Journal of Sustainable Development, Issue: Vol.19, No.2

Cool Roofs in Brazil: A Study of Natural Aging, Thermoenergetic Analysis in Non-Conditioned Buildings and Benefit Monetization

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:30:41 +0000

The use of roofing with high solar radiation reflectance has proven effective in improving buildings’ thermal and energy performance, especially in hot climates. However, performance declines over time due to the natural aging of surfaces. Another issue identified in relation to passive techniques, such as cool roofs, is the difficulty in quantifying their benefits in buildings without air conditioning. This study aimed to investigate the impact of aging and restoration (achieved through a cleaning process) on cool roofs in terms of thermal, energy, and economic performance. The method applied was capable of assessing the economic benefits of cool roofs in buildings without air conditioning. The surfaces were evaluated by exposing samples of white-painted fiber cement tiles for two years in three Brazilian cities: Florianópolis, São Paulo, and Manaus. The samples’ thermal emittance and solar reflectance were measured in three conditions: new, aged, and restored, after the first and second years of exposure. With the results measured in the laboratory, a computer simulation was performed using the EnergyPlus software for a thermoenergetic evaluation. Finally, an analysis of the economic benefits of cool roofs in a residential building without air conditioning was carried out. Thermal emittance did not show significant changes due to natural aging and restoration. Conversely, the solar reflectance of the surfaces underwent significant changes in the aging process. It was observed that the cool roofs’ greatest performance was in the first year of exposure (reduction of up to 40% in reflectance), and the restoration process proved to be efficient for most samples, returning to the initial reflectance value for some of them. A few paints did not perform well over time, proving to be unsuitable for the proposed purpose. A benefit of up to US$2.87 per square meter was found when considering the use of cool roofs for the city of São Paulo.

Evaluation of Land Cover Change and Projection of Future Data by Using Two Statistical Models

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:41:26 +0000

Land cover serves as a primary driver of ecological processes, undergoing continuous transformation through natural events and anthropogenic activities. Precise identification of these patterns is essential for effective land-use planning. By integrating historical land cover data with statistical and mathematical models, researchers generate future scenarios that guide local territorial management. This study evaluates two predictive approaches: Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Non-Spatial Markov Chain (MC) to project landscape transitions for the year 2035 in Sorocaba, SP, Brazil, utilizing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. The results reveal continuous, differentiated growth in urban areas, a trend projected to persist. Conversely, the pasture category exhibits a marked and sustained loss of territory across all scenarios. The Remaining Natural Vegetation category shows historical fluctuations and yields divergent predictions: the OLS algorithm suggests stability, whereas the MC algorithm predicts an increase. Model performance evaluation, validated against 2025 data, demonstrates that the OLS algorithm achieves greater accuracy and higher similarity between mapped and calculated datasets. Ultimately, AI platforms streamline environmental modeling, and their rapid evolution ensures increasingly precise and consistent future spatial predictions.

Effects of Pre-Ensiling Waiting Time on the Bromatological and Fermentative Quality of Corn Silage

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 06:46:11 +0000

The quality of corn silage is strongly influenced by the plant maturity stage and by the management practices adopted between harvest and silo sealing. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of grain maturity stage (R3 – milk stage and R4 – dough stage) and the waiting time of the biomass before ensiling (0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40 h) on the bromatological profile, pH, and parameters related to the fermentative quality of corn silage. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 6 factorial arrangement with four replications, using PVC mini-silos stored for 60 days. Dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and silage pH were determined. The results showed that increasing the waiting time before ensiling promoted a progressive increase in the dry matter content of both the biomass and the silage at both maturity stages, due to water loss by transpiration and respiration of the exposed material. At the milk stage, crude protein and fiber fractions increased with longer waiting times, whereas at the dough stage, dry matter and pH values were consistently higher. The increase in neutral and acid detergent fiber contents and the rise in pH, especially at waiting times exceeding 24 h, indicated impairment of fermentative efficiency and nutritional value of the silage. It is concluded that the waiting time of the biomass before ensiling has a more pronounced effect on silage quality than the maturity stage alone, and rapid silo sealing after harvest is recommended, regardless of the phenological stage, to ensure better fermentative and nutritional quality of corn silage.

