Evaluation of energy policy in Cuba using ISED

This article discusses the development of Cuba's energy sector in the last half century, especially the last 25 years, emphasizing social, economic, environmental and institutional aspects. Energy use is evaluated with the indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED) developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and applied by the authors, based on data series from Cuba's National Office of Statistics. Cuba's economy and energy sector have undergone important changes, particularly in the 1990s during the crisis that resulted from the termination of the country's special trade relations with former socialist countries. Based on an analysis of Cuba's economy and energy situation, a number of policies were selected for evaluation, including those aimed to reduce energy import dependence, increase the share of renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency. The effects of these policies are evaluated in view of sustainable energy development. The article concludes with an evaluation of recent progress towards sustainable energy development in Cuba, and outlines future options for the country.     

Monitoring the sustainability of Russia's energy development

This article presents an assessment of Russia's energy sector, its current state and planned future direction. The analysis of Russia's energy trends is based on a set of indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED), developed under the leadership of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The article discusses Russia's Energy Strategy to 2020, and outlines major developments and challenges of the country's energy system. Russia's energy priorities, captured in the Strategy to 2020, emphasize securing a stable and uninterrupted energy supply; reducing energy intensity and improving energy efficiency; developing the domestic energy resource base; reducing negative environmental impacts; and ensuring affordable energy for the poorer segments of the population. Energy needs and challenges are discussed in relation to the three aspects of sustainability as defined in Agenda 21: economic, social and environmental. Concerns are expressed regarding environmental repercussions of energy development, in particular since Russia's 1998 economic rebound. There are also concerns, despite the economic recovery, that anticipated increases in energy tariffs may exceed the affordability of poorer segments of the population.     

Indicators for sustainable energy development in Mexico

This article presents a summary of a study on the application to the Mexican energy sector of a core set of indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED), developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The study focused on the elaboration of socio‐economic and environmental indicators related to energy production and use, and was aimed at assessing Mexico's existing energy policies and identifying strategies and possible policies that could bring about improvements in major priority areas: energy intensity, atmospheric emissions, energy import dependency and use of renewables. While positive trends have been observed in relation to energy intensity and atmospheric emissions, Mexico is becoming more dependent on imports of gasoline, natural gas and other high‐value secondary energy sources, while exporting significant amounts of primary fuels, such as crude oil. Also, no significant increase has been observed in the use of renewable sources of energy. Social, economic and environmental policies need to be formulated for the energy sector and related investments (public and private) reinforced so that all economic sectors have access to energy from cleaner and more diverse sources.     

Indicators for sustainable energy development: Brazil's case study

This article summarizes the results of the project on indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED) in Brazil. The project's aim was to present energy related economic, social and environmental data to policy makers in a coherent and consistent form, showing interlinkages, time‐series and cross‐sectoral analyses and assess energy policy. Two priority areas assessed by these indicators, regarding the country's energy supply and demand, helped in the identification of a number of energy policy options that focused on specific aspects of the country's energy sector. On the supply side, these options include the development and stimulation of renewable energy, such as small‐scale hydroelectric, wind, solar photovoltaic power and bagasse cogeneration; stimulation of programmes for ethanol use as automotive fuel and sugarcane bagasse cogeneration; and implementation of natural gas‐fired, combined heat and power (CHP) plants. On the demand side, policy options include: the full implementation of the law on efficiency standards for appliances; expansion of utility investment in end‐use energy efficiency; adoption of targets and protocols to reduce energy intensity in the industrial sector; improvement of passenger transport efficiency; and the creation of a fund to improve energy affordability for the poor.     

Energy indicators and sustainable development: The International Energy Agency approach

The International Energy Agency (IEA), together with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN‐DESA, Eurostat and the European Environmental Agency, has recently published a comprehensive joint‐agency overview of energy indicators for sustainable development. The IEA's contribution to this publication is based on the IEA energy indicator approach. This approach has been developed and used by the IEA over a number of years. The indicators advocated by the IEA are relatively disaggregated to allow for meaningful analysis of sustainability issues in the energy sector. Using a decomposition approach helps reveal the causal links between human/economic driving forces, energy use and emissions. This article presents examples of IEA's work with indicators and an overview of the methodology used, including an explanation of the link to sustainable development. It also provides an example of a simplified indicator analysis of India, to illustrate the importance of improved data systems in developing indicators that can provide meaningful policy analysis.     

