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Public demand is an important factor influencing government decisions, and research on theoretical modelling of the impact of public demand for environmental quality on environmental regulation has been limited. In this paper, by constructing a dynamic optimization model, we derive the dynamic change mechanism of the impact of public demand for environmental quality on environmental regulation, and solve the optimal decision of environmental regulation. Further numerical simulation results show that public demand for environmental quality positively influences environmental regulation, and the influence coefficient curve between the two tends to be upwardly convex as the level of economic development increases, i.e. public demand for environmental quality influences environmental regulation to a greater extent. The research results provide theoretical model support for related studies, and the government should smooth the feedback channel of public demand for environmental quality and further optimize environmental regulations with the development of economic development level to achieve sustainable economic and environmental development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information asymmetry is a prominent problem in the advancement of green finance, and because of the difficulty of capturing "information", research on the role of information factors in green finance has been limited. In this study, a quasi-natural experiment based on China's environmental information disclosure system in 2008 is conducted to investigate the effect of information factors on green finance. Using the panel datasets of China's 107 cities and 173 environmental protection firms from 2005 to 2015, this study, respectively, adopts the difference-in-difference (DID) method and triple difference (DDD) method to examine the effect of environmental information disclosure on regional green finance development and the utilization efficiency of green funds. According to the results, public disclosure of environmental information can promote both regional green finance development and the efficient utilization of green funds by energy-based environmental protection enterprises. Heterogeneity analysis at the regional level suggests that environmental information disclosure has a greater impact on green finance in regions with lower resource endowments and stronger environmental regulations. Heterogeneity analysis at enterprise level shows that compared to state-owned energy-based environmental firms, the efficiency of green capital utilization of non-state-owned energy-based environmental firms is more sensitive to the disclosure of environmental information. The findings of this paper provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for developing green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how digital finance affects energy efficiency in China using a dynamic panel model and data from 282 cities between 2011 and 2019. The study is based on the hypothesis which is related with digital finance, environmental regulation, and energy efficiency. The results indicate that: (1) Digital finance significantly improves energy efficiency, and this finding is consistent after several tests; (2) Digital finance has a positive effect on energy efficiency in non-resource-based cities, recession and regeneration resource-based cities, and old industrial base cities, but no significant effect on energy efficiency in growth and maturity resource-based cities and non-old industrial base cities; (3) Environmental regulation positively influences how digital finance affects energy efficiency; (4) The impact of digital finance on energy efficiency depends on the degree and tools of environmental regulation. This research offers valuable insights to local governments in China for promoting financial digitization and enhancing energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reveal the dynamic contact characteristics of the slip ring. Dynamic contact resistance models considering wear and self-excited were established based on fractal theory. Design/methodology/approach: The effects of tangential velocity, stiffness and damping coefficient on dynamic contact resistance are studied. The relationships between fractal parameters, wear time and contact parameters are revealed. Findings: The results show that the total contact area decreases with the friction coefficient and fractal roughness under the same load. Self-excited vibration occurs at a low speed (less than 0.6 m/s). It transforms from stick-slip motion at 0.4 m/s to pure sliding at 0.5 m/s. A high stiffness makes contact resistance fluctuate violently, while increasing the damping coefficient can suppress the self-excited vibration and reduce the dynamic contact resistance. The fractal contact resistance model considering wear is established based on the fractal parameters models. The validity of the model is verified by the wear tests. Originality/value: The results have a great significance to study the electrical contact behavior of conductive slip ring. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-09-2023-0300/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality has attracted widespread attention as a key strategy for mitigating environmental degradation, but there is little research on whether the development of green finance can contribute to the process of carbon neutrality. This paper proposes a hypothesis based on the relationship between green finance and carbon–neutral performance and empirically tests it using a spatial Durbin model and combining it with a threshold panel model utilizing Chinese provincial sample data from 2011 to 2021. The study found that (1) green finance development would promote carbon–neutral performance; (2) there are notable spatial characteristics of green finance and carbon neutrality performance, with local green finance impacts both local and neighboring carbon–neutral performance; and (3) green finance impacts carbon–neutral performance at a single threshold and different levels of green finance development affect carbon–neutral performance differently. In the eastern, central, and western regions, the contribution of green finance to carbon–neutral performance gradually decreases. Thus, Chinese authorities should strengthen the green sustainable financing system, promote regional green finance, and enhance the carbon–neutral performance of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green finance is profoundly affecting the energy transition, and at the global level, renewable energy has entered a leapfrog development phase. Unlike the research object that existing studies focus on, this paper selects 53 countries and regions that have launched green finance businesses as research sample, and empirically assesses the effect of green finance on the development of renewable energy based on cross-country panel data spanning 2000 to 2021. The results show that renewable energy development is positively impacted by green finance, and the marginal impact of green finance is gradually growing as renewable energy development level improves; the contribution of green finance to renewable energy development holds only in developed countries, emerging economies, countries with high green financial development levels, and countries with strong environmental regulations, but not in relatively backward developing countries, countries with low green financial development levels, and countries with weak environmental regulations; sectors of renewable energy that rely more heavily on external financing are more likely to be promoted by green finance; green finance supports renewable energy development mainly through promoting investment in renewable energy fixed assets and innovation in technology of the sector. This study provides an empirical and theoretical basis for green finance to promote renewable energy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To speed up the transformation of green economy and promote the development of green finance, the Chinese government set up pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations in five provinces in 2017. This study constructs a quasi-natural experiment, and uses the difference-in-difference model to explore the impact of pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations policy on environmental quality for the first time. This study also examines the impact mechanism of the policy on environmental quality from the perspective of digital finance and green technology innovation for the first time. The results show that the environmental quality has been improved after the implementation of the pilot zones for green finance reform and innovations policy, and digital finance and green technology innovation have a significant intermediary effect in the process of green financial policy on environmental quality. Meanwhile, the policy effect has regional heterogeneity, with the policy effect in the east stronger than that in the central and western regions. The degree of marketization and informationization can promote the policy effect. This study provides important policy implications for the promotion of green finance reform and innovation pilot zones, and helps the government to evaluate the implementation effect of green finance policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) non-thermal plasma reactors built with three different dielectric materials for SO2 removal were studied. The discharge characteristics of the three dielectrics, namely glass, Teflon, and glass fiber-based epoxy resin, were analyzed using Lissajous figures. From the Lissajous figures, the transition charge and energy deposition for each dielectric material were determined. When both the discharge characteristics and mechanical processability were considered, glass fiber-based epoxy resin was regarded as the best dielectric barrier among the three for DBD plasma reactors. A multi-cell DBD reactor built with glass fiber-based epoxy resin was used for treating air stream containing SO2. SO2 % removal decreased with increasing initial SO2 concentration in a biphasic fashion. SO2 removal was greatly improved by adding NH3 into the air stream. Raising the relative humidity of the air stream also helped SO2 removal. A SEM (scanning electron microscope) test illustrated some changes in surface morphology of Teflon and glass fiber-based epoxy resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]