Sergiusz Herman, Barbara Będowska-Sójka, Alessia Paccagnini
We evaluate the impact of Krakow’s Anti-Smog Resolution, which was passed on January 15, 2016, and prohibits the use of coal and wood within the city. We use random forest, interrupted time series, and Bayesian structural time series models to assess air quality gains in terms of PM10, PM2.5, and benzo(a)pyrene concentrations, predicting pollution levels if the legislation had not been implemented. The results show significant reductions in pollutant concentrations: PM10 fell by 23% to 39%, PM2.5 by 23% to 36% and benzo(a)pyrene in PM10 by 39% to 41%, with the highest declines occurring during the heating season. These findings indicate the efficacy of Krakow's legislative strategy, offering evidence-based benchmarks for policymakers and public health officials in other cities considering similar residential heating restrictions to achieve measurable air quality improvements.
The sustainable environmental performance of organisations is contingent upon employees' awareness of environmental concerns. Sustainable environmental performance is achieved through collective improvement driven by green human resource management (GHRM) activities and employees' green passion and behaviours within an organisation. The present study examined the sequential mediation of environmental passion and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) as mediators between GHRM and sustainable environmental outcomes. The data were collected from the managerial staff of the selected hotels in Oman. The results highlight that sustainable environmental performance is determined by its GHRM policies and procedures, reflected in the employees’ environmental passion and PEB. The present study traces statements of contribution in the current understanding of theory and practice by providing insights to policymakers on how to improve their sustainable environmental performance through environmental passion and PEB of employees.
The aim of the research is to assess the degree of differentiation of sustainable development in the European Union countries in 2015-2019 and to group EU countries by the level of sustainability. In order to achieve the stated goal, a linear and non-linear ordering of selected variables included in the four orders that constitute sustainable development: social, economic, environmental, as well as institutional and political, was carried out. As a result of linear ordering, four groups of countries were distinguished. The linear ordering procedure was preceded by the construction of a synthetic variable. Ward's hierarchical method, based on Euclidean distance, was used as a non-linear ordering method. The data used in the analysis came from the Eurostat database. The research carried out shows significant inequalities in the level of sustainable development of EU countries. This applies to sustainable development in the integrated approach and to the assessment of individual orders. The rankings of countries in each order differ significantly from each other, and the overall assessment of sustainable development shows the greatest correlation between economic, institutional, and political order. Research results show that the leaders in sustainable development include Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, and Estonia. At the other pole are Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania.
La figura del consignatari marí ha estat poc estudiada tant a nivell nacional com internacional, sent la bibliografia escassa, i quan aquesta existeix l’ha tractat d’una forma tangencial. Els seus orígens són obscurs i les funcions que realitza varien al llarg del temps i dels acords individualitzats amb els armadors. Però això canvia en el darrer terç del segle XIX, quan els vaixells de vapor desplacen als de vela i es generen múltiples línies regulars. És aleshores quan neix la figura del consignatari modern, passant de ser un professional qualificat amb responsabilitats limitades, a un empresari plenipotenciari del navilier i una de les figures cabdals del transport marítim.
The paper adopts a perspective of institutional economics rarely used in environmental issues and aims to identify and evaluate informal institutions determining the transition towards the circular economy. Without informal institutions supporting changes, formal regulations will not serve their purpose well and will not achieve the intended objectives. The identified informal institutions comprise recognition of environmental problems, belief in the environmental impact of one's actions, willingness to make an effort to close cycles, and trust in the reliability of other actors’ environmental commitment. Consumers are the ultimate product and service users, and their attitudes significantly determine the circular transition, so the CAWI survey was conducted among them. The results indicate that the identified informal institutions do not support circular transitions sufficiently. Significant changes in informal institutions are required to support the transition.
Tomasz Owczarek, Mariusz Rogulski, Piotr O. Czechowski
et al.
The aim of the study was to build a corrective model that can be used in the analysed devices and to assess the impact of such a model on the values of the measured concentrations. The novelty of this study is the test of equivalence with the equivalent reference method for hourly data. The study used hourly data of PM10 concentrations measured in a chosen city in Poland. Data was collected from two PM10 sensors and a reference device placed in close proximity. In addition, air temperature, humidity and wind speed were also measured. Among the tested models, a linear model was selected that used primary measurements of PM10, temperature, air velocity, and humidity as the most accurate approximation of the actual PM10 concentration level. The results of the analysis showed that it is possible to build mathematical models that effectively convert PM10 concentration data from tested low-cost electronic measuring devices to concentrations obtained by the reference method.
In Poland, after several years of stagnation, onshore wind energy is becoming an important subject of interest for state and local authorities and society. An optimistic outlook for wind turbine investments is therefore emerging. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the social conditions that are an expression of public awareness that supports the construction of wind farms and to understand social opinions on the influence of wind farms on the local landscape, especially on the tourist values of the landscape.
To characterise the topic under study, the methods of literature review, statistical analysis, and secondary document analysis were used. Results of the nationwide empirical studies contained in the reports indicated a high level of public awareness of Polish society accepting investments in onshore wind farms. They do not diminish its tourist and recreational values and do not limit the development of tourist traffic.
Hanna Kociemska, Sylwia Frydrych, Ewelina Szczech-Pietkiewicz
et al.
