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This research explores the challenges and limitations faced at the basic level for the recycling of paper in an academic institute. It focuses on encouraging recycled paper use rather than bringing traditional virgin paper to prevent the rate of deforestation for reducing global warming. Data was collected from the academic institute via questionnaire and on-site observation and found that the institute was producing approximately 16 tons of wastepaper in a year. Besides that, another purpose of this research is to estimate the energy and assess the environmental effect by using the life cycle assessment as a tool. The results of this study revealed that traditional virgin paper derived from wood proves to be costly and less environmentally friendly than recycled paper. It also revealed that Traditional virgin paper has greater global warming, human toxicity, smog, acidification, and eutrophication potential than recycled paper. This study concludes that recycled paper does not only prove economically beneficent for any institution, but also beneficial for environment as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 18th International Convention of the East Asian Economic Association (EAEA) will be held on B 21-22, October 2023 in Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea. b The theme of the Convention is: B "Charting Inclusive Pathways for Innovation, Growth and Integration in Asia." b The Program Committee Chaired by Professor Keun Lee of SNU is now issuing a call for papers related to the Convention theme and for papers on a wide range of economic issues. IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission open: 21, October 2022 Abstract submission due: 15, April 2023 Session proposal deadline: 30, April 2023 Notification of abstract acceptance: 15 May 2023 Full paper submission due: 31 August 2023 Paper presenter registration due: 31 August 2023 Convention dates: 21-22 October 2023. [Extracted from the article]

The increased use of data analytics and machine learning algorithms enables better prediction of land values based on various factors such as soil quality, climate, and historical performance by processing large datasets. The primary objective of this paper is to underscore the significance of addressing the topic concerning the evaluation process of agricultural land. Concurrently, it seeks to accentuate the interconnectedness across various domains of study, encompassing strategic management, agronomy, ecology, agricultural practices, and agricultural policies. Advanced technologies such as satellite imagery, remote sensing, and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are being integrated for more accurate and efficient land valuation. In the present study, a retrospective and descriptive bibliometric analysis using the Web of Science platform was conducted, identifying 1,630 papers on the "valuation of agricultural land" from the year 2000 to 2023, which were then analyzed with VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel to generate visual representations of keyword frequency over time. The paper reveals a notable increase in published articles, emphasizing their relevance due to their economic and financial impact, with a focus on environmental sciences and economics, confirming the topic's importance and its association with ecosystem services, land use change, and willingness to pay. The results demonstrate that this theme is increasingly addressed by researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I consider various shifts in my research and understanding stimulated by seeking how to combat social ecological crises connected to modern economies. The discussion and critical reflections are structured around five papers that were submitted to Environmental Values in an open call to address my work. A common aspect is the move away from neoclassical environmental economics, and its reductionist monetary valuation, to a more realist theory and multiple methods. This relates to my work on environmental ethics, plural values, stated preference validity and deliberative monetary valuation. Expanding beyond the narrow confines of mainstream orthodoxy has involved exploring a range of other disciplines (e.g. applied philosophy, social psychology, human geography, political science, social anthropology, history of thought and philosophy of science) and learning from this literature to rethink economics and develop social ecological economics. A broad range of subjects are covered here, including: personal responsibility, social practice, psychology of the individual, participatory processes, value (intrinsic, instrumental and relational), Nature–society relationships and interdependencies, critical realism and the conduct of unifying interdisciplinary science. I end with a series of comments concerning the failings of orthodox economics and the conduct of scientific research for social ecological transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a green manufacturing-recycling network design approach for multi-echelon electronic assembly process under a complex product mix scenario which incorporates trade-off between economic cost and heavy metal pollutants. The approach is developed by formulating the green manufacturing-recycling network into a closed-loop logistics bi-objective optimisation model, in order to alleviate negative environmental influence by applying proper cleaner production technologies. The environmental influence is quantified by pollution equivalent numbers which are integrated in the model. Moreover, the volume of the heavy metal pollutants is optimised by selecting the cleaner production level and thus is jointly coordinated with the operation cost. To solve the bi-objective optimisation model, an enhanced global criterion approach is presented to improve the effectiveness on dealing with non-convexity of the Pareto-optimal frontier with computational efficient solutions. The proposed model is implemented on a case study to verify its flexibility to handle the closed-loop manufacturing-recycling network design of different sizes, as well as to obtain trade-off between operation cost and environmental influence by the heavy metal pollutants under various scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environ Resource Econ. 2021; 80: 1-20. 10.1007/s10640-021-00576-8 4 Gersbach H, Hummel N, Winkle R. Long-Term Climate Treaties with a Refunding Club. For over a decade, at its annual conference the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) has awarded a prize generously donated by Springer, for the best paper published within its journal Environmental and Resource Economics (ERE). Bans on discarding fish are a feature of EU fisheries policy that have created some controversy. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a tribute to Tom Tietenberg's contributions to the International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics. The author, Henk Folmer, recounts how the idea for the journal came about and how Tietenberg became involved as a co-editor. Folmer praises Tietenberg's work as a researcher and teacher, highlighting his passion for environmental and resource economics and his impact on his students. The document also discusses the transition from the Yearbook to the International Review of Environmental and Resource Economics and Tietenberg's retirement from the journal. Overall, it serves as a tribute to Tietenberg's merits and contributions to the field. [Extracted from the article]

