Environment, Enterprise and Development

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Enterprise and Development.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

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Analysis of the Impact of Fragmented Coordination During Natural Disaster Responses on Access to Drinking Water Following Cyclone Idai - Beira Case Study
(University of Waterloo, 2024-07-19) Judyn, Jerzy
Globally, disasters affect every domain of human activity and cause devastating losses across the human, economic and environmental domains. While they are extremely difficult to predict and prevent, the global society is, in principle, more than capable of mitigating many of the most severe consequences. Worryingly, while the prevailing efforts often fall short future disaster impacts are likely to become even less effective because of several compounding factors. Among the various novel perspectives that emerged to resolve the shortcomings of current disaster risk management efforts, a promising insight is offered by the lens of institutional vulnerability. This research provides a strong rationale for the recognition of institutional vulnerability as an insightful tool in addressing the most common areas of criticism around the existing DRM approaches. These finding are based on a case study analysis that centers around the 2019 Cyclone Idai and its impact on the City of Beira. The research reveals that institutional vulnerability is both a factor in the progression of vulnerability, but also a key mitigating variable in the development of the disaster. By expanding the analysis of the progression of vulnerability to include institutional vulnerability, it is possible to create a more comprehensive account of how a disaster unfolds and recognize the key role that institutional vulnerability has in amplifying or mitigating the disasters.
Improving the Provision of Mental Health Care in Small-Scale Fisheries to Boost Livelihood Outcomes: A Case Study of Chilika Lagoon in India
(University of Waterloo, 2024-07-17) Priya, Astha
Small-scale fisheries (SSF) support over 90 percent of the 120 million people engaged in capture fisheries globally. Due to their strong reliance on their surroundings, SSFs are in volatile positions. The ever-changing nature leads to social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities, such as loss of biodiversity, institutional changes and loss of income or poverty. These put millions of individuals at risk for negative impacts, which include not only physical health but also severe mental health consequences. Hence, there is a need to better understand mental health as a significant vulnerability in SSF and in turn, find solutions for improvement to the provision of care. Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being. Although most people are resilient, people who are exposed to adverse circumstances – including poverty, violence, disability, and inequality – are at higher risk of developing a mental health condition. Poor mental health leads to detrimental outcomes for fisher’s already vulnerable livelihoods, and if untreated can lead to death. Currently, there is a lack of aid available in these communities for adequate mental health care. The purpose of this research is to discover and provide recommendations for better-supporting individuals suffering from mental illnesses in SSF. A qualitative research methods approach will be used to investigate this aspect. The administered household questionnaire will be used to gain insight into how mental health is understood by fishers, how it is influenced, the negative effects on fishers’ livelihood, barriers present in improving their mental health and the overall needs of small-scale fishers - in the study area of Chilika Lagoon, India. This design will aid in unravelling the cultural context and experiences of the people. The implications of this research will be to discover solutions for providing better mental health care, and ultimately create a set of guiding recommendations for best practices in mental health care within SSF. The goal is to increase viable, sustainable local governance response in policy and society. Reducing poor mental health outcomes will transition small-scale fisheries from vulnerability to viability. The importance of this research is seen through its originality as there is limited literature for bridging mental health care and viability in the SSF context. Future studies should focus on ongoing efforts to understand the complex existence of mental health in small-scale fisheries, and the multidimensional response that is needed to address it. Consulting small-scale fishers to recognize their specific needs should continue to be prioritized in future solutions.
Identifying the Institutional, Stakeholder, and Behavioral-Level Drivers and Barriers for Scaling the Green Bond Market
(University of Waterloo, 2024-07-09) Saravade, Vasundhara
The green bond market is one of the most public faces of sustainable finance around the world. Not only has it had an inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary level of impact on how financial markets operate and addressing climate-related opportunities and challenges, but it has also instilled a sense of hope among stakeholders when it comes to climate action. However, with a growth of this market at an exponential rate, the reality of how stakeholders are adapting and rising to various challenges related to market development and scale are still under examined within the current academic literature. Using a multi-theoretical lens of institutional, stakeholder and behavioural theories, this dissertation addresses these literature gaps by evaluating the linkages between the “how”, “what” and “why” of green bond market growth. To do so, it employs a mix of methodological approaches and research designs. This dissertation undertakes a quasi-event-study approach and uses a difference-in-difference (DID) design to understand the direct impact of various green bond policies on the growth of this market – namely the “how” of market scale-up. To pinpoint “what” various market factors for scale-up are, this dissertation uses a concurrent mixed-methodological research design by triangulating various stakeholder or legitimacy-linked drivers and barriers of this market, using an expert-based survey as well as semi-structured interviews. To identify the motivations behind “why” this market is so highly in demand, this dissertation uses a discrete choice experimental survey among retail investors. By employing paired samples t-tests of differences and multivariate analysis of variance, this stage focuses on the influence of green bond framing effects as well as the mediating effects of behavioral norms and personal traits on investor preferences for green bonds. The results find that green bond markets are a complex ecosystem where a confluence of stakeholder engagement and policy approaches are required to effectively target current and future market growth. Furthermore, these approaches should be context specific in nature and tailored to the type of institution or country-level dynamics that already exist. Our results are also novel in its finding of the behavioral level biases and drivers in green bond investment decision-making and hence create a new theoretical framework by which we need to examine this market as well as other sustainable finance products. The main contribution of this work comes in the form of identifying the institutional, stakeholder, and behavioral-level drivers and barriers for scaling green bonds. More specifically, the growth of this market depends on the use of context-specific institutional coercive pressures and top-down policy approaches, fostering bottom-up market growth through stakeholder salience and legitimacy as well tapping into the individual level behavioral biases and heuristics in decision-making. The dissertation directly contributes to the fast-emerging body of academic literature on this market as well as provides a new institutional-, stakeholder- and behavioral-based theoretical framework by which to assess the impact of green bonds on a global scale.