Dilemmas and advances in corporate social responsibility in Brazil. The work of the Ethos Institute

This article discusses the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Brazil from the perspective of the Ethos Institute of Business and Social Responsibility. The Institute is a not‐for‐profit, non‐governmental organization, that has played a leading role in the Brazilian CSR effort. In Brazil, CSR initiatives have a long tradition of philanthropy, a consequence of the country's great social inequalities. The increased attention to corporate social responsibility has paralleled growing concern about sustainable development and the intensifying activities of pressure groups (consumers, customers, investors, NGOs, labour unions, the media, among others) that have been increasing since the 1990s as natural resources are progressively becoming exhausted, social tensions rising and environmental conditions deteriorating worldwide. This article identifies problems and obstacles to the growth of corporate social responsibility in Brazil, as well as advances and alternatives for CSR and towards creating conditions for the country to be internationally competitive and sustainable in the financial, social and environmental areas.     

Unveiling the liaison between human capital,trade openness,and environmental sustainability for BRICS economies: Robust panel-data estimation

Global warming and greenhouse gas emissions pose severe threats to environmental sustainability. A sustainable environment is a prerequisite for long-term socioeconomic growth and human survival. Green technology is brought about by a country's economic and financial openness, and education provides knowledge to the public and labor, contributing to environmental sustainability. Thus, this research aims to unveil the liaison between human capital, trade openness, and environmental quality for Russia, Brazil, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) countries from 1998 to 2018. Several econometric methods, including the Driscoll–Kraay standard errors and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin causality approaches, reveal long-run and causal relationships among the modelled indicators. The Driscoll–Kraay standard error results show that human capital is negatively related to carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂ emissions). Imposing high tariffs and excise duties, changing tax structures, discouraging the inflow of polluted commodities, and encouraging green trade can help BRICS combat high environmental pollution. The results show that a one-point increase in human capital in models 1 and 2 can reduce CO₂ emissions by 1.5279 and 0.1538 points, respectively. In contrast, a 1% growth in trade can lead to a rise in CO₂ emissions of 0.3731% and 0.2384%, respectively. Similarly, financial development and energy consumption result in high CO₂ emissions in the long run. Moreover, a feedback effect of the human capital index on CO₂ emissions is discovered. As a result of the findings, the government and responsible authorities should provide financial support and encourage investments in the region's energy-resourceful and sustainable green projects.     

Practical Minimum Energy Requirements for Chemical Product Manufacturing: A Management Decision Tool for Achieving Sustainable Products

Practical Minimum Energy requirements comprise a management decision tool designed to assist companies in adopting strategies for more sustainable products through improved energy efficiency. This tool allows managers to gauge the potential for reducing the energy intensity of chemical processes as well as the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption, such as greenhouse gas emissions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Indicators for sustainable energy development: An initiative by the International Atomic Energy Agency

Since 1999, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been leading a multinational, multi‐agency effort to develop a set of energy indicators useful for measuring progress on sustainable development at the national level. This effort has included the identification of major relevant energy indicators, the development of a framework for implementation and the testing of the applicability of this tool in a number of countries. To achieve these goals, the IAEA has worked closely with other international organizations, leaders in energy and environmental statistics and analysis including the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the International Energy Agency (IEA), Eurostat and the European Environment Agency (EEA). Also, the IAEA completed a three‐year coordinated research project for the implementation and testing of the original set of indicators in seven countries — Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic and Thailand. This article provides an overview of the IAEA programme on Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development (ISED) and highlights its experiences and accomplishments.     

Taking Venezuela back to the sustainability path: The role of financial development and economic integration in low‐carbon transition

Environmental protection and sustainable development are connected. Such connection is considered highly important for Venezuela, where fossil fuel abundance has created economic and environmental challenges. Surprisingly, only limited attention has been directed to identifying policy options for charting the path to sustainable development in the economy. Contributing to filling this gap in the literature, this study examines whether financial development, de facto and de jure conditions in trade and financial integration can trigger long‐term economic shifts that will change the trajectory of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the economy using a novel estimation approach—dynamic simulations of autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) models. The empirical modelling framework incorporates the impact of population, economic growth, energy intensity and government consumption expenditure. ARDL‐bounds test provides evidence that the variables are cointegrated. Long‐run estimates from the dynamic ARDL analysis show that de facto and de jure conditions in trade and financial components of economic integration offer varied policy options for carbon mitigation in Venezuela. Population size, energy intensity, government consumption expenditure and de facto condition in financial integration have increasing impact on CO₂ emissions, exacerbating suitability challenges in the economy. On the other hand, positive shocks in financial development, de facto condition in trade integration and de jure condition in financial integration have a mitigation effect on CO₂ emissions. Overall, financial development, trade integration and the control of cross‐border financial flows are needed economic conditions that can accelerate a quick transition to a low‐carbon develpoment in Venezuela.     

