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Sustainable development has become a central and key goal for humanity (1 UN: Millenium Development Goals, 2 SDGs). There is no scientific or political consensus, however, about the root cause of unsustainability, so an effective cure is impossible. Nevertheless, unlimited inequality among nations and individuals, extreme poverty, and hunger are always among the most significant problems. It is also often claimed that the world’s current food production would be sufficient to feed all 7.7 billion people on Earth (see Appendix A 1) with a better (more even, ‘just’) distribution. Others use food hunger and poverty data to support claims for increased food production and agricultural output. In this paper we examine the first claim with real data, but from a theoretical perspective: is it true, theoretically, that if all of the produced and wasted food were made available to feed the extremely poor and hungry, we could reach zero hunger-related deaths? We will use food waste, hunger-related (+thirst) death, obesity, and calorie consumption data from the “happy” and “unhappy” parts of the Earth. The cause of food waste is dissonant in different economic systems, so its macro- and microeconomic approach is also completely different in different countries. The relationship between obesity, hunger, and food waste has not yet been explored in a structured framework; data are available but scattered. In this paper we propose a unified framework of comparable data as a first step in mapping the biggest missing, or at least wobbling circle of modern bio-economy: global food supply. Thinking globally is a first step toward progress development in food justice and a solution to UN sustainable development goals (SDG 2, 1, 3, and 10).
Gergely Tóth; János Zachár. Towards Food Justice – The Global-Economic Material Balance Analysis of Hunger, Food Security and Waste. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1324 .
AMA StyleGergely Tóth, János Zachár. Towards Food Justice – The Global-Economic Material Balance Analysis of Hunger, Food Security and Waste. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (7):1324.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGergely Tóth; János Zachár. 2021. "Towards Food Justice – The Global-Economic Material Balance Analysis of Hunger, Food Security and Waste." Agronomy 11, no. 7: 1324.
The aim of this study is to examine the factors influencing the electricity consumption of urban households and to prove these with statistically significant results. The study includes 46 small and medium-sized towns in Hungary. The methodology of the study is mainly provided by a model that can be used for this purpose; however, the results obtained with the traditional regression method are compared with the results of another, more complex estimation method, the artificial neural network, which has the advantage of being able to use different types of models. The focus of our article is on methodological alignment, not necessarily the discovery of new results. Certain demographic characteristics significantly determine the energy demand of a household sector in a municipality. In this case, as the ratio of people aged 60 or over within a city rises by 1%, the urban household average energy consumption decreases by 61 kilowatt hours, and when it rises by 1%, the amount of pollutants expelled from urban households’ average energy consumption may decrease by 22.8745 kg. The research area of our paper was greatly influenced by the availability of the statistical data. The results can be used in the planning of urban developments.
Ferenc Bakó; Judit Berkes; Cecília Szigeti. Households’ Electricity Consumption in Hungarian Urban Areas. Energies 2021, 14, 2899 .
AMA StyleFerenc Bakó, Judit Berkes, Cecília Szigeti. Households’ Electricity Consumption in Hungarian Urban Areas. Energies. 2021; 14 (10):2899.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFerenc Bakó; Judit Berkes; Cecília Szigeti. 2021. "Households’ Electricity Consumption in Hungarian Urban Areas." Energies 14, no. 10: 2899.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in the national economies of the EU member states. This economic activity has an inevitable environmental impact; however, environmental performance indicators are mostly measured at larger companies. Since the ecological footprint (EF) is a suitable measure of unsustainability, this paper considers it as a measure of the environmental impact of SMEs. An EF calculator for SMEs was developed that is freely available online, and it is a methodological innovation per se. Our previous research projects highlighted that the calculator must be easy-to-use and reliable; therefore, the calculator considers only the common, standardizable, and comparable elements of EF. Our results are based on validated ecological footprint data of 73 Hungarian SMEs surveyed by an online ecological footprint calculator. In order to validate and test the usefulness of the calculator, interviews were conducted with respondents, and results were also checked. The paper presents benchmark data of ecological footprint indicators of SMEs obtained from five groups of enterprises (construction, white-collar jobs, production, retail and/or wholesale trade, and transportation). Statistical results are explained with qualitative data (such as environmental protection initiatives, business models, etc.) of the SMEs surveyed. Our findings could be used as a benchmark for the assessment of environmental performance of SMEs in Central- and Eastern Europe.
Áron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Judit Beke; László Radácsi. Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1000 .
AMA StyleÁron Szennay, Cecília Szigeti, Judit Beke, László Radácsi. Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (2):1000.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Judit Beke; László Radácsi. 2021. "Ecological Footprint as an Indicator of Corporate Environmental Performance—Empirical Evidence from Hungarian SMEs." Sustainability 13, no. 2: 1000.