The "Dasgupta Review" of the economics of biodiversity (Dasgupta 2021) identifies many factors that threaten the ecological sustainability of our economies. This article examines how two policy failures - the underpricing and underfunding of nature – influence global land use change and terrestrial biodiversity loss. If natural areas are priced too cheaply, then converting them to agriculture, forestry and other land uses is less costly than protecting or preserving habitats. Underfunding nature further reduces the incentives for conservation and restoration. The current global funding gap for biodiversity is just under $900 billion annually, and especially impacts developing countries. Ending the underpricing of natural landscape requires removing environmentally harmful subsidies and adopting policies that place an additional cost on the use of land and natural resources or on pollution. Overcoming the funding gap means expanding public and private sources of financing nature, particularly for poorer countries, such as biodiversity offsets, payments for ecosystem services, debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, sustainable supply chains and international environmental agreements. Using the example of peatlands, the article shows how such a comprehensive global strategy can be built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that American Economic Journal: Applied Economics publishes papers on a wide range of topics in applied economics, with a focus on empirical papers. It mentions that journal covers including development microeconomics, economic history, economics of the family, education, and environmental economics.

A rich academic understanding of the relation between e-governance and sustainable development is crucial for studying the current 'twin transition', i.e. the connection between the digital and sustainability transition. An analysis of current literature highlights that there is a strong emphasis on the question how e-governance can be an instrument for realizing sustainable development. This research is important but does not cover all relevant problem areas. Our conceptual analysis extends the dominant focus on the digital and sustainable transitions to include destructive connections – the environmental costs of e-government – and an institutional perspective on e-governance. Developing multiple perspectives on the twin transition is crucial since the current, seemingly unconditional, faith in the power of technology, may hamper a fundamental debate on the contribution of e-governance to sustainable development. This paper concludes with a research agenda that stresses the need to study three key issues: (1) green e-governance as mitigating the environmental costs of e-governance, (2) e-governance as a barrier for the sustainability transition, and (3) the ecology logic as a basis for shaping the twin transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of sustainable agricultural development has started to be acknowledged in Romania as well, following the identification of various pollution sources and the restrictions affecting industrial and agricultural pollution, from both economic and ecological perspectives. Sustainable development signifies the necessity of raising awareness about environmental protection and educating the population, and this aspect is mirrored in the evolution of communal policies in recent years. These policies have transitioned from an approach based on constraints and sanctions to a higher level of flexibility, grounded in incentives. The purpose of this paper is to provide recommendations for enhancing the existing policy by evaluating economic incentives aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt sustainable farming systems. These systems should support a viable, sustainable agriculture capable of employing the latest technologies, leading to profitability, efficiency, and economic and organizational consolidation. In recent times, Romania has come to appreciate the critical role that sustainable agricultural practices play in safeguarding both the environment and the economy. The acknowledgment of various pollution sources, encompassing both industrial and agricultural sectors, has prompted a reevaluation of traditional practices in favor of more environmentally conscious approaches. Sustainable agriculture is essential to meet the world's growing food demand while mitigating environmental challenges. To achieve this balance, efficient management of key factors in agriculture is imperative. This paper explores optimal management approaches for several critical factors in sustainable agriculture, including soil health, water resources, biodiversity, and pest control. The integration of innovative techniques, precision agriculture, and policy support is vital for achieving sustainability goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the reform and opening up, China has achieved rapid economic development at the cost of environmental pollution, but this extensive development mode is increasingly difficult to sustain. Fortunately, China has begun to attach importance to environmental pollution and green output, and the central and local governments have successively issued many environmental regulation policies. Taking 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2017 as samples, this paper uses slacks-based measure (SBM) model based on unexpected output to measure the green output efficiency. Taking green output efficiency as the explanatory variable and environmental regulation as the explanatory variable, this paper analyzes its local effect and neighboring effect. The regression results of the whole sample show that environmental regulation in China will have a positive impact on green output efficiency, but it will have a negative impact on neighboring cities. Furthermore, considering the differences of economic development levels among the eastern, central and western regions of China, the samples of the three regions were regressed, and it was found that the higher the economic development level, the greater the impact of environmental regulation on the regions. Therefore, cities should not only ensure their own characteristics, but also pay attention to policy coordination among cities when formulating relevant environmental regulation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of goods associated with negative environmental externalities may decrease