Evaluation of sustainability by a population living near fossil fuel resources in Northwestern Greece

Published Date
Journal of Environmental Management
December 2010, Vol.91(12):2581–2589, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.07.007

• Author 

• Konstantinos I. Vatalis 

• Western Macedonia Technological Education Institution of Greece, Dept. of Geotechnology and Environmental Engineering, Lab. of Environmental Geotechnology, Kila, 50100 Kozani, GR

Received 13 May 2009. Revised 28 March 2010. Accepted 7 July 2010. Available online 30 August 2010. 

Abstract

The emergence of sustainability as a goal in the management of fossil fuel resources is a result of the growing global environmental concern, and highlights some of the issues expected to be significant in coming years. In order to secure social acceptance, the mining industry has to face these challenges by engaging its many different stakeholders and examining their sustainability concerns. For this reason a questionnaire was conducted involving a simple random sampling of inhabitants near an area rich in fossil fuel resources, in order to gather respondents’ views on social, economic and environmental benefits. The study discusses new subnational findings on public attitudes to regional sustainability, based on a quantitative research design. The site of the study was the energy-rich Greek region of Kozani, Western Macedonia, one of the country’s energy hubs. The paper examines the future perspectives of the area. The conclusions can form a useful framework for energy policy in the wider Balkan area, which contains important fossil fuel resources.

Keywords

Sustainability

Quantitative survey

Socioeconomic and environmental impacts

Fossil fuel resources

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