Impact of Incorporating Corporate Sustainability into the Credit Risk Assessment of Nigerian Banks
(University of Waterloo, 2024-06-19) Makinde, Abolade Olayinka
Nigeria, a developing country with the largest economy in Africa, has a significant sustainable development (SDG) funding gap, and the banking sector has been identified as a collaborator in closing this gap through asset allocation to sustainable business. Banks’ primary concern in their asset allocation is credit risk reduction. However, there have been no studies in Nigeria to ascertain if allocating loans to more sustainable businesses can improve their credit risk prediction. To address this gap, this quantitative thesis sought to assess the cause-effect relationship between sustainability performance and credit risk. Employing the Good Management Theory, the impact of integrating sustainability performance with conventional criteria of Nigerian corporate borrowing clients on borrowers’ default risk and banks’ credit risk prediction was evaluated. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study found that integrating sustainability assessment increases the prognostic validity of credit risk prediction by 3.7%, and improved sustainability performance was associated with reduced borrowers’ default risk. The study found that the social sustainability subfactor had the most significant impact on credit risk prediction, while the borrowing client’s firm sector was found to increase the prediction accuracy. Overall, the study findings agree with the Good Management Theory. The study contributes significantly to the academic literature on the impact of sustainability performance on credit risk in Africa, identified the most significant sustainability indicators, the effect of the firm’s corporate lifecycle, and designed a new survey instrument suitable to measure sustainability performance in Africa.
An Examination of the Social, Legal and Political Factors that Impact the Permitting Process for Wind Energy Transmission Line Projects in Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2024-06-04) Dykstra, Erin
In order to mitigate the effects of climate change, energy systems are undergoing a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is a core component of decarbonization and climate mitigation strategies, and wind energy is one of the fastest growing and most affordable sources of renewable power. However, locations in Canada with the best onshore wind energy resources are often remote and unserved or underserved by the current electrical grid. In order to support expanded deployment of wind energy in these locations, transmission lines must be constructed or expanded. While researchers have identified a lack of sufficient transmission infrastructure as one of the most significant barriers to increasing wind energy generation capacity, no study has thoroughly examined the factors that impact the permitting process of wind energy transmission line projects in Canada. This thesis aims to fill this research gap by examining the social, legal, and political factors that impact wind energy transmission line projects in Canada. This research was composed of (1) a content analysis of transmission line permitting documents from a selection of Canadian provinces and the federal government, and (2) an online survey of professionals active in the transmission line permitting process, including energy producers, energy regulators, permitting authorities, private firms, and public policy professionals. The results of the content analysis—which revealed that permitting documents do not include information about the factors impacting permitting decisions—and low participation rate in the survey indicate a lack of transparency in the permitting process, a finding which is in accordance with institutional theory and prior research demonstrating the difficulty of studying closed government processes. Statistical and descriptive analyses of the survey data revealed a complicated relationship between permitting processes, public policy, lobbying, and public opinion. These results align with public values theory, social license to operate theory, and prior research demonstrating the importance of public consultation and community acceptance for infrastructure projects, especially projects such as above-ground transmission lines and wind turbines that have a significant aesthetic impact on the surrounding community.
