Search

Raising carbon productivity (CP) is a major challenge for economies to support sustainable growth. The literature is scant in investigating CP and is missing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Thus, we aim to explore the effects of trade openness (TO), research and development (R&D), financial market development (FMD), and energy intensity (EI) on CP in 17 MENA countries from 2000 to 2019. The spatial Durbin model (SDM) is applied to capture the local and spillover impacts of all variables on the CP. The findings suggest that energy intensity reduces the CP domestically and in the whole MENA region. FMD does not affect local CP but helps raise the CP of neighbors and the whole MENA region. R&D raises the CP of local economies but has insignificant effects on neighbors. TO reduces the local CP and raises the CP of neighboring countries. Furthermore, the whole effect of TO is positive and TO helps to raise the CP in the entire MENA region. Moreover, the results substantiate the spillovers of CP among the MENA countries. On the whole, EI is reducing the CP and TO, R&D, and FMD are raising the CP in the MENA region. Thus, the study recommends reducing EI and promoting trade openness, R&D activities, and FMD in the MENA region to raise CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: To compare general quality of life of youths having repaired non-syndromic CLP with controls using a generic quality of life instrument, Youth Quality of Life – Research Version (YQOL-R). Methods: case control study was conducted from January, 2017 to December, 2018. Inclusion criteria was patients having repaired non syndromic Cleft Lip and Palate, age 15 to 29 years, of either gender while controls were healthy individuals of similar age. Quality of life was measured using validated YQOL-R instrument. Data of 62 cases and 107 healthy controls, consented for study was analysed using statistical software, SPSS version 20. Results:. Mean age was 22.09+5.04. Cronbach’s alpha for domains of sense of self was 0.630, relationship domain (0.795), environmental domain (0.826) and general quality of life domain was 0.688 and for YQOL-R was 0.866. Significant difference was observed for self care domain (63.10 vs. 73.50; p-value = 0.001), relationship domain (79.5 vs. 83.73; p-value = 0.013), environmental domain (70.89 vs. 84.60; p-value = 0.001), general quality of life domain (79.80 vs. 86.04; p-value = 0.012) and percent score of total perceptual score between cases and controls (73.32 vs. 81.97; p-value = 0.001). Conclusion: Compared to cases healthy controls had a better quality of life as they have significantly better results in self care, relationship, environment and general quality of life domains along with mean perceptual percentage.

COVID-19 has a deep impact on the economic, environmental, and social life of the global population. Particularly, it disturbed the entire agriculture supply chain due to a shortage of labor, travel restrictions, and changes in demand during lockdowns. Consequently, the world population faced food insecurity due to a reduction in food production and booming food prices. Low-income households face food security challenges because of limited income generation during the pandemic. Thus, there is a need to understand comprehensive strategies to meet the complex challenges faced by the food industry and marginalized people in developing countries. This research is intended to review the agricultural supply chain, global food security, and environmental dynamics of COVID-19 by exploring the most significant literature in this domain. Due to lockdowns and reduced industrial production, positive environmental effects are achieved through improved air and water quality and reduced noise pollution globally. However, negative environmental effects emerged due to increasing medical waste, packaging waste, and plastic pollution due to disruptions in recycling operations. There is extensive literature on the effects of COVID-19 on the environment and food security. This study is an effort to review the existing literature to understand the net effects of the pandemic on the environment and food security. The literature suggested adopting innovative policies and strategies to protect the global food supply chain and achieve economic recovery with environmental sustainability. For instance, food productivity should be increased by using modern agriculture technologies to ensure food security. The government should provide food to vulnerable populations during the pandemic. Trade restrictions should be removed for food trade to improve international collaboration for food security. On the environmental side, the government should increase recycling plants during the pandemic to control waste and plastic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed data from a panel consisting of 32 O.E.C.D. member countries for the years 1996–2020. This research explores the nexus between CO2 emissions, G.D.P. per capita, renewable energy supply, the development of patents, and gross fixed capital formation in the context of 32 O.E.C.D. countries. Also, the panel quantile regression technique is being used to investigate potential variations in heterogeneity and asymmetry. The empirical evidence shows that technological innovation negatively impacts CO2 emissions; however, the impact varies greatly between quantiles. This research also explores the potential for heterogeneity and asymmetry in the moderating effect of technological innovation with regards to economic growth and renewable energy. The investigation, which relied on the use of panel quantile regression, revealed that technological innovation exerts a wide variety of moderating effects. In conclusion, the study provided policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oil rents (OR) and natural gas rents (NGR) have significant contributions to the income of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies and may increase emissions. Moreover, spatial autocorrelation is expected in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to the geographically closed economies in the MENA region. Thus, we examine the impact of OR and NGR on CO2 emissions caring spatial dimensions and analyze the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Methods: We apply the spatial Durbin model technique on the effects of OR, NGR, and economic growth on CO2 emissions in 17 MENA nations from 2000-2019, i.e., Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Moreover, diagnostic tests are applied to reach the most appropriate spatial specification and to have the most robust results. Results: The results disclose that CO2 emissions have spillovers and emissions of any country can damage the environment of neighboring countries. The EKC is corroborated with a turning point of 38,698 constant 2015 US dollars. Israel and Qatar are in 2nd phase of the EKC, and 15 MENA economies are in 1st stage. Thus, the economic expansion of most economies has ecological concerns. The effect of natural gas rents is found statistically insignificant. Oil rents have minute negative effects on emissions of local economies with an elasticity coefficient of -0.2117. Nevertheless, these have a positive indirect effect with an elasticity coefficient of 0.5328. Thus, the net effect of oil rents is positive. One percent increase in oil rents could accelerate 0.3211% of emissions. Thus, we suggest the MENA countries reduce reliance on oil rents in their income to avoid the negative environmental effects of the oil sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patents support technological innovations in any economy and would also support a clean environment. We investigate the effects of economic growth, patents, industrialization, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in 17 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies by applying spatial econometrics. We substantiate the Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) in the domestic economies and the whole MENA region as per direct and total estimates. Moreover, urbanization increases CO2 emissions in local economies and reduces neighboring nations' emissions. The total effect of urbanization is found to be insignificant. Industrial value added increases CO2 emissions in domestic and neighboring countries, as well as in the whole MENA region. Patents increase CO2 emissions in domestic economies. However, patents reduce CO2 emissions in neighboring countries and the MENA region. Thus, patents have a pleasant effect on the environment in the whole MENA region. It is suggested that the MENA economies focus more on patents to reduce CO2 emissions. Moreover, urbanization and the industrial sector should be checked to protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the largest total pollution emitter country on the globe and a vast literature has investigated the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in China. Thus, we aim to review empirical studies on the testing of the EKC hypothesis using different pollution proxies and area samples in China. The EKC hypothesis can be validated by establishing an inverted U-shaped or an N-shaped relationship between pollution and economic growth. In this review of the Chinese literature, the validity of the EKC hypothesis is found more often than its absence. In comparison, a higher proportion of the studies validated the EKC hypothesis using global pollution proxies compared with local pollution proxies. Moreover, a greater percentage of the studies substantiated the EKC hypothesis using Chinese provincial and city-level data compared with aggregate national data. To validate these findings, we applied logistic regression, and the chance of the validity of the EKC hypothesis was found to be 5.08 times higher than the absence of the EKC if a study used a global pollution proxy. Moreover, the chance of the existence of the EKC hypothesis was found to be 4.46 times higher than the nonexistence of the EKC if a study used Chinese provincial, city, sectoral, or industrial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]