Browsing by Author "Leal Filho, Walter"
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- An assessment of priorities in handling climate change impacts on infrastructuresPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Abeldaño Zuñiga, Roberto Ariel; Sierra, Javier; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Corazza, Laura; Nagy, Gustavo J.; Aina, Yusuf A.Climate change (CC) will likely significantly impact the world’s infrastructure significantly. Rising temperatures, increased precipitation, and rising sea levels are all likely to stress critical infrastructures (CI). Rising temperatures can lead to infrastructure damage from extreme heat events. This can cause roads and bridges to buckle or crack, leading to costly repairs and potential traffic disruptions. In addition, heat waves can damage vital electrical infrastructure, leading to widespread power outages. In light of this context, this article reports on a study which examined the connections and impacts of CC on infrastructure. The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining bibliometric analysis for the period 1997–2022 with a series of relevant case studies from the five continents to offer insight into the impact of CC on infrastructure. The article fills a research gap in respect of assessments of the extent to which climate change (CC) negative influences the infrastructure, with a special focus on developing countries. It also showcases CI projects and adaptation measures being currently deployed, to address CC. The results show that the current infrastructure is vulnerable to CC. The selected case studies on CI adaptation show that in developing and industrialised countries, there is a perceived need to understand better the connections and potential impacts of CC on critical areas such as transport, settlements, and coastal infrastructure. In order to protect infrastructure from CC impacts, governments need to invest in measures such as flood control, early warning systems, and improved building codes. Additionally, they need to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more actively, which are the primary cause of CC.
- An overview of the contribution of the textiles sector to climate changePublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Perry, Patsy; Heim, Hilde; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Moda, Haruna; Ebhuoma, Eromose; Paço, ArmindaThe textile industry is responsible for a significant amount of global CO2 emissions, exceeding those from several other sectors such as international aviation and shipping. This article outlines the reasons for the textile industry’s contribution to climate change along with an overview of current trends. Finally, it outlines several measures to reduce its carbon footprint.
- Assessing climate change and health provisions among staff in higher education institutions: a preliminary investigationPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Lange Salvia, Amanda; Sierra, Javier; Vasconcelos, Helena; Henderson-Wilson, Claire; Diatta, Samo; Kumar, T. V. Lakshmi; Meirelles, Maria Gabriela; Carvalho, FernandaClimate change can have direct and indirect effects on human health. Direct effects can include an increase in extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods, as well as an increase in the spread of vector-borne and infectious diseases, which may lead to a set of health problems and diseases. Indirect effects can include changes in air quality, water availability, and food production and distribution. These changes can lead to an increase in respiratory problems, malnutrition, and increased food insecurity. There is a perceived need to investigate the extent to which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are engaged in efforts to foster a greater understanding of the connections between climate change and health. In this context, this preliminary investigation offers an overview of the relationships between climate change and health. By means of a survey among teaching staff and researchers at HEIs from 42 countries across all continents working on the connection between climate change and health. The study has investigated the extent to which current provisions for education and training on the connection between climate change and health are being considered and how current needs in terms of policy development, research, and training are being met. A series of case studies illustrate how universities worldwide are actively developing strategies and implementing measures to address climate change and health. The study concludes by providing specific recommendations aimed at facilitating the handling of issues related to climate change and health in a higher education context.
- Assessing the provisions for sustainability in economics degree programmesPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Morales, Maria F.; Semitiel-García, María; Noguera-Méndez, Pedro; Ruiz de Maya, Salvador; Alarcón-del-Amo, María-del-Carmen; Esteban-Lloret, Nuria; Pemartín, MaríaPurpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) offer courses and programmes focusing on sustainability in economics, as courses on sustainable development (SD), which examine the economic, social and environmental dimensions of SD. This paper aims to examine sustainability integration in economics degree programmes. Design/methodology/approach Through an extensive literature review in Web of Science (WoS) and information search in Google, conducting to 28 relevant case studies, this paper elucidates the emphasis given to sustainability as part of economics degree programmes in HEIs. Findings The results suggest that, whereas the inclusion of sustainability components in this field is a growing trend, much still needs to be done to ensure that matters related to SD are part of the routine of university students studying economics. Research limitations/implications It is worth noting that the literature review conducted in WoS was primarily aimed at assisting in the selection of university case studies. The 28 university case studies scrutinised in this study may lack sufficient representation from numerous developing countries. Practical implications This study highlights challenges in integrating the SD into economics degree programmes, suggesting the need for curriculum adjustments as underscoring operational issues, acting as barriers. The inclusion of sustainability in economics programmes must navigate operational issues stemming from packed timetables and busy schedules, requiring innovative solutions. Social implications As far as the authors are aware, this study holds substantial importance in its emphasis on implementing sustainability within HEIs’ economics programmes, assisting in pursuing SD. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in addressing sustainability with the specific economics focus programmes within the HEIs context.
- Barriers to institutional social sustainabilityPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Salvia, Amanda Lange; Vasconcelos, Claudio Ruy Portela; Anholon, Rosley; Rampasso, Izabela Simon; Eustachio, João Henrique Paulino Pires; Liakh, Olena; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Olpoc, Raquel Cementina; Bandanaa, Joseph; Aina, Yusuf A.; Lukina, Regine Lolekola; Sharifi, AyyoobSocial sustainability is a work field characterised by an emphasis on social aspects, e.g. equity, ethics, health, gender balance, or empowerment, within a broader sustainability context. Although the concept seems to be reasonably well established and deemed worthy of pursuing, some obstacles prevent its wide dissemination. Through a bibliometric analysis focusing on the literature on social sustainability at institutions, with a focus on companies, this paper aims to investigate and describe some of the barriers associated with social sustainability implementation. Apart from identifying that sustainability reporting, environmental disclosure and financial performance play a central role in successfully achieving social sustainability, in the context of which gender-related issues seem more tangential, the results indicated some solutions commonly reported for overcoming barriers and obstacles to a company’s social sustainability implementation within different sectors. These solutions have to do, among many other factors addressed in this study, with strengthening communication transparency and trust, contributing to awareness, using technology to document and promote social sustainability. Thus, empowering organizations and citizens, recognized as essential factors to social development, and addressing the challenges in a multi-dimensional way.
