Dynamic Forces
Towards Environmental Sustainability: Assessing the Role of Energy Equity and Income Inequality
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pamela Efua Ofori, Isaac Kwesi Ofori
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN Agenda 2030 have prompted African countries to strive for environmental quality and equitable energy access. However, few studies have explored the relationship between income inequality dynamics, energy equity, and environmental quality. This study aims to fill this gap by assessing the interdependencies between income inequality dynamics and energy equity in relation to environmental quality in Africa. Using a panel dataset covering 41 African countries from 2008 to 2019, we employ the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors and two-step system GMM estimation method. Our study investigates the unconditional and conditional effects of energy equity and income inequality on environmental quality. Our findings reveal the following: (1) energy equity fosters environmental quality, whereas income inequality detracts from it, and (2) income inequality nullifies the positive impact of energy equity on environmental quality. These findings remain consistent when we use ecological footprint as an alternative measure of environmental quality. We conclude that addressing income inequality is essential for ensuring that energy equity improves environmental quality. Policymakers should prioritize energy equity initiatives to achieve development goals.
Measuring the Performance of Sustainable Development Goals: Perspectives and Contributions from Local Governments in Colombia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Efraim Parra
Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been significantly slow at the global level, raising concerns about the ability to achieve the targets proposed by 2030. Several factors have contributed to this poor progress, including the lack of coordination between national and local policies, insufficient financial resources, lack of reliable monitoring systems and persistent inequalities between and within countries. Currently, the international community monitors SDGs using indicators based on available data and various methodological developments. In the particular case of Colombia, the national government developed methodologies to track their progress towards the 2030 Agenda, however at the local level, significant gaps remain as cities, in particular small and poor ones, lack the capacity and resources to collect, analyze, and report data effectively, leading to inconsistencies and incomplete assessments of SDG progress. This research analyzes the contributions to the SDG goals projected to 2027 established in the Territorial Development Plans (PDT), which are documents that guide public policies by directing resources and ensuring that government decisions are aligned with the needs of the local population. In this study, the PDTs of 10 cities and 4 states of Colombia were analyzed and it was found that the majority of local governments have a low understanding of SDGs and capacity in the formulation of public policy, resulting in PDTs that do not address all targets despite of having critical indicators in poverty (SDG 1), inequality (SDG 10), climate change (SDG 13, 14, 15) and gender (OSD 5).
Featured Greenness, Air Pollution and Health Impact: Modelling Environmental Methodological Tools to Increase Awareness and Contribute to Efforts of Regulating Illegal/Informal Settlements in Portugal View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Pedro Diaz Peralta
AUGIs - Áreas Urbanas de Génese Ilegal, are defined in Portuguese legislation as sets of parcels of land predominantly occupied by unlicensed constructions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the health impact of environmental factors such as traffic and airport pollution, noise exposure and lack of green spaces, in populations surrounding the AUGIs areas of Antiga Fetais, Boavista and Fonte da Pipa, in Loures Municipality. This area is located north to Lisbon, near to runway 21 of Lisbon Airport and close to major motorway junctions. A qualitative review based of the existing literature has been complemented with the critical assessment of available Public Health indicators following exposure to particular matter-(PM2.5, PM10), ultrafine particles-UFPs, nitrous oxides-NOx, Ozone-O3, and other pollutants. Several studies have highlighted the combined role of air pollution and PM in terms of heat mortality and hospital admissions (Stafoggia et al, 2023; Gasparrini et at 2023), linked with the lack of reserved /dedicated green areas (Heo et al, 2023; Hayon, 2024). Health inequity follows also to social inequalities (Heo, Bell, 2023). Besides that, a recent independent study (Transport & Environment, 2024) indicated that UFPs emitted by planes at Lisbon airport metropolitan area has the stronger impact among the EU airports due to its location and could be the cause of 15,473 hypertension cases, 18,615 diabetes cases or 1,837 dementia cases. The need to prevent informal/illegal settlement at AUGIS should be supplemented with proper enforcement of pollution control or adequate access to greenspaces, avoiding urban pockets of social exclusion
