Sustainable development strategies : Tools for policy coherence

International audienceMany different approaches for national sustainable development strategies (NSDS) have been proposed since 1992, with some components common to all. A country's national strategy should be designed to help mainstream environmental concerns into policy. More broadly, it should coordinate local policy with global concerns, as well as integrate scientific knowledge into policy and development planning. The peer review mechanism for national strategies was piloted by France, and also involved representatives of countries from the North and the South as well as stakeholders. The peer review process allows countries to share their experience and information, and can assist them in identifying their own path to sustainable development. The business community can also contribute to sustainable development through provision of local and global public goods. Another input to sustainable development could come from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and its Guidance Standard on Social Responsibility (ISO 26000), as a coordinating mechanism between voluntary initiatives and binding obligations (such as international conventions). ISO standards and guidelines should therefore be integrated with national sustainable development strategies and local Agenda 21 frameworks

Influence of the calcination temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a gel-derived and sintered 3mol% Y-TZP material

A pure coprecipitated 3 mol% Y-TZP powder was subjected to two calcination temperatures, 600° and 1000°C, prior to compaction and sintering. Significant differences in the initial sintering behavior were observed. The lower temperature calcined powder exhibited abnormal grain growth. The resultant mechanical properties mirrored the microstructure with the lower temperature calcined material having lower flexural strength. Hardness measurements of the two sintered bodies revealed significant differences in the two phases of the lower temperature calcined material. Differences in reactivity of the two powders after calcination are suggested as the basis for the difference in microstructure and resultant mechanical properties

Industrial Development and Environmental Sustainability: A Multivariate Statistical Analysis

As the world rapidly develops it becomes increasingly urbanized, and it is thus necessary to focus on achieving sustainability results within cities. Getting this goal requires not only to imagine sustainable cities and implementation strategies, but also to assess progress towards sustainable urban development. The present paper is aimed at evaluating urban sustainability through the analysis of the relationship between industrial production consequences and human activities. The case study presented concerns the city of Taranto, located in Southern Italy and characterized by the difficult relationship between the largest steel industry in Europe and a unique natural environment of great biological value. The presence of data in an adequate time scale allows the development of a holistic approach to the assessment of the policies of territorial governance in progress. Data from multiple sources are analyzed using multivariate statistical methods able to summarize the information to assess the first results of ongoing policies