Aims and Scope
Highlights of Sustainability is an international, transdisciplinary journal focusing on environmental, economic, social as well as cultural, technological, and political fields about sustainability and sustainable development. The journal serves as a platform for addressing and discussing theoretical and practical studies related to natural and social sciences as well as humanities about sustainability in corporations, governments, education institutions, regions, and societies.

As a scholarly open access journal, Highlights of Sustainability encourages researchers to publish their experimental and methodical results in as much detail as possible to promote the development of new technologies and new sustainability solutions. The journal accepts research articles and reviews.
Highlights of Sustainability is an international, transdisciplinary journal focusing on environmental, economic, social as well as cultural, technological, and political fields about sustainability and sustainable development. The journal serves as a platform for addressing and discussing theoretical and practical studies related to natural and social sciences as well as humanities about sustainability in corporations, governments, education institutions, regions, and societies.

As a scholarly open access journal, Highlights of Sustainability encourages researchers to publish their experimental and methodical results in as much detail as possible to promote the development of new technologies and new sustainability solutions. The journal accepts research articles and reviews.

The journal will cover topics including:

  • circular economy
  • climate change
  • defining and quantifying sustainability
  • education and sustainability
  • effects of global climate change on sustainability
  • energy resources management and assessment
  • environmental degradation
  • environmental impact assessment
  • environmental law
  • environmental protection
  • environmental resources management
  • environmentally-friendly chemical engineering
  • green building
  • green technologies
  • health and environment
  • heritage conservation
  • human population control
  • human well-being and social equality
  • land use
  • local and individual lifestyles
  • measuring sustainability
  • natural capital and biodiversity
  • natural resources management
  • overconsumption
  • policies and laws related to sustainability
  • policies for sustainable development
  • pollution
  • poverty
  • renewable energy
  • supply chain management
  • sustainable agriculture and food security
  • sustainable tourism
  • sustainability assessment tools
  • urban and regional planning
  • urban planning and transport
  • waste
  • water pollution and sanitation
  • and others as related to sustainability
Article    31 May 2025
Vassilios Makrakis, Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis, Omar Ramzy and Mohammed Anwar
https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4020009
Increasing numbers of refugee children enter host countries’ public schools. Yet, most refugee children’s education is carried out through refugee community schools, mainly by unqualified teachers. This study examines critical elements impacting teacher training satisfaction, emphasizing Increasing numbers of refugee children enter host countries’ public schools. Yet, most refugee children’s education is carried out through refugee community schools, mainly by unqualified teachers. This study examines critical elements impacting teacher training satisfaction, emphasizing instructors’ preparedness and skill, and the effectiveness of training outcomes within a post-graduate program to improve education for refugee children. It supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG10, which calls for lowering inequality, and SDG4, which strongly emphasizes high-quality education. A sizable sample of 306 out of 386 individuals who had finished the RefTeCp capacity-building program participated in the study. These people worked in various educational environments, such as community schools for refugees and private establishments. The study guaranteed its legitimacy through a thorough reliability analysis and content evaluation. Multiple regression techniques were used in data analysis to identify the crucial factors influencing teacher training satisfaction. According to key findings, the efficiency of teaching materials and instructors’ abilities to manage blended learning environments substantially correlate and explain teacher training satisfaction. The study’s results highlight several essential facets of teacher professional development, such as focusing on suitable high-quality blended learning materials and resources to improve refugee students’ learning needs and experiences. Continuing teacher capacity-building interventions, and allowing refugee teachers to participate, can significantly contribute to reducing inequities and, ultimately, to a more equitable and just society. or Access Full Article
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 146–157
95 Views23 Downloads
Review    21 May 2025
Hüseyin Emre Ilgın and Özlem Nur Aslantamer
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 122–145
180 Views53 Downloads
Article    16 April 2025
Enrique Javier Díez Gutiérrez, Luisa María García Salas, Sara Aguilar Moya, Kelly Romero Acosta, Antonio Pérez Robles, José Jesús Trujillo Vargas, Ignacio Perlado Lamo de Espinosa and Luis Miguel Mateos Toro
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 108–121
557 Views104 Downloads
Article    3 April 2025
Martin Wynn and Peter Jones
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 95–107
564 Views304 Downloads
Review    25 March 2025
Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama, Aden Stern, Anna Vaughn and Diana Stuart
