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This article aims to present, adapt, and propose the use of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a tool to support strategic management for sustainable cities. To achieve this goal, publications and 27 sustainable cities projects were also consulted, through project reports and programs from the cities themselves on the topic were consulted. A text mining analysis was applied to the results obtained in this literature review to find the main factors related to sustainable cities. To evaluate the findings of this first stage, consultations with specialists were carried out, specifically to assess the main factors. Based on the previous steps, and based on the original BSC, an adaptation of the tool was proposed, where its structure was changed to meet the needs of the strategic management of sustainable cities. It was concluded that creating a sustainable city requires understanding the difficulties faced by urban center managers with the implementation and management of institutional sustainable development practices. The BSC for sustainable cities can assist as a viable management strategic tool to more efficient use of resources in order to develop sustainable cities.

Global environmental changes coupled with socioeconomic changes are major challenges to food security. Changes in climate affect most food crops, particularly in countries that rely on agriculture for subsistence. The article proposes a model to analyze food stability in the context of climate change. Genetic improvement, agrobiodiversity, sustainable intensification, climate monitoring, and market monitoring were considered key perspectives for the balanced scorecard to achieve stability in food production. The set of perspectives and indicators were validated by 185 experts, which supported the creation of a balanced scorecard map to assist decision‐making. Therefore, the model could serve as an addition to FAO's approach to food security, driving actions related to global food policy. This research can also assist governmental policies to mitigate the effects of climate change on food stability around the world.

Bioinsecticides and transgenic plants, based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are important when managing Anticarsia gemmatalis Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a soybean defoliator pest. The interaction of these toxins with the caterpillar’s midgut cells determines their efficacy as an insecticide. The objective was to evaluate the toxicity of B. thuringiensis , subsp . kurstaki strain HD-1 and cytopathological changes mediated by these bacterial toxins in the midgut of A. gemmatalis caterpillars. Insecticidal efficacy was determined by calculating lethal concentration values (LC 25 , LC 50 , LC 75 , LC 90 and LC 99 ) in the laboratory. Midgut fragments from A. gemmatalis were extracted after bacterial ingestion and evaluated by light, transmission electron and confocal microscopy. The Bt median lethal concentrations showed toxicity [LC 50 = 0.46 (0.43–0.49) mg mL −1 ] to fourth instar A. gemmatalis caterpillars after 108 hours. Bt induces severe cytotoxicity to A. gemmatalis midgut epithelial cells with increasing exposure over time, causing cellular disorganization, microvillus degeneration, cell fragmentation and protrusion, peritrophic membrane rupture, and cell vacuolization. The cell nuclei presented condensed chromatin and an increase in lysosome numbers. Apoptosis occurred in the midgut cells of caterpillars exposed to Bt. A regenerative response in A. gemmatalis caterpillars was observed 8 hours after exposure to Bt, however this response was not continuous. Toxins produced by Bt are harmful to A. gemmatalis at median concentration with structural damage and death of the midgut epithelial cells of this insect.

Cities have become important drivers in promoting strategies for sustainable development. The primary objective of this article is to analyze the differences between public transportation in Newcastle upon Tyne, the city considered the most sustainable in the United Kingdom, and Florianópolis, a city with great potential for sustainable policies located in southern Brazil. This comparison may provide models, ideas and actions for the development of Florianópolis as a model of sustainability in South America. Therefore, a comparative analysis is provided: to observe changes, build models, and verify similarities and differences, while seeking to discover which behaviors govern political and social phenomena in the area of urban sustainability. This paper provides a comparative description of social and economic indicators: GDP per capita, inflation, employment, as well as the historical population evolution of the two cities. This work contrasts the sustainable transport model used by Newcastle and the reality of the transport needs of Florianópolis. This article is the first in a series to analyze the indicators for sustainable cities, focusing mainly on the reality of the South American city.

Pasture implantation fragments and reduces the Amazonian forest area. The objective was to quantify landscape changes in 1985, 2000 and 2015 in northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study was carried out in three scenes obtained by the LANDSAT satellite of a microbasin (2742.33 ha) in the municipality of Alta Floresta. Forest, water bodies, pasture and exposed soil were the thematic classes determined to e mapping the land use evolution. The edge, density and shape indexes of the fragments were measured. Normalized vegetation difference (NDVI) values were high in 1985. Land use and occupation over 15 years (1985–2000) reduced forest cover by 69.8%, but it increased by 1.7% over the next 15 years (2000–2015). The number of exposed soil patches increased between the periods, but the total area and number of the patches of the forest fragments decreased. The high values of NDVI in 1985 showed vegetated areas with high density. Reducing forest cover decreases the size of the fragments, increases the isolation and the number of soil patches exposed. The mapping of land use showed a reduction of the Amazon forest in the microbasin in the north of Mato Grosso, in the years 2000 and 2015 compared to 1985.

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