Assessing Differences in Household Food Insecurity Vulnerabilities Post-Cyclone Idai in Beira, Mozambique
(University of Waterloo, 2024-05-30) Sunu, Naomi Elikem
Food insecurity is a complex sustainability challenge that is being worsened by frequent extreme weather disasters, especially within low-to-middle-income-countries (LMICs). Mitigating post-disaster food insecurity requires data for targeted interventions. Yet, there is limited research on household-characteristics connections with post-disaster food insecurity in LMICs. This study therefore focused on the aftermath of the 2019 Cyclone Idai disaster in Beira, Mozambique, and examined the differences in household food insecurity vulnerabilities using household and personal food environment characteristics, and adaptations to the disaster. Social-ecological systems (SES) theoretical and disaster management lenses informed the collection of data across household (microsystem), community (mesosystem) and humanitarian institutions (macrosystem) levels, as well as the assessment of household food insecurity vulnerabilities. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory study design was employed. The quantitative study entailed a household survey that collected data from 975 households. However, descriptive, univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were conducted on n=709, which had a complete set of data for the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) measurement of food insecurity, and the household, personal food environment and adaptation to disaster variables. The follow-up qualitative study entailed the use of interview guides to conduct audio-recorded focus-group discussions with households and community leaders, and key-informant interviews with selected personnel from humanitarian institutions addressing food insecurity. The qualitative data was transcribed verbatim, and thematic content analysis was applied. Both quantitative and qualitative results were triangulated to present the findings. There were statistically significant increases in household food insecurity one month after the cyclone compared to the month before levels (p<0.05), with the median HFIAS score increasing from 14 to 18 post-Cyclone Idai. The presence of multiple vulnerability characteristics such as large household sizes, severe underlying food insecurity and low-income within a household, influenced more severe food insecurity post-Cyclone Idai. Also, the displaced households of the study were isolated from food markets and had pre-existing food accessibility challenges within their personal food environment, which was compounded by the loss of houses post-cyclone. Most adaptations were made during Cyclone Idai response and not preparedness. Adaptations to the disaster that enabled food access included the use of household savings, and food-sourcing facilitated by bridging and linking social capital at the mesosystem and macrosystem levels. Regardless, the facilitation of food-sourcing adaptations was constrained by macrosystem level challenges in targeting vulnerable households for food aid distribution. Additionally, non-reciprocal bonding social capital interactions created food access constraints for households that gave to others. The findings support the mitigation of recurrent, severe post-disaster household food insecurity episodes in Beira, Mozambique. This requires the integration of interventions for household food insecurity, disaster risk reduction and equitable food systems, all underpinned by well-coordinated stakeholder collaborations across all SES levels.
Assessing Adaptations to Global Transformational Events in Canadian Corporate Social Responsibility Practices
(University of Waterloo, 2024-05-17) Billedeau, David Benjamin
This dissertation investigates the following question: do global transformational events result in transient or transformational changes in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices? The novel concept of global transformational events is defined as pivotal incidents—both endogenous and exogenous—with profound global repercussions, creating catalysts that inherently drive shifts in corporate operations and global market dynamics. Adapting the PICOT framework from clinical health research, this dissertation assesses the impact of global transformational events on CSR. PICOT stands for Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time, and it provides a structured format for formulating research questions in evidence-based practice. This approach helps to compare changes in corporations' CSR initiatives before and after global transformational events. The data used within this work is gleaned from a diverse range of sources including interviews with industry representatives, annual reports, and public records. The dissertation spans eight chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the research theme, while Chapter 2 reviews the theoretical foundation of CSR decision-making in both stable and volatile operating environments. The heart of the dissertation, Chapters 3 through 6, is rooted in empirical case studies. Chapters 3 and 4 assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CSR initiatives within Canada, with a cross-sector overview in the former and a specific focus on the automotive manufacturing sector in the latter chapter. Chapter 5 evaluates the influence of the Paris Agreement on decarbonization commitments in Canada's automotive manufacturing sector. Chapter 6 examines the role of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in guiding community investment decisions by leading Canadian private sector companies. The emerging domain of sustainability management and its potential to augment CSR practices is the focus of Chapter 7. Chapter 8 then synthesizes the findings, highlighting contributions to knowledge, theory, and practice, as well as outlining future research directions. In sum, this dissertation examines the degree to which CSR initiatives of large firms operating in Canada are influenced by global transformational events, while underscoring prevailing corporate tendencies to gravitate towards a "business as usual" mindset. This inclination persists even when external operating circumstances have undergone dramatic shifts, suggesting a resistance to adapt to new paradigms. This pattern underscores a gap between the potential for—and the realization of—sustained CSR changes in response to global transformational events, encouraging further scrutiny of corporate behaviour to ensure meaningful alignment of corporate operations with environmental and societal wellbeing.
Student Perceptions of Green FinTech Adoption
(University of Waterloo, 2024-05-14) Zhetpisbayeva, Ainur
Technology has become a key instrument for addressing climate change concerns in the modern era. Specifically, it gave rise to Green FinTech, which can significantly mitigate adverse environmental effects by incentivising people to engage in pro-environmental behaviour and green finance. Green FinTech is a novel, unexplored green technology phenomenon with a nascent adoption rate. To address this gap, this study investigates whether the proposed research model – which extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and incorporates perceived risk and perceived trust – can offer a more comprehensive understanding of the adoption of Green FinTech for the students at the University of Waterloo. This study has investigated the influence of TAM constructs, namely perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, on users' attitudes towards Green FinTech. Additionally, it has explored the effects of TPB constructs, including attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioural control, on the intention to adopt Green FinTech. The research used a quantitative approach: data collection by questionnaire. Based on the research model, eight hypotheses were developed and tested using structural equation modelling techniques (SEM- PLS). The research results indicate that attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioural control significantly affect the intention to use Green FinTech applications. Notably, the perceived usefulness emerges as the primary driver shaping attitudes toward Green FinTech usage. Although perceived ease of use and perceived trust also contribute positively to attitude formation, their impacts are comparatively smaller. Surprisingly, perceived risks do not significantly influence the attitude toward Green FinTech adoption. Moreover, the study reveals that perceived trust is a significant mediator between perceived risk and attitude towards using Green FinTech applications. To enhance adoption rates, Green FinTech service providers should prioritise the usefulness of their services in environmental protection, address consumer needs, and ensure data protection to foster trust. Remarkably, the research model elucidates 68% of the variance in attitude and 54% in the intention to use Green FinTech, offering a comprehensive understanding of individual adoption determinants, thus contributing significantly to the literature on Green FinTech adoption.