Practices of energy use management and sustainable performance in Brazilian mineral industries

Energy is an essential asset for the existence of industrial activities, however, the absence of energy use management may lead to numerous environmental, economic, and social impacts. Thus, industries, which are major consumers of energy, play an essential role in seeking to preserve the energy system. This study aimed at analyzing the practices of energy use management and their relation to sustainable performance in the industries within the Brazilian mineral sector. The practices of energy use management were measured using the model proposed by Liu et al. (2012, Journal of Cleaner Production, 26, 79–89). After that, evidence of sustainable performance was identified based on performance indicators developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (2006, 2010, 2014). The study is characterized as quantitative, and it was conducted through a survey of industries linked to the Brazilian Mining Association. Through our results, we verified that the practices related to energy use management existent in the companies that we studied are subjected to periodic verification of the impacts caused by company activities on the environment, and that attention to energy use provides an incentive to daily practices of energy saving. On the other hand, the practices of energy use management are still little disseminated among these companies, as is certification to the International Organisation for Standardization's (ISO) Energy Management Systems framework, ISO 50001. In general, through the analyses that we performed, we can verify the existence of positive associations between the factors related to the practices of energy use management and to corporate sustainable performance.     

Impacts of foreign investment on sustainable development in a Chilean mining region

The desert mining region of Antofagasta, Chile, enjoyed spectacular economic growth in the 1990s as a result of foreign direct investment (FDI), mainly in the exploitation of the region's rich copper deposits. In a country considered by international financial institutions to be a good example of economic performance, Antofagasta has been termed a model region,and Chile's economic and social development in the 1990s has been considered a suitable model for other Latin American countries. However, development indices based on statistical data must be examined with caution, as human welfare does not necessarily keep pace with economic growth. This article analyses the Antofagasta Region in terms of problems that may occur in conjunction with accelerated economic growth, and how these can affect the environment, as well as the regional labour market. The article also examines a regional economic strategy for Antofagasta recently proposed by the local government, and suggests new alternatives for the sustainable economic development of the region.     

Stockholm Initiative on Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (SEED)

The power sector is a major contributor to environmental degradation. Electric power is also central to development. Energy efficiency, obtainable through power systems rehabilitation and sustainable improvements in institutional performance, is the most cost-effective route to reducing environmental damage while increasing electricity services delivered to end-users. Strategies to harmonize environment and development must therefore have energy efficiency as their centrepiece within the overall framework of social and economic development.     

中国大型发电上市公司ESG评价体系开发与分值研究

如今,世界各地上市公司正将利润最大化这一短期目标转向环境、社会及管治(ESG)可持续发展这一长期目标,更加清楚地认识到ESG已经构成了企业风险的重要来源之一,并可能影响公司的财务绩效。本文基于状态、压力、响应与层次分析(PSR-AHP)指标分类与权重配比方法构建中国大型发电上市公司ESG评级体系,并应用该评价体系对中国大型发电上市公司ESG绩效进行研究。结果发现,其ESG综合得分波动性大,在研究期最后两年走势不甚理想,其中社会绩效得分及其趋势表现优于环境及管治绩效;在环境及社会绩效方面,响应性指标表现优于压力性指标,而状态性指标走势较为稳定。最后,本文从披露深度及质量、第三方介入、奖惩及强制性披露措施等方面给出政策建议。     

Managing Asia's environmental crisis: EQM opportunities for remediation and technology transfer

Conditions of environmental pollution and degradation in Asia are among the worst in the world. Rapid economic growth and industrialization over the past half century have accelerated the pollution of air, water, and land resources in a region with the world's largest concentration of population. As the economics of Asia recover from financial crisis in the late 1990s, they will face a more serious environmental crisis in the early years of the 21st century. Remediation of soil and water contamination will become a stronger concern in the region, as the human health impacts become more visible and widespread. Although environmental remediation is only beginning to emerge in Asia as a solution to problems of natural resource degradation, the authors show how U.S. firms with experience in quality environmental management and biological remediation technologies will find new opportunities for exports and technology transfer. Environmental technology and services firms interested in Asia must understand both the opportunities for and barriers to operating in Asia.     

