Browsing by Subject "sustainable development"

Achieving goals set for sustainable development and a prosperous life for future generations requires a collective effort, including from people on a private level, national governments, and private organizations alike. Sustainable development is often divided into three pillars, the environmental, economic and social pillars. One sector at the center of this is the agri-food sector, where social sustainability appears to be receiving little attention along its value chains. Oats, a staple product for Finland and Sweden, are considered a sustainable product from environmental and health perspectives, as well as potentially from an economic standpoint, but again social sustainability in the oats value chains is missing from the discussion. This thesis sets out to assess to which extent the social dimension of sustainability is addressed in these oats value chains. Using a mixed methods approach, the thesis explores the different measures used for assessing aspects of social sustainability. Measuring progress in sustainable development is often done through the use of indicators, which many of them are derived from the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Indicators are meant to reveal areas where progress has not been made and policy should be targeted for development. Large organizations are reporting their contributions in annually published sustainability reports. For this, sustainability aspects need to be measurable, which requires converting real-life phenomena into measurable indicators, often quantifiable numbers. This is especially difficult for some social aspects. There is a risk policymaking loses its focus of pursuing development beyond the indicators, but instead is only trying to answer to the indicators. The thesis is applying a qualitative mixed methods approach. First, published sustainability reports are assessed, followed by indepth, semi-structured expert interviews. The research material consists of two published sustainability reports, an unpublished sustainability report comparison document, as well as 11 interviews. The data was gathered in March, April and May 2022. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and divided into themes for analysis. From an objective general standpoint, the oats value chain stakeholders valued all three dimensions of sustainability equally, but through the use of examples of activities the same did not translate into the organizations’ daily activities. Actions and programs were more focused on environmental and economic aspects, and the absence of social sustainability examples in initial responses proposes a slight disregard toward the social dimension. Still, organizations introduced a variety of methods in place for assessing social issues, especially internally. Organizations in the oats value chain are looking to make an impact for a more sustainable future, but measuring performance presents challenges, especially on the social side. Categorizing aspects of social sustainability under different dimensions of sustainability is complicated.

All learners should obtain knowledge about and be able to foster sustainable development, according to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). Consequently, teacher education should involve sustainable development so as to meet SDG 4.7. This study aims to identify the incorporation of sustainable development in Finland’s teacher education programmes in order to support the development needed to attain SDG 4.7. Agenda 2030 and the SDGs were created in 2015 to continue to work towards the goals which the Brundtland report (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) established; to guarantee that present and future generations can fulfil their needs without jeopardising planet Earth. Therefore, meeting the SDGs and Agenda 2030 are considered of the utmost importance. As such, the incorporation of sustainable development in teacher education worldwide, is considered significant (Stevenson et al., 2015). However, previous research concerning Finland has indicated that sustainable development in teacher education is advised but seldom practiced (Hofman, 2012). As such it is conceivable that large improvements have not yet been made. This study qualitatively examined the eight universities in Finland, which offer teacher education, using content analysis and document analysis. To determine whether each university’s strategy, teacher education programme and courses during 2019-2020, concerning sustainable development, were aligned with one another, Biggs’ theory of constructive alignment was used. The research material consisted of eight universities’ strategies, ten teacher education programme descriptions and 860 course descriptions. The results revealed the majority of teacher education institutions offer merely a handful of courses, which target sustainable development. The findings varied between universities but typically there were only a limited number of compulsory courses and marginally more electives. However, students could pick electives in other subjects which focused on sustainable development. Therefore, the conclusion is that sustainable development is insufficiently integrated into primary teacher education to be able to enable Finland to adequately respond to Agenda 2030 and SDG 4.7.