Analyzing Corporate Governance Mechanisms for Sustainability in Firms: From Concepts to Practices
(University of Waterloo, 2024-04-24) Bajwa, Muhammad Moaz Tariq
Corporate sustainability is becoming more prevalent, leading to the intertwining of governance mechanisms at the organizational level, which is ultimately responsible for sustainability and the financial performance of firms. The urgency of corporate governance challenges requires firms to define sustainability measures and strategies. In the current literature, there is a continuous reference to the progression of corporate governance and corporate sustainability. To achieve sustainability targets and ensure higher financial performance, a firm must seek more precision in its governance mechanisms. However, the literature on corporate governance and how it affects firms' sustainability performance is lacking, specifically in exploring how effective corporate governance mechanisms can assist firms in improving their financial performance. The governance-sustainability nexus can be advanced by conducting strategic research that examines a wider range of theories and analytical models. The study is a step toward understanding how effective governance mechanisms can lead to sustainable and financially successful organizations. Furthermore, the study guides firms in their decision-making, resource allocation, and global sustainability efforts. In this dissertation, the first study systematically documents how different corporate governance mechanisms affect the link between sustainability and the financial performance of firms. The study has used cluster analysis to identify three focus areas: board-level governance, operational-level governance, and assurance-level governance. The findings have policy implications for firms seeking to integrate sustainability into their operations, in addition to consolidating the existing knowledge and frameworks in which governance and sustainability research intersect. The results provide a comprehensive overview of emerging governance strategies related to firm performance. Despite this, more deductive evidence was required in the literature covered in the next two studies. The second study empirically evaluates the influence of board and operational governance on the relationship between sustainability and the financial performance of firms. The study utilized the structural equation modelling method to examine the sample of 224 large and actively traded Canadian firms listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The results revealed partial mediation effects of board governance and operational governance, both singly and jointly, and full mediation in the relationship between sustainability and financial performance of firms. The results were evaluated based on factors affecting firms' sustainability and financial performance, including firm type, age, and other industry-specific characteristics. The study provides valuable insights for firms to link governance structures with sustainability for better financial performance outcomes and include an integrated sustainability focus in their competitive strategies. The third study empirically tests the impact of workforce practices on firms' environmental and social performance. The relationship between workforce practices and the sustainability performance of firms is being examined by examining the mediating effect of firms' financial performance. The study examines the moderating effect of firm age on workforce practices and the sustainability performance of firms. A linear regression analysis was employed to analyze the sample of 224 large and actively traded Canadian firms in the study. The findings significantly impact the direct and indirect impacts of workforce practices on firms' environmental and social performance. The findings suggest that firms choose the right mix of practices to tailor workforce management and achieve better sustainability performance in their environmental and social initiatives. The research presented in this dissertation has contributed to knowledge and scholarly literature about how a firm's sustainability performance is influenced through the adoption of various governance mechanisms. The research provides a basis for adopting a normative and functional approach to tackle contextual challenges while seeking sustainability at a firm level. The study departs from a narrower approach of firms’ financial performance when it comes to sustainability initiatives driven through governance mechanisms. The study provides instruments which could help firms to partially integrate sustainability into their business strategies.
Problematizing eurocentric sustainability within the context of business management and exploring the pluriversality of sustainability
(University of Waterloo, 2024-04-18) Patara, Saveena
Business is held responsible for much of the world’s unsustainability and despite over 50 years of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse and practice, the state of sustainability continues to deteriorate. This is because businesses within a capitalistic system tend to approach sustainability the same way they do business, bastioned by ideals of profit maximization and the commodification of nature. Additionally, sustainability discourse and practice are largely based on Western values, judgment, and epistemology, which determines the construction, framing, and understanding of sustainability problems and responses. This study refers to this as eurocentric sustainability whereby the mindset that created the problem, is the same mindset used to solve it. As such, there is an imperative to understand and pursue sustainability in pluralistic ways, which includes not only the perspectives of people who have traditionally been excluded from the discourse (plurality) but also approaches to knowledge and meaning beyond the limited parameters of Western epistemology and hermeneutics (pluriversality). Thus, the central aims of this dissertation are to problematize eurocentric sustainability and explore the pluriversality of sustainability through three separate but interconnected studies. The first study is a systematic literature review of eurocentrism and Just Sustainabilities (JS) within business management and the implications for sustainability and corporate social responsibility, by understanding what characterizations of eurocentrism and Just Sustainabilities are presented in business management literature. The findings suggest four key features of eurocentrism - the superiority of Western people, countries, ideas, knowledge, and values, which are expressed through the domination and oppression of people and nature, universalism, particularly of knowledge and culture, and modernity. These characteristics are also reflected in the broader eurocentrism scholarship and serve as the lens for this dissertation. JS is one approach for conducting plurality research that centers on sustainability injustices, largely created by the consequences of eurocentrism. The study illuminates the importance of problematizing eurocentrism within the sustainability discourse which continues