Mária Szalmáné Csete

The green transition is increasingly framed through decarbonisation, technological innovation and regulatory change, yet these approaches do not by themselves explain why comparable sustainability policies generate different outcomes across territories. This paper develops locality as an analytical dimension of sustainability. Locality is defined here not simply as the local administrative scale, but as the territorial embeddedness of sustainability processes: the way place-specific environmental conditions, institutions, knowledge, social relations and actor capacities shape how sustainability objectives are interpreted, coordinated and implemented. The study asks two questions: through which mechanisms does locality affect sustainability transitions, and how are these mechanisms reflected in contemporary climate-adaptation governance and territorial evidence? The argument integrates regional science, institutional economics, social capital theory and the geography of sustainability transitions. It identifies local knowledge, stakeholder participation, social capital, transaction-cost reduction, territorial learning and adaptive capacity as the principal mechanisms linking territorial embeddedness to sustainability outcomes. Empirically, the paper uses a layered exploratory design. It first examines ISO 14092 as an institutional framework for local climate adaptation. It then codes 65 projects from the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change using six locality-related dimensions and compares their territorial patterns. Finally, a Hungarian survey of 100 valid ICT-sector SME responses is used as a limited territorial illustration, focusing on regional differences in planned sustainability and climate innovation. The evidence does not establish locality as a causal determinant; rather, it shows convergence across conceptual, institutional and empirical levels. Place-specific conditions systematically enter adaptation through knowledge, participation, learning and governance capacity, while European projects display differentiated territorial pathways rather than a uniform transition model. The Hungarian evidence similarly indicates regional variation, although the survey was not designed to measure locality directly. The paper therefore proposes locality as a complementary fifth dimension of sustainability: a relational and multi-scalar condition that connects universal sustainability goals with the territorial capacities through which they are realised. For international policy and research, the implication is not to privilege the local over higher scales, but to design multi-level sustainability governance that is sensitive to territorial diversity while enabling learning and coordination across places.

Due to the rapid urbanization, economic growth, and the related environmental and other externalities, pivotal challenges can be detected related to sustainable transport systems within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) territory. The main aim of the study is to identify and present the characteristics of the current sustainable transport environment in the MENA region. Based on the available relevant information in the selected cities of the MENA countries, it analyzes the main trends, the key challenges and also the related opportunities considering sustainable mobility. The sustainable mobility landscape covers, among other themes, sustainable transport, including urban mobility, public transport developments also considering the integration of new technologies. The study highlights the MENA region's commitment to the transition towards a sustainable transport sector, supported by strategic plans and policy reforms, while also addressing the main obstacles to responding to the challenges in the region. Finally, it focuses on policy recommendations to be able to foster the practical implementation of a more resilient and greener transport sector in the examined region.

Climate change brings challenges that are experienced to different extents across urban areas. Built environment characteristics and the accessibility of certain infrastructures, such as green areas, influence the intensity and perception of these challenges. This paper explores the differences and similarities between the residents of Buda and Pest through a survey investigating perceptions of climate change impacts, expectations from adaptation measures, and the attributed importance and usage of various urban infrastructure elements. The comparison builds on the distinct urban fabric and green infrastructure patterns of the two sides. Buda is characterised by large green areas such as wooded hills, historical quartiers with low-density development, and residential areas surrounded by planned green spaces—whether detached houses or multi-storey blocks. In contrast, Pest consists of a compact 19th-century city centre and surrounding dense neighbourhoods that expanded during the 20th century, including socialist-era housing blocks with slightly more open and green spaces. Although the ramifications of the distinct urban characteristics of the two sides could be reflected in the technical assessment of climate change impacts, this research focuses on the comparative analysis of residents’ experiences. The findings reveal divergences in the use of natural areas and the Danube’s quays, with Buda residents making use of these spaces more frequently. While no statistically significant differences were found between the two sides in perceived impacts or adaptation preferences, respondents from Pest side who reported experiencing climate change impacts assigned higher importance to several infrastructural elements such as street trees and water reuse applications at all scales in responding to certain challenges. Understanding how perceptions and expectations vary across urban contexts can inform more effective, place-based adaptation and communication strategies. The findings highlight the need to consider local urban morphology, accessibility of green infrastructure, and residents’ experiences when designing inclusive climate adaptation policies in metropolitan settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a general-purpose technology with far-reaching implications for sustainable development. While AI applications are increasingly deployed across sectors such as healthcare, energy systems, urban management, and education, their overall sustainability impacts remain uncertain and often contradictory. Existing research typically examines isolated effects of AI within individual sustainability pillars, which limits the ability to understand systemic interactions, feedback loops, and long-term consequences. This study introduces a conceptual analytical framework designed to assess the sustainability impacts of artificial intelligence across environmental, economic, and social dimensions, extended by an additional individual-level pillar. The framework defines a set of AI Impact Groups (AIG) that translate technological capabilities into system-level functions, including perception, learning, strategic foresight, coordination, and risk detection. In addition, the model introduces key input parameters – AI intensity, adoption level, autonomy, quality of use, and system quality – that influence how AI capabilities translate into sustainability outcomes. By linking AI capabilities, system-level functions, and sustainability pillars, the proposed framework enables a more integrated assessment of both opportunities and risks associated with AI deployment. The model highlights how AI impacts propagate across domains and may generate both short-term benefits and long-term systemic risks, such as rebound effects, technological dependence, or skill erosion. The framework provides a foundation for future scenario analysis, sector-specific impact assessment, and interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at understanding and governing AI-driven sustainability transitions.

Large multinational energy companies face a strategic trilemma in balancing growth, strategy, and sustainability, which are often difficult to integrate and insufficiently supported by measurable performance indicators. Despite the extensive literature on Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) models, prior frameworks remain limited in their ability to differentiate human-related performance drivers, to embed risk management logic structurally, and to reflect sector-specific characteristics of the energy industry. This study aims to develop a structured, metrics-based framework that strengthens sustainability-oriented strategic planning and decision-making. Adopting a design science research perspective, the study proposes an enhanced Balanced Scorecard model, the Sustainable Six-Perspective Balanced Scorecard (HEX-BSC). Building on the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard, the framework expands the traditional four perspectives to six: financial, external customer, internal customer (employee), corporate culture, internal processes, and sustainability. A human-centred structure separates employee satisfaction from organizational culture to improve diagnostic precision. A 4T risk-management module—Transfer, Terminate, Tolerate, Treat—is embedded within each perspective to support dynamic and responsive performance management. Qualitative feedback from senior leaders in the Hungarian energy sector indicates that the HEX-BSC is both conceptually robust and practically interpretable. By explicitly linking outcomes across perspectives–such as assessing how product launches affect sales, customer experience, employee workload, processes, and sustainability—the model enhances strategic alignment, transparency, and organizational learning. The novelty of the HEX-BSC lies in its explicit separation of employee and corporate culture perspectives, the integration of a 4T risk-management logic across all dimensions, and its energy-sector-specific design.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the carbon emission efficiency (CEE) of China’s construction industry through an integrated “efficiency-space-time” model. It addresses regional imbalances and spatiotemporal characteristics to support regionally coordinated and differentiated emission reduction policies. Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing an innovative multidimensional model that combines the super-efficiency SBM model, exploratory spatial data analysis, kernel density estimation and Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition, this research evaluates CEE across 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2021. The framework integrates efficiency measurement, spatial dependence, temporal evolution analysis and regional disparity decomposition. Findings: National CEE trended up with fluctuations, with pronounced east-west and south-north disparities. Spatial autocorrelation strengthened, high-high CEE clusters dominated Eastern coastal regions, while low-low clusters migrated west. Dagum Gini decomposition identified inter-regional gaps (contributing 47.63%–67.48% of total inequality) as dominant, with the largest disparities between the Eastern Coast and the Middle Yellow River. Kernel density curves highlighted central/western polarization, transitioning to unimodal distributions in the east post-2018, signaling reduced intra-regional disparities. Originality/value: This study constructs an integrated “efficiency-space-time” framework, overcoming limitations of static analyses and oversimplified regional divisions. By introducing eight comprehensive economic zones, it refines spatial heterogeneity analysis and offers actionable insights for region-specific low-carbon transitions. The methodology bridges efficiency measurement, spatial interaction and temporal evolution, providing a replicable model for global multiregional low-carbon transitions.

Responding to climate change requires actions that address environmental, social, and economic challenges. Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a pathway to enhance urban resilience and adaptive capacity while supporting sustainability. Understanding public attitudes toward NbS can reveal gaps in benefit delivery, communication, and engagement for effective implementation. This paper investigates public perceptions of urban infrastructure, focusing on green spaces and NbS, through a survey of 821 Budapest residents. Although adaptation and mitigation studies in Budapest are plentiful, none has specifically examined public perceptions of NbS. Uncovering public attitude in Budapest is important because the city has the potential to showcase good practices or possible pitfalls as the most influential city in Hungary by far. Results indicate that residents value multifunctionality in urban infrastructure and expect multiple benefits from green spaces. Familiarity with the NbS concept was found to be moderate, with a positive correlation to benefit attribution. While people correlate certain types and scales of NbS with diverse benefits, a range of implementations may be necessary to address climate challenges comprehensively. Additionally, the analysis reveals some gaps between objectives attributed to NbS in research or design and benefits perceived by the public. Examining the reasons behind divergences between targeted objectives and perceived benefits can help urban managers and project designers refine NbS strategies. A profound exploration of public familiarity with the NbS concept and applied projects is essential. Enhancing public understanding can facilitate community engagement and a feedback loop that can provide insight into bottlenecks in implementations.

Urgent actions are needed both individually and collectively to reach the targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The complex issues of sustainability and climate change set the need for new skills and competences. Education systems worldwide need to integrate competence development into their agenda to achieve a sustainable transition. Higher education institutions have a crucial role in decreasing the gap between the graduated students' competences and the requirements of the labour market. In the pursuit of a workforce prepared for the complexities of the 21st-century workplace, this paper explores the interplay between European competence frameworks and transversal skills. Using a comparative analysis of four frameworks—DigComp, EntreComp, LifeComp, and GreenComp—we identify distinct features and cross-reference competences with transversal skills. As a result, media and information literacy emerges as a crucial transversal skill across all frameworks. This study offers valuable insights for strategic decision-making in talent development and organizational planning, aligning education with the dynamic demands of today’s society. The findings underscore the key role of transversal skills in preparing individuals for the 21st century labour market.

The level of greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most important issues today, both professionally and politically, because a lower level of greenhouse gas emission is mandatory for a sustainable economy. Besides industry and households, the transport sector is also responsible for these emissions. For this reason, it may be essential to set up a model with which the amount of CO2 emissions could be estimated or predicted. This article presents a model that examines the extent of economic development and CO2 emissions in European countries. The result is establishing a pattern requiring a longer time series. If the pattern is proven, a clear reassessment of the current relationship between economic development and environmental protection should be made.

While European regions face a range of different climate hazards, little is known about how these differences affect local climate adaptation planning. We present an analytical framework for evaluating local climate adaptation plans (LCAPs) and apply it to 327 cities in 28 countries across different European regions. To do this, we use statistical methods to identify regional clusters based on overall plan quality, impacts, vulnerable population groups, and sectors addressed by LCAPs. By comparing both geographic and statistical clusters, we found (1) significant spatial heterogeneity across European cities but (2) higher average plan quality scores and more consistent strategies across cities in Central and Eastern Europe. Notably, we found no regional differences regarding (a) the climate impacts and vulnerable communities identified in plans: (b) the most commonly addressed impacts, which were urban temperature and changing precipitation patterns; and (c) the residents that cities identified as most vulnerable, namely older people, women, infants, and the sick. Our study provides a spatial analysis of European LCAPs to uncover regional policy perspectives on local climate adaptation issues. Such approaches can effectively inform broader EU, national and regional strategies that aim to support local adaptation planning in a context of multi-level governance.