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The shift to electric mobility is driving disruptive transformations in the automotive sector worldwide. It poses significant but different opportunities and challenges to incumbents and latecomers at both the firm and country levels. China's green industrial policy has facilitated its rapid catching up and even leapfrogging in some domains of electromobility. This article asks whether the exploitation of this window of opportunity can be replicated in other latecomer countries. Accordingly, it provides a comparative analysis of the automotive green window of opportunity in Brazil, India, and South Africa, three emerging economies with long established but structurally different automotive industries. To do so, it examines domestic preconditions, policy and enterprise responses, and preliminary industrial development outcomes. Although all the three countries face constraints in replicating China's relative success, the article shows how green opportunities and threats are unequally divided between the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Human exposure to the >42,000 chemicals in active commerce in the United States, many of which are known or suspected to be toxic, is a source of increasing concern. [...], BACKGROUND: The prevalence of toxic chemicals in US commerce has prompted some states to adopt laws to reduce exposure. One with broad reach is California's Proposition 65 (Prop 65), which established a list of chemicals that cause cancer, developmental harm, or reproductive toxicity. The law is intended to discourage businesses from using these chemicals and to minimize consumer exposure. However, a key question remains unanswered: Has Prop 65 reduced population-level exposure to the listed chemicals? OBJECTIVE: We used national biomonitoring data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the impact of Prop 65 on population-level exposures. METHODS: We evaluated changes in blood and urine concentrations of 37 chemicals (including phthalates, phenols, VOCs, metals, PAHs, and PFAS), among US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) participants in relation to the time of chemicals' Prop 65 listing. Of these, 11 were listed prior to, 11 during, and 4 after the biomonitoring period. The remaining 11 were not listed but were closely related to a Prop 65-listed chemical. Where biomonitoring data were available from before and after the date of Prop 65 listing, we estimated the change in concentrations over time for Californians compared with non-Californians, using a difference-in-differences model. We used quantile regression to estimate changes in exposure over time, as well as differences between Californians and non-Californians at the 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles. RESULTS: We found that concentrations of biomonitored chemicals generally declined nationwide over time irrespective of their inclusion on the Prop 65 list. Median bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations decreased 15% after BPA's listing on Prop 65, whereas concentrations of the nonlisted but closely related bisphenol S (BPS) increased 20% over this same period, suggesting chemical substitution. Californians generally had lower levels of biomonitored chemicals than the rest of the US population. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that increased scientific and regulatory attention, as well as public awareness of the harms of Prop 65-listed chemicals, prompted changes in product formulations that reduced exposure to those chemicals nationwide. Trends in bisphenols and several phthalates suggest that manufacturers replaced some listed chemicals with closely related but unlisted chemicals, increasing exposure to the substitutes. Our findings have implications for the design of policies to reduce toxic exposures, biomonitoring programs to inform policy interventions, and future research into the regulatory and market forces that affect chemical exposure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13956

Prior research on inventory control has been wide ranging, yet the environmental implications of an $ ({s,S}) $ (s , S) inventory policy remain uninvestigated. This paper seeks to bridge the gap by characterising a firm's voluntary environmental policy in the setup of an $ ({s,S}) $ (s , S) inventory control policy. We suggest a mixed model structure wherein, due to the presence of fixed production costs, the inventory is determined continuously by sales and impulsively with ordering decisions obeying an optimal stopping process, while the uncertain sales process is controlled by continuous-time environmental goodwill-related decisions. We show that a firm should successively use voluntary environmental efforts to stimulate its sales when there is inventory and to increase backlogging to improve its production efficiency. Given the recurrent pattern of this policy, we conclude that voluntary environmental efforts under an $ ({s,S}) $ (s , S) inventory control is not compatible with using these efforts as a means to generate ephemeral reputation insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a detailed spatio‐temporal analysis of the rainfall in the state of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. It is based on climate indices for extreme precipitation recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection, Monitoring and Indices. To accomplish this, daily rainfall 1data (1961–2019) were extracted from 809 high‐resolution grid points (0.1° × 0.1°) using the Brazilian Daily Weather Gridded Data (BR‐DWGD). The significance and magnitude of index trends were assessed using the modified Mann–Kendall and Sen's slope tests. This study also examined whether there existed a significant difference in climate indices among the three regions (Sertão, Agreste and Zona da Mata) within the state. The findings revealed notable significant negative trends in the PRCPTOT, R10mm, R20mm, Rx1day, Rx5day and CWD indices across all regions of Pernambuco, exhibiting a gradient from the coast to the state's interior. Reduction values of up to 15 mm year−1 for PRCPTOT, 0.7 day year−1 for R10mm, 0.2 day year−1 for R20mm, 0.01 mm year−1 for Rx1day, 0.03 mm year−1 for Rx5day, 0.4 day year−1 for CWD were observed. Furthermore, an alarming pattern was also noted for CDD, displaying a higher concentration of significant positive trends in all regions of the state, with estimated increases of up to 1.4 day year−1. Conversely, a balance of trends—both positive and negative—was observed across the entire state for R95p and R99p, with a majority of trends proving non‐significant. SDII exhibited a higher frequency of grid points showing a significant positive trend, particularly notable in the Sertão and Zona da Mata regions, where significant differences in the index values were absent. However, the remaining indices showcased notable regional differences, with values decreasing from the east to the west of the state, except for CDD. This study will assist decision makers, providing detailed long‐term information essential for preventing natural disasters and supporting socioeconomic and environmental policies in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we bridge a crucial gap in the literature by investigating the interplay between environmental regulations, technological innovations, and renewable energy adoption and their impact on sector-specific environmental performance in the textile and fashion industry. Leveraging time series data from 1995 Q1 to 2022 Q4 and using autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and Granger causality techniques, this research is built upon the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis and regulatory push innovation hypothesis to unravel these complex interactions. Our findings demonstrate that rigorous environmental regulations and taxes are pivotal in enhancing environmental outcomes across various industry sectors, leading to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter. However, the total leather and feather production (LFP) and total fashion production (FP) sectors are highly responsive to environmental policy and regulations. Although technological advancements and research and development (R&D) initially increase ecological footprints due to high upfront costs, they are indispensable for achieving long-term environmental improvements and reshaping regulatory landscapes. The adoption of renewable energy sources, meanwhile, delivers immediate and substantial reductions in carbon emissions, highlighting their critical role in advancing industry sustainability. In this study, we advocate for leveraging environmental regulations as drivers of technological innovation and sustainability, urging policymakers to implement incentives for technological progress and renewable energy adoption. The implications of this research are significant for both industry stakeholders and policymakers. By positioning environmental regulations as catalysts for technological advancement, in this study, we emphasize the importance of a proactive, integrated approach to sustainability. Despite the study's regional focus, which may limit generalizability, future research should include longitudinal and comparative analyses across varied regions and emerging technologies to refine strategies for superior environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government introduced the green credit policy (GCP) in 2007 to address deteriorating ecological conditions. Using an enterprise-heterogeneity dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model that includes a financial accelerator mechanism, uncertainty shocks, and GCP, we reveal that GCP significantly reduces emissions. However, this effect is inhibited by rising external uncertainty, as evidenced by the findings from impulse response and welfare loss analyses. Additionally, this negative effect and inhibition are more pronounced for privately-owned enterprises (POEs) while muted for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Moreover, this study presents that uncertainty weakens the role of GCP through two channels: tightening firms' financing constraints and discouraging investment. Building upon the theoretical analysis above, we validate our findings by employing detailed firm-level data and the difference-in-differences (DID) method. The empirical results confirm the robustness of our findings. This study offers theoretical and quantitative support for developing GCP in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flood pulse is a hydrological concept of the river‐lake‐floodplain system, demonstrating the varying hydrological regimes between wet and dry seasons, which drive productivity and interaction of living and non‐living organisms in river‐lake‐floodplain systems (RLFS). This paper posits that the flood pulse is a ‘social,’ physical, and hydrological driver of change in the Mekong Basin, particularly for the ‘pulsing heart’ of Tonle Sap Lake (TSL). Although the flood pulse provides a comprehensive knowledge of RLFS, there has been less attention on how the flood pulse contributes to the development of river‐lake society. This paper examines the social aspects of the flood pulse in RLFS and explores how communities adapt to changing hydrological regimes between the wet and dry seasons. It is argued that the physical and social dimensions of the flood pulse should be essential considerations in water governance, environmental and social policy arenas. It concludes that the flood pulse shapes human settlements in TSL into water‐based, water‐land‐based, and land‐based communities, induces vertical and horizontal mobilities of communities between the wet and dry seasons, and influences the organization of productive spaces and non‐spatial activities to sustain livelihoods. Developments such as hydropower are causing ecological and social transformations in TSL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In August 2022, the US Congress surprisingly adopted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included an ambitious package of decarbonization policies. Drawing on political economy perspectives and document analysis, this article explains the policy process that shaped the IRA. The policymaking process of the IRA is explored through an analytical framework adapted to the polarized political situation in the US, where traditional lawmaking strategies like seeking bipartisan compromise or conventional use of legislative procedures are largely defunct. The analysis shows how the economic shocks induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war generated a window of opportunity for a strengthened pro-climate interest coalition to employ novel policy ideas and creative institutional governance to instigate the enactment of the IRA. The combination of decarbonization policies in the IRA embodied a compromise policy package that all Democrats in Congress could accept, although its durability in a polarized legislature remains uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the "Green Credit Guidelines" (also known as "Green Credit Policy", GCP) in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, this study adopts the panel datasets between 2010 and 2019 for Chinese manufacturing firms listed publicly to examine the effects of GCP on the labor productivity of Chinese heavily-polluting companies. The findings indicate that: (1) Upon introducing GCP, it can improve labor productivity of Chinese heavily-polluting companies, a result of the promotion effect of GCP on commercial credit and technological innovation. (2) The implementation of GCP can enhance