consumption of the targeted product, but may be ineffective at reducing the externality itself if close substitutes are left unregulated. We find evidence that plastic bag bans, the most common disposable bag regulation in the U.S., led retailers to circumvent the regulation by providing free thicker plastic bags, which are not covered by the ban. In contrast, a regulation change that replaced the ban with a small tax on all disposable bags generated large decreases in disposable bag use and overall environmental costs. Our results suggest that narrowly defined regulations (such as plastic bag bans) may be less effective than policies that target a more comprehensive set of products, even in the case when the policy instrument itself (a tax rather than a ban) is not as strict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an editorial titled "Insights in ecological economics: 2022" by Massimiliano Mazzanti. The editorial discusses the importance of the ecological transition in guiding economic and human development. It emphasizes the need for technological, organizational, and social innovations to promote well-being and avoid inequalities. The editorial also highlights the role of policy drivers, such as the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the EU's European Green Deal, in facilitating these transitions. The document concludes by mentioning four papers that address different aspects of the research agenda on sustainability and offer diverse insights and methodologies. [Extracted from the article]

2 Barbier EB, Mensah ACE, Wilson M (2022) "Valuing the Environment as Input, Ecosystem Services and developing countries" Environmental and Resource Economics, Special Issue in honour of Karl Göran Mäler. 11 Stockholm Resilience Centre (2020) Karl-Göran Mäler, 1939-2020. https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2020-06-02-karl-goran-maler-1939-2020.html 12 Villalobos L, Robalino J, Alpizar F, Sandoval C (2022) "Local Effects of payments for Ecosystem Services on Rural Poverty" Environmental and Resource Economics, Special Issue in honour of Karl Göran Mäler. Karl-Göran Mäler (KGM) cared passionately about the spread of environmental economics, both into new areas of enquiry and geographically to all parts of the world. 3 Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics (2020) Karl-Göran Mäler 1939-2020. https://beijer.kva.se/news-item/karl-goran-maler-1939-2020/ 4 Bonilla J, Aravena C, Morales-Betancourt R (2022) "Assessing multiple inequalities and Air Pollution Abatement Policies" Environmental and Resource Economics, Special Issue in honour of Karl Göran Mäler. [Extracted from the article]

An editorial is presented on understanding economic consequences of population aging in Asia. Topics include informative and useful collection of papers for people interested in frontier research of economics of aging especially in Asia; and population aging having a statistically and significantly negative influence on the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the high-income economies.

The impact of the carbon emission trading system (ETS) on firms' market competitiveness has been a controversial issue with no consistent theoretical conclusions. The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of the carbon emission trading system on firms' markups using the latest robust staggered difference-in-difference estimation method. The results show that China's carbon emission trading system greatly contributes to the enhancement of firms' market power, as evidenced by a series of robustness tests. In addition, the analysis of the impact mechanism shows that the carbon emission trading system enhances the market power of firms through the low-carbon innovation effect and the market integration effect, while the impact of the environmental cost effect is not obvious. Moreover, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of China's carbon trading system policy on firms' market power is more pronounced, especially for those firms that are actively involved in low-carbon transformation and upgrading, have a stronger cost-shifting capacity, and are more efficient in production. This study provides empirical evidence on how environmental regulations affect firms' market power and offers theoretical guidance for the construction of China's carbon market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With heterogeneous findings dominating the growth and natural resources relations, there is a need to explain the variances in Africa's growth process as induced by robust measures of factor endowments. This study used a comprehensive set of data from the updated database of the World Bank to capture the heterogeneous dimensions of natural resource endowments on growth with a particular focus on establishing complementary evidence on the resource curse hypothesis in energy and environmental economics literature in Africa. These comprehensive data on oil rent, coal rent and forest rent could provide new and insightful evidence on obscure relations on the subject matter. Design/methodology/approach: This paper considers the panel vector error correction model (PVECM) procedure to explain changes in economic growth outcomes as induced by oil rent, coal rent and forest rent. The consideration of the PVECM was premised on the panel unit root process that returns series that were cointegrated at the first-order differentials. Findings: The paper found positive relations between oil rent, coal rent and economic development in Africa. Forest rent, on the other hand, is inversely related to economic growth in Africa. Trade and human capital are positively related to economic growth in Africa, while population growth is negatively associated with economic growth in Africa. Research limitations/implications: Short-run policies should be tailored towards the stability of fiscal expenditure such that the objective of fiscal policy, which is to maintain the condition of full employment and economic stability and stabilise the rate of growth, can be optimised and sustained. By this, the resource curse will be averted and productive capacity will increase, leading to sustainable growth and development in Africa, where conditions for growth and development remain inadequately met. Originality/value: The originality of this paper can be viewed from the strength of its arguments and methods adopted to address the questions raised in this paper. This study further illuminated age-long obscure relations in the literature of natural resource endowment and economic growth by taking a disaggregated approach to the component-by-component analysis of natural resources factors (the oil rent, coal rent and forest rent) and their corresponding influence on economic growth in Africa. This pattern remains underexplored mainly in previous literature on the subject. Many African countries are blessed with an abundance of these different natural resources in varying proportions. The misuse and mismanagement of these resources along various dimensions have been the core of the inclination towards the resource curse hypothesis in Africa. Knowing how growth conditions respond to changes in the depth of forest resources, oil resources and coal resources could be useful pointers in Africa's overall energy use and management. This study contributed to the literature on natural resource-induced growth dynamics by offering a generalisable conclusion as to why natural resource-abundance economies are prone to poor economic performance. This study further asks if mineral deposits are a source or reflection of ill growth and underdevelopment in African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the nonfinancial drivers of value creation that influence an investment decision and present a set of drivers that contribute with a useful integrated reporting to its providers of financial capital using evidence from Brazil. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a systematic literature review in the Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases in the period from 2005 to 2020. Interpretive content analysis is used in 42 documents identified to explore nonfinancial drivers to demand by providers of financial capital, which are classified according to the capitals nonfinancial suggested by the integrated report (IR). Then, the results are evaluated by Brazilian professional investors in a focus group. Findings: The members of the focus group do not consider the IR relevant to investment decision and neither the information about natural capital nor social capital. They highlighted two nonfinancial drivers of value not identified in the previous literature. Research limitations/implications: The focus group is limited by subjects' availability and by the participants' number. But its results represent initial discussions on the subject in the Brazilian context. Practical implications: The results of this study have value, principally, to investors, target audience of IR, because it aligns your demands with the IRs content, improving its usefulness. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this manuscript is the first study to investigate the perception of Brazilian professional investors about the importance of the IR in investment decision-making and to identify content relevant to the financial capital provider's investment decision, which can improve the usefulness of IR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper constitutes a research endeavour grounded in a fundamental question posed by its title: 'Could circular economy and various digital instruments like Internet of Things help a business model to respond to such challenges?' This inquiry is intrinsically linked to the broader context of the last decades, which have witnessed a rapid technological revolution, reshaped global industries, and nurtured a digital ecosystem. While this transformation has yielded considerable advantages, it has concurrently introduced formidable challenges, encompassing climate change, resource depletion, large-scale migrations, pandemic, and conflicts, all of them provoking profound contemplation on the way forward for both businesses and humanity. In the context of this research, we will delve into the crucial topic of how VUCA, a framework for risk assessment and response, has played a central role in adapting and developing new business marketing strategies to effectively navigate complexity. Additionally, we will explore the significance of BANI, emphasizing the vital need for flexible marketing strategies when confronting unforeseen global crises. The paper focuses on the role of VUCA and BANI frameworks in guiding businesses' marketing strategies. Therefore, the case study will explore how these frameworks have influenced marketing strategies, and what they mean in response to unforeseen global crises. In our interconnected world, IoT is vital for understanding consumer behaviour and creating data-driven marketing strategies. The transition to circular business models, influenced by environmental concerns, fosters sustainable marketing through eco-friendly products. To navigate the intricate VUCA and BANI landscape, marketers need innovative strategies blending digital technologies, big data, and AI with IoT insights and circular economy principles. This paper will provide essential insights for understanding whether circular economy and various digital instruments like the Internet of Things can empower a business model to effectively respond to the multifaceted challenges of the modern era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1994, there have been numerous curricular changes in South Africa's education system, which have had an impact on the topics covered, taught, and examined in the country's further education and training (FET) phase. The aim of this paper is to assess how changing the curriculum has affected how much environmental content is covered in the subject Economics. The documents used by South African Economics teachers were analysed utilizing a qualitative research methodology and an interpretive paradigm. Realist Social Theory by Margaret Archer served as the theoretical basis for the study data analysis and interpretation. The only technique employed to evaluate the effectiveness of policy texts and test questions was document analysis. The findings show that the variable coverage of environmental impact topics in the examinations may have a negative effect on the way teachers address the topics in Economics. The study also finds that the shifts of the curriculum from RNCS to CAPS improved coverage of environmental content in Economics. This resulted in an emergence of structural and cultural morphogenesis in the teaching of environmental content in Economics from teachers. The study also reveals that environmental content in Economics was better covered after the curriculum changed from RNCS to CAPS. This led to the formation of structural and cultural morphogenesis in the teaching of environmental content in Economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy system planning has evolved from a narrow focus on engineering and supply works towards addressing more complex, multifactorial challenges. Increasingly challenged by climate change, extreme events, economic shocks, and altered supply demand patterns, the analysis of energy systems requires holistic approaches based on data-driven models, taking into account key socio-economic factors. We draw insights from reviewing the literature, indicating the need to cover the following major gaps: the shift to transdisciplinary approaches, incorporating environmental system analysis; resilient and sustainable energy designs based on flexible portfolios of renewable mixes; the integration of socio-economic aspects, economic analyses and behavioural models to ensure energy systems are not only technically sound but socially acceptable and viable; the need for stakeholder engagement considering the human angle in energy security