- Climate change and environmental degradation in Yanomami People’s Land: Intersectional threats and the need for improved policy-makingPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Martinelli, Yara; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Rosa, Clarissa; Messias, Cassiano GustavoThe Yanomami are an Amazonian Indigenous people in northern Brazil and southern Venezuela. The Yanomami are considered a ‘recent contact Indigenous People’, with the first contacts with non-indigenous recorded between 1910 and 1940 and with some groups in voluntary isolation. They are one of the resilient peoples that practise their traditional way of life, which involves a strong connection to the land and the environment. Following an expert-driven literature review based on a set of available documentation on the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples, focusing on the overlapping threats that affect Indigenous Lands and triangulating the information collected with data produced on Brazilian Amazon Rainforest Monitoring Program by Satellite (PRODES) within the Space Research National Institute (INPE), this communication presents a case analysis of the main pressures and threats Yanomami People faces. The overlapped threats manifest in structural and cyclical issues, linked to the environmental crisis arising from extractives’ illegal activities, such as logging, and mining invasions, the recurrent attacks, mercury contamination of the river water, malnutrition caused by contaminated fish, scarcity of hunting, and violence committed against the people, especially women and children. Added to these multiple social, political, and environmental threats are the impacts of climate change, which disproportionately affect forest peoples. Deforestation, fires, drought, and other extreme events that are linked to climate change effects are analysed, leading to reflections on Brazilian government policies' influence and on the urgency to implement policies in defence of Indigenous Lands, the Amazon Forest, and its guardians.
- Climate change and health hazards: addressing hazards to human and environmental health from a changing climatePublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Dinis, Maria Alzira PimentaIs very international. Presents a combination of projects, case studies, and practical experiences. Addresses interdisciplinary authorship.
- Climate change: why higher education matters?Publication . Leal Filho, Walter; Aina, Yusuf A.; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Purcell, Wendy; Nagy, Gustavo J.Higher education (HE) matters to the global struggle to combat climate change. Research builds knowledge and informs climate solutions. Educational programmes and courses upskill current and future leaders and professionals to tackle the systems change and the transformation needed to improve society. Through their outreach and civic engagement work, HE helps people understand and address the climate change impacts, notably on under-resourced or marginalised people. By raising awareness of the problem and supporting capacity and capability building, HE encourages changes in attitudes and behaviours, focusing on adaptive change in preparing people to face the challenges of a changing climate. However, HE has yet to fully articulate its contribution towards climate change challenges, which means that organisational structures, curricula and research programmes do not reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the climate crisis. This paper describes the role of HE in supporting education and research efforts on climate change and outlines areas where further action is urgently needed. The study adds to the empirical research on HE's role in combating climate change and the role of cooperation in maximising the global effort to cope with a changing climate.
- Climate-friendly healthcare: reducing the impacts of the healthcare sector on the world’s climatePublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Luetz, Johannes M.; Thanekar, Urvi D.; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Forrester, MikeIf the global healthcare sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest carbon emitter, also producing massive volumes of waste. A revolutionary transition to an environmentally sustainable model of healthcare is required. Decarbonisation efforts are initially focused on transitioning to renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency in healthcare facilities (Scopes 1 and 2). One of the major challenges is to reduce the carbon intensity of the broader healthcare sector, especially operational and supply chain-related emissions, which represent 71% of the sector’s worldwide emissions (Scope 3). This comment briefly describes the connections between the healthcare sector and climate change and describes several high-impact decarbonisation opportunities, focusing on transitioning from current resource and waste-intensive procurement models and highlighting the planetary co-benefits of fostering low-emissions healthcare. To succeed, this transition will require high-level advocacy and policy changes supported by international collaboration at the global level.
- Commentary - empty promises: why declarations and international cooperation on sustainable development often fail to deliverPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Vasconcelos, Claudio R. P.; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Viera Trevisan, LaísOver the past decades, many declarations on sustainable development (SD) have been produced, various of which led to no real changes or improvements. This article discusses the role of declarations and international cooperation on SD, outlining their evolution. It also highlights the reasons why instruments and international cooperation have failed to meet their targets and specifies measures that may be deployed so that they may yield the SD’s expected benefits. To this end, it is recommended that more significant efforts be made to operationalise the commitments established in the declarations and international cooperation. Also, it is important to develop and implement SD follow-up strategies, once these have been agreed upon. The implications of this article to society and other studies are two-fold. Firstly, it shows the need for greater care when writing declarations on SD, since they are not always followed up and do not fulfill their purposes. Secondly, it is important to mobilise the relevant actors so that the actions the SD declarations expected to trigger, through international cooperation, are implemented. Moreover, future declarations and commitments should ideally have institutions and infrastructures in place to implement the SD actions called upon. The evidence gathered in this article also points out the need to intensify investment in education, science, technology, and innovation, while encouraging the expansion of international cooperation strategies aimed at supporting the declarations and promoting SD.