the commercial credit of Chinese heavily-polluting enterprises and relieve its financing constraints to some degree. (3) The implementation of GCP can further the innovation activities of Chinese heavily-polluting companies and realize the re-test of the "Porter effect". (4) The heterogeneity test indicates that GCP exerts a pronounced promoting influence on state-owned and large heavily-polluting enterprises in eastern China. Those conclusions are still valid after robustness tests. This research offers empirical evidence and policy wisdom for promoting the green conversion of manufacturing enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread promotion of the concept of green development, China's green credit policy system has been established, developed, and gradually improved during the past decade. Against the background of the country's vigorous development of green finance, this finance has had an increasingly important influence on agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP). In this study, we took 30 provinces (autonomous regions or municipalities directly under central government control) in China as research samples (Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Tibet were not included due to a lack of data). The time period from 2010 to 2020 was selected as the research period, given that 2010 was the year when the development stage of China's green finance was first initiated. Through in-depth analysis of the spatial correlations of agricultural GTFP in China and the influences of green finance on agricultural GFTP, we constructed a research framework with multiple dimensions, including green credit, green bonds, green insurance, green investment, and carbon finance. We then systematically studied the influences of green finance on agricultural GTFP. Our results showed that: (1) The development levels of green finance and agricultural GTFP in China were high, but there were not able differences among provinces, with higher agricultural GTFP in northern China and lower agricultural GTFP in central China; (2) green finance had the greatest promoting effect in western China, a weaker promoting effect in central China, and the weakest promoting effect in eastern China; and (3) green finance can indirectly promote improvements in agricultural GTFP by promoting the upgrading of industrial structure, driving technological progress, and optimizing energy consumption structure. Our work not only provides valuable reference data and suggestions for the green and sustainable development of China's agriculture but also academic support for the development of China's agricultural economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study introduces a trail‐based framework for assessing spatially explicit cultural ecosystem services (ES) at a microscale, focusing on individual trail experiences within a mountain range. By integrating agent‐based modeling with hiking data, we simulate and quantify the consumption of cultural ES by individuals on various trails, considering factors such as seasonal variations. Our approach contrasts with traditional map‐based methods by emphasizing the dynamic, activity‐based assessment of cultural ES supply and demand. The findings reveal significant spatial mismatches between the potential cultural ES provided by trails and their potential consumption by hiking, highlighting the importance of localized, trail‐specific evaluations. The study's implications extend to environmental policy and management, where understanding these mismatches can guide targeted conservation and development efforts. While this study presents a contribution, we acknowledge limitations related to the geographic focus and dataset scope, suggesting that future research should incorporate more diverse data sources and expand the geographic range. This could enable more accurate simulations and assessments, particularly in data‐scarce regions. Ultimately, this trail‐based approach enhances the precision of cultural ES evaluation and offers valuable tools for policymakers and environmental managers to align conservation efforts with actual human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable futures require deep social and economic transformations to address climate change adequately. The current landscape of intergovernmental and market-based coordination is not delivering this outcome. In response, political economic scholarship is congregating around the concept of the green state as a corrective to the status quo. In spite of this resurgence of interest in the green state, much research takes place in issue-specific silos without exploring synergies between them. Our contribution is to call for an integrative agenda focused on ‘green economic planning’, a form of state-led decarbonisation whereby the state designs and implements structural complementarities between macro-financial architectures, industrial policy, and private sector incentives. Our evidence for this approach is taken from historical cases of indicative planning in post-war democracies, contemporary cases of sectoral planning by states, and finally, planning by multinational corporations. We draw not only on political economy but also on scholarship in the fields of business, environment, energy and economic history. The upshot is a new research agenda focusing on state planning capacity in hierarchical coordination institutions and multinational corporations as research laboratories for the study of the organisational and technological infrastructure needed for state planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is it exactly about the quest to "green" the performing arts that so fundamentally challenges the sector's modi operandi? A sense of urgency around climate change and ecological degradation is informing profound changes in the way the arts field sees itself and slowly inducing a discussion on the sustainability of its working practices. However, despite the undeniable planetary emergency, the lumping together of environmental issues and cultural policy and management frameworks remains complex and controversial, especially if considered from the perspective of the European semi-peripheries. By exploring the preliminary results of a nation-wide inquiry among 140 performing arts regularly funded organisations based in Portugal, this paper discusses the implications of the overarching challenge of environmental sustainability for cultural policymaking and arts management, seeking to contribute to a more nuanced and context-sensitive understanding of the "green transition." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of selective problematic aspects regarding the assessment of the condition of the lands and the needs and possible ways of restoring the lands that were damaged as a result of the military actions of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine. Particular attention is paid to the need and difficulty of clearing mined areas, which should be done with an integrated approach, but this process requires and will require a large amount of time and resources. The main focus is on the need to create a comprehensive strategy for land restoration, which will include damage assessment, development of new legal acts, as well as implementation of mechanisms for the protection and restoration of land resources as a component of the environment. Particular emphasis is placed on the need to introduce so-called «red zones» in the most dangerous and polluted territories, where economic or personal activities are dangerous for the health of the population, which needs to be taken into account, including the period of active hostilities in certain territories. The article also considers the experience of other countries that faced such problems, in particular, for example, the country of France after the First World War, and emphasizes the importance of international cooperation with the organization of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to ensure effective restoration of lands. In addition, it is proposed to introduce amendments to the tax legislation of Ukraine for a balanced temporary exemption of land owners or land users from taxes for the time of restoration works, which will contribute to more efficient use of resources. In addition, it was noted that the state government should take all organizational measures as much as possible in order to receive reparations for crimes against the environment from the aggressor country. The work emphasizes the importance of harmonizing the environmental policy of Ukraine with the norms of the European Union in the context of European integration, because Ukraine has a European integration course and environmental changes are also one of the conditions for joining the European Union, so the reconstruction of destroyed cities should already be in accordance with the norms of the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the problem of plastic waste in the context of transition to a circular economy, which is one of the priorities of the European Union's policy. The author emphasises the introduction of restrictions on the use of plastic products, starting with Directive 2008/98/EC, which establishes a basic framework for waste management, including plastic, with a focus on recycling and the transition to a circular economy, in order to achieve targets by 2025, 2030 and 2035. The main focus is on Directive 2019/904 on the reduction of the use of single-use plastic products, which aims to reduce the negative impact of plastic on the environment. The Directive provides for a ban on certain types of single-use plastic goods, including plastic lids that must remain attached to containers during use. The article analyses the importance of harmonising the legislation of the EU member states in the process of implementing this Directive, as differences in national laws may lead to legal conflicts. The economic challenges for countries with less developed waste management systems, which may have difficulty meeting the requirements within the established timeframe, are also considered. The article emphasises the need to introduce new technologies and environmentally sustainable consumption patterns to ensure effective implementation of the Directive. Examples of initiatives aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastic, such as the deposit system for plastic bottles in Germany and the Swiss ReCircle programme, are also discussed. Ukraine is also implementing measures to reduce plastic waste, but legislative initiatives need to be further developed to achieve global environmental goals. The article emphasises the importance of raising legal awareness among citizens and businesses for a successful transition to a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the current status of leisure fishing in Inner Mongolia and its implications for the development of leisure fishing abroad. As an important province in northern China, Inner Mongolia has rich natural resources and unique geographical conditions but still faces many challenges in infrastructure development and ecological protection. By analyzing Inner Mongolia's unique geographical and climatic conditions, water resource distribution, and industrial structure, the research finds that while the region possesses abundant water resources, inadequate infrastructure and weak awareness of ecological protection remain major constraints on its development. Using the SWOT analysis method, the study identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of leisure fishing in Inner Mongolia, highlighting the importance of government policy support and eco-friendly development models in enhancing industry competitiveness. Furthermore, the research proposes strategies to promote industrial chain integration, optimize industrial structure, strengthen infrastructure, implement sustainable development models, and enhance brand building and market promotion. Based on Inner Mongolia's experience, the study offers insights for developing leisure fishing abroad, recommending a focus on ecological protection and technological innovation, enhancing brand influence, and fostering international cooperation and resource sharing. This research provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for developing leisure fishing in Inner Mongolia and other regions, serving as a reference for the sustainable development of global leisure fishing. It emphasizes the necessity of integrated governance and ecological protection while projecting the future prospects for the synergistic development of leisure fishing in economic, environmental, and social dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the application of three nature-inspired optimisation algorithms – SHO, MFO, and GOA – combined with four machine learning methods – Gaussian Processes, Linear Regression, MLP, and Random Forest – to enhance carbon dioxide emission prediction in the OECD – Asia and Oceania region. The study uses historical carbon dioxide emissions data, socioeconomic indicators such as GDP, population density, energy consumption, and urbanisation rates, and environmental indicators such as temperature, precipitation, and forest cover. Through comprehensive experimentation, the study evaluates the performance of each combination, revealing varying effectiveness levels. The MFO-MLP combination achieved the highest accuracy with R2 values of 0.9996 and 0.9995 and RMSE values of 11.7065 and 12.8890 for the training and testing datasets, respectively. The GOA-MLP configuration achieved R2 values of 0.9994 and 0.99934 and RMSE values of 15.01306 and 14.59333. The SHO-MLP combination, while effective, showed lower performance with R2 values of 0.9915 and 0.9946 and RMSE values of 55.4516 and 41.575. The findings suggest hybrid techniques can significantly enhance prediction accuracy compared to conventional methods. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, indicating that optimised machine learning models can support more informed and effective environmental policy-making and sustainability efforts in the OECD – Asia and Oceania region. Future research should explore additional optimisation algorithms and ensemble techniques to improve prediction robustness and accuracy. These findings offer a robust tool for policymakers to forecast emissions more accurately, aiding in developing targeted strategies to reduce carbon footprints and achieve climate goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of low-density residential development to host solar PV, the ubiquity of solar irradiation, and incentivizing policies have created substantial opportunities for homeowners in the United States. Federal, state, and municipal governments implement regulatory policies and financial incentives to promote photovoltaic solar systems in residential buildings with limited resources. Thus, understanding the main factors and their spatial variations is vital for expanding the accessibility of renewable energy benefits to specific socio-economic groups and submarkets. Our research includes linear regression, principal component regression, and spatial error models to provide empirical evidence for the relationship between the adoption rates and socio-economic, geographical, and technical factors while identifying characteristics of adopter groups. The results suggest that the relative advantage factors – electricity prices and solar irradiation – play the most significant role across all regions and market segmentations. Statewide policy indicators are the second most significant factor, followed by socio-economic variables on employment status, remote working, car ownership, and property value. Our results indicate that homeowners do not only differ in their circumstances but also in their motivations. This highlights a need for policy-makers and the solar industry to place greater emphasis on distinct characteristics of consumers motivated by ideology and consumers motivated by economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Environmental Law Review 2024 Quarterly comment by Trinity Chambers discusses recent weather events and government activities related to climate change and the environment. It highlights new Bills focusing on climate change and environmental issues, as well as legal cases and legislative developments. The document also includes updates on domestic and EU legislation, consultations, select committee reports, and news on environmental issues and policies. The report provides a comprehensive overview of recent environmental law developments and initiatives. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses various political events and investigations in the Australian Capital Territory from January to June 2024. It highlights Andrew Barr becoming the longest-serving Chief Minister, challenges faced by the government, the conclusion of the Davis affair, Integrity Commission investigations, the upcoming election campaign with independent candidates, and policy announcements by different parties. The passing of the Voluntary Assisted Dying bill and the presentation of a modest budget by Barr are also mentioned. [Extracted from the article]

Risk perception influences the perceived salience of various policy issues. In this study, we examine the pathways through which environmental identity influences the perceived salience of two kinds of policy issues—climate change (climate mitigation and climate adaptation) and development (economic growth and infrastructure). Based on a dataset of 503 respondents from coastal communities along the east coast of the United States, our findings indicate that environmental identity is associated with a greater perceived salience of climate mitigation, and that this relationship is mediated by hydrometeorological disaster risk perception. While we found no significant total effect of environmental identity on the perceived salience of climate adaptation, perceived salience of infrastructure development, and perceived salience of economic growth, hydrometeorological disaster risk perception was found to fully mediate all three relationships. Also, the mediated relationships were found to be significantly moderated by gender identity, but not by age (except for the perceived salience of infrastructure development). The study highlights the pivotal role of hydrometeorological risk perception in modifying the perceived importance of different policy issues among environmentalists and has implications for policy and planning in coastal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fridays for Future movement has shaped public debates on climate policy all over Europe and beyond in recent years. It demands politicians to take action and fulfil the promises of the Paris Agreement. This article turns to the European Union and asks how the European Parliament met this movement. In doing so, we reflect potential tensions between its reputation as an environmental policy champion and the most direct link to the European demos on the one side and its composition of various political groups on the other side. Indeed, our analysis shows most political groups in the Parliament, even conservatives and liberals, support the movement. This is somewhat surprising given their general stances on environmental and climate policy. To explain the broad support given to Fridays for Future, we turn to the inner-parliamentary dynamics and the overall status of the Parliament in the supranational political system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Decompose the two-sided effects of environmental regulations on green innovation. • The green innovation effects of environmental regulations are bilateral. • Environmental regulations highlight the negative impact on green innovation. • China's energy-intensive provinces require focused attention. Green technology innovation is an important means to achieve sustainable development. The study is an exploration of the bilateral perspective on the relationship between different types of environmental regulations and green innovation. Based on the data set of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2018, the two-sided effects of command-and-control environmental regulation and market-based environmental regulation on green innovation are analysed and the net effects are calculated by using the two-tier stochastic frontier models. First, empirical research shows that the effects of command-and-control environmental regulation and market-based environmental regulation on green