to promote the superiority and universality of Western knowledge and epistemology that serves to exacerbate sustainability issues and maintain inequities. Next through an empirical inquiry using semi-structured interviews, the second study examines how the climate and sustainability discourses are perceived by owner-managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and what influence spirituality has on these understandings. Eight discourses emerged, each illuminating a distinct way of thinking and speaking about climate and sustainability. The four discourses of interdependency, social, longevity, and responsibility present a collectivist framing. Whereas the four discourses of superiority, power, paradoxical, and pessimism speak to perceptions of and reactions to eurocentric sustainability, which may be the cause of inaction by some participants. However, this inaction should not be mistaken as a lack of motivation, knowledge, or resources as it is more likely to do with not wanting to engage in eurocentric sustainability given the maladaptive outcomes it produces and/or their high costs. Further, many spoke of sustainability through ideas of totality, interdependency, equilibrium, and harmony; and that nature is intertwined with spirituality, which is also conveyed through themes of interdependency and equilibrium, revealing common threads between sustainability and spirituality. A key contribution of the second study is that it empirically demonstrates sustainability means different things to different people and also suggests that sustainability leaders and experts avoid viewing themselves as the only knowledge holders. The third study examines what motivates, supports, and limits participants in pursuing climate and environmental action using thematic analysis of the same dataset. The findings demonstrate that most respondents show deep concern for sustainability issues and see their role as minimizing environmental harm; often grounded by a culture of ‘no waste’. Outwardly, the biggest enablers and barriers are related to financial considerations. However, a deeper examination reveals that the inauthenticity of sustainability and CSR practices also creates cynicism and distrust, shaping attitudes and engagement in environmental action. This is a noteworthy finding as extant studies show the engagement of SMEs in environmental action is largely influenced by owner-managers’ values. This dissertation makes several scholarly, empirical, and practical contributions to sustainability management scholarship, including novel associations as a result of integrating data points from euroentrism, business management, SME, spirituality, and collectivism-individualism scholarship to create or strengthen relationships among these discourses through a problem-focused approach. As pluriversality studies are relatively nascent in most academic domains, this research also serves to trailblaze a path for empirical pluriversality studies examining sustainability in business management.
Water Secure and Climate Resilient Ontario: Developing a Transdisciplinary Water Risk Management Framework and Decision Support Tool to Guide Multi-Sector Sustainable Water Management Policies and Strategies
(University of Waterloo, 2024-04-03) Sandhu, Guneet
Sustainable management of water resources, which provide critical social, economic, cultural, and ecological functions, is essential for sustainable development, yet risks to water security are growing. The province of Ontario is an interesting case for investigating water risks, risk perception, and water risk management. Nestled between the Great Lakes, a “myth of water abundance” exists amidst a myriad of local water challenges, including the lack of safe drinking water in Indigenous communities, dwindling flows, groundwater overextraction, deteriorating water quality, regulatory complexity, and water-user conflicts. While academic interest in water risk assessment and sustainable water management is growing, the literature reveals limited interdisciplinary investigation of local water risks and how these risks are perceived, evaluated, and managed by influential non-state actors like the corporate and financial sector. Addressing these gaps, this dissertation focused on its phenomenon of interest of water security risks in Ontario. It executed a three-stage interconnected objective and examined water risk assessment, perception, evaluation, and management using a novel normative-analytical theoretical framework. The first stage assessed interdisciplinary biophysical and social water risks at the sub-watershed scale in Ontario using secondary data analysis. It found high and moderate risk in at least 50% of studied sub-watersheds for all water risks, challenging the myth of water abundance. The second stage examined water risk perception and evaluation in the corporate and financial sector, using explanatory mixed methods (survey followed by interviews). It confirmed that risk-centric, individual-centric (cognitive, affective, socio-cultural demographic, trust-based), and spatial factors generate risk perception and impact water risk evaluation. Thus, revealing the nuanced model of expert risk perception. The third stage investigated water risk management strategies using a survey and interviews of corporate and financial practitioners. Moreover, using transdisciplinary approaches, it developed a contextually-attuned water risk decision support tool to guide multi-sector sustainable water management policies and strategies in Ontario. The results emphasize a combination of regulatory, voluntary, and multi-stakeholder participatory approaches, tailored based on the sector, location, and context, and risk severity, is necessary. Moreover, the criteria of flexibility, efficiency, strategic incentives, economic, and regulatory signals are essential. This dissertation contributes to the knowledge in the fields of sustainability management, socio-hydrology, risk analysis, and water resources management. It is the first-of-a-kind comprehensive scholarship to address the wicked sustainability issue of water security using social-ecological perspectives and Risk Theory, a new theoretical arena, intersecting multiple disciplinary paradigms to empirically validate the normative-analytical theoretical framework for water. The interdisciplinary water risk assessment revealed a higher total water risk, highlighting the importance of including contextual variables. Revealing the impact of risk perception on water risk evaluation and management in the corporate and financial sector, the dissertation challenges the rational risk perception model of experts and practitioners, hence making a novel empirical contribution to risk analysis. Finally, the dissertation demonstrates the use of interdisciplinary data, transdisciplinary methods, and normative-analytical theoretical frameworks to investigate nuanced systems-based constructs like water risks, water risk perception, and develop decision support tools. Thus, advocating for widespread inclusion of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches in sustainability management research.