Cultural Tourism: An Integrative Approach to Competitiveness and Sustainable Development in Sucre-Colombia

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:14:18 +0000

From an integrative approach, this study aims to analyze the interactions between competitiveness and sustainability factors within the cultural tourism sector in Sucre, Colombia, considering a theoretical model that integrates the concepts of an enabling environment, product differentiation, technological tools, innovation, sustainability instruments, collaboration among actors, and the management and valuation of cultural assets. The study is conducted as quantitative descriptive–correlational research. Data were collected through 188 surveys administered to key informants from the public, private, and community sectors, applying partial least squares structural equation modeling to test hypotheses and validate the measurement model. The results demonstrate significant relationships among the enabling environment, collaboration among actors, innovation, and the valuation of cultural assets. Discriminant validity was established using the Fornell–Larcker, while construct collinearity and predictive relevance remained within acceptable limits. Finally, the findings contribute to cultural tourism by providing theoretical contributions and practical guidance for policymaking aimed at increasing regional sustainability and competitiveness through innovation and strategic collaboration.

Policy Brief: Somalia in Action – Forest Landscape and Rangeland Restoration through Reforestation and Natural Regeneration Driving National Climate Resilience

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:31:53 +0000

Somalia’s arid and semi-arid landscapes face severe degradation due to climate change, recurrent droughts, overgrazing, deforestation, and governance challenges, threatening livelihoods, food security, and national stability. Climate change acts as a risk multiplier, intensifying drought impacts, reducing tree seedling survival, and exacerbating degradation pressures on already fragile ecosystems. Forest and rangeland restoration, anchored in indigenous multipurpose species such as Boswellia and Commiphora, presents a strategic pathway to enhance ecological resilience, diversify livelihoods, and support climate adaptation. Community-led approaches, coupled with secure land tenure, strengthened governance, gender-inclusive participation, and market-oriented value chains, are critical to ensuring sustainable outcomes. Alignment with national policies: Vision 2060, Green Somalia, National Adaptation Plan, NDC 3.0, and continental initiatives including AFR100, GGWI, and Agenda 2063 provides a framework for coherent, scalable, and impactful restoration. This policy brief underscores the ecological, economic, and social imperatives of large-scale restoration in Somalia, highlighting actionable strategies for policymakers, donors, and development partners to transform degraded drylands into productive, climate-resilient landscapes.

Unequal Grounds: Gendered Access to Cocoa Productivity-Enhancing Programmes and the Pursuit of Sustainable Cocoa in Ghana

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 02:12:08 +0000

As the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa, Ghana occupies a central position in the global pursuit of sustainable agricultural value chains and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Efforts to promote productivity and sustainability in the cocoa sector are largely driven by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) through input subsidies, pest management, and farmer support programmes. This study examines gender disparities in access to productive resources and sustainability-oriented support services within this context. Employing a mixed-methods design, the study combines quantitative survey data from 532 cocoa farmers with participatory qualitative approaches. Results reveal persistent gender-based inequalities across key domains of production support. Access to loans was limited overall, but significantly more men (12.4%) than women (6.6%) secured credit for production (χ²=5.192, p=0.016). Similarly, men (21.9%) were more likely than women (14.3%) to access input credit (χ²=5.090, p=0.016). Participation in the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme was also gendered, with 70.8% of men and 56.2% of women benefiting (χ²=12.255, p=0.001). Although access to agronomic training was broadly equitable (84.7% men; 84.1% women), men attended more sessions on average (p=0.010). Gender disparities were also observed in pruning service access (65% men; 52.7% women; χ²=8.245, p=0.003), though not in access to agrochemicals or subsidized fertilizer. The findings emphasises enduring structural inequalities that constrain women’s participation in sustainability-enabling interventions. Advancing gender-responsive strategies in Ghana’s cocoa sector is therefore essential to achieving equitable and sustainable development within global agricultural commodity systems.

Chemical Soil Fertility in the Brazilian Semiarid Region: A Descriptive Statistical Assessment Integrated with Ethnoknowledge and the Ecology of Knowledges

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 03:00:15 +0000

Soil chemical attributes correspond to properties related to fertility and the chemical status of pedological systems, traditionally expressed through variables obtained from laboratory analyses. This study presents a descriptive statistical analysis of chemical attributes of soils collected in the municipality of Sobral, Ceará State, Brazilian semiarid region, articulating technical diagnosis with the perspective of the ecology of knowledges and ethnopedology. Mean, median, standard deviation, and extreme values were calculated for organic carbon, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sum of bases, potential acidity, aluminum, sodium, base saturation, aluminum saturation, sodium saturation, cation exchange capacity, and electrical conductivity. In general, the soils showed good to very good chemical fertility, with high Ca and Mg contents and low limitation by Al, although K may be restrictive in part of the areas. The high variability observed reflects both pedological diversity and different management systems. By integrating scientific knowledge and local knowledge, the study proposes a critical and territorialized approach to soil fertility, contributing to sustainable management and to the international debate on knowledge production in semiarid contexts.