innovation are both highlighted by negative characteristics. Command-and-control environmental regulation has a smaller effect on green innovation, with an average positive effect of 0.00005, which is smaller than the average negative effect of 0.0008. Meanwhile, the positive effect of market-based environmental regulation on green innovation is 0.00291, smaller than the negative effect of 0.00461. Second, the negative impact of command-and-control environmental regulation on green innovation underwent a "back-to-N" change process in 2006–2018, while the negative effect of market-based environmental regulation on green innovation did not decline until after 2011. Third, the provinces where command-and-control environmental regulation policies have a greater negative effect are concentrated in the energy-intensive regions of central and western China, while the provinces where market-based environmental regulation policies can promote green innovation are from the energy-intensive or developed eastern regions of China. Based on the research conclusions, to better promote green innovation, there is a need to implement environmental regulatory policies that address regional differences and to establish a national system of green innovation markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a warming Arctic, circumpolar long‐term monitoring programs are key to advancing ecological knowledge and informing environmental policies. Calls for better involvement of Arctic peoples in all stages of the monitoring process are widespread, although such transformation of Arctic science is still in its infancy. Seabirds stand out as ecological sentinels of environmental changes, and priority has been given to implement the Circumpolar Seabird Monitoring Plan (CSMP). We assessed the representativeness of a pan‐Arctic seabird monitoring network focused on the black‐legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) by comparing the distribution of environmental variables for all known versus monitored colonies. We found that with respect to its spatiotemporal coverage, this monitoring network does not fully embrace current and future environmental gradients. To improve the current scheme, we designed a method to identify colonies whose inclusion in the monitoring network will improve its ecological representativeness, limit logistical constraints, and improve involvement of Arctic peoples. We thereby highlight that inclusion of study sites in the Bering Sea, Siberia, western Russia, northern Norway, and southeastern Greenland could improve the current monitoring network and that their proximity to local populations might allow increased involvement of local communities. Our framework can be applied to improve existing monitoring networks in other ecoregions and sociological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plains Bison once had the largest population and range of any terrestrial herbivore in North America. Bison now occupy less than 2% of their historic range, mostly behind fences of state-run and private organizations. In 2014, Indigenous groups across North America signed The Buffalo Treaty, calling for bison rewilding. This paper examines barriers to rewilding on Canada's prairies in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Through interviews we asked government and NGO representatives what prevents bison reintroduction and rewilding. Our results suggest that the main barriers are social acceptance and material resources. These findings support previous research in the United States and Europe and provides a foundation for future research that could include other actors, such as landowners, Indigenous organizations, and industry representatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the removal from and dispossession of lands, Indigenous groups often need access to public land for traditional activities including ceremonies and gathering of culturally important plants. In California, USA, there is an ongoing effort to reconnect tribes with their ancestral lands by initiating tribal co-management on state-owned lands. However, its implementation is not well documented or studied. We explored the limited examples of co-management relationships occurring in California using semi-structured interviews. We found that recent policy evolution has created enabling conditions for successful co-management. However, efforts are complicated by limitations in both state employee and tribal capacities. Our 20 non-tribal participant interviews indicated that navigating the diversity of tribal interests and priorities is a hurdle to developing co-management agreements. Non-transactional gatherings are catalysts for relationship building between agencies and tribes which can facilitate social learning and the development of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a dual-channel supply chain within an uncertain environment where a manufacturer produces a green product and a retailer makes sales efforts to attract a higher customer base. Moreover, we incorporate a reverse supply chain model in which the manufacturer retrieves end-of-used products from customers through a collection initiative. Simultaneously, the retailer gathers end-of-used products from customers by implementing an exchange policy facilitated through a coupon applied to the product's selling price. Then, we explore centralized, manufacturer Stackelberg, option contracts and cost-sharing contracts strategies to maximize supply chain profits under various circumstances. Subsequently, a numerical example is undertaken to showcase the utility of the models and explore sensitivity that examines how different parameters impact the supply chain's profit. Findings suggest that the supply chain members will be profitable if they engage in the option contract model under a suitable value of the option price and exercise price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability researchers are writing much about levers for transformations towards sustainability but too little about the most powerful means available for obstructing and activating them: mass-reaching media systems. How media systems are structured and governed form a profoundly important meta-level layer of decision-making that ought to be central in the study of environmental politics and in environmental policymaking. A politics- and media-focused account of the rise of Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil illustrates the essential role of media systems and the need for new principles, structures, and policies for their governance if the interlinked goals of democracy, equity, and environmental protection are to be achieved. The pervasive inattention to this in environmental research reinforces hegemonic forces and needs to be widely discussed, understood, and overcome to achieve much needed just