基于超效率DEA模型的中国能源效率测算与实证研究

随着城市化和工业化进程的加快,在能源需求量日益扩大的同时,二氧化碳排放量也快速增长,中国面临着越来越严峻的能源和环境形势。为了实现“十二五”规划节能减排目标及2030 年实现碳峰值的承诺,提高能源效率和碳减排成为了我国经济发展的当务之急。本文选取与能源效率存在密切关系的产业结构、技术进步、能源消费结构和经济发展水平作为主要影响因素,基于超效率DEA 模型对中国1980-2011 年的能源效率进行了测算,利用VEC 模型分析发现能源效率与产业结构、技术进步、能源消费结构和经济发展水平之间存在长期的协整关系;同时,在此基础上利用脉冲响应函数和方差分解模型就我国能源效率与其影响因素之间的短期动态关系作进一步分析,结果显示,产业结构、能源消费结构、技术进步对能源效率得提升有积极的正效应,而经济发展水平对其有一定的负面影响,从各因素对能源效率的贡献百分比来看, 产业结构比例对能源效率的贡献最大, 然后依次是经济发展水平、能源消费结构和技术进步。最后结合以上分析,从加大研发收入、调整产业结构、优化能源消费结构、提升技术利用水平、发展清洁能源技术、推广新能源使用与技术扩散能方面提出了可行性建议与对策。     

Energy and carbon dioxide intensity of Thailand's steel industry and greenhouse gas emission projection toward the year 2050

The purpose of this article is to study the energy and carbon dioxide intensities of Thailand's steel industry and to propose greenhouse gas emission trends from the year 2011 to 2050 under plausible scenarios. The amount of CO₂ emission from iron and steel production was calculated using the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines in the boundary of production process (gate to gate). The results showed that energy intensity of semi-finished steel product was 2.84 GJ/t semi-finished steel and CO₂ intensity was 0.37 tCO_2eq/t semi-finished steel. Energy intensity of steel finishing process was 1.86 GJ/t finished steel and CO₂ intensity was 0.16 tCO_2eq/t finished steel. Using three plausible scenarios from Thailand's steel industry, S1: without integrated steel plant (baseline scenario), S2: with a traditional integrated BF–BOF route and S3: with an alternative integrated DR-EAF route; the Greenhouse Gas emissions from the year 2011 to 2050 were projected. In 2050, the CO₂ emission from S1 (baseline scenario) was 4.84 million tonnes, S2 was 21.96 million tonnes increasing 4.54 times from baseline scenario. The CO₂ emission from S3 was 7.12 million tonnes increasing 1.47 times from baseline scenario.     

“土壤污染防治面临两大挑战”——专访中国科学院南京分院院长周健民

<正>2016年,国务院印发了《土壤污染防治行动计划》(以下简称"土十条")。这是我国土壤环境管理历史上里程碑式的文件。在中国科学院南京分院院长周健民看来,土壤污染具有长期性、复杂性和潜伏性的特点,所以其修复过程比大气和水污染治理所需技术更为综合、时间更为漫长。"土壤污染治理面临两大挑战:一是土壤污染的底数不清,我们还没建立起详细而完整的地块污染数据库;     

Indicators for sustainable energy development in Lithuania

This article summarizes some of the results from the application of the indicators for sustainable energy development (ISED) tool for analyzing Lithuania's energy sector, in terms of trends, setting energy policy goals and monitoring progress towards these goals. This experience illustrates the potential applicability of the ISED methodology for energy policy development in economies in transition, using Lithuania as an example. The article presents a summary of the results achieved and conclusions arrived at from the analysis of six priority areas in the context of the research project coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and provides recommendations for the development of sustainable energy policy using the ISED approach.     

金融危机下欠发达地区生态安全的胁迫分析——以德州市为例

由美国次贷危机引发的金融危机已经波及全球,2008年我国的GDP下滑至8%.金融危机的缓释和经济恢复需要大量政府资金的投入,更需要资源与环境等要素的支撑.从可持续发展的角度,任何行为都不应以牺牲资源与环境为代价,如何避免因资源的过度消耗和环境的极大破坏而对区域生态安全带来的影响必须要引起高度重视.用生态足迹方法对金融危机发生之前(2006年)德州市生态安全状况进行了定量测评,针对目前金融危机的影响,提出保证德州市生态安全及可持续发展的建议.