The biosphere and civilisation are facing existential and other major threats: climate change, biodiversity loss, nuclear war, social inequality/injustice, loss of human rights, and autocracy. These threats are driven by politically powerful vested interests supported by an economic system based on the exploitation of the environment and most people for the benefit of a wealthy minority. This article proposes a strategy to resist and weaken state capture, i.e., the influence of the vested interests driving the principal threats, while simultaneously facilitating the transition to a sustainable society. Despite the achievements of diverse community-based non-government organisations (CNGOs) campaigning on specific issues, scientists are now warning of the potential collapse of civilisation. As the threats are linked together in several ways, I propose a strategy to address them together to yield multiple benefits, supplementing campaigns on individual issues. A broad social movement—comprising an alliance between CNGOs devoted to the environment, social justice, human rights, and peace—could exert sufficient political power to expose and defeat the methods of state capture. Simultaneously, the movement could gain widespread community support by campaigning for a well-being economy, including universal basic services and a job guarantee, thus facilitating the transition to an ecologically sustainable, more socially just, and more peaceful civilisation.
This special issue focuses on the social practices of Rights of Nature (RoN), specifically exploring the transformative competencies and skills involved. The research investigates both individual competencies, such as resilience, mindfulness, and creativity, and collective skills, like relationship building and sustainable forms of interaction with the social and the ecological environment. The central question is if RoN does include “best practice” examples of cultivating non-instrumental relationships with the self, the social other, and the natural other.
Building harmony between humanity and nature
(HHN) migrates the conflict between social-economic development and
eco-environmental conservation, promoting the coordination and balance between
economic development and ecological protection, and then achieving the state of harmonious coexistence
between humanity
and nature. Here, taking advantage of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban
agglomeration as the research region, this study aimed to evaluate the changes
in comprehensive level of economic, social, and ecological development, as well
as the coupling coordination degree of HHN from 2014 to 2021, and to identify
their spatio-temporal evolution patterns. The findings reveal that from 2014 to
2021, the comprehensive development level of HHN in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
urban agglomeration exhibits a linearly increasing pattern, with significant
differences in time and space.
The comprehensive development level of HHN in the northern region of the
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration has always been higher than that in
the southern region. By
2021, all the cities had basically reached a middle development level. And the
coordination degree of the comprehensive development of HHN showed a healthy
development trend. In 2021, the coordination degree of HHN in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration was at
transitional development, with an average annual increase of 3%. In the future, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration should
prioritize coordinated development of HHN, enhance eco-environment protection
and management, promote industrial transformation and upgrading, explore new
development modes and ecological resource transformation strategies, and
establish a modern capital region characterized by high-level ecological
civilization development.
Over the past decades, urbanization, industrialization and unsustainable management have impaired soil fertility and ecosystem functioning, thereby affecting ecological stability and economic development. The mechanistic coupling between pressures and effects lies in the loss of soil organic matter (SOM), which directly and indirectly controls the vast majority of soil properties and the functioning of the soil ecosystem. From the functions SOM exerts in the soil ecosystem, to the consequences of its depletion and the possibilities it offers for ecological restoration, this concise opinion offers a perspective on the multifaceted roles of SOM in sustaining ecosystem functioning and the services it generates. Indeed, SOM plays crucial roles in supporting soil long-term fertility and the provision of ecosystem services, such as food, water, genetic, medical and biochemical resources, religious, cultural and recreational values, as well as sequestration of carbon and regulation of climate. These roles foster the view of SOM as an ideal proxy for soil quality and health, and justify the interest in acting on SOM as a mean of enhancing the sustainability and effectiveness of ecological restoration projects. The improvement of SOM to favor the onset of proper ecological dynamics in heavily degraded ecosystems, such as urban, industrial and agricultural soils, can be also coupled to the recovery of useful organic matter from wastes, integrating ecosystem restoration within waste management and sustainable circular economy strategies. Since, ultimately, the sustainability of our civilization depends upon proper ecological dynamics, soil quality rises to a topic of public concern and this opinion aims at providing a reference point of view on the intertwined implications of its preservation on the ecological, economic and social spheres.
Amidst the backdrop of heightened market risks associated with transitioning to a lower-carbon economy, this study pioneers an examination of the correlation between sustainability and financial performance within Turkish energy market generator and retailer companies. In this study, the sustainability performance, exposure to market risks and effects on the financial performance of sub-sectors of companies listed in the BIST Electricity index were analyzed using panel data regression. The findings reveal a nuanced relationship between sustainability factors and financial performance, underscoring the imperative for electricity sector companies to prioritize sustainability initiatives not only for ethical reasons but also as a strategic imperative for long-term financial success and stakeholder value creation. Finally, the possibility of impending regulatory changes underscores the importance of early adoption of sustainability practices to mitigate potential financial liabilities and navigate future market risks effectively.