In this paper we present a complex Ecological Footprint (EF) analysis of one of the largest metropolitan regions in post-socialist East Central Europe, the Budapest Metropolitan Region. Our overall goal is to use both top-down and bottom-up approaches and measure the changes of footprint at a metropolitan scale between 2003 and 2013. Our specific objective is to explore how the spatial rearrangements of wealth, density and consumption influence the spatiotemporal changes of EF. The top-down (compound) calculations indicate growing footprint values both in Hungary and in the Budapest Metropolitan Region in the investigated period. However, household-level hybrid (component-based) calculations revealed decreasing footprint values for Hungary both in absolute and relative terms, and a growth for the metropolitan region. This finding suggests growing income disparities within the country. The indirect (consumption embedded) components of EF findings show that in the core city footprint values are higher due to higher disposable income. However, there is a gradual catching up in the suburban zone as younger and more affluent households arrive. On the other hand, direct per capita footprint values decreased in Budapest and grew in the suburbs between 2003 and 2013, mainly due to a higher heating footprint.
Zoltán Kovács; Gábor Harangozó; Cecília Szigeti; Krisztián Koppány; Attila Csaba Kondor; Balázs Szabó. Measuring the impacts of suburbanization with ecological footprint calculations. Cities 2020, 101, 102715 .
AMA StyleZoltán Kovács, Gábor Harangozó, Cecília Szigeti, Krisztián Koppány, Attila Csaba Kondor, Balázs Szabó. Measuring the impacts of suburbanization with ecological footprint calculations. Cities. 2020; 101 ():102715.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZoltán Kovács; Gábor Harangozó; Cecília Szigeti; Krisztián Koppány; Attila Csaba Kondor; Balázs Szabó. 2020. "Measuring the impacts of suburbanization with ecological footprint calculations." Cities 101, no. : 102715.
This study examines the expansion of a German free-float car-sharing company in Hungary from financial and sustainability perspectives. BMW and Daimler recently created the joint ventures ShareNow, ChargeNow, ReachNow, FreeNow, and ParkNow, which are having a significant global impact, as their services are now available in 14 different countries. We also expect further market development, since ShareNow started to operate in Hungary in May 2019. The whole EU market is just one step away from being covered by the same professional service, and the future might bring a real globally available free-float car-sharing service provider. Our review used a combination of two methodologies: financial statement-based business analysis and sustainability analysis. On the basis of this study, we concluded that these companies are primarily operated for profit and not on a sustainable operation basis. Additionally, it was also found that the current statistical data collection method does not measure precisely these activities. Financial reporting and sustainability reporting are connected, but they cover different areas. As a subject of further research, we suggest examining whether it is possible to establish a clear connection between these methodologies in the foreseeable future.
Árpád Tóth; Cecília Szigeti. Example of a German Free-Float Car-Sharing Company Expansion in East-Central Europe. Resources 2019, 8, 172 .
AMA StyleÁrpád Tóth, Cecília Szigeti. Example of a German Free-Float Car-Sharing Company Expansion in East-Central Europe. Resources. 2019; 8 (4):172.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁrpád Tóth; Cecília Szigeti. 2019. "Example of a German Free-Float Car-Sharing Company Expansion in East-Central Europe." Resources 8, no. 4: 172.
Circular economy is not the first, and probably not the last “movement” in the arena of sustainability macroeconomic and business solutions. In this article we produce a—not full—list of similar movements from the 1990s, publish a comparative table and propose a simple framework to decide the significant points of the life cycle of such a kind of movement. For significant points and statistics, we use simplified content analysis from normal and scientific research engines. Finally, we use this framework to make a forecast about time for the circular economy approach “to stay on the top” and conclude if these movements are “Much Ado about Nothing” or they help us on our way to a sustainable planetary, social and economic system.
Gergely Tóth. Circular Economy and its Comparison with 14 Other Business Sustainability Movements. Resources 2019, 8, 159 .
AMA StyleGergely Tóth. Circular Economy and its Comparison with 14 Other Business Sustainability Movements. Resources. 2019; 8 (4):159.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGergely Tóth. 2019. "Circular Economy and its Comparison with 14 Other Business Sustainability Movements." Resources 8, no. 4: 159.
“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was agreed upon in 2015 by the global community and proposes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the period between 2015 and 2030. Since the greater integration of goals was an explicit claim, there are numerous overlaps among them. One of the novelties of the SDGs is that, in order to achieve the set goals, the Agenda 2030 addresses not only the states but the businesses as well. In our study, the relationships between the SDGs were analyzed on the base of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicators linked to the goals. The analysis was carried out by cluster analysis. Our results indicate that there is a strong relationship to be found among nine of the 17 SDGs. That relationship is mainly technical, which is caused by the number of aligned (genuine) GRI indicators. Though there are relationships between the SDGs as well, their strength is much weaker. According to our classification of SDGs, we suggest that the gap of business attention among SDGs is smaller than it is showed by KPMG.
