Individuals with disabilities have long faced disproportionate economic disadvantages, including higher poverty rates, poorer health outcomes, limited access to education, and restricted employment opportunities compared to those without disabilities. The green economy, characterized by low carbon emissions, resource efficiency, and social inclusivity, holds the potential to address these persistent inequities by creating jobs that promote income equality and support sustainable livelihoods. However, despite the growing global shift toward carbon neutrality, there is a significant gap in understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by persons with disabilities in this transition. This scoping review aims to assess the current state of knowledge regarding the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the green economy, with a particular focus on the Global North. Literature published between 2012 and 2023 was systematically reviewed, resulting in the identification of 21 relevant studies from an initial pool of 4,311 abstracts. The findings were categorised into three primary themes: conceptual frameworks for inclusion in the green economy, the role of persons with disabilities as workers, and the role of persons with disabilities as consumers. The results underscore a critical lack of literature addressing disability inclusion in green economic development, with existing studies indicating that persons with disabilities have been systemically marginalized in efforts to foster low-carbon economies. This exclusion represents a missed opportunity to harness the talents, perspectives, and contributions of persons with disabilities, whether as workers, consumers, or agents of change in sustainable development. It is therefore imperative that the experiences and epistemologies of persons with disabilities are central to the design, planning, and implementation of green economy initiatives. Future research must address the existing gaps in the literature and explore strategies for fostering greater inclusion in green economic frameworks to ensure equitable opportunities for all individuals in the transition to a carbon-neutral world.
Intralogistics activities within automotive industry warehouses play a critical role in the efficient management of materials, components, and finished goods throughout production and distribution processes. These activities contribute significantly to the optimization of warehouse space, reduction of delivery lead times, and minimization of storage costs. Furthermore, effectively implemented intralogistics processes are essential for ensuring continuous production and the timely delivery of high-quality products to customers. This study focuses on the enhancement of sustainability in intralogistics operations within warehouses by adopting innovative technologies, optimizing resource utilization, and minimizing environmental impact. The automotive industry’s supply chain was examined, with particular emphasis on the challenges associated with intralogistics and sustainability. The study explores the optimization of warehouse intralogistics processes, which directly affect operational efficiency, cost reduction, and overall productivity. Based on the identified challenges, three potential solutions—mini-load (ML) Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS), AutoStore systems (ASSs), and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)—were analyzed through a sustainability lens. The evaluation of these technologies was conducted with respect to various sustainability criteria, such as energy consumption, space efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact. The primary objective is to identify the most suitable solution for improving the sustainability and operational efficiency of intralogistics processes within the automotive industry. By investigating the potential of these innovative technologies, the research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how they can address contemporary intralogistics challenges, enhance operational performance, and align with the broader objectives of environmental sustainability and cost optimization.
The development of green skills has gained significant attention in recent years, driven by the increasing global focus on achieving the Agenda 2030 goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Green skills are recognized as essential for fostering sustainable practices across industries, supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy, and addressing pressing environmental challenges. A notable surge in scholarly interest is observed, with 79% of publications related to "green skills development" in the Web of Science database being published after 2015. This indicates the growing recognition of green skills as a key element in advancing sustainability agendas. In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using data from 962 articles extracted from the Web of Science database. The evolution of scientific output, thematic trends, and international collaboration patterns were examined. The analysis reveals a steady increase in publications, particularly post-2015, with an expanding range of research topics, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, green entrepreneurship, and climate adaptation. The distribution of authorship across countries highlights significant international cooperation, with countries from both the Global North and South actively contributing to the discourse. The findings underscore the interdisciplinary nature of green skills research, which spans diverse fields such as environmental science, education, policy studies, and technology. Moreover, the growing body of research reflects a clear shift towards integrating green skills within education and training systems as a means of achieving SDG targets, particularly those related to sustainable economic growth, decent work, and climate action. This study provides valuable insights into the emerging trends and collaborative networks in green skills development, offering a foundation for future research aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of green skill programs and policies. It is evident that continued focus on this area is critical for driving global sustainability efforts and achieving long-term environmental goals.
Under the "dual carbon" goals, green finance, as a financial activity aimed at optimizing resource allocation and protecting the environment, holds significant scientific importance for the rational adjustment and upgrading of regional industrial structures. Hebei Province, a key industrial hub in China, faces an urgent need for industrial structure adjustment and optimization. This paper employs time series data from Hebei Province spanning 2001 to 2023 to measure the development levels of green finance and industrial structure, and constructs a coupling coordination model to analyze their interactions. Furthermore, the study uses the GM (1,1) grey model to predict future trends. The results indicate that the coupling coordination degree between green finance and industrial structure upgrading in Hebei Province has steadily improved but remains at a moderate coupling stage. It is projected that the coupling coordination degree will continue to rise, entering a high coordination stage by 2032.
Waste management has emerged as a critical environmental challenge globally, particularly in the context of rapid urbanization, which has significantly increased waste generation. Effective strategies for handling construction and demolition (C&D) waste are essential to mitigate environmental impacts. In Libya, the aftermath of the 2011 conflict and subsequent instability has led to extensive destruction of public and private infrastructure. As reconstruction efforts accelerate, the absence of a structured framework for C&D waste management remains a pressing concern, with current practices predominantly involving disposal in open dumps alongside municipal solid waste. This study employs the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) to determine the relative importance of key criteria and the Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDAS) method to assess alternative waste management strategies. The findings indicate that investment cost is the most influential criterion, followed by social acceptance. Among the evaluated strategies, landfilling emerged as the most suitable alternative. To ensure the robustness of the results, a sensitivity analysis was conducted by varying the weight distributions across seven additional scenarios, consistently reaffirming the superiority of landfilling. Furthermore, a comparative analysis was performed using three other Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) models—COmbinative Distance-based ASsessment (CODAS), VIKOR, and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)—each corroborating the ranking of landfilling as the optimal strategy. The insights derived from this study underscore the necessity for policymakers to integrate cost-effective and socially acceptable solutions into Libya’s C&D waste management framework to support sustainable reconstruction efforts.
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