SEGMENTATION INFORMS THE GAMIFICATION OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD CONSUMPTION
(University of Waterloo, 2024-01-18) Modol, Sebastien
Food systems activities produce around 30% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are responsible for numerous environmental issues which could ultimately harm our ability to grow food reliably. One way to reduce the food system’s impacts is to transition to a more sustainable diet composed of low impact foods. The objective of this study is to identify consumers demonstrating an intention to consume sustainably produced foods, and to identify their characteristics to inform the design of targeted gamified interventions that would promote sustainable food purchasing. A survey incorporating variables from the theory of planned behaviour (e.g. attitude), socio-demographic information (e.g. age), gamification profiling variables (e.g. player typology), as well as preferred mobile applications, was developed in this study and distributed via a market survey company. Statistical analysis in the form of hierarchical clustering was used to segment and identify target markets, while contingency analysis assessed the most effective means of promoting sustainable diets. A total of four hundred and ninety surveys were distributed and three hundred and seventy-six of them were validated because they agreed to participate, were not detected as potential AI powered responses, and their responses from the theory of planned behaviour were completed. Linear regression was used to assess the significance of all variables on the intent to consume a sustainable diet. Cluster analysis identified 3 potential target segments, and contingency analysis was used to detect their unique features. Two consumer segments were identified as having high potential as a target market. Individuals in this market intended to consume a sustainable diet but lacked follow through. Strong evidence towards the effectiveness of gamification of interventions was not observed due to low and medium frequency in gaming behaviours for the two target segments. Interventions distributed through mobile applications would be most effective if they were delivered through social media and included game design elements associated with Philanthropist and Free Spirit user types. The survey was confined to Ontario, therefore it may not be generalizable to other regions. Nevertheless, this study is unique in its assessment of the profiles of consumers with high intention to purchase sustainably sourced foods through a combination of the theory of planned behaviour, socio-demographic factors, gamification player types and game behaviours, as well as preferred mobile application usage.
Support for the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Impact on Non-Renewable Energy Sector Investments in United States Public Pension Funds
(University of Waterloo, 2023-12-13) Issett, Melanie
The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are expected to play an important role in advancing the transition towards a climate target-aligned economy. However, the impact of the TCFD framework on investment decisions in sectors vulnerable to climate-related risks, such as the non-renewable energy sector, has yet to be studied. Applying the lens of institutional theory, this study investigates whether normative pressures stemming from voluntary support for the TCFD influence non-renewable energy sector investment decisions by public pension funds in the United States. This study employs a quantitative approach to pursue three interconnected objectives. First, identify the public pension funds in the United States that support the TCFD, and among those, identify their stage of implementation of the TCFD’s recommendations. Second, assess whether fund size and location are influential in determining TCFD support or implementation stage. Third, examine whether the exposure to non-renewable energy sector investments before and after the release of the TCFD recommendations in 2017 significantly differs depending on whether a fund supports the TCFD or not. The study’s findings reveal that 8 of 191 sampled public pension funds in the United States support the TCFD and are at various stages of implementation of the recommendations. Fund size was identified as a significant predictor of both TCFD support and stage of implementation, with larger funds more likely to be supporters and more advanced in implementation. California and New York were the only states with public pension funds that support the TCFD. Location, specifically whether a fund is in California or New York, emerged as a significant predictor of TCFD implementation stage, with funds in these two states being more advanced in implementation. Lastly, no significant differences in exposure to non-renewable energy sector investments before and after the TCFD recommendations were released between TCFD supporters and non-supporters were found. These findings contribute to the literature on the implementation of the TCFD framework and its impacts on investment decision-making. They also apply institutional theory in a new context and demonstrate that normative pressures resulting from voluntary TCFD support have not redirected institutional investments away from the non-renewable energy sector, despite its significant climate-related risks. These findings may be of interest to policymakers working towards a climate target-aligned economy and considering regulatory measures to influence institutional investment decisions. They also may be of interest to public and private pension funds seeking to understand market engagement with the TCFD and its impact on investment decisions.
Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on the Livelihood Resilience of Small-Scale Fisheries: A Comparative Analysis
(University of Waterloo, 2023-11-21) Abdelbaset, Maha
Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) serve as a vital economic cornerstone in many nations, and play a pivotal role in reinforcing food security and eradicating poverty. Despite their significance, SSF systems and the communities they support remain vulnerable, marginalized, and often overlooked. The emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns and restrictions further exacerbated the vulnerability of these small-scale fisheries. These measures effectively halted the routine activities of fishers and traders, resulting in a sharp decline in daily catch, market disruptions, and the inability of households to secure essential food supplies. Additionally, this crisis laid bare the pre-existing vulnerabilities within small-scale fisheries, shedding light on the system's lack of adaptive capacity and resilience among its actors. This study explores the resilience of livelihoods within small-scale fisheries, utilizing the pandemic impacts as a critical stressor pushing the system's actors to their threshold. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the livelihood resilience of small-scale fisheries, and to identify the key adaptive responses and factors leading to their successful implementation. To achieve this aim, I assess the impact of COVID-19 on the livelihood resilience of small-scale fisheries communities employing a comparative analysis of six case studies. These case studies feature six countries that experienced substantial impact on their SSFs, namely Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Senegal, and Canada, all of which are integral components of the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Global Partnership Research Project funded by SSHRC. The case study analysis was grounded in the Social-Ecological Regime Shifts Analytical Framework. This framework consists of six elements that are essential to address when analyzing a social-ecological system experiencing a regime shift due to an external stressor. The outcomes of the comparative analysis offer an in-depth understanding of how COVID-19 has impacted the various actors within SSF value chains and their responses to this unprecedented disruption. Additionally, the analysis helps determine the scales within the system that reached critical thresholds, providing valuable insights for suggested interventions to mitigate these impacts. Furthermore, the analysis identifies the actual scales of intervention tackled by governments and communities. By comparing the suggested and the actual scales of intervention, the study identifies the five key adaptive responses that have been most effective, namely, consumer-base shift in fish marketing, Alternative Seafood Networks (ASNs), Government aid, sensitive regulations, and community-based approaches. Moreover, the study identified factors leading to the success or failure of these strategies. These factors facilitate long-term interventions such as adaptability, alternatives, knowledge, and tools. These findings contribute to the best practices in governance, coping, and adaptation strategies that can bolster the adaptive capacity of Small-Scale Fisheries. Furthermore, the outcomes inform policymakers, stakeholders, and governments of the essential factors to transform to adaptive governance. This research enhances our understanding of the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic and what contributes to the resilience and sustainability of these vital systems and the communities that depend on them.
Nudging Toward Sustainability: A Pilot Study on Promoting Pro-Environmental Behavior and Reducing Carbon Emissions in a Net-Zero Carbon Building
(University of Waterloo, 2023-10-13) Yousuf, Mohamed
As the building industry grapples with the challenges of sustainability and climate change, the role of individual behavior in resource and energy conservation practices has received less attention than technical options. This pilot study aims to address this gap by investigating the effectiveness of "nudges," or targeted information interventions, in promoting pro-environmental behavior and reducing carbon emissions in a net-zero building in Ontario, Canada. Using a carbon footprint methodology and marginal emission approach, the study looks at the interplay between human and physical factors in driving sustainable behavior. By expressing carbon emissions as a function of time and applying socio-psychological frameworks to guide effective intervention strategies, this research study contributes to the growing body of literature on sustainable building practices and carbon reduction. The study also offers insights into the potential for nudges to be used as a tool for promoting sustainable behavior and reducing carbon emissions in buildings.
Exploring Technology Adoption in Canada’s Mineral Mining Sector: Navigating Through an Interplay of Factors
(University of Waterloo, 2023-10-05) Crabbe, Mackenzie
The mining sector is currently experiencing a period of disruption where technological innovations such as electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and drones are transforming how the industry operates. Little is known, however, about the factors that drive, enable, and impede technology adoption in the mining sector, particularly in the context of Canada. To address this gap, this research explores the drivers, enablers, and barriers to technology adoption in Canada's mineral mining sector through an online survey, structured by the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, with insights from similar research in the context of Australia. The findings of this research suggest that the top three technologies being adopted by mining companies in Canada are battery electric vehicles (BEV's), sensors, and autonomous equipment. In the Canadian context, the technology adoption process for mining companies is influenced by a complex interplay of factors determined by the three commonly cited dimensions of sustainability (economic, social, environmental). While economic considerations, such as productivity and efficiency, to reduce operating costs and competitive pressures underpin technology adoption decisions, mining companies are also motivated to adopt technologies by social factors such as improvements to health and safety for workers, and environmental factors such as to reduce diesel emissions. Economic factors, such as costs of the technology, implementation costs, limited internal capital, and the capital intensive nature of the sector, underpin the barriers to technology adoption for mining companies with operations in Canada. This research concludes with suggestions for future research, and key theoretical contributions.