Áron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Norbert Kovács; Dániel Róbert Szabó. Through the Blurry Looking Glass—SDGs in the GRI Reports. Resources 2019, 8, 101 .
AMA StyleÁron Szennay, Cecília Szigeti, Norbert Kovács, Dániel Róbert Szabó. Through the Blurry Looking Glass—SDGs in the GRI Reports. Resources. 2019; 8 (2):101.
Chicago/Turabian StyleÁron Szennay; Cecília Szigeti; Norbert Kovács; Dániel Róbert Szabó. 2019. "Through the Blurry Looking Glass—SDGs in the GRI Reports." Resources 8, no. 2: 101.
The Ecological Footprint (EF) has become a very popular alternative indicator of development in the last three decades. It can be widely used to show the unsustainability of total and individual levels of consumption in countries. But can EF be a meaningful indicator at the micro level as well? This paper presents an argument on this issue. Based on a literature review including our own analysis and the correlation of EF with GDP and other alternative indicators, EF is evaluated at the macro level. Then, an original case study is presented, underpinning the applicability of EF on the company level, linking the ordinary corporate carbon footprinting with the EF method. Based on the findings, micro level EF calculations can help organizations in finding fields of intervention (inefficiencies and emission hotspots). EF accounting can also be used to evaluate the economic benefits of such measures after their realization.
Gergely Tóth; Cecília Szigeti; Gábor Harangozó; Dániel Róbert Szabó. Ecological Footprint at the Micro-Scale—How It Can Save Costs: The Case of ENPRO. Resources 2018, 7, 45 .
AMA StyleGergely Tóth, Cecília Szigeti, Gábor Harangozó, Dániel Róbert Szabó. Ecological Footprint at the Micro-Scale—How It Can Save Costs: The Case of ENPRO. Resources. 2018; 7 (3):45.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGergely Tóth; Cecília Szigeti; Gábor Harangozó; Dániel Róbert Szabó. 2018. "Ecological Footprint at the Micro-Scale—How It Can Save Costs: The Case of ENPRO." Resources 7, no. 3: 45.
Gabor Harangozo; Cecilia Szigeti. Corporate carbon footprint analysis in practice – With a special focus on validity and reliability issues. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 167, 1177 -1183.
AMA StyleGabor Harangozo, Cecilia Szigeti. Corporate carbon footprint analysis in practice – With a special focus on validity and reliability issues. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 167 ():1177-1183.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGabor Harangozo; Cecilia Szigeti. 2017. "Corporate carbon footprint analysis in practice – With a special focus on validity and reliability issues." Journal of Cleaner Production 167, no. : 1177-1183.
The ecological price of economic growth is a heavily debated issue, where ideologies often neglect factual information. In this paper, through the relationship of the ecological footprint and GDP, we examine the tendencies of eco-efficiency in the first decade of the 21st century. We conclude that the average ecological footprint intensity of countries have improved significantly in the given period. In 2009, 50 percent less area was needed to produce a unit of GDP. Many countries could reach the so-called strong decoupling − these countries could increase GDP while decreasing the ecological footprint in absolute terms. We also repeated the analysis of a scientific article published in 2004. We managed to update data and identify ecologically positive tendencies. In ten years, the average of the world’s ecological footprint intensity has significantly improved, it halved all in all. We found that 90 percent of the countries started to move to the direction of sustainable development. Among the studied 131 countries, 40 experienced strong decoupling (absolute decrease of resource use), in 77 countries weak decoupling occurred (relative decrease of resource use), and there were only 14 countries, where no decoupling could be observed (relative increase of resource use).
Cecilia Szigeti; Gergely Tóth; Daniel Robert Szabo. Decoupling – shifts in ecological footprint intensity of nations in the last decade. Ecological Indicators 2017, 72, 111 -117.
AMA StyleCecilia Szigeti, Gergely Tóth, Daniel Robert Szabo. Decoupling – shifts in ecological footprint intensity of nations in the last decade. Ecological Indicators. 2017; 72 ():111-117.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCecilia Szigeti; Gergely Tóth; Daniel Robert Szabo. 2017. "Decoupling – shifts in ecological footprint intensity of nations in the last decade." Ecological Indicators 72, no. : 111-117.
Gergely Toth; Cecília Szigeti. The historical ecological footprint: From over-population to over-consumption. Ecological Indicators 2016, 60, 283 -291.
AMA StyleGergely Toth, Cecília Szigeti. The historical ecological footprint: From over-population to over-consumption. Ecological Indicators. 2016; 60 ():283-291.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGergely Toth; Cecília Szigeti. 2016. "The historical ecological footprint: From over-population to over-consumption." Ecological Indicators 60, no. : 283-291.