Social change vital to sustainability goals

Abstract

Use oil wealth to save Brazil's biodiversity The production of recently discovered offshore oil in Brazil has reached 300,000 barrels a day, and is expected to rise to 2.1 million barrels a day by 2020. Since the oil was found under a 2-kilometre layer of salt beneath the sea bed in 2006 (see Nature 455, 438-439; 2008), coastal ports have proliferated to keep pace with the boom. We suggest that some of this wealth should go into evaluating the environmental costs of such rapid development, which would help to safeguard the region's rich biodiversity. Some ports are being constructed in conservation sites, including mangrove swamps and coastal shrub forests called restingas. Offshore oil spills are frequent (see, for example, go.nature.com/jshpzd), and pipelines are being deployed in protected areas, such as Brazil's Atlantic Forest. President Dilma Rousseff has proposed earmarking oil royalties for investment in basic education. However, scientific research will not benefit (see Nature http://doi.org/d8zgdk; 2011)-even though it too could help to educate people in mitigating the environmental damage caused by oil production and distribution.

Environmental, social, governance risk versus cooperation models between financial institutions and businesses. Sectoral approach and ESG risk analysis

“…• Organizational, including actions aimed at the digitalization of a company, elimination of energy waste, etc., (F2, group 2), SDGs set ambitious priorities for governments and businesses to drive the implementation of sustainable development up to 2030. Norström (2013), points out that these ambitious goals alone will not generate change, and specific adjustment processes are necessary, decisions must take into account specific factors and the impact of global, national and individual levels should be taken into account. Lüdeke-Freund (2010) and Bocken et al (2014) pointed out that sustainable business models (SBM), apart from sustainable social development, are also able to ensure environmental sustainability.…”

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Sustainable Bioeconomy, Societal-Ecological Transformation and Beyond

“…Different means, ends, and values seem to be the guiding factors in what we have understood as conflicting interests and perceptions in BE assessments (Zeug et al 2019). Simply setting ambitious goals, but ignoring ideologies, social norms and values, religious beliefs and institutions, including formal and informal rules and customs will not be sufficient (Norström 2013;Stegemann and Ossewaarde 2018). Only technological changes and innovations, a sole focus on industrial efficiency or simply replacing fossil resources with biomass are in danger of maintaining the same production and consumption system as the fossil-based economy (de Besi and McCormick 2015).…”