Burden of Identifiability, and the Neuroeconomics of Corruption

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:36:27 +0000

Research demonstrates clear linkages between effective anti-corruption strategies and victims of corrupt behavior (Salcedo-Albarán et al., 2008; Zandi et al., 2025). Some researchers emphasize ethnic diversity's role in obscuring relationships between corrupt behavior and its victims (Shleifer & Vishny, 1993; Yehoue, 2007).

We conducted a two-pronged experiment demonstrating that the burden of identifiability (BOID), not ethnic diversity per se, determines whose needs are prioritized or overlooked. Borrowing from the Greek word Splanchna, we define the burden of identifiability as a deep emotional experience with the needs of another that motivates action. We designed and executed two dictator game experiments that collected heart rate and skin conductance data using Empatica E4, a noninvasive wearable wristband equipped with microsensors that passively record physiological data. Our data and analysis suggest that focusing solely on ethnic heterogeneity and corruption outcomes does not engineer solutions, but incorporating the unique characteristic of inclusion might point corruption-inflicted societies toward a virtuous cycle where everyone's needs are prioritized.

Automated External Defibrillator Visibility as Community Emergency Infrastructure: Implications for Willingness and Confidence among Residents of Underserved Communities to Perform Hands-Only CPR

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 05:46:05 +0000

Community resilience depends in part on visible and accessible emergency infrastructure that supports collective response to acute health crises. Sustainable communities require not only environmental and economic stability but also durable social systems capable of responding effectively to sudden health events. Automated external defibrillators (AEDs), when present in everyday environments, may function not only as clinical devices but also as components of community emergency infrastructure that shape response capacity and reinforce expectations of lay action. This study examined whether reported AED visibility was independently associated with Hands-Only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) response capacity in underserved populations beyond formal training exposure. Survey data from 372 adults participating in a culturally grounded cardiovascular health initiative were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to evaluate associations between reported AED presence and comfort performing Hands-Only CPR on family members and strangers, as well as confidence responding to sudden cardiac arrest. Models adjusted for perceived informational sufficiency, psychological concerns, prior CPR certification, experiential exposure, and demographic characteristics. After adjustment, reported workplace AED presence remained independently associated with greater family-directed response capacity (OR 3.11, p = .005), whereas prior conventional CPR certification did not retain independent significance once informational and psychological variables were included. Perceived informational sufficiency and absence of concerns were the strongest predictors across outcomes. Findings suggest that AED visibility may operate as a structural component of community emergency infrastructure, reinforcing response capacity through mechanisms distinct from certification alone. Strengthening equitable visibility of emergency infrastructure alongside accessible education may enhance long-term adaptive capacity and resilience in communities disproportionately affected by sudden cardiac arrest.

Spray Drones: A New Technology for Crop Protection Applications in Brazil

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 05:35:48 +0000

The advancement of digital and automation technologies has driven the adoption of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in agriculture, particularly in crop protection product spraying. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of national and international literature on the use of spray UAVs in Brazilian and world crops, identifying their applications, limitations, and future perspectives. To this end, the databases Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and Google Scholar were searched for the period between 2014 and 2025 using strategic combinations of descriptors related to UAVs, agricultural spraying, regulation, and precision agriculture. The results indicated that UAVs have been employed in different crops, including soybean, maize, coffee, sugarcane, rice, cotton, citrus, wheat, and common bean, showing improvements in droplet deposition, access to difficult-to-manage areas, and reduced human exposure to crop protection products. It is concluded that spray UAVs represent a promising tool for precision agriculture in Brazil, with the potential to transform crop management practices and promote greater sustainability in the sector. This study makes a novel contribution by integrating national and international evidence on spray UAVs, highlighting research gaps and supporting scientific and technological advances in Brazilian agriculture.

Migration and Workplace Safety: A Theoretical Framework

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:34:47 +0000

Using microdata from the 2014 EU-LFS Ad Hoc Module on the “Labour market situation of immigrants and their immediate descendants”, we find that workers with lower human capital—i.e., both EU immigrants and natives—are engaged in more physically burdensome work, consistent with firms’ lower incentives to invest in safety. Extra-EU foreign-born workers are more likely to be placed in harder, manually laborious jobs than EU workers, probably due to the low transferability of skills acquired in the home country. Having extra-EU parents creates no disadvantage when individuals are born and educated in Europe. Hence, once education and country-specific skills are accounted for, migration status per se does not increase the physical burden. The results also suggest gender heterogeneity: immigrant women are likely to be segregated into service and care occupations, while immigrant men may access a broader range of occupations. Overall, the results are consistent with the theoretical model, highlighting the extent to which human capital acquired in the country of origin is valued in the European labour market. These findings have important policy implications, as they could inform public actions against labour market discrimination.

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 19, No. 2

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:57:52 +0000

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2026