transformations towards sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peri-urban areas provide multiple ecosystem services, but face critical challenges, including deforestation, unplanned urban sprawl, and environmental pollution and degradation. To address these issues, environmental public policy instruments have been implemented. This paper aims to investigate the social ecological trajectories of a peri-urban area of Mexico City and the role of environmental public policy instruments in addressing land use change. Focusing on four watersheds of the southern periphery of the city, we analyze land use change drivers through neural networks and Markov chains, and we develop two land use scenarios for the next 20 years: one characterized by business as usual and another with a more restrictive land use regime. Our findings show that infrastructure drivers are the most critical factor overall, when combined with the historical social ecological trajectory of the study area. The impact of environmental public policy instruments on future trajectories demonstrates their potential to decrease deforestation. The results provide insights for the integrated territorial planning of peri-urban areas with similar social ecological dynamics and developing context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban periphery watersheds play a crucial role in providing diverse ecosystem services, especially hydrological services (HES), for society at different temporal and spatial scales; moreover, local populations directly influence ecosystem functionality through their decisions and actions. The interactions between social and ecological factors create social–ecological systems (SESs), whose trajectories continuously change in response to internal factors such as land use cover change (LUCC) and external factors such as climate change (CC). This situation influences the vulnerability of SESs in terms of exposure, sensitivity and adaptation capacity. In this study, the social–ecological vulnerability (SEV) of the periphery of Mexico City was investigated based on the Collaborative Protocol for Ecosystem Services Assessment and Social–ecological Vulnerability Mapping (ECOSER) and a quantitative method approach. For this purpose, spatial analysis was performed using the ecological and social spatial data for LUCC tendencies calculated for 1999–2019 and projected for short-term CC scenarios and using LUCC calculated for 2039 in trend-based (TREND) and restrictive (REST) scenarios. The results reveal that increases in the SEV in 2039 will be related to important decreases in the HES; furthermore, the REST scenario suggests decreases in the SEV due to decreases in the HES, assuming that environmental public policy instruments will be preserved in this region. The present work aims to contribute to decision-making for HES preservation at local and regional scales and to help develop adaptation strategies under LUCC and CC scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fisheries in coastal and lakeside regions are increasingly facing sustainability challenges. This predicament has compelled these regions to shift toward economic diversification, with tourism emerging as a feasible alternative economic activity. This study focuses on a rural community adjacent to Erhai Lake in Dali City, Yunnan Province, China, examining its shift from a fishing-based economy to tourism over several decades. Employing an adaptive sustainable livelihood framework, this study assessed the livelihood transformation across various stages over an extended period, from both institutional and action-oriented perspectives, analyzing factors influencing sustainable livelihood transformation in lakeside communities and their subsequent effects. This research revealed several key insights. Firstly, tourism, as an alternative industry to fishing, not only faces increasingly stringent environmental protection policies but also confronts multiple challenges from the community level. Secondly, the improvement of the physical assets of locals within the tourism development, which can increase property-based income, has the potential to facilitate a sustainable transformation of their livelihoods. Thirdly, analysis identifies the pivotal role of human capital in the current transition process, with the influence of talent and innovative livelihood industry management models gaining prominence to ensure sustainability of this transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proponents of green growth argue that technological advancements and price signals can decouple economic growth from environmental impact through resource substitution and enhanced efficiency. In this research, we investigate the extent to which economic growth in Norway is decoupling from three key indicators of environmental pressure: energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and material consumption. Our findings show efficiency improvements across all of these indicators, but no absolute decoupling for any of them, and less so, a sufficient absolute decoupling to meet global sustainability targets. Despite the prevalent discourse surrounding a purported 'green shift', the overall environmental pressure within Norway is still on an upward trajectory. Mounting evidence regarding the absence of sufficient absolute decoupling suggests that the time may be ripe for high‐income nations like Norway to transcend policy focus on green growth and engage in transitions towards a post‐growth economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector employs sport to stimulate social and personal development beyond sports. However, limited attention has been given to environmental sustainability and SDP's role within the Anthropocene. This study examines how SDP stakeholders interpret macro policies and navigate climate action challenges. The concept of glocalization helps reveal the complexities of addressing climate change at a local level. Semi-structured interviews (N = 4) were conducted with SDP practitioners from NGOs in Brazil and the UK. Findings reveal two key themes: the barriers and opportunities presented by the SDGs and the role of personal experiences in making environmental engagement relevant. The findings shed new light on the diverse motivations that drive SDP NGOs in addressing environmental concerns, as well as the challenges they encounter in contributing to environmental sustainability. This study emphasizes the need for SDP-specific environmental policies, practices, and glocalized responses to the Anthropocene on various levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging employees' green behaviour is one of the effective environmental strategies in the hotel industry. Previous studies have primarily investigated the organisation-level factors influencing employees' green behaviour. In contrast, this study shifts the focus to the employee-level factors and introduces generativity in the current research topic. Generativity reflects individuals' concerns for the well-being of future generations. This study aims to explore the relationships among employees' generativity, green behaviour, green policy attitude, and environmental commitment. 