As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth and carbon emissions, leading many climate scientists to call for a move away from a growth-focused economy. In this article, we draw from recent research to compare possible outcomes in terms of social well-being and climate mitigation for green growth and degrowth pathways. Green growth aims to maintain economic growth while reducing carbon emissions. Degrowth calls for a purposeful contraction of economic growth in wealthy countries. Drawing from recent studies, we compile evidence to compare these pathways and assess how each of these key strategies is evaluated and framed in the literature. We find that research indicates clear differences between these pathways in terms of mitigation potential and risks to human welfare, and we call for future research on specific topics related to a degrowth transition. Additionally, we identify issues of feasibility as primary concerns within both paradigms. or Access Full Article
This article is part of the Special Issue Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 69–94
673 Views138 Downloads
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Article    31 May 2025
Vassilios Makrakis, Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis, Omar Ramzy and Mohammed Anwar
https://doi.org/10.54175/hsustain4020009
Increasing numbers of refugee children enter host countries’ public schools. Yet, most refugee children’s education is carried out through refugee community schools, mainly by unqualified teachers. This study examines critical elements impacting teacher training satisfaction, emphasizing Increasing numbers of refugee children enter host countries’ public schools. Yet, most refugee children’s education is carried out through refugee community schools, mainly by unqualified teachers. This study examines critical elements impacting teacher training satisfaction, emphasizing instructors’ preparedness and skill, and the effectiveness of training outcomes within a post-graduate program to improve education for refugee children. It supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG10, which calls for lowering inequality, and SDG4, which strongly emphasizes high-quality education. A sizable sample of 306 out of 386 individuals who had finished the RefTeCp capacity-building program participated in the study. These people worked in various educational environments, such as community schools for refugees and private establishments. The study guaranteed its legitimacy through a thorough reliability analysis and content evaluation. Multiple regression techniques were used in data analysis to identify the crucial factors influencing teacher training satisfaction. According to key findings, the efficiency of teaching materials and instructors’ abilities to manage blended learning environments substantially correlate and explain teacher training satisfaction. The study’s results highlight several essential facets of teacher professional development, such as focusing on suitable high-quality blended learning materials and resources to improve refugee students’ learning needs and experiences. Continuing teacher capacity-building interventions, and allowing refugee teachers to participate, can significantly contribute to reducing inequities and, ultimately, to a more equitable and just society. or Access Full Article
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 146–157
95 Views23 Downloads
Review    21 May 2025
Hüseyin Emre Ilgın and Özlem Nur Aslantamer
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 122–145
180 Views53 Downloads
Article    16 April 2025
Enrique Javier Díez Gutiérrez, Luisa María García Salas, Sara Aguilar Moya, Kelly Romero Acosta, Antonio Pérez Robles, José Jesús Trujillo Vargas, Ignacio Perlado Lamo de Espinosa and Luis Miguel Mateos Toro
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 108–121
557 Views104 Downloads
Article    3 April 2025
Martin Wynn and Peter Jones
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 95–107
564 Views304 Downloads
Review    25 March 2025
Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama, Aden Stern, Anna Vaughn and Diana Stuart
As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth and carbon emissions, leading many climate scientists to call for a move away from a growth-focused economy. In this article, we draw from recent research to compare possible outcomes in terms of social well-being and climate mitigation for green growth and degrowth pathways. Green growth aims to maintain economic growth while reducing carbon emissions. Degrowth calls for a purposeful contraction of economic growth in wealthy countries. Drawing from recent studies, we compile evidence to compare these pathways and assess how each of these key strategies is evaluated and framed in the literature. We find that research indicates clear differences between these pathways in terms of mitigation potential and risks to human welfare, and we call for future research on specific topics related to a degrowth transition. Additionally, we identify issues of feasibility as primary concerns within both paradigms. or Access Full Article
This article is part of the Special Issue Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 2, pp. 69–94
673 Views138 Downloads
Article    22 February 2025
Assitan Diaby, Mehdi Seraj and Huseyin Ozdeser
This article is part of the Special Issue Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 1, pp. 56–68
678 Views149 Downloads
Article    20 February 2025
Anna C. Schomberg, Clemens Mostert and Stefan Bringezu
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 1, pp. 38–55
755 Views184 Downloads
Article    1 February 2025
Bogusław Ślusarczyk, Małgorzata A. Kozłowska and Zuzanna A. Kozłowska
This article is part of the Special Issue Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 1, pp. 16–37
773 Views161 Downloads
Article    15 January 2025
Michael Tarrant, Mikell Gleason, Steven Boyd and Tony Wellington