The study aims to assess the relationship between governance effectiveness, measured by the Worldwide Governance Indicators, and the use of green bonds worldwide. We apply panel data models with random effects and a robust linear regression model that allows us to identify the impact of the family of variables on green bonds. We found a statistically significant correlation between the quality of a government, measured as government effectiveness, and the value of green bond issuances. Thus, it is advised under New Public Governance to increase the effectiveness of their functioning, which may contribute to greater investor interest in environmental projects.
The article aims to analyse the state of art in the field of sustainable innovation in Poland and identify barriers to developing this type of innovations. The article describes the main barriers in the implementation of sustainable innovations and related problematic issues. Eco-innovation may help European entrepreneurs develop sustainable solutions, allowing better use of valuable resources and reducing the economy’s negative impact on the environment. Awareness of the benefits brought by environmental technologies is still low. Implementing environmental innovation requires a strategic approach, and introducing them to the company’s existing structures is difficult and time-consuming. Contemporary challenges, such as climate change and the depletion of natural resources, require new solutions. Modern economies are based on intangible assets protected by intellectual property rights, intellectual property management is now an integral part of any effective business strategy.
La esclavitud, entendida no como sistema productivo sino como presencia y uso socioeconómico de la fuerza de trabajo de esclavos y esclavas, es un fenómeno estructural que también tuvo una gran incidencia en la época medieval. Sobre todo en el Mediterráneo occidental cristiana, aunque, igualmente, al imperio mameluc. Pero aunque en general se considera una especie de precedente casi irrelevante, cada vez es más claro que la esclavitud medieval es el precedente directo, el terreno de experimentación y el punto de partida de la primera esclavitud atlántica. Este artículo da algunas de las claves para entender el fenómeno.
The aim of the study is to indicate the essence and increasing importance of the eco-innovations in the strategic activity of the enterprises as well as the potential benefits of eco-innovation for a long-term strategic objectives. The study systematize the knowledge on this topic, and indicate the necessity of their continuous development. The applied methodology is based on an analysis of available domestic and foreign literature. The function of innovation is to balance the product portfolio and
maintain competitive advantages what enables to secure company’s financial inflows and build shareholder value in the long term. This is a new way of looking at the organisation, i.e. that looks at how innovation should be used for strategic advantage.
The purpose of the paper was to examine the effectiveness of the appeal procedure for co-financing of environmental projects within the framework of the Regional Operational Programme for Podlaskie Voivodeship 2007-2013. The analysis was based on the secondary data of the Podlaskie Voivodeship Marshal’s Office and the literature covering the research area. The results of research
indicated that the appeal procedure concerning the process of application for the co-financing of projects under Priority Axis V. Development of infrastructure for environmental protection of the programme proved to be a low effective mechanism of verification of the correctness of projects’ assessment.The paper comprises the first detailed analysis in the existing body of literature of the effectiveness of the appeal procedure concerning environmental projects, which may constitute a valuable diagnostic tool in defining the scope of the evaluation of other EU-funded regional programmes in future financial perspectives
Seas and oceans constitute two thirds of the surface of the Earth. However, in spite of this geophysical dominance, they have only recently begun to attract the attention of geographers. In physical geography, seas and oceans have been explored from the coast to the deep sea using a range of techniques from traditional sampling to remote sensing to understanding geomorphic processes, sediment mobilization, earth science, and sea level rise. In human geography, seas and oceans have been recognized as places where human and physical interests meet. For example, human geographers are exploring the more‐than‐human dimensions of seas and oceans alongside investigating geopolitical questions that arise in international waters, the historical geographies of colonialism and imperialism that can be thought anew, and the embodied sensations of engaging with the “hydro” world.
The paper aims at discussing the signifi cance of the education on subject of renewable energy sources in the popularization of the principles of sustainable development in society. In the study a special attention was paid to energy power plants using renewable energy sources in the so-called education for sustainability. It was shown that in the opinion of visitors among these power plants the most attractive are the pioneers or/and the leaders in the utilization of particular renewable energy sources including: agricultural biogas, water energy, and solar energy.
STRESZCZENIE: Konkurencyjność jest koniecznym, ale niewystarczającym warunkiem dalszego dobrobytu, stąd potrzebne są dodatkowe działania w zakresie społecznego i środowiskowego wymiaru zrównoważonego rozwoju. Na podstawie dostępnej literatury na temat zrównoważonego rozwoju można stwierdzić, że kwestie konkurencyjności rzadko są brane pod uwagę. Jest to uzasadnione tym, że paradygmat zrównoważonego rozwoju jest uważany za czynnik jakościowy, wymagający analizy długoterminowej, a także trudno mierzalny. Celem artykułu jest analiza konkurencyjności polskiej gospodarki w kontekście zrównoważonego rozwoju w oparciu o Indeks Globalnej Konkurencyjności. To pozwoli na znalezienie odpowiedzi na główne pytanie badawcze, w jakim zakresie zrównoważony rozwój wpływa na konkurencyjność polskiej gospodarki? Na podstawie tej analizy będzie można określić konkurencyjność polskiej gospodarki, biorąc pod uwagę kryteria zrównoważonego rozwoju.