This master’s thesis study examines the participation of Finnish civil society actors in the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, commonly referred to as Rio+20. The summit was held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The study is situated in the discussions about the limits and carrying capacity of the global environment and their relation to societal development and economic growth. These so-called 'pillars' of sustainable development (ecological, social and economic) have been a central focus of both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the United Nations from the 1970s onwards. Civil society has been posited as a crucial part of reaching sustainability. From these starting points, this study asks (1) who were the participants of the preparatory process, (2) what agendas did they promote and (3) how did it turn out in the context of the outcomes of the summit. Four different sets of data were used in this study. First, record and memos of the Environment and development group (Ympäristö ja kehitys työryhmä), which was a central working group for NGO cooperation, were used to analyze the structuring of the Finnish NGO group. The records span from 2011 to September 2012. Second, the Earth Negotiation Bulletins, a daily coverage of the negotiations, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IIISD), were used to gain knowledge about the official inter-state negotiations. Third, five semi-structured interviews with key civil society actors representing Finnish NGOs were used. And last, notes and recording on six Rio+20 themed seminars were used to gain knowledge about the agendas of the NGOs as well as Finnish government officials, as well as the progression of the preparations. The theoretical framework is Laurent Thévenot´s sociology of engagements which focuses on disputes and the construction of commonality. The theory, combined with means of content analysis, is used to answer the above-mentioned research questions. The preparatory process mobilized a group of key actives from established Finnish associations, which were focused on developmental and environmental issues. The discussions on green economy and agendas the NGOs promoted continued from the division between the countries of the global north and the global south, and from the opposition of environmental limits and development. The NGOs constructed their agenda on the dual basis of both ecological limits and a human right-based approach to global inequality, which was then used to criticize economic growth. Analysis of the outcomes of the summit suggests a rejection of these claims. The results support a strong agenda geared towards poverty eradication, development and growth in the global south. The issue of green economy was tied to them. The findings of this study therefore present both continuations of old disputes as well as new developments. Debates in the summit preparations were locked in familiar settings, most clearly in the north-south divide, but the outcomes of the summit on the other hand suggest changes in the status of different actors situated in this division. The study concludes that for the actors engaged in sustainable development, and more specifically on global environmental problems, need to reconsider their agendas in accordance to this new constellation of actors, which emphasize the role of the developing countries.

The study contributes to the studies of land cover change and sustainable development in Kenya. It scrutinizes the land use and land cover change (LULCC) and deforestation; forest ecosystem services and vulnerability of natural and human systems; forest management and land tenure; sustainable land management, development and livelihoods; and woodfuel energy in a Kenya and in Africa. It is a case study from Dakatcha Woodland, an un-protected global hotspot for biodiversity adjacent to the Kenyan coast. The local setting of Dakatcha Woodland; the relation of livelihoods, especially charcoal production, to the land cover change; and the environmental and socio-economic impact of land cover change in the study area, are studied in detail. The possibilities to promote sustainable development, livelihoods and ecosystem services in the area are reflected, too. The main objective of this study is to contribute to the planning of sustainable management of land and forests, and sustainable livelihoods of the local population in Dakatcha Woodland. Environment and its change affect biodiversity and ecosystems, and thus ecosystem services that all human beings rely upon. Weakened ecosystem services deteriorate the possibilities to have good living conditions and livelihoods. Dakatcha Woodland is experiencing both environmental and socio-economical problems due to uncontrolled clearance of hilltop Cynometra-Brachylaena forests for agriculture and for charcoal burning to meet the energy demands of both local population as well as to supply the nearby centres and towns. The main underlaying problems are poverty and lack of alternative income generating activities coupled with weak institutional framework and poor land tenure and management system. Drawing from a holistic research epistemology, the study resolves the study objectives with various methods. Remote sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide means to assess the land cover and thus the change in the state of environment. Combined with socio-economic data collected with methods often used in Development Geography they offer ways to assess the poverty-environment linkages and offer data to land and forest resource management planning. This study contributes to the existing local land cover data by analyzing four SPOT satellite images from 2005/06 and 2011, and by forming a supervised land cover classification for those years, thus scrutinizing also the change in land cover. In-situ observation, household questionnaires (90 households were assessed in October 2010) and semi-structured expert interviews (2 from October 2010 and 3 from April 2011), add to literature review in order to reveal the significance of charcoal production to local livelihoods and environment. It was found that more than half of the 90 assessed households are involved in charcoal production which is higher figure than peer studies have suggested, and that the charcoal network is a complex entity that offers income to many, but bears an negative impact on the environment. It was discovered that, like in Kenya, in Dakatcha Woodland, too, the demand for woodfuel (charcoal and fuelwood) is one of the key drivers of deforestation and land degradation. As such, woodfuel energy is a cross-cutting issue, that ties together forest resources, livelihoods and sustainable development, and demands thus further research. The woodland areas are fragmenting and the relevance of the Important Bird Area (IBA) demarcation should be questioned because it was found that the IBA has lost woodland areas to agriculture and to woody vegetation land cover classes from 2005 to 2011. The land and forest management of Dakatcha Woodland must be planned in accordance with all stakeholders in a sustainable manner, drawing from agroforestry and participatory forest management systems, and keeping environmental factors in mind for the relevance of ecosystem services that the environment offers. Sustainable future for Dakatcha Woodland is possible, but changes are needed today.