We adopt a normative model of crowd tolerance (expressed as a willingness to support more or fewer tourists) as a proxy for overtourism. Consistent with Social Exchange Theory, it is proposed that a person will perceive We adopt a normative model of crowd tolerance (expressed as a willingness to support more or fewer tourists) as a proxy for overtourism. Consistent with Social Exchange Theory, it is proposed that a person will perceive the impacts of tourism at a destination as positive or negative depending on the extent to which they view visitor levels as under or over a threshold that they expect or support (i.e., their norms or tolerance level). A total of 420 residents and 1048 visitors completed a survey interview in the tourist shire of Noosa between 2022 and 2024. Results show that residents and visitors differed significantly on many of the perceived tourism impacts, with long-term residents less favorable to the positive impacts than visitors. There was broad consensus across both residents and tourists, and the highest level of agreement, with negative impacts (especially that tourism contributes to traffic and parking congestion, and higher prices). The lowest levels of agreement with positive tourism impacts were found for “over tourists” (respondents who supported a fewer number of tourists). Implications for sustainable destination management are discussed in the context of the Quadruple Bottom Line, including efforts that enable tourism communities to grow well using a guardianship ethos and collective action of Gifts and Gains. or Access Full Article
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 4 (2025), Issue 1, pp. 1–15
964 Views332 Downloads
Article    8 November 2024
Chioma Ezeanaka and Trung Hieu Tran
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 3 (2024), Issue 4, pp. 374–393
1980 Views352 Downloads
Article    29 April 2022
Richard W. Butler and Rachel Dodds
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 2, pp. 54–64
5106 Views3371 Downloads8 Citations
Article    26 August 2022
Stephen K. Wegren
Although Russia’s grain growing regions have experienced episodic droughts, the financial impact of climate change has to date been modest when measured in terms of value of production lost. As industrial agriculture continues to emit greenhouse Although Russia’s grain growing regions have experienced episodic droughts, the financial impact of climate change has to date been modest when measured in terms of value of production lost. As industrial agriculture continues to emit greenhouse gases, the impact of climate change will intensify, making Russia’s southern regions drier and hotter, and potentially forcing a structural shift in production northward, an event that will lead to lower yields and grain output. The sustainable sector in Russia’s agricultural system is not able to compensate for lower grain output in the south, nor is it able to feed the nation or ensure food security across the full spectrum of commodities that consumers expect. The prospect of Russia as a declining grain power impacts the dozens of nations that import Russian grain, most notably authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. or Access Full Article
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 3, pp. 188–201
3687 Views2868 Downloads3 Citations
Article    8 September 2022
Annalisa Stacchini, Andrea Guizzardi and Michele Costa
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 3, pp. 202–223
4900 Views1338 Downloads7 Citations
Review    8 May 2023
Annette Toivonen
This article is part of the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 2 (2023), Issue 2, pp. 75–82
3632 Views2604 Downloads4 Citations
Article    18 May 2023
Larry Dwyer
This article is part of the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism.
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 2 (2023), Issue 2, pp. 83–99
3913 Views1891 Downloads7 Citations
Article    6 May 2022
Marjan Marjanović, Wendy Wuyts, Julie Marin and Joanna Williams
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 2, pp. 65–87
4499 Views1275 Downloads12 Citations
Article    7 February 2024
Tsz Hin Hui, Nadine Itani and John F. O’Connell
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 3 (2024), Issue 1, pp. 61–75
4116 Views1520 Downloads2 Citations
Article    17 May 2022
Alfred Söderberg
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 2, pp. 88–104
4046 Views1134 Downloads2 Citations
Article    6 December 2022
Julia Hillmann, Anne Bergmann and Edeltraud Guenther
This paper investigates the time-dependent effects of building organizational resilience. So far, empirical research only finds evidence that organizational resilience provides benefits in the long term. For the short and medium term, the link remains unclear This paper investigates the time-dependent effects of building organizational resilience. So far, empirical research only finds evidence that organizational resilience provides benefits in the long term. For the short and medium term, the link remains unclear. On the one hand, literature indicates that building organizational resilience is costly. On the other hand, actions to build organizational resilience are perceived by investors, which should provide immediate positive effects for companies. This study investigates these two assumptions in the climate change context. We apply multiple regression analysis to study the relationship between resilience capabilities and different measures of financial performance. For market value and financial volatility, our findings indicate that building organizational resilience provides immediate benefits. For the total stock return index, we find only benefits that materialize with a time lag. We find no evidence at all that building resilience capabilities is related to costs in terms of lower accounting-based financial performance. Overall findings indicate that building organizational resilience is advantageous as it prepares an organization to face the challenges of climate change and, at the same time, provides financial benefits. or Access Full Article
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 4, pp. 233–252
3817 Views1263 Downloads2 Citations
Article    28 March 2022
Reza Heydari, Mohammad Keshtidar, Haywantee Ramkissoon, Mahdi Esfahani and Ehsan Asadollahi
Highlights of Sustainability
Volume 1 (2022), Issue 2, pp. 41–53
3614 Views1267 Downloads3 Citations
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Highlights of Science
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08014 Barcelona, Spain
Email: sustainability@hos.pub
Tel. +34 93 138 23 89
Cathy Wang Managing Editor
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