This article examines the extent to which the current EU climate protection law fulfils the 1.5-degree limit from Article 2 of the Paris Climate Agreement. To this end, a qualitative governance analysis is applied. On this methodological basis, the main instrument for fossil phasing-out—the emissions trading scheme—and the promotion of hydrogen are discussed as examples. The results show that the EU must further intensify its efforts on its territory and cooperate with other countries since the reformed ETS 1 and ETS 2, the SCF and the CBAM are not sufficiently effective to stay within the 1.5-degree limit of the Paris Agreement. This is also the case with regard to hydrogen policies. The primary focus of energy law on the ETS is therefore fundamentally convincing; however, it should be implemented more consistently, for example, in terms of the breadth of the approach, closing loopholes and the level of ambition.
Despite the expansion of BREEAM and the benefits of adopting sustainable building practices, there are concerns that the cost of going green may outweigh the benefits. Whilst previous studies have not provided adequate clarity in this regard, there is consensus among scholars that BREEAM provides indirect benefits that can be considered as added value. This paper aims to investigate the potential cost implication and benefits of sustainable building practices from the lens of the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in the UK. Adopting survey research strategy, questionnaires, and interviews with 34 construction industry professionals in Southeast England were conducted to investigate their perceptions of BREEAM, the extra value it contributes to projects, and the possible limitations hindering its wider adoption. Findings show that while there is an upfront investment associated with achieving BREEAM certification, the benefits of such certification include added values such as improved environmental performance, increased market appeal, improved indoor air quality, reduced carbon emissions, and lower operational costs. This study validates the need to encourage wider adoption of sustainable building practices and promote the use of the BREEAM methodology in the UK. This research provides a foundation for future research and development in this area, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable development.
Although “climate litigation” is not an indigenous term in China, localizing it is essential to support the development of an independent environmental legal knowledge system in China. Rooted in China’s judicial tradition, which emphasizes substantive rationality, traditional legal theories have primarily focused on environmental law. However, the contemporary practices in the rule of law have created an unclear trajectory for climate litigation. Research in this area has long been trapped in a paradigm that relies on lawsuits for ecological environmental damage compensation and environmental public interest litigation, leading to a significant disconnect between theoretical framworks and practical application. With the advancement of the "dual carbon" strategic goals—carbon peaking and carbon neutrality—it has become imperative to redefine the concept of climate litigation within the Chinese context. We need to establish a theoretical framework that aligns with the “dual carbon” objectives while providing theoretical and institutional support for climate litigation, ultimately contributing to the international discourse on climate justice. Additionally, Hong Kong’s proactive climate governance and robust ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) practices provide valuable insights for developing comprehensive climate litigation mechanisms. Based on this analysis, we propose concrete plans for building a climate litigation system in China, establishing a preventive relief system and a multi-source legal framework at the substantive level and developing climate judicial mechanisms for mitigation and adaptation at the procedural level.
In recent years, the number of crimes involving illegal hunting in China’s judicial system has steadily increased, giving rise to numerous disputes. The root of these disputes lies in the fact that China’s Criminal Law lags in terms of animal protection legislation, failing to strike a balance between wildlife protection and human rights. This disconnection is particularly evident in the legislation and judicial practice regarding illegal hunting crimes and the value principles of ecological civilization strongly advocated by China. Moreover, China’s legal framework and judicial practices concerning illegal hunting crimes suffer from low thresholds for conviction and a lack of comprehensive investigations into the subjective intentions of offenders. Chinese legislators and judges should consider international experiences in combating illegal hunting crimes, elucidate the right to defend oneself against wildlife in certain dangerous situations, and thoroughly revise legal provisions, including the definition of illegal hunting and related judicial interpretations. Additionally, greater efforts should be made to disseminate public legal knowledge regarding illegal hunting crimes.
We explore possibilities for the ecological civilization imaginary of China to become a sustainable development narrative shared by a growing number of GS nations. We first highlight the influence GS countries had on the evolution of the concept of sustainable development. GS nations’ interest in retaining economic development options, including energy and materials needed for industrialization and economic expansion, will increasingly contradict global environmentalist narratives of the latter half of the 20th century. The adaptation of GS nations to previously untested energy and material futures will depend on experimentation and learning from initiatives primarily designed and implemented by GS governments at the national, provincial, and local levels. If China succeeds in demonstrating practical examples of ecological civilization construction, it will stimulate other GS countries to learn and adapt lessons to suit their own needs. Multi-country arrangements that China has created could serve as forums to refine the ecological civilization narrative as a development alternative to the dualist conservation vs development thinking and practice of the latter half of the 20th century.
