Earticle

An increasing number of countries experience intermittent power outages which affect well-being. This paper fills a research gap by analyzing the effect of intermittent power outages on perceptions of safety, utilizing the South Africa Quality of Life Survey as a data source. The study employs seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) and ordered logistic (ordered logit) regression to assess the effect of power outage frequency on perceptions of safety: government security, daytime safety, nighttime safety, and home safety. The study found that more frequent exposure to power outages is associated with more negative perceptions of safety for all measures except for daytime safety in both estimation models. The research has political and policy implications. From a political perspective, frequent power outages worsen perceptions of government, which may translate into political actions as well as affect election results. From a policy perspective, the country should transform the current centralized electricity system into a locally distributed one based on renewable energy. Finally, the negative effects of intermittent power outages encompass energy justice, which emphasizes the provision of financial and physical government support to low-income households.

This study estimates the damage costs of summer season climate change in South Korea using weather derivatives. Unlike previous studies that used national mean temperatures, it incorporates data from 10 regions to reflect heterogeneous temperature processes. A mean-reversion model is used to estimate temperature changes, and Monte Carlo simulations are run based on five climate scenarios. The results show that higher mean temperatures and increased volatility significantly raise the cost of CDD call options. Further, it reveals that the heterogenetic temperature movement in each region makes substantially different weather conditions in the future. Under the BAU scenario, damages are estimated at KRW 1.26–1.85 trillion, while active climate policies can reduce the damage to around KRW 0.6 trillion. The findings illustrate the importance of implementing aggressive carbon reduction policies to mitigate long-term energy sector losses resulting from climate change.

This study compared importance and satisfaction of disability awareness education performance factors between groups with and without disability welfare work experience using revised IPA. Analysis of 316 participants revealed both groups identified instructor expertise and educational equipment as maintenance-reinforcement areas, education time as focus-improvement area, and schedule, prior notification, and evaluation reflection as gradual-improvement areas. Significant differences emerged in perceptions of educational content, methods, and participant numbers. Inexperienced participants viewed educational methods as focus-improvement area, while experienced participants considered it continuous-maintenance area. The experienced group prioritized instructor factors, while the inexperienced group emphasized educational environment and methodology. Findings suggest developing customized education programs according to work experience, differentiating educational content based on participant characteristics, and strengthening evaluation and feedback systems. This study contributes to evidence-based approaches for enhancing disability awareness education effectiveness and ultimately improving social perceptions of people with disabilities.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has been a crucial threat to both the environment and sustained economic growth. Therefore, it is essential for governments to understand how to balance the reduction of CO2 emissions with the pursuit of sustainable development. In this context, this study explores the association between economic growth and CO2 emissions in Vietnam, a country that has experienced strong economic growth in recent years. In this sense, this study aims to verify the existence of an inverted N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) by examining how environmental quality has changed in response to economy growth in Vietnam. In addition, the study investigates the relationship between CO2 emissions and renewable energy consumption. The empirical results indicates that Vietnam exhibits an inverted N-shaped EKC. These findings suggest that the linear and cubic terms of GDP per capita significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, while the quadratic term does not. The study also shows that increased consumption of renewable energy leads to reduction in CO2 emissions. Therefore, it is crucial for Vietnam to promote the consumption of renewable energy to achieve carbon neutrality in the future.

This research aims to evaluate the quality of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in developing countries in order to propose strategic directions for strengthening climate resilience. The study first developed nine resilient adaptation principles, grounded in international climate policy, to serve as a framework for the NAP evaluation. Then evaluation indicators were developed based on documents from international organizations and prior academic studies. A total of 54 NAPs from developing countries submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were assessed. Results indicate that while institutional cooperation and stakeholder engagement are relatively strong, many NAPs lack both clearly defined goals and robust systems for monitoring and evaluation on plan progress. Although environmental measures are widely addressed, social and economic aspects, particularly gender equality and climate finance remain underdeveloped. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive NAP that reflects resilient adaptation principles and highlights the importance of enhancing technical and financial support from the international community.

This study explores the potential of engineering literacy as a core competency in liberal education for students across all disciplines, particularly amid rising social risks driven by digital transformation. Focusing on a project-based course that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the research qualitatively examines learning outcomes among students from diverse majors. Findings indicate that students engaged deeply with engineering literacy elements—such as problem definition, creative problem solving, and systems thinking— while developing ethical awareness of technology’s societal impact. Team-based projects also enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration and social responsibility. The study proposes an applied model for integrating engineering literacy into liberal education and discusses the institutional challenges and opportunities involved. It underscores the need for education that fuses engineering thinking with ethical responsibility, aiming to cultivate civic-minded individuals equipped to navigate a complex digital society.