Editorial to the Inaugural Issue

Dear editors, reviewers, authors, readers, and other members of the whole scientific and professional community,

Welcome to this inaugural issue of Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainability (OCS)!

On behalf of the editorial office, I am writing with great pleasure and sincere privilege to present the first issue of the journal OCS.

In the first issue of Opportunities and Challenges in Sustainability (OCS), we have collected a fascinating set of articles that allows understanding, once more, the immense scope of sustainability as well as the relevance of the multidisciplinary and complementary fields working on the topic. Accordingly, this issue is organized into seven articles. In the following a short description of each of the manuscripts follows.  

Article 1 provides an overall view regarding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they can be developed as a hub for academic institutions. This research is one of the first to address MERCOSUR as a case study in comparison and fostering partnerships with a South Korean Institution.

Article 2 focuses on the impact of agriculture in emerging markets. Contextually, this manuscript investigates solutions for the socio-demographic problems in those territories.

Article 3 studies the relationship between renewable energy use and carbon emissions for Germany and Finland, and provides meaningful findings regarding the impact of renewable energy use on carbon emissions for two countries.

Article 4 highlights the environmental regulations issue and solutions they can add towards climate change reduction. This manuscript highlights the technological progress and carbon emission efficiency by using Chinese regions as case studies.

Article 5 approaches the hot topic of corporate economic security and how innovative development could be a key factor for its success.

Article 6 presents an African case study – located in the Nigerian territory. This work studies the effects of Covid-19 on public health and social measures and its significant implication for the sustainable management of those critical infrastructures.

Lastly, this issue ends with article 7, which analyzes how contemporary stakeholder-engagement methods can enhance and acknowledge stakeholders' voices in the Gulf Cooperation Council and ensure better outcomes.