Global consumption levels are significant contributors to detrimental environmental change and the current climate crisis. Across Ireland, domestic consumption levels have increased dramatically during the past three decades. Public discourse has focused primarily on minimum levels of consumption, with media outlets frequently reporting on minimum wages and acceptable minimum levels of food, shelter, and healthcare. A dearth of dialogue exists on the concept of maximum levels of consumption. This article proffers that the concept of consumption corridors provides a timely lens to initiate discussion and to critically consider the potential of ascertaining maximum levels of consumption across Ireland. Drawing on analyses of an extensive database of 1,500 households across two policy regions À Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland À we argue that there is no single universally just and ecologically sustainable way of setting limits to consumption. Numerous factors must be considered including scale, policy influences, cultural understandings, and varying expectations of standards of living and quality of life. The article reports on participants' perceptions of material items as needs and satisfiers and aims to advance methodological applications of the consumption-corridors concept. This study offers evidence highlighting a need for tailored sustainability policies.
PurposeIn response to the challenge of the ageing of societies and concerns over recruitment and quality of service delivery, many nations have introduced new educational and training pathways, as well as national standards that set a minimum qualification level for residential care staff. In Ireland, national standards were introduced in July 2009 and, against this backdrop this study aimed to explore the level of qualification held or being pursued by non‐nursing care staff.Design/methodology/approachAn email/postal survey was conducted.FindingsThis survey revealed that while vocational qualifications were most common, more than 50 per cent of care staff neither held nor were pursuing the minimum qualification set by the standards.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the introduction of standards may address this situation, the workforce appears currently ill‐prepared for increasing professionalisation. Moreover, given Ireland's poor economic circumstances, training or supports are likely to be limited, with the burden of training liable to fall on staff, undermining morale and increasing already tense industrial relations. Limitations of this study include variations in the roles of non‐nursing care staff, with many staff classified as “multi‐task” staff that perform a range of duties from personal care through to more general domestic duties and, in the context of a mixed economy of provision, the abundance of responses from the public sector relative to the private sector.Originality/valueNonetheless, this study provides a timely snapshot and a reference point for further research around the impact of standards on quality of care or workforce professionalisation and it will be of particular interest to policymakers, regulators, employers and care staff.
Earth’s life-supporting ecosystems are integral to human and planetary health. Ecosystem services connect ecosystem functions to human wellbeing. The complex, multifaceted socio-ecological challenges of ecosystem decline necessitate a transdisciplinary approach, including the active and meaningful engagement and participation of local communities. Communities uniquely possess expert local knowledge, which, when integrated into policy development and community planning, has the potential to enhance and sustain ecosystem benefits for health and wellbeing. Community-informed mapping tools provide an opportunity for integrating science, policy, and public participation in data collection. However, there is a dearth of community-informed mapping tools demonstrating the interconnection of the ecological and social determinants of health at a place-based level. This paper presents a study that employs a community-based participatory research approach to mapping local knowledge systems on EcoHealth. The study seeks to develop a community mapping tool for shared dialogue and decision-making on EcoHealth between local communities and policymakers. The participatory research methods used to explore community awareness and knowledge regarding ecosystem services, health, and sustainability in the local area are described. The process of co-producing a Community EcoHealth Toolkit, based on the integration of different knowledge systems into local policy and planning, is discussed.
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