The world faces human-made hazardous weather events such as heat waves, droughts, floods andwildfires in dimensions which have never been seen before. A crucial contributor to this negative trendis the constantly growing transportation sector. In addition, most urban regions suffer from trafficcongestions which lead among others to local emissions, the loss of time and noise pollution. Onepromising approach to reduce the amount of transport related emissions is ride-sharing. This paperfocuses on the possibilities and barriers of ride-sharing for the daily commute to and from work. To gainreliably results, a real-life test trial was implemented at a Swedish corporation. The gatheredquantitative and qualitative datasets were analysed with the framework of Social Practice Theory, whichsplits up the practice into its three elements of materials, meanings and competences and therebydevelops revealing insights. The reason for the low participation rate during the test trial can be tracedback to the potential loss of flexibility. Despite a high environmental awareness and a deep trust relationto colleagues, the potential loss of flexibility was for most participants the crucial factor to not start ridesharing.Even though individuals’ opinions were very positive towards the idea of ride-sharing, theparticipation rate during the real-life study shows that the perception of ride-sharing highly derivatesfrom the action.

Sustainable development is major post of global and national political agendas, and notions of sustainability permeate whole societies. Sweden is heavily influenced by sustainable development which can be exemplified by the ambitious goal of fossil-free energy and the current phase of rapid wind-power developments. In the name of sustainability many of these wind-power turbines and parks are now placed in the northern regions of the country, but whether it is sustainable is questionable. The northern region is a colonised territory, and the colonial relations between the indigenous Sámi people and the non-indigenous population remains an unresolved area. It is a cause of grievance and continuous conflict over land-use in the north – by of which wind-power developments are a part of. Therefore, this thesis examine the discursive construct of sustainability, in terms of content and underlying power relations, when applied to wind-power in four north Swedish newspapers between 2009 and 2016. The thesis use discourse and media-sociological theories in order to understand the role of media texts in the social construction of knowledge and how knowledge is shaped by social realities and shaping the social interpretation of reality. To study discourses a qualitative method based on critical discourse analysis is employed with the aim of investigating contextual meaning derived from the relationship between the text and the surrounding society. The empirical material is subject to an inductive analysis that has much in common with a grounded theory approach, but which involves some deductive analytical elements derived from theory and previous research. The findings of this thesis is that there is no singular discursive construct of sustainability, but rather a multiplicity of perspectives that together form a general representation of how sustainability is perceived when applied to wind-power. However, the discourses were dominated by non-indigenous actors with a national perspective - such as political parties, government actors and the wind-power industry. They portrayed sustainability and wind-power as environmentally benign economic growth leading to societal development, but in doing so experiences of marginalisation, and sustainability perspectives of peripheral groups, were made invisible. The study did find indications of change in the discourses from 2012 in the sense that the perspective of dominant actors was increasingly challenged by Sámi reindeer herders and rural populations, but the discursive and practical impact of this change remains uncertain.

This thesis is a case study research that look into the difficulty in engaging freight receivers in initiatives related to urban freight transport. The aim of the paper is to investigate how participatory processes could be formed for more successful outcomes and how the freight receivers could become more engaged in the processes. By conducting a qualitative research where primarily interviews with freight receivers and other concerned stakeholder were made, it was possible to distinguish differences and similarities in views and attitudes toward participation in freight related initiatives. The interviewed freight receivers were located in two different areas in the central business district in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. In one area, the freight receivers have been included in discussions with the traffic and public transport authority regarding a newly implemented restriction for heavy freight vehicles, and thus have experience with participatory processes. These results show that the freight receivers appreciate the possibility to be a part of the discussion even though they are sceptic towards their possibility to influence on decisions. In the other area, the authority is planning on potentially implement the same restrictions, but as they have not started this process, no stakeholders have yet been included in discussions. Thus, the expectations and attitude towards participation in such a process could be studied among freight receivers in this area. Results in this area show that medium sized business, based on turnover, are more enthusiastic in participating meanwhile smaller business and businesses that are part of a chain store or a franchise are less interested in participating. By comparing the views and opinions between these groups with the interview with the authorities, results show that freight receivers and the traffic and public transport authority in Gothenburg have similar views on the importance of participatory processes, but they differ in their views on what influence the freight receivers have in these processes. By analysing the results with the theoretic concepts of participation, engagement and communication it was possible to identify issues in the case that must be considered in order to establish more rewarding participatory processes. It is concluded that freight receivers must be involved already in the process of defining the problem with urban freight transport to close the gap between how the freight receivers and the authorities experience the participatory process. This would enable finding solutions that considerall interests and thus have higher chance of long-lasting implementation rather that creating conflicts on power relations. Further it is stated that with the help of a combination of a scalon plan, quality circle and representative participation is possible to create an altruistic value in participating which could increase the will to engage in participatory processes and creating more sustainable urban freight transport systems.

As of today, 1.1 billion people in the world lack access to electricity, while 2.9 billion rely on polluting fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene for cooking. This is most prominent in Sub-Saharan Africa where two thirds of the population do not have access to electricity and modern cooking fuels. As electricity serves a prominent part of modern society, electrification is often referred to as a key enabler for socio-economic development. The United Nations have agreed on 17 Sustainable development Goals with the aim to stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for ending poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. According to the World Bank, energy is interconnected with 125 out of the total 169 sub-targets that are included in the Sustainable Development Goals. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the relation between access to electricity and relevant development indicators. By assessing previous research within the field of electrification and development, a number of key indicators have been selected for further analysis. A statistical analysis on the development of these indicators in the case study of Rwanda was performed and demonstrated that access to electricity services does have considerable impact on socio-economic development.

Being a small landlocked country located in Eastern Himalaya ranges, makes it difficult for Bhutan to secure and sustain its national food security. Thus, Bhutan highly depends on the import of food from neighboring countries. This paper aims to improve the food security in Bhutan by giving a specific focus on the egg value-chain which starts from the import of parent stocks until the consumption within the country. Methods to identify potential constraints within the value-chain and provision of possible solutions used in this paper are a combination of literature reviews, qualitative studies (interview), and personal experience/communication of the author, who had been working with the Department of Livestock in Bhutan. The results of the study indicate that animal welfare, basic farm management, and consumer education are the top three areas that all stakeholders, especially government agents, should work with interdisciplinary in order to strengthen the overall value-chain. Challenges and room for improvement in animal welfare can be found from the beginning of the value-chain, the transporting of layer Day Old Chicks (DOCs). Lack of knowledge and skills for basic farm management which includes farm data recording, egg grading, and egg labeling, are issues found in the middle of the value-chain. Lastly, in the very end of the value-chain, more education should be given to consumers regarding the health benefits and nutritional value of eggs as to alleviate the problem of low egg consumption per capita relative to other developed nations. Possible solutions provided in this paper on animal welfare standard are suggested by the international projects and organizations namely, European Animal Welfare Platform and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. For basic farm management, the government should be the one who encourages and provides skills using effective communication tools as well as law enforcement in order to improve the egg quality. At the same time, consumers should be stimulated to demand higher quality as this will be a driving force for future improvement and create higher liquidity in the market.

A disagreement has arisen between the localauthorities (Skellefteå kommun) and Boliden Mineral AB regarding the use of amaterial called

The apparel industry is pointed out as an industry highly contributing with negative environmental impacts in all different stages of the production to consumption chain. Companies within the outdoor industry have been trying to combat this issue by producing apparel that are less harmful for the environment and by encouraging consumers to keep, care and repair for their apparel over time. Educative communication with customers regarding the environmental issues deriving from apparel consumption is seen where some brands go as far as to engaging in environmental activism. Regarding retailers within the outdoor industry, the use of educational communication needs to incorporate many different brands and thus communicating about environmentally preferable apparel is more complex. This study investigates the Swedish retailer Naturkompaniet’s approach to educational communication in order to identify what possibilities there are to encourage consumers to purchase environmentally preferable apparel and to care for it over time. The study find that Naturkompaniet does use educational communication to encourage consumers to purchase environmentally preferable apparel to some extent. It also identifies room for improvement and give suggestions on how the communication can be developed further.

The 21st century is marked by the forecast of a frightful set of crises caused by anthropogenic activities. Among them, an emerging water crisis threatens the existence of life on the planet. It is mainly triggered by a lack of good water governance. The concept of water governance refers to a range of different societal systems that are involved in the management of water resources, and the delivery of water services. However, these systems are threatened by several problems causing a mismanagement of water resources, involving corruption, deficits of democratization, or inequalities. This study examines commitments to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene provided by the Sanitation and Water for All partnership through a qualitative content analysis in order to allow an insight in current goal-setting for improved water governance. In this study, we show that even though stakeholders across geographical regions and constituencies aim at efficient governance measures, they neglect the importance of the procedural factors of good governance, for instance participation or adaptiveness. Instead they mostly focus on the outcome. Further, the study reveals that the commitments lack timely and measurable components and often do not include allocation of budgets. Although stakeholders show their intention to commit to action and work collaboratively, they often lack long-term thinking. Against the background of emerging global challenges in the water sector, most stakeholders are not yet prepared to work efficiently with new forms of governance in order to establish sustainable and resilient systems. Nevertheless, multi-stakeholder partnerships provide a basis to start a learning journey and can help to facilitate capacity development and future literacy. This thesis reveals starting points for improvement, gives practical recommendations for action and further research directions, that are necessary to explore the differences between regions and constituencies further and improve the goal-setting process in the following years.