Value Chain and Vulnerabilities in Small-Scale Fisheries Communities of Makoko, Lagos, Nigeria
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-26) CHUKWUEMEKA, HAPPINESS
This thesis aims to understand the value chain in the Makoko fishing community historically as well as the current perspective. The study examined how value chain contributes to vulnerabilities in a small-scale fishing community and consequently suggested factors that can address the gaps in the value chain to enable it to transition from vulnerability to viability. The strategy of inquiry is a single community focussed study (case study). The value chain gaps, conduct, structure, and vulnerabilities within the small-scale fishing community were explored using a qualitative approach to gain a deeper understanding of the social phenomenon that would aid in proffering value chain enablers that can move the community towards viability. Data from focused group discussions n=10, multi-stakeholder interviews at different nodes of the value chain (fishers (20), wholesalers (20), retailers (20), processors (20), households (20) totaling n=100 and interviews were completed by the Fisheries Management department representatives n=10 at the study location in Makoko, Lagos, Nigeria. The results of the interviews and focused group discussions highlight a dysfunctional governance of the value chain which is propelling the value chain to contribute to vulnerabilities within the small-scale fishing community. Findings indicate a disconnect between the value chain actors and the value chain leadership, who are custodians of value chain management in the study location. Further findings show that there is inadequate government attention to fishery management in Makoko as enabling laws were not institutionalized and community leadership seemed non-existent in the fishery governance in the community. Significant implications of dysfunctional governance of the value chain for the community include social injustice, economic inequality, environmental degradation, loss of traditional knowledge, loss of food security and livelihoods, lack of investment and innovation, conflicts, and social tension, etc. Studying value chains and vulnerabilities in small-scale fishing communities adds to the existing literature and provides further insights into the complex relationships between these communities and their natural resource. The comprehensive knowledge provides an informed, focused, and policy-tailored approach to addressing challenges and promoting sustainable well-being in these communities.
The Impacts of China’s ETS on Firm Competitiveness; Evidence from the Power and Heat Production Sector
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-25) Zhang, Mingming
Carbon emissions are one of the primary causes of climate change. In the coming decades, the economic costs to deal with climate change are estimated to be 10% of the global GDP. To mitigate the threats, Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is proposed as a cost-efficient carbon pricing approach to reduce the CO2 emissions in industrial production. Since 2013, the Chinese government has launched seven pilot ETS projects, and successionally, in 2021, the national carbon trading market was established. The national ETS in China covers more than 2,000 power and heat production plants, which accounts for 40% to 50% of China's industrial emissions and 10% of worldwide carbon emissions. Even though the expansion of China ETS is rapid, there is a limited number of analyses on the effectiveness and impacts of ETS. This study aims to further the understanding of the impacts of China’s pilot Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) on firm competitiveness in the power and heat production sector. According to the market externality of environmental emissions and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT), the pilot ETS will inevitably affect the firms’ production and introduce uncertainties to their decision-making process. However, there has been no consensus for debates between the Compliance Cost Hypothesis and the Porter Hypothesis over the impact of environmental regulations on firms. Maintaining firms’ competitiveness in the sluggish market is critical after the COVID pandemic. Firms with better competitiveness are more attractive to external resources and show stronger resilience in a volatile environment. Governments are expected to roll out appropriate regulations to minimize the financial costs of regulations compliance and, meanwhile, guarantee effectiveness. Hence, it is essential to study and understand how ETS affects the firm competitiveness in seven pilot projects. This study explores the firm competitiveness of participants in the power and heat production sector from the perspectives of firm profitability, production investment, and environmental performance. The data on Return-of-Assets (ROA), operating costs, and carbon emissions at the firm level have been collected from the China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database (CSMAR) and the Carbon Emission Accounts & Datasets (CEADs). The Difference-in-Differences (DID) method is employed for data analysis, and complete robustness tests are conducted to justify the validity of the study. The results indicate that implementing pilot ETS could increase firm profitability but reduce the production investment, and the environmental performance of the firms reveals that the pilot ETS has achieved emission reduction during the observation period without time lag. This study makes the following contributions to the current academic literature. First, it could serve as a micro-economic analysis of ETS impacts. Second, it compares different definitions of firm competitiveness and establishes a multi-dimensional measurement framework for analyzing the performance of high-carbon firms in the ETS. At the same time, the results may also help firms further understand the ETS regulations and build optimal strategies in the market. Finally, the study is also expected to support decision-making in regulation modification and stakeholder engagement in the future.
Impacts of COVID-19 on Municipal Solid Waste Systems in Ontario, Canada: A Retrospective Reflection of Learnings from Municipalities
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-20) Giesbrecht, Michelle
Over the last decade, Ontario’s waste management industry has been under immense strain that could be considered a crisis. Between high waste generation, rapidly depleting landfill space, and land availability to replenish this diminishing resource, effective waste diversion must be a priority for Ontario municipalities. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic added yet another challenge to effective waste diversion as individuals attempted to cope with the pandemic. Between increased waste (such as single-use plastics from online shopping) and changes in waste operations, studies conducted towards the beginning of the pandemic showed the global influence of the COVID-19 virus on waste systems as the pandemic unfolded. This research aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on municipal solid waste management in Ontario. Specifically, this study will provide first-hand accounts from Ontario municipalities regarding their experiences managing municipal solid waste during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this study will examine these experiences through a retrospective lens and allow municipalities to provide their learnings and perspectives on the impact of the virus in a post-COVID-19 context. A survey that compared the experience of managing waste in a pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 context was sent out to 306 municipalities in Ontario. The data collected from the survey was triangulated with secondary waste tonnage data from 2019, 2020, and 2021 collected by the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority. It was found that while Ontario had to make many of the same pandemic adaptations that were produced globally, the long-term impacts were not as severe as they were during the early onset of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted waste operations and policy more than waste generation and composition in Ontario.

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