and behavioural shifts. Responding to these pressing challenges and emerging needs, the Global Climate Hub (GCH) initiative, operating under the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, offers a conceptual framework, leveraging transdisciplinary approaches. In this Concept Paper, we present for the first time the idea of the GCH as a framework that we believe has the potential to address the modern holistic needs for energy system analysis and policymaking. By setting the conceptual/theoretical ground of our suggested approach, we aim to provide guidance for innovative combinations of cutting-edge models, socio-economic narratives, and inclusive interaction with relevant stakeholders for the development and the long-term implementation of sustainable pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell culture is a cornerstone of in vitro biological research. Whilst glassware was once commonplace in tissue culture facilities, in recent decades laboratories have moved towards a heavy reliance on single use plastics for routine procedures. Single use plastics allow for accessible, sterile, and often affordable equipment that comes at a high environmental cost. We developed a glassware preparation and cleaning process that allowed the comparison of "traditional" plastic-heavy, and adapted "sustainable," cell culture practices, to empirically compare the sterility, viability, and proliferative capacity of cells cultured with differing techniques, by observing IL-6 production, morphology, and proliferation rate of cultured human pulmonary fibroblast cells. During which, we calculated the carbon footprint of traditional versus sustainable methods. We additionally endeavored to provide a realistic overview of the steps required to transition to more sustainable cell culture practices and make suggestions to ease the cost, labor, and time required to uptake similar practices in other laboratories. Cells cultured using reusable glassware did not show signs of contamination or stress compared to cells grown solely with plasticware, and glassware baked at 180°C for 120 min was sufficiently decontaminated and depyrogenated for culturing these cells. An individual researcher adopting the same methodology could reduce their carbon footprint by 105.92 kg of Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) whilst also saving money (£408.78) over a 10-year period. We predict that these benefits would be greater if more researchers were to uptake these adapted practices. We intend for this paper to reassure researchers that viable, sterile, and sustainable routine cell culture can be achieved with little upfront cost to the researcher, with the prospective benefit of greatly reducing the cost to the environment. We additionally hope that increased uptake, and thus demand of more sustainable practices, encourages suppliers, policy makers, and funding bodies to make sustainable practices more accessible to individual researchers and institutions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cement production is linked to heavy environmental load with exigences for reduction and substitution of raw materials and energy demands/sources. Recently, with the potential commercial discovery of natural gas (NG) reserves in Lebanon, discussions on the viability of fuel-switching, from petcoke (kiln processes) and heavy fuel oil (HFO) (reciprocating engines) to NG in the cement sector emerged. To that aim three alternative scenarios (SCx) were suggested: shifting petcoke to NG in kiln processes (SC1); shifting reciprocating engines from HFO to NG (SC2); shifting kiln processes and reciprocating engines to NG (SC3). An economic analysis indicated that SC2 is the only viable option. This paper presents a new combination of life cycle impact assessment (LCA) and monetization to quantify environmental impacts for the decision-making processes, within the Lebanese context. The LCA was conducted using primary data and SimaPro v8.5.2.0. The functional unit (FU) was 1 kg of cement. IPCC 2013 GWP 100a V1.03, Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) V1.10 ReCiPe 2016 E v1.02 impact assessment and Stepwise2006 (V1.05.3) monetary valuation methods were used. Results indicated that all scenarios lead to a reduced carbon footprint: 0.016 kgCO2eq., 0.0008 kgCO2eq. and 0.0168 kgCO2eq. for SC1, SC2 and SC3, respectively, from the baseline 1.0327 kgCO2eq.. The baseline CED was 5.06 MJ, and 4.5 MJ, 4.91 MJ and 4.35 MJ for SC1, SC2, and SC3, respectively. SC3 had the lowest environmental burden, followed by SC1 and SC2. Damage assessment results indicated that all alternative scenarios reduce environmental damage, while SC3 brought the highest benefit followed by SC1 and SC2, respectively. Monetization results/ FU indicated a cost burden of 25.54 US¢, 24,64 US¢, 25.5 US¢ and 24.6 US¢ for baseline, SC1, SC2 and SC3, respectively. Finally, the best fit option, after internalizing the environmental cost, shifted from SC2 to SC3 indicating the merits of combining LCA and monetization into decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the perspective of joint operation between coal power enterprises and new energy power enterprises (JOCN), this paper constructs an evolutionary game model among coal power enterprises (CPEs), new energy power enterprises (NEPEs) and the government, and analyzes the influencing factors of the final strategy choices of various subjects through evolutionary simulation. The results show that: (1) The game among CPEs, NEPEs and the government in JOCN is a win–win game. (2) The probability of CPEs choosing to participate in the joint operation is positively correlated with additional operating income, government subsidies and environmental costs in coal power generation, while negatively correlated with additional operating costs and spillover effects. (3) The probability of NEPEs choosing to participate in the joint operation is positively correlated with additional operating income, government subsidies and the cost of power loss in new energy power generation, while negatively correlated with additional operating costs and spillover effects. (4) The probability of the government choosing to support joint operation is positively correlated with social welfare, and negatively correlated with the cost of governmental strict supervision. The research results can provide theoretical reference for enterprises and the government in the future transformations and policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze the effect of environmental performance (EP) on environmental disclosure (ED) and determine whether environmental costs (ECs) moderate this relationship. This paper extends legitimacy theory that focuses on the commonly assumed interaction between companies and community, with the effect of quantitative information that can summarize a large amount of narrative disclosure and its effect on narrative ED. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses regression analysis on 492 unbalanced panel data of emerging Asian countries' publicly listed companies between 2006 and 2019. Findings: Results show that EP has a positive effect on ED. EC weakens the effect of EP and ED. Originality/value: Extending the incentives to signal EP through disclosure, this cross-country study tests how quantitative EC information can summarize the narrative and reduce the level of disclosure. This paper also proves the summarization effect of environmental cost diminution in countries with low market sophistication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2016 and 2019, there has been an improvement in the percentage of rural households using clean cooking energy, partly owing to government interventions. However, unclean solid fuels are still the primary source of energy for cooking purposes for about 60% of rural households. One of the foremost reasons for this is the cost of acquiring and using clean energy sources. This paper estimates the cost incurred by a household when switching from solid fuels to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or electricity for cooking, followed by a social cost-benefit analysis of two interventions: universal provision of LPG to all rural households and universal provision of electricity to all rural households. The findings suggest that electricity is a cheaper alternative to LPG at the household level; however, investing in the universal provision of LPG is socially beneficial for the government. Universal provision of electricity for cooking can only become socially beneficial if the proportion of renewable electricity increases, reducing the environmental costs of carbon emissions from coal-based power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to reduce the negative environmental impact of energetics with the growing energy demand in the world is the core objective of the industry for the upcoming decades. The global agenda in the field of environmental protection increases the requirements for evaluation of the energy investment projects, in particular for their environmental efficiency. Currently, much attention is paid to assessing the impact of the project on atmospheric air, water bodies and land resources, including the formation of industrial waste during the operational stage. The formation of production and consumption waste at other stages of the project life cycle is not considered either when generating cash flows or when conducting the assessment pf environmental efficiency. It might significantly reduce the reliability of assessment results. The purpose of this study is to develop a system of integrated accounting for all types of waste generated and the environmental costs incurred for handling them during the environmental and economic assessment of energy projects. The paper discusses modern waste management practices at energy enterprises, waste generation at various stages of investment projects implementation, and provides recommendations on waste accounting when assessing their environmental and economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is a globally significant player in the titanium raw mineral production industry but does not play a large role in its downstream mineral processing. Since downstream activities generate much higher value added, the government has sought to support the end‐to‐end titanium value chain to capture more value from raw titanium before export through 'beneficiation'‐related policies. This paper applies the input–output product space methodology to generate an overview of those sub‐sectors within the titanium value chain that are likely to support long‐term economic growth in South Africa. We then evaluate whether the selected global value chain activities are supported by the current industrial policy and/or whether a focus on currently excluded global value chain activities is recommended. Our results confirm that although beneficiation appears to make sense in the titanium industry in South Africa, it should (from a product space perspective) be applied neither automatically nor sequentially moving down the value chain. The paper concludes with the shortcomings of the approach and various avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary focus of this paper is to examine the link between environmental R&D formation and the strategic use or non‐use of a government's ability to precommit to an emissions tax rate. The existing literature implicitly omits this important matter. This paper comprehensively evaluates various regulatory contexts separated by the timing of emissions taxation and by environmental R&D formations in a Cournot duopoly. The following three points are revealed. First, an equilibrium occurs in which the government does not strategically use its emissions tax rate precommitment ability to enhance social efficiency. Second, if the efficiency of environmental R&D costs is high and if environmental damage is serious, then the government should precommit to an emissions tax rate and allow for the cartelization of the two firms' environmental R&D. However, if the environmental R&D cost efficiency and environmental damage are both low, then the government should adopt a time‐consistent emissions tax and allow for the cartelization of the two firms' environmental R&D. Third, when the two firms can form an environmental research joint venture (ERJV), ERJV cartelization should be invariably allowed, even if the government is a strategic non‐user of its precommitment ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare has emerged as a key setting where expectations are rising for the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), encompassing a range of technologies of varying utility and benefit. This paper argues that, even as the development of AI for healthcare has been pushed forward by a range of public and private actors, insufficient attention has been paid to a key contradiction at the center of AI for healthcare: that its pursuit to improve health is necessarily accompanied by environmental costs which pose risks to human and environmental health—costs which are not necessarily directly borne by those benefiting from the technologies. This perspective paper begins by examining the purported promise of AI in healthcare, contrasting this with the environmental costs which arise across the AI lifecycle, to highlight this contradiction inherent in the pursuit of AI. Its advancement—including in healthcare—is often described through deterministic language that presents it as inevitable. Yet, this paper argues that there is need for recognition of the environmental harm which this pursuit can lead to. Given recent initiatives to incorporate stakeholder involvement into decision-making around AI, the paper closes with a call for an expanded conception of stakeholders in AI for healthcare, to include consideration of those who may be indirectly affected by its development and deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Drawn on some Knetsch observations, this paper illustrates a due process for the economic evaluation of mining projects that impact sensitive and irreversible ecological assets. Towards this end, two case studies of coal mining projects in Australia are considered — one on the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales and the other on the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland. The adverse environmental and social externalities of these projects are well known — especially the impacts on the Gunnedah and the Great Artesian Basins. Notwithstanding these impacts, which are exceedingly difficult to value, private financial analyses demonstrate significant revenue gains. Mining firms find such gains difficult to ignore. Nevertheless, economic analyses illustrate that the net benefits to Australia are possibly absent even without accounting for the costs of environmental social externalities. Given that the property rights of the mineral reserves are vested with the State, the Resource Rent Tax (RRT) becomes a legitimate fiscal policy tool. The paper argues that the assessment of mining decisions must account for the depreciation of the Mineral asset. When this depreciation is measured alongside the Hartwick–Rule, the mining projects demonstrate monetary viability only when the RRT is enforced and is invested in its entirety on options that generate annual returns in excess of 3% to 4%. If recognized, the costs of environmental and social externalities could readily wipe out this, and for that matter any, monetary viability owing to the irreversible nature of the natural social endowments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse demands have promoted the rapid development of the cold chain logistics industry. In the paper, a novel approach for calculating the comprehensive carbon emission cost was proposed and the front warehouse mode was analyzed under the background of energy conservation and emission reduction. To solve the two-echelon low-carbon location-routing problem (2E-LCLRP), a mathematical model considering operating cost, total transportation cost, fixed cost, refrigeration cost, cargo damage cost, and comprehensive carbon emission cost was proposed to determine the minimum total cost. A hybrid ant colony optimization (HACO) algorithm based on an elbow rule and an improved ant colony optimization (IACO) algorithm was proposed to solve the 2E-LCLRP. According to the elbow rule, the optimal number of front warehouses was determined and an IACO algorithm was then designed to optimize vehicle routes. An adaptive hybrid selection strategy and an optimized pheromone update mechanism were integrated into the HACO algorithm to accelerate convergence and obtain global optimal solutions. The proposed model and algorithm were verified through the case study of the 2E-LCLRP in Nanjing, China. The HACO algorithm outperformed the original ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm in terms of convergence rate and solution quality. This study provides significant insights for enhancing heuristic algorithms as well as valuable research methods. Furthermore, the results can help cold chain logistics companies in balancing economic costs and environmental benefits and address cold chain distribution of agricultural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents selected outputs of the scientific research activities of its authors in the field of implementation, intensification, and standardization of environmental management systems for technological enterprise practice. Aspects of environmental-economic continuity were examined in assessing technological inputs in the form of cost accounting for material and energy flows and the level of environmental quality of transformation processes in the input-output enterprise system. On the basis of these aspects, a model for accounting for the costs and revenues of individual processes was proposed and standardised. The methodological approach to cost accounting consists of ten key elements arranged in Deming's cycle of continuous improvement with a closer specification of their purpose, function, and content. The basis for modelling and quantifying material and energy flows is the determination of input/output points, processes, and the determination of quantification nodes for evaluation in physical and monetary units. For each quantity node, costs for the system and waste management must also be quantified. Energy costs, system costs, and waste management costs are divided into product and material losses from production cost data for each quantity node. Summarisation and integrated presentation of cost data were proposed to utilize cost matrices and Sankey diagrams. Further benefits of using environmental cost accounting for material-energy flows in production were also specified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an overview of comparison of bioeconomy indicators, in Romania and European Union, related to Green Deal Pact of the EU. The so called European Green Deal, is a set of proposals adopted by European Commission in order to reduce the climate change by 2050.Official statistical data related to green transition were retrieved from Eurostat database. Specific indicators taken into consideration were circular material use rate, raw material consumption, valued added at factor cost and environmental protection expenditure. Comparison of the dynamics of these indicators for Romania vs other European Union member states, for latest available data, was plotted. When analyzing the data it can be observed that steps are being taken in each state towards fulfilling the objectives of green transition. However, Romania's bioeconomy is still underdeveloped as compared to most of the EU's member states. In order to support the Green Deal targets we need a national strategy and action plan towards green and just transition of our economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: Numerous modern indicators are attempting to integrate better economic, political, social, and environmental ambitions to uncover potential synergy, trade-offs, and future views that center around the notion of a so-called green economy. As long as the various indicators are not bounded in one comprehensive measurement, utilizing knowledge of relevant information and statistics that are crucial for monitoring the progress will not give us answers on the progress towards green growth either. Without an adequate measurement framework and robust statistics, the evaluation of the green economy is open to subjective reasoning. Purpose of the article: This paper aims to offer a strong standpoint for green topics by exploring the concept of Green GDP. The paper introduces a new, updated database on Green GDP for the set of 160 countries from 1970-2019. Methods: This database is distinctive due to its balanced coverage of two components of the green economy: quantitative feature (standard methodological algorithm) and qualitative feature (opportunity costs) within a common Green GDP accounting framework. Findings & value added: Standardizing new methodologies and procedures for estimating environmental costs with a statistical foundation provides added value, which we hope will support the creation of reliable accounting and valuation systems for the green economy on a developing "green platform.