Waste management issues are prevalent in many parts of the world. Member states of the European Union (EU) are expected to follow the guidelines of the Waste Framework Directive set by the EU. The directive includes targets intended to facilitate waste management practices such as recycling and landfilling. Unfortunately, several countries in the Mediterranean regions are failing to meet these targets, one such country being Cyprus. The country is the third largest generator of municipal waste in the EU and majority of the country’s waste (approx. 80%) are landfilled, while just 19% are recycled. Cyprus has failed to meet the target for recycling 50% of the municipal waste by 2020. Much of the problems can be attributed to the fact that the country lacks good infrastructures such as recycling facilities and services for separate processing of recyclables and biodegradables. Cyprus University of Technology,situated in the city of Limassol, is a leading university in country that values environmental protection and sustainability and has won several awards for depicting their commitment towards sustainable development. Owing to their good environmental record, a study was conducted at this university in the form of a waste audit and nudging experiment along with a complimentary questionnaire. Nudging is a concept in behavioural science which proposes positive reinforcement through the form of indirect suggestions as a strategy to influence decisions and behaviours of individuals or groups. Nudging was undertaken through the intervention of an informative sign at the recycle bins. The waste audit was separated into two periods, control (without nudging) and intervention (with nudging). Later, a questionnaire was distributed to students to understand their attitudes and behaviours towards recycling and the nudging experiment. This research is analysed using a mixed method approach whereby data is collected and analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A secondary data analysis was also utilised for recommending possible solutions to improving waste management problems in Cyprus based on recycling initiatives in other countries, particularly from the Mediterranean region. The research found that there has been an increase in the rate of recycling since nudging was introduced. The questionnaire results also implied that there is a general concern among students for recycling and that much more has to be done by the university to help with waste separation and recycling. The secondary analysis of literature also reveals Cyprus has a long way to go, but proper waste management can be achieved through the government’s prioritisation of environmental protection and improvement of waste management infrastructures. Although the findings in this research has been successful, it could have been further investigated if the waste audit period had been extended and more responses were acquired to the questionnaire. Additionally, conducting interviews of certain individuals could have provided more insight into the waste management challenges in the future.

Growing populations are contributing to resource scarcity, making it ever more important for governments to address resource challenges in a holistic and integrated manner. Energy, water and food are examples of these critical resources, and the province of Alberta in Canada faces an interesting opportunity to tackle all three in tandem. Alberta struggles with food insecurity, with one in ten households affected on an annual basis. The province has the additional issue of an abating fossil fuel-based energy sector. Retrofitting oil and gas wells to harness geothermal heat is a possible initiative that encourages an energy transition and boasts lesser environmental impacts. Further, combining geothermal heat with agricultural greenhouse production and thermally driven water filtration systems has the potential to reduce food insecurity and water scarcity in the province. The system thus handles all three food, energy and water security at once. As such, this report compares the overall sustainability of a conventional, natural gas-burning greenhouse against a novel, geothermally-heated greenhouse featuring thermally driven water filtration (membrane distillation) technology. The area of study is constrained to the greenhouse-rich region in Alberta between Edmonton and Red Deer that also has a high accessibility to geothermal heat. The comparison is conducted through a multi-criteria analysis following economic, social and environmental objectives, and is analyzed using quantitative data, scientific literature and surveys. The results indicate that the novel greenhouse exhibits a higher score as compared to the conventional greenhouse, implying that it is the preferred option on economic, social and environmental bases. The results are in keeping with economic and technical feasibility reports, though they shed new light on the social and environmental aspects – which were under-studied in the province. The geothermally-heated greenhouse system with membrane distillation acts as a holistic solution that targets energy, water and food issues in tandem, while contributing to Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals. The novel greenhouse is an avenue of exploration and development by policy-makers, greenhouse operators and researchers interested in attaining sustainable agriculture in Alberta, Canada.