The amount of wooden multi-storey buildings has increased in Finland during the past years, but the volume remains low. The use of wood in the large building types has increased, because of ecological, environmental, architectural and pleasantness factors. Wood element production enables larger spans when building with wood. Because of the climate change, decreasing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is important. Wood is a sustainable material due to its carbon storage capability and low-carbon emissions from the production. The aim of this research is to explore the criteria that impact financing decisions in multi-storey residential buildings. The research examines what the criteria for financing wooden multi-storey residential buildings are, how financiers assess risks and opportunities in wooden multi-storey constructions (WMC) and what is the role of the sustainability in WMC. The research was conducted by interviewing people in the field of financing and real estate investing. Interviews were held during autumn 2022 as online meetings. The interview results show that financiers especially focus on the financial criteria. This included profitability of the financing, ability of the construction company and risk analysis. Other criteria mentioned were location, sustainability factors, apartment pre-marketing and maintenance costs. Building material was not seen as a significant factor as it is decided by the construction company, and it is part of the risk analysis. According to the results, the building time is the riskiest time for the financier because of the low value of unfinished buildings. As risks, respondents find the construction company’s capability for the project and the lack of references, but also their realized lifecycle costs compared to concrete buildings. As opportunities good availability of material in Finland, development of the element building to lower the prices, ecological material, and carbon binding qualities were mentioned. Sustainability was seen as an important part of the financing decision; however, all respondents did not have it as a part of the current financial criteria. In addition to organization’s own sustainability goals, sustainability is guided from the outside as regulations. As an example, the EU taxonomy is already in use and is being implemented in the financing and building industry. Green financing was identified as one of the tools that guide sustainability and by adapting its criteria, construction companies may receive better loan conditions. As a conclusion, financiers are interested to finance wooden multi-storey buildings, but they require more long-term usage and cost experiences. As future research topics the thoughts and opinions of construction companies regarding the financing are suggested. In addition, what are the impacts of embedding the EU taxonomy into financiers’ and their customers’ actions.

This research examines the environmental attitudes of the employees in the City of Tampere. This research is one of the goals in the city’s environmental strategy in 2003 and it is made for the environmental protection department of City of Tampere. The purpose of this study was to find out the environmental attitudes of the employees in the City of Tampere, the behaviour related to the attitudes and the relationship between the attitudes and the behaviour. The results will be utilized when planning the environmental work of the city. The theoretical frame structure in this study is based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and it is applied to fit for the research. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is used a lot in the attitude-behaviour studies. There is a one-component model of the attitudes in the background of this theory. In this study the examination of the environmental attitudes is based on the one-component model. In the examination of the relationship between attitudes and behaviour the whole Theory of Planned Behaviour is used instead. A term ‘free rider behaviour’ is also included in the theoretical frame structure although it will not be studied with any special questions. Quantitative methods were used in this research. The research was conducted through a mail survey study to 1000 employees in the beginning of June 2003. 462 people out of 1000 returned the questionnaire. The results showed that the employees consider concern about the environment in Tampere well-founded. Trashing and littering in a public place or in the nature worries the employees by far the most. The second most worrying thing is the pollution of the air and water. They are also worried about the destruction of the constructed environment for example culturally valuable buildings and places. Concern is clearly higher among women than among men. The employees in the City of Tampere believe in their own possibilities to influence the state of the environment. Environmentally friendly behaviour is seen important although other people would not behave at the same way. Majority of the employees support the intervention of the society with limitations and by far more than half of the employees support different kinds of payments and taxes that advance the sale of environmentally friendly products. These results also show some kind of readiness to lower the standard of living. The employees think that conservation of the environment is important and its position in the society’s decision-making should be strengthened. Despite of the employees’ environmentally friendly opinions, even two out of three employees admit that they are able to behave more environmentally friendly than they do now if they just want to. The employees for example sort and recycle their waste well, but the behaviour in regard to consumption and commuting has a lot to improve.