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of Natural Capital and explores the implications for actuarial work by way of case studies. It is part of a wider series of IFoA papers focussing on the risks from global biodiversity loss and how these risks can be mitigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the economic growth has resulted in the depletion of natural resources and degradation of ecosystems. Therefore, the environmentally sustainable growth was accepted, as a new mode for economics, that prevents environmental deterioration and loss of biodiversity. The idea of environmentally sustainable growth has been widely discussed not only by experts in environmental economics, but also in the international and national policy scene. However, the measurement of environmentally sustainable growth still remains a challenge, especially in agriculture. In this paper, available academic literature is reviewed and summarized to provide a theoretical baseline for creating a measure of environmentally sustainable growth of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher levels of economic activity are often accompanied by higher energy use and consumption of natural resources. As fossil fuels still account for 80% of the global energy mix, energy consumption remains closely linked to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus to climate change. Under the assumption of sufficiently elastic demand, this reality of global economic development based on permanent growth of economic activity, brings into play the Jevons Paradox, which hypothesises that increases in the efficiency of resource use leads to increases in resource consumption. Previous research on the rebound effects has limitations, including a lack of studies on the connection between reinforcement learning and environmental consequences. This paper develops a mathematical model and computer simulator to study the effects of micro-level exploration–exploitation strategies on efficiency, consumption and sustainability, considering different levels of direct and indirect rebound effects. Our model shows how optimal exploration–exploitation strategies for increasing efficiency can lead to unsustainable development patterns if they are not accompanied by demand reduction measures, which are essential for mitigating climate change. Moreover, our paper speaks to the broader issue of efficiency traps by highlighting how indirect rebound effects not only affect primary energy (PE) consumption and GHG emissions, but also resource consumption in other domains. By linking these issues together, our study sheds light on the complexities and interdependencies involved in achieving sustainable development goals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change adaptation needs a science of culture'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet increasing energy demands, reduce environmental impacts, and increase economic benefits, many water utilities have installed on-site renewable energy generation and storage facilities. These are commonly referred to as behind-the-meter (BTM) energy systems. This paper proposes a systematic optimization approach to the design and evaluation of water distribution systems (WDS) with BTM solar energy. The trade-offs between economic and environmental costs and the benefits these systems can have throughout their design life are demonstrated using a real-world pressurized irrigation system. Due to the large number of decision variables required during the optimization process and the associated high-computational cost, a hydraulic-power-based search-space reduction method has been developed. This method identifies common features of the pipes across a network based on the potential maximum flow and residual pressure head at the outlet of each pipe, so that pipes having similar hydraulic power capacity and thus similar diameters can be grouped together as a single decision variable. This effectively reduces the search space size and significantly increases the optimization efficiency for complex WDS optimization problems such as the optimal pipe design of WDS incorporating BTM solar energy in this study. In this paper, trade-offs between two objective function values [the total life-cycle cost and total life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions] are investigated. A reduction in GHG emissions leads to an increase in the total cost and vice versa. It has also been found that the incorporation of BTM solar energy can significantly improve both objective function values. However, the optimal diameters of pipes and therefore the capital costs and GHG emissions are not sensitive to the increase in solar photovoltaic sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the influence that nation-states can have on the engagement of international marketing activities. The purpose of this study is to understand the influence of the institutional response to the COVID-19 pandemic on international marketing activities and to highlight the need to formally incorporate institutional economics into the study of international marketing phenomena. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses institutional economics as the environmental element of the general theory of competitive rationality to present a foundation for understanding how state actions influence marketing and international marketing activities. Data are presented and empirically tested, demonstrating the heterogeneity of government influence on personal and economic freedoms during the pandemic, both of which influenced international marketing activities. To broaden the implications of this work, we also provide anecdotal illustrations unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic to demonstrate the breadth of nation-state influence on international marketing activities. Findings: Heterogeneity in nation-state formal and informal institutional elements influence international marketing activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, other incidents, unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate the importance of contextualizing international marketing activities under a holistic institutional framework. Originality/value: The paper employs the general theory of competitive rationality along with institutional economics to provide a theoretical foundation to better understand the differential impact on international marketing as a result of formal and informal institutional influences. This general framework can be employed to provide a holistic understanding of both international and cross-national marketing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]