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In developed countries, water affordability problems remain up on the agenda as the increasing financial costs of water services can impede the realisation of an equal access to water. More than ever, public authorities that define water tariffs face the challenge of reconciling environmental and cost recovery objectives with equity and financial accessibility for all. Indicators of water affordability can be helpful in this regard. Conventional affordability indicators often rely on the actual amount that households spend on water use. In contrast, we propose a needs-based indicator that measures the risk of being unable to afford the amount of water necessary to fulfill essential needs, i.e. needs that should be fulfilled for adequate participation in society. In this paper we set forth the methodological choices inherent to constructing a needs-based affordability indicator. Using a micro-dataset on households in Flanders (Belgium), we compare its results with the outcomes of a more common actual expenses-indicator. The paper illustrates how the constructed needs-based indicator can complement existing affordability indicators, and its capacity to reveal important risk groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging contaminants include many synthetic or natural substances, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, hormones, and flame retardants that are not often controlled or monitored in the environment. The consumption or use of these substances is on an ever-rising trend, which dangerously increases their prevalence in practically all environmental matrices. These contaminants are present in low environmental concentrations and cause severe effects on human health and the biota. The present review analyzed 2012–2022 years papers via PubChem, science direct, National Center for Biotechnology Information, web of science on the legislations and policies of emerging contaminants globally. A state-of-the-art review of several studies in the literature focus on examining and evaluating the emerging contaminants and the frameworks adopted by developed and developing countries to combat the release of emerging contaminants and form footprints towards water sustainability which includes water availability, usage patterns, generation and pollution management, the health of aquatic systems, and societal vulnerability. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive view of current global policies and framework regarding evaluating and assessing the chemicals, in light of being a threat to the environment and biota. The review also highlights the future global prospects, including current governmental activities and emerging contaminant policy measures. The review concludes with suggestions and way forward to control the inventory and disposal of emerging contaminants in the environment. [Display omitted] • ECs are ubiquitous in the environment and have serious effects on humans and wildlife. • The main source of pollution in ECs is wastewater effluent. • Detection and screening of nontarget with effect-directed analysis. • Policies on the manufacturing, use, and release of ECs globally must be formulated. • Collective support from both scientists and legislators can help combat EC pollution in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether geopolitical conflicts play a critical role in stimulating countries to shift toward clean energy solutions. We use the panel regime-switching models, which allow us to capture the nonlinear dynamics of the energy transition. Our results for a panel of developed and emerging countries reveal that the geopolitical context does not impact the renewable-income nexus; however, we find that adverse geopolitical events would impact the diffusion of alternative energy sources depending on the level of economic development. Rising geopolitical conflicts would encourage high-income nations to switch toward low-carbon energy sources. Considering the increasing number of regional conflicts, less developed countries must urgently develop their economies away from traditional energy sources and enhance the contribution of the renewable sector. • The role of geopolitical conflicts in stimulating the shift towards clean energies is investigated. • The adverse geopolitical events would impact the diffusion of renewable energy depending on the level of economic development. • Rising geopolitical conflicts would encourage high-income countries to switch toward low-carbon energy sources. • There is an urgent need for less developed countries to diversify their economies away from traditional energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents the Environmental Concern Kuznets Curve (ECKC) theory about decreasing environmental concern in the most developed and protected area-rich countries. We analyzed the relationship between the protected area (PA) coverage, environmental concern and GDP per capita in the 42 most developed countries in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. Our conclusion is that 1) as countries develop, environmental protection becomes less dependent on economic development; 2) at high levels of economic development, environmental concern decreases; 3) environmental concern reaches a maximum at 20–30% of PA coverage and decreases beyond this point. The influence of human values and factors at the local level was determined by a national survey (n = 999) on public attitudes toward greater conservation of forests in Slovenia. The results comply with the ECKC theory; the higher the naturalness of forests in the surroundings of a respondent's home, the lower the support for greater conservation. However, the study suggests that human values play a prominent role. Support for conservation largely depended on the respondents' general attitude toward forest cover and growing stock, harvesting intensities, satisfaction with the level of control in forests and concern for the population of protected brown bears. The general belief that ecosystems are fragile and there are limits to growth increased support for conservation by 33%. We conclude that the environment in the most developed countries is likely to experience increasing pressure due to decreasing environmental concern and its decoupling from objective problems. Highlights • At high levels of economic development environmental concern decreases. • Environmental concern reaches a maximum at 20–30% of protected area coverage. • Detailed analysis for the world's best performing country in biodiversity protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A climate disaster can be devastating, but its challenges and losses provide some opportunities to other countries. Therefore, in this paper, we examine the impact of climate risk on international trade with a particular focus on developed and developing countries. Using a large sample of 160 countries between 2006 and 2019, we find that climate disaster is positively associated with high international trade. An increase in the climate disaster index will lead to an increase of about 5.9% in imports as a proportion of GDP. This is significant given that the mean of imports of the sample countries is 48%. Regarding the flow of trade, importation is likely to increase by about 6.7% and export to decrease by 0.65% after the occurrence of climate disasters in developing countries. Conversely, we did not find significant changes in imports and a weak association with exports for developed countries. We attribute this differential impact of climate disasters between developed and developing countries to the preparedness and risk mitigation mechanism in developed countries. The result suggests that the long-term effect of climate disasters increasing overall international trade is due to increasing imports in developing countries. Additional analyses demonstrate the robustness of these results to different model specifications and measurements of variables. Our results imply that climate change and its associated natural disasters offer more trade opportunities for developed countries than developing countries, highlighting the climate injustices between the high and low climate change contributors. • We examine impact of climate disaster on international trade. • Climate disaster is significantly associated with high trade. • Climate disaster increases importation in developing countries. • Climate disaster is not significantly related to imports in developed countries. • Our findings highlight the climate injustice between developed and developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The golden rule of material accumulation can be defined as the ability of society to process materials as the benefit of capital, with physical investments as the expense of the process. Societies are incentivized to accumulate resources while disregarding resource restrictions. Since they earn more on such a path, despite how unsustainable it is. We propose the material dynamic efficiency transition as a policy tool for sustainability, with the goal of slowing down material accumulation as an alternative sustainable path. The material dynamic efficiency transition is characterized by a simultaneous drop in savings and depreciation rates. In this paper, we first examine a sample of 15 countries -using dynamic efficiency measures-in terms of their economies' responses to declining depreciation and saving tendencies. We then construct a large sample of material stock estimation and economic characteristics for 120 countries to examine the socioeconomic and long-term developmental implications of such a policy. We found that investment in the productive sector withstood the scarcity of available savings, whereas residential building and civil engineering investments reacted intensely to the changes. We also reported on the continuous rise in developed countries' material stock, accentuating the civil engineering infrastructure as a focal point of the related policies. The material dynamic efficiency transition shows a substantial reduction effect of 7.7%–10%, depending on the stock type and development stage. Therefore, it can be a potent tool for slowing material accumulation and mitigating the environmental implications of this process without causing significant disruptions in economic processes. • Economic transition proposed in this study limits material stock endowment by 7%. • The transition does not harm economic performance at macro-scale. • High-income countries resist the policy; thus, measures on land use are demanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Global North is historically responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) are expected to overtake developed country emissions in the coming years. At the same time, NICs are climbing the ladder of the global economy, increasing their competitiveness on the global stage and catching up with technological competencies of developed economies. Against this background, this paper explores innovation and collaboration in Climate Change Mitigation Technologies (CCMTs) in NICs. The research question is whether the propensity to innovate and diffuse CCMTs is impacted by technological collaboration with two highly developed countries, Germany and The United States. The sample of NICs includes the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) plus Israel, Mexico, and Turkey, in a panel from 1995 to 2015. The empirical results suggest that collaboration with both Germany and the U.S. is highly significant for domestic CCMT innovation in NICs. These findings are important because, stepping beyond the literature on the merits and drawbacks of global climate governance tools such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and related UNFCCC processes, they show that collaboration for climate and environmental technologies could become a key tool to significantly improve the chances to stay in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Finally, the policy advice for NICs and developing countries is to, above all else, focus on incubating strong technological innovation systems, including strengthening domestic Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), as well as to enhance technological collaboration with developed countries. • We present a time-series panel from 1995 to 2015. • This research explores Climate Mitigation Technologies (CCMTs) in Newly Industrializing Countries. • Technological collaboration with Germany and the U.S. drives NICs CCMT innovation. • Novel empirical models capture the role of absorptive capacities and domestic innovation systems. • A machine-learning governance index is used as a reliable proxy for governance quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports an update to the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) annual emission inventory of India from open burning of municipal solid wastes (MSW) through the generation of nation-specific emission factors for air (EF air) and burned residue (EF land) vectors. The MSW characteristics and modes of disposal practiced in Indian cities exhibits subtle variations from that of developed nations due to differences in food habits, living standards and climatic conditions. The annual emission calculations based on EFs from hitherto studies simulating conditions prevailing in developed countries can lead to anomalous accounting of emission levels. It is the first experimental study reported from Indian subcontinent to determine EFs of dioxins and dl-PCBs from MSW open burning by simulated combustion experiments conducted in a custom fabricated Open Burning Test Facility (OBTF) - "Burn Hut", using real dumpsite waste samples. Iso-kinetic sampling and coning and quartering methods were employed for the sampling of air and land emissions from combustion experiments. The PCDD/F's EF air ranged from 3 to 675 μg toxicity equivalence (TEQ)/ton of waste with a geometric mean (GM air) of 67.0 μgTEQ/ton and EF land ranged from 10 to 2531 μgTEQ/ton waste (GM land – 100.0 μgTEQ/ton). The EF air and EF land of dl-PCBs ranged from 0.5 to 46 μgTEQ/ton (GM air 7.0 μgTEQ/ton) and 0.5 to 96 μgTEQ/ton of waste (GM land 6.0 μgTEQ/ton) respectively. A detailed assessment of correlations between emission and MSW composition/combustion practices were conducted along with a comparative evaluation of EF present vis-à-vis EFs reported elsewhere. [Display omitted] • Critically evaluated the effect of Indian MSW composition on PCDD/F/dl-PCB emission. • Real dumpsite MSW were used for the determination of PCDD/F/dl-PCB emission factor. • Updated annual dioxin emission inventory of India from MSW open burning. • Isokinetic air sampling used in OBTF ensured better quantification of air emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the surge in economic growth in the global-north vis-a-vis social and economic inequalities in the global-south (north-south dichotomy), there is an increasing requirement for critical research and an examination of the policy implications with respect to human rights in emerging economies. This paper draws on the concept of convergence and institutional theories to enhance our understanding of how multinational corporations (MNCs) fulfil their profit maximisation agendas using capitalist principles; and the extent to which these ideologies produce human rights violations in emerging economies. Using multiple data sources from the Human Rights Watch, our study provides a comprehensive list of various human rights violations perpetrated by MNCs from 2002 to 2017. We verified 273 violations by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries. More than 90% of our sample firms have CSR/sustainability committees, are signatories to the UN Global Compact and have reported compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This raises questions about the effectiveness of these programmes for CSR compliance. We contribute to the CSR/sustainability literature by providing new insights into the nature and location of human rights violations committed by MNCs. • We report a comprehensive list of various human right violations committed by MNCs. • We uncovered 273 violations committed by 160 MNCs mostly from developed countries. • 90% of our sample firms have social responsibility/sustainability committees. • These firms are also signatories to the UN Global Compact. • They have also reported compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise and gradually developing of global value chains (GVC) have changed the essence of international trade, and further complicated the issue of carbon emission. It is of great significance to identify and study the practical carbon intensity in a country under the condition of GVC. Based on Inter-country Input-Output (ICIO) model, this paper establishes a framework for measuring the carbon intensities embodied in aggregated demand and distinguishing pure domestic demand, traditional trade, simple GVC route, complex GVC route at the global level and for 41 economies from 2010 to 2014 according to demand heterogeneity, and uses multiplicative structural decomposition analysis (SDA) method to decompose the driving factors affecting their changes. The results indicate that, in most developed countries, the carbon intensities embodied in international trade were significantly greater than pure domestic carbon intensity, whereas it was opposite in most developing countries. The carbon intensity embodied in traditional trade was generally lower than that in GVC routes, and in low carbon intensity (high carbon intensity) sub-group, the carbon intensity embodied in simple GVC route was lower (higher) than that in complex GVC route. Moreover, the emission coefficient effect was the main driver of the decline in almost all carbon intensities, especially embodied carbon intensity in GVC routes. On the contrary, the intermediate import effect was the main inhibitor, and this effect would cause more rise to embodied carbon intensity in simple GVC route, compared to embodied carbon intensity in complex GVC route. • Five types of carbon intensities based on GVC at the global level and for 41 economies were measured. • Driving factors of carbon intensity changes were decomposed by multiplicative SDA. • The carbon intensity embodied in traditional trade was generally lower than that in GVC routes. • Emission coefficient effect drove carbon intensities down significantly in most countries. • Intermediate import effect curbed the decline of embodied carbon intensities in GVC routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]