304 valid samples were collected from hotel employees in Macau. The structural equational model analysis revealed that generativity has a significantly positive influence on green policy. Employees' green attitude and environmental commitment play a mediating role between generativity and green behaviour. This study expands on the literature by exploring how employees' generativity promotes organizational environmental management. The findings suggest how hotel managers can promote green behaviour and design green policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation, a critical issue in academic literature, arises from multiple factors including increased carbon emissions, urbanization, industrialization, mass production, and extensive use of non-renewable energy sources. These factors notably impact sustainable economic growth and environmental quality. Globally, efforts are directed towards optimizing carbon emissions to minimize their adverse effects. This necessitates effective environmental policies. This study examines the effectiveness of Turkey's environmental policy using cointegration and causality tests that account for structural breaks. The analysis utilizes data from 1990 to 2020, the most comprehensive dataset for Turkey to date. Findings indicate that Turkey's environmental policy is effective in reducing carbon emissions, highlighting a need for policy reassessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution of water bodies and process upset in treatment plants in Mexico by cheese whey discharges is a matter of concern where scant inspection and law enforcement may aggravate the situation. This study analyzes the current state of environmental regulatory compliance and the impacts of whey discharges with particular emphasis on the country's leading dairy-producing state, Jalisco. Subsequently, cheese whey characteristics and current valorisation volume and uses are discussed in detail. From there, anaerobic digestion is presented as a key technology for cheese whey treatment mainly to comply with wastewater regulations, with recovery of biogas as bonus. From there, the volume of cheese whey discharged to the environment and potential equivalence in biogas and electricity production is calculated considering both the technologies commonly used in industrial applications and for farms and small producers. Also, the potential electricity generation and prevented atmospheric impact are calculated and framed against the current Mexican energy and emissions inventory. Finally, a review of past efforts to disseminate the use of anaerobic digesters to produce biogas from organic waste in Mexico is undertaken, followed by a discussion of the basic requirements for a strategy to sustainably manage and treat whey discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the intricate interplay among cleaner energy, environmental policies, fiscal spending, trade and their impacts on green economic growth (GEG), and carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) in the G-7 countries from 1990 to 2021. It fills a significant gap in the current literature by utilizing advanced second-generation panel data analysis techniques, particularly the cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL) technique. Primarily, it finds that environmental policy and cleaner energy correlate with reduced CO2e levels, highlighting their crucial role in environmental protection and carbon mitigation. Contrarily, the study reveals a complex effect of fiscal spending, showing that its impact on CO2e varies over short and long-term periods, potentially leading to environmental degradation. Additionally, environmental policy and cleaner energy adoption are linked with a boost in green growth, underlining their significance for sustainable development. The study's results also support the theory that embracing eco-friendly technologies is crucial for sustaining and enhancing environmental quality. Furthermore, panel causality tests provide consistent results, supporting the argument for green growth and environmental sustainability advocacy among policymakers in G-7 countries. These insights offer a holistic understanding of the dynamics influencing environmental outcomes and present a factual rationale for informed policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of green economics, taxes are imposed on emissions of pollutants that adversely impact the environment and public health to reward more innovative, environmentally sustainable, and low-carbon resource use. There are still many nation-states testing the concept of green taxation. Many environmental performance indicators place India low on the list of countries with the worst pollution. One of the main sources of pollution is vehicle exhaust. Green taxes will be imposed on older motor vehicles under guidelines released by the Indian government in 2021. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change received the Indian Nationally Determined Contribution Report in 2022. Taxonomies and low-carbon transport systems were prioritized in India, and incentives and tax breaks were offered to encourage the manufacture and use of vehicles that consume more ethanol. Academic discussions and literature on the subject are still lacking among the masses. Researchers intend to analyze the legal and economic measures taken by the Indian Government to curb vehicular pollution against this background. Due to its significant contribution to air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, the automobile industry has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. India and China, for instance, have implemented green tax policies to reduce the automotive sector's environmental footprint and promote environmental sustainability. These policies are effective, but not all of them address the disproportionate impact of environmental injustice on vulnerable populations. Specifically, this study examines the impact of Indian green tax policies on environmental justice in the automobile industry as compared to those in China. A key aim of this study is to provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the green taxation policies adopted by each country in the automotive sector, as well as their implications for achieving environmental justice, by analyzing the scope, enforcement, impact on vulnerable communities, industry implications, and alignment with international commitments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]