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The issue of environmental degradation has become pertinent and the call for carbon neutrality has intensified in recent years. Achieving this target will require countries to meet the conditions of the sustainable development goals. To do this, the study applied spatiotemporal modelling and the generalized method of moments (GMM) to examine the nexus between economic growth (EG) and the load capacity factor (LCF) through environmental goods (ENG) and environmental tax (ENT) among European Union (EU) nations from 1995 to 2018. The findings demonstrate that spatial dependence leads to a change in EG and LCF that impacts the EG and LCF of the neighbouring countries. The study also found that there is a significant positive and bidirectional relationship between economic growth and load capacity factor. Moreover, the study revealed that a positive effect of ENG, ENT, REN and Human Capital Index (HCI) on EG, with a reducing effect from natural resource rents (NRR). Finally, HCI improves environmental quality, while ENG, ENT, REN and NRR degrade the environment. Our findings justify the need for EU countries and other developed nations to implement policies that will help achieve a green economic transformation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Given the alarming level of climate change, policymