Purpose: This study investigates the mediating effect of Environmental Attachment (EA) among consumers in an emerging market, concentrating on the impact of two key factors: Green Environmental Awareness (GEA) and Sense of Responsibility (SOR) on Sustainable Product Consumption (SPC). Design/methodology/approach: A thorough online survey was carried out with Google Docs and distributed to 304 Pakistani consumers who now use or are considering purchasing sustainable or green products. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to rigorously test the suggested model utilizing a non-probability sampling technique, specifically the stratified purposive sampling approach. Findings: Green environmental awareness (GEA) and a sense of responsibility (SOR) have been shown to have a substantial impact on creating environmental attachment (EA) in both existing and potential customers of sustainable products. The findings of this study also revealed that environmental attachment (EA) plays an important role as a mediator in the links between green environmental awareness (GEA) and the consumption of sustainable goods (SPC), as well as between a sense of responsibility (SOR) and SPC. Despite this, it is crucial to note that the projected direct effect of GEA on SPC was shown to be statistically insignificant. This conclusion implies that additional factors outside the scope of this study may influence the relationship between GEA and SPC. Research limitations/implications: It is vital to highlight that the focus of this study is on an online sample of consumers near Punjab, Pakistan. Future studies should look at other parts of Pakistan to acquire a more complete picture of sustainable consumption trends. Furthermore, our findings suggest that characteristics impacting sustainable consumption, such as Green Environmental Awareness (GEA) and Sense of Responsibility (SOR), may differ among countries. As a result, performing a comparison analysis involving two or more countries could provide valuable insights into projecting sustainable product consumption among current and potential sustainable product customers. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by investigating the factors of sustainable consumption using the lens of the Norm Activation Model theory (NAM), notably Green Environmental Awareness (GEA) and Sense of Responsibility (SOR), to predict sustainable product consumption. The findings are important for promoting long-term goals in Pakistan and provide a framework that can be applied in other emerging markets.

Despite the efforts of public institutions and government spending, progress on the SDGs is mixed at the midpoint of the 2030 timeframe-some targets are off track and some have even regressed. ICT-related indicators, on the other hand, stand out for their strong progress. The author notes this progress, but questions its relationship to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. He argues that the growth in internet and mobile network penetration is due to the economic characteristics of communications development. The objectives of the article are to review the impact of the ICT sector on economic growth, to consider the role of government spending in the development of this sector in the context of fostering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to identify the prerequisites for significant progress towards SDG targets in communications. Achievement of these objectives will make it possible to determine whether this progress is a consequence of targeted efforts to achieve the SDGs, or whether, in accordance with the author’s hypothesis, it is based on the specifics of the ICT sector’s development, allowing for the accelerated spread of mobile communications and the Internet, which is reflected in the SDG indicators.

Uncontrolled economic development often leads to land degradation, a decline in ecosystem services, and negative impacts on community welfare. This study employs water yield (WY) modeling as a method for environmental management, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between Land Use Land Cover (LULC), Land Use Intensity (LUI), and WY to support sustainable natural resource management in the Cisadane Watershed, Indonesia. The objectives include: (1) analyzing changes in WY for 2010, 2015, and 2021; (2) predicting WY for 2030 and 2050 under two scenarios—Business as Usual (BAU) and Protected Forest Area (PFA); (3) assessing the impacts of LULC and climate change on WY; and (4) exploring the relationship between LUI and WY. The Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model calculates actual and predicted WY conditions, while the Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD) analyzes the LULC-WY relationship. Results indicate that the annual WY in 2021 was 215.8 × 108 m³, reflecting a 30.42% increase from 2010. Predictions show an increasing trend in WY under both scenarios for 2030 and 2050 with different magnitudes. Rainfall contributes 88.99% more dominantly to WY than LULC. Additionally, around 50% of districts exhibited unbalanced coordination between LUI and WY in 2010 and 2020. This study reveals the importance of ESs in sustainable watershed management amidst increasing demand for natural resources due to population growth.

This study investigates the impact of the metaverse on English language teaching, focusing on the perspectives of students from the University of Boyacá. The use of the metaverse was compared with the Moodle platform in a virtual educational environment. A mixed-method approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. The sample consisted of 30 university students enrolled in English courses, randomly assigned to two groups: one using the metaverse and the other using Moodle. Students’ grades on different activities and assessments throughout the course were collected, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore students’ perceptions of the educational platforms. Results revealed that while students recognize the potential of the metaverse to enhance interactivity and learning experience, they also identified technical and accessibility challenges. Although no significant differences in grades were found between the groups, less variability in grades was observed in the metaverse group. The mixed design allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of the metaverse on English language teaching, while providing a variety of student perspectives on their experience with educational technology. This research contributes to understanding the role of the metaverse in English language teaching and highlights key areas for future research and developments in the field of virtual education.

How are telecommunications infrastructure, institutions and poverty related in a war-torn economy such as Afghanistan? Afghanistan has been plagued by poor governance, low usage of telecommunications, and extreme poverty levels which can be termed triple-challenges. High levels of political instability affected telecommunications investment and adversely affected the adoption and diffusion of modern technology. This study examines the asymmetric effect of telecommunications and governance (institutions) on poverty reduction over the period 1989–2019 using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model. In the short run, we establish that information and communication technology, private domestic credit, governance, and educational access for males and females are essential tools that can be used for poverty reduction. In the long run, we also establish that Afghanistan can reduce poverty levels through the use of information and communication technology, governance, and educational access for both males and females. The following policy recommendations were suggested: research and development, robust policy formulation on governance and ICT, development of the ICT sector, and improved governance. These are critical in reducing the high poverty levels as well as solving the institutional challenges faced by Afghanistan.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were established in Brazil at the beginning of this century, following a global trend of using these partnerships to stimulate investment in infrastructures, particularly in a framework of restrictive budgetary and fiscal conditions. Despite their growing importance and the expectation of an expanding role in the future, not much is known about the actual facts on the ground. The objective of this paper is to be a first step in the direction of filling this information gap by providing important stylized facts about the universe of PPPs in Brazil: the quantitative evolution of PPP adoptions; the characterization of the geographical distribution of PPPs by government level (federal, state, district, and municipal); the characterization of the PPP intervention areas, including the total value of contracts and the modalities of PPP concession (sponsored and administrative). This objective is rendered possible by the development of a new database that covers the entire process of PPP contracting from 2005 to 2022, including the opening of public consultation procedures, the publication of the official notice, and the signing of contracts, as well as multiple thematic, financial, jurisdictional, and regional indicators. In turn, we see the establishment of these stylized facts as a necessary first step in the direction of understanding the factors that may determine or condition their adoption. In general, having a clear picture of the universe of the PPPs in Brazil is fundamental as their use and their role are expected to significantly increase in the future as the country pursues a path of improved economic activity and well-being of the population.