general moderate to high trust level along the value chain of organic animal products, with the highest trust in organic retailers and farmers and the least trust in processing and conventional retailers. These are important insights for the organic sector in order to improve consumer trust and therewith increase the market share of organic meat products.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140409235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Urban demand for cooking fuels in two major African cities and implications for policy","authors":"Ipsita Das, Leonard le Roux, Richard Mulwa, R. Ruhinduka, M. Jeuland","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000077","url":null,"abstract":"Nearly 2.3 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies worldwide, representing a critical failure to achieve SDG7’s cooking energy access goal. In Sub-Saharan Africa, dependence on polluting cooking fuels is particularly high, resulting in considerable environmental, health, and time-related costs. Progress in the region has been greatest in urban areas, partly because incomes are higher and alternative fuels more widely available than in rural areas, but understanding of the dynamics of urban cooking energy transitions remains limited, and reasons for the divergent paths of different cities are unclear. Our primary objective is, therefore, to understand differences in the demand for several fuels among low-income households in two contrasting cities–Nairobi, where the transition is well advanced (N = 354), and Dar es Salaam, where progress has been slower (N = 1,100). We conducted a double-bounded, dichotomous choice contingent valuation experiment to elucidate how urban households would respond to changes in cooking fuels’ prices. Our analysis shows that fuel price responses vary across the income distribution and across these cities. Willingness to pay for the most commonly used cooking fuel in Nairobi–liquefied petroleum gas–is nearly twice that in Dar es Salaam, where more households prefer charcoal. In Dar es Salaam, low-income charcoal users appear especially entrenched in their cooking fuel choice. Our results have important implications for the effectiveness of different policy tools (e.g., bans, taxes, or clean fuel subsidies), since responses to pricing policies will depend on these varying price sensitivities, as well as targeting and the readiness of the supply chain (including policy enablers of supply) to meet increased demand. In conclusion, though policies are commonly designed at the national-level, policy-makers need to understand nuances in the local demand context very well when choosing instruments that best support energy transition among their most vulnerable citizens.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"118 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140423538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic modeling of African elephant populations under changing climate and habitat loss across the Greater Virunga Landscape","authors":"Simon Nampindo, T. Randhir","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000094","url":null,"abstract":"Elephants in Africa are declining rapidly due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflicts, with these problems worsening with climate change. Understanding how age classes respond to such events is crucial to designing and implementing mitigation strategies and developing the adaptive capacity of wildlife managers to respond to these challenges adequately. This study builds a dynamic simulation model of the age classes of elephants and their interaction with habitat, water, and climate. The dynamic response of elephant populations to habitat change, water resources, and climate change is assessed. It is observed that climate change affects older elephants more than young ones in terms of survivability and migration. It is also likely that the undetected direct climate change impact on the elephant population is due to changes in habitats, particularly forests and wetlands used for thermal regulation. An improvement in the habitat type and availability of water resources improved the age classes of populations. The results suggest that if the environmental and anthropogenic stressors are not mitigated, Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) will face a change in population demography for younger elephants and impact overall populations. Such age-class-specific stress could substantially affect African elephants’ long-term population viability and sustainability. Conservation of elephants requires a transboundary management approach to climate change mitigation, cooperation among conservation agencies, and effective partnerships with all relevant stakeholders for conservation.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"20 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140479327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The macroeconomic money-nature nexus: Are growing money supplies a relevant obstacle on the way to an ecologically sustainable global economy?","authors":"Stefan Möckel","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000095","url":null,"abstract":"Production, consumption and nature depletion have been growing rapidly for more than 300 years, even faster than exponential population growth. A comprehensive understanding of the causes behind this great acceleration is necessary if we are to achieve a sustainability transformation. This paper is intended to draw the attention in the sustainability debate to the amounts of money that have been growing rapidly all over the world. The money supply has not been a main focus so far, since for the economic mainstream it is not a growth driver, as according to the neoclassical view, money growth is largely neutralized by inflation, while for Keynesians it merely follows economic growth. However, the growing money supply means greater liquidity for consumption as well as for investments in production, assets and resource exploitation. An expansion of the money supply is even a prerequisite for a simultaneous increase in investment and consumer spending. At the same time, the expansion in the supply of raw materials, goods and services keeps inflation rates behind money growth globally. The paper aims to identify and illustrate the causalities of how the money supply and the use of natural resources are interconnected by means of economic activities. This money-nature nexus would explain why, due to high money growth rates, both the real economy and the depletion of natural resources and ecosystems continue to increase despite all efficiency improvements and sustainability efforts to date. It should therefore be a realistic fear that without a global limitation of exponential money growth, ecological sustainability cannot be achieved.","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"447 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140471827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transdisciplinary doctoral training to address global sustainability challenges","authors":"Zoie Diana, J. Virdin, Michelle B. Nowlin, N. Jayasundara, Daniel Rittschof","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000091","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000091","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"8 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139525864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rules get in the way of farmer cooperation: How Digital Agriculture could change the nature of the game in the Food-Energy-Water-Climate Nexus","authors":"Ben Tirrell, Neville Millar, Bruno Basso","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000092","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"1 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139526214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global UN 2030 agenda: How can Science, Technology and Innovation accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals for All?","authors":"Ademola A. Adenle, Hans De Steur, Caroline Mwongera, Fay Rola-Rubzen, Marcia Dutra de Barcellos, David F. Vivanco, Govinda R. Timilsina, Cristina Possas, Robyn Alders, Marian Chertow, Simon Poons, Bob Scholes","doi":"10.1371/journal.pstr.0000085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000085","url":null,"abstract":"The adoption of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) with 167 targets by the United Nations member states in 2015 emphasizes the critical role of science, technology and innovation (STI) in addressing sustainability challenges, including poverty, hunger, health, employment, climate change and energy. However, STI plays a limited role in the context of the global agenda of 2030 and for achieving SDGs in low- and middle-income countries. The perspectives of relevant stakeholder groups (i.e., policymakers, academia, donors, private sector, and non-governmental organizations) were assessed through an international survey on the role of STI in tackling SDG challenges in three main themes: agriculture, health, energy, and environment. Our findings reveal that human resource capacity on STI is still fragile in many developing countries, including some middle-income economies, suggesting that to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 3, 7, and 13, it is necessary to strengthen the educational system, increase investment in research and development programs, implement staff retention policies, foster collaboration, and provide adequate infrastructure and expertise for the required skills and competencies to promote cooperation in science, technology, and innovation (STI).","PeriodicalId":476828,"journal":{"name":"PLOS sustainability and transformation","volume":"150 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136022779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}