Kultip Suwanteep

Wind energy plays an important role in achieving energy transition and sustainable development goals, yet disparities between socio‐political and community acceptance continue to hinder project implementation. Understanding this gap is essential for designing more socially responsive wind energy policies. This study conducted a questionnaire survey in Dalian, China, obtaining 342 responses from the general public and 362 from local residents living within 1 km of the wind farms. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis, we examined wind energy acceptance and its determinants, including perceived benefits, perceived risks, affective imagery, distance, environmental concern, experience, place attachment, knowledge, participation, subjective norms, and social trust. Results showed significantly higher acceptance among the general public than local residents, mainly due to a pronounced benefit–risk asymmetry and the general public's more abstract assessment of risks. For the general public, affective and social factors played a greater role through perceived benefits, whereas local residents were more strongly influenced by risk perceptions shaped by proximity and firsthand experience. These findings highlight the need to bridge the acceptance gap through more transparent communication, stronger trust‐building, clearer benefit‐sharing, and meaningful participation, thereby reinforcing sustainable development‐oriented energy governance.

In recent years, China has made strong national commitments to waste reduction and circular economy, including the implementation of mandatory municipal solid waste separation policies and the rollout of zero-waste city initiatives. These efforts represent a strategic shift toward systemic environmental governance. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020—and the subsequent implementation of the country’s stringent zero-COVID policy—led to an abrupt disruption of these programs. Under this policy, strict lockdowns, quarantine of both confirmed and suspected cases, and city-wide containment became top priorities, sidelining environmental initiatives such as waste separation and sustainable waste infrastructure development. This study investigates how Chinese residents’ motivations for waste separation evolved across three key phases: pre-pandemic, during the zero-COVID enforcement period, and post-pandemic recovery. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and pro-environmental behavior theory, we developed an extended model incorporating pandemic-related social, psychological, and policy variables. Based on 526 valid questionnaire responses collected in late 2023 in Shanghai, we conducted structural equation modeling and repeated-measures analysis. Findings reveal a significant shift from externally driven compliance—reliant on governmental enforcement and service provision—to internally motivated behavior based on environmental values and personal efficacy. This transition was most evident after the pandemic, suggesting the potential for sustained pro-environmental habits despite weakened policy enforcement. Our findings underscore the importance of strengthening internal drivers in environmental governance, especially under conditions where policy continuity is vulnerable to systemic shocks such as public health emergencies.

Geothermal energy is widely considered a clean and renewable energy source, yet it faces significant social opposition in several countries, including Japan, Kenya, Greece, and Switzerland, among others. These challenges are often linked to trust issues. East African countries are actively developing their geothermal energy resources; however, some projects, such as the Olkaria IV and Akiira geothermal energy projects in Kenya, have faced social resistance. This study investigates the factors influencing trust in geothermal energy projects by analyzing public participation materials included in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) reports of seven geothermal projects in the East African region. Firstly, 150 comments related to trust were selected from a total of 680 comments in the public participation materials. Secondly, a two-step qualitative inductive coding approach was employed to develop four trust categories and fifteen issue-related codes. Finally, dummy variables were created using SPSS 24, and statistical analyses, including correlation and chi-square tests, were conducted. The findings indicate that trust issues predominantly concern corporate trust (34.67%), technological trust (33.33%), and procedural trust (28.67%). Correlation and chi-square analyses revealed that these concerns are linked to employment, corporate support (e.g., corporate social responsibility projects), environmental and social risks, and public engagement.This study emphasizes the importance of fairness and transparency in employment, corporate social responsibility activities, and public engagement, as well as the necessity of communicating and mitigating environmental and social risks both before and during the implementation of geothermal energy projects. It recommends that policymakers establish clear, transparent guidelines for public engagement and strengthen legal frameworks regarding land ownership and resettlement to reduce conflicts. Additionally, corporates should focus on enhancing transparency in corporate practices and ensuring procedural fairness to foster trust with local communities and leaders.

With China's shift towards modifying its coal-based energy mix, developing nuclear power and constructing nuclear power plants have become central strategies. While nuclear energy offers economic and environmental benefits, the impact of nuclear science popularization on people's attitudes, especially those of students, towards nuclear power development remains a concern. This study examines university students’ needs and attitudes towards nuclear science popularization. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey ( n = 506) administered to university students studying in Guangdong Province. Regression analysis revealed that university students’ willingness to study nuclear science is related to their concerns about nuclear science, their need for nuclear knowledge and their support for nuclear energy. In addition, only 12% of students have learned nuclear knowledge in university classes, and 13% have acquired that knowledge outside of classes. Notably, 89% of students want to learn more about nuclear science in the future. These findings suggest that nuclear science popularization efforts should identify and address the factors influencing students’ willingness to learn so that effective measures can be implemented to improve nuclear science popularization.

Bioplastics have the potential to mitigate plastic pollution and contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). However, the proportion of bioplastics in total plastic production is still comparatively low. Understanding consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) and influencing factors is essential as consumers’ demands drive the need for production. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to investigate consumers’ WTP and identify underlying drivers and barriers to sustainable purchase intention. Results showed that 89% of the time consumers chose the bioplastic medical masks while 11% of the time chose not to purchase. Biodegradability was the most valued attributes which reflected on the highest premium price for product that are biodegradable under six months. Consumers preferred first generation raw material rather than second and third generation raw material. Moreover, greater bioplastic percentage and free of pollutants information were preferred properties. By estimating the influence of covariates, results showed that education level, income, personal innovativeness, subjective norm, and influence of COVID-19 acted as drivers, whereas age and perceived policy effectiveness acted as barriers to sustainable consumption of bioplastic products. Based on the results, policy implications include highlighting sustainable attributes that consumers value, providing quality and reliability information, informing and educating targeted consumer groups, enhancing policy publicity, and adjusting policies based on feedback. These results can be used to develop market promotion strategies for bioplastic products and to increase bioplastic market shares and penetration.

The development of sustainable tourism has various stakeholders such as local residents, businesses, governments, visitors, travel agencies, and tourism companies. Tourism destinations need to be protected not only to ensure a better travel experience but also to ensure that they can be enjoyed in the future. This study explored the degree of influence of key stakeholders such as the government, travel agencies, local residents, and tourists on the development of sustainable tourism in Haikou, the capital city of the island province Hainan, China. This city is rich in tropical natural resources and offers unique opportunities for the development of tourism. In 2018, Haikou was selected as one of the first “International Wetland Cities” by the 13th United Nations Ramsar Convention. However, the high dependence on tourism and centralized consumption have caused several ecological and environmental problems in Haikou. An online questionnaire survey of 419 stakeholders was conducted, and factor analysis was used to identify five dimensions. The structural equation modeling method was used to explore the degree of influence of different relationships on sustainable tourism development in Haikou. The results indicated that key stakeholders are most concerned about tourism awareness, ecological protection, and sociocultural development. Therefore, further efforts to promote and develop tourism must focus on ecological and environmental protection. Creating positive travel experiences and managing tourism wisely can meet the demands of today without compromising the future.

Social acceptance is a challenging aspect that affects the development of geothermal energy and such issues have been reported in many countries, such as Germany, Japan, Greece, and Kenya. In this study, we discuss the barriers to social acceptance and associated risks faced by geothermal energy developers in East Africa. We have conducted semi-structured interviews with international organizations (38.5%), public companies (38.5%), and private companies (23.1%). The interviews were qualitatively analysed using inductive content analysis. The key barriers identified by respondents were the lack of political, market, and community awareness; lack of local political support; lack of public funding; human resource shortages; involuntary resettlement; local cultural aspects; employment issues; and demographic change. The lack of awareness of geothermal energy affects public and private funding, and leads to negative risk perception by communities. Risks, such as air, soil, and water pollution, land acquisition, social exclusion, resource risks, and drilling and project costs, were considered important by our respondents. In this study, we emphasize the need for the following: raising awareness regarding geothermal energy; training professionals; implementing strong surface studies to reduce the risks associated with the exploration stage; and conducting environmental and social impact assessment reports to mitigate negative risks to local communities, while also ensuring their engagement and raising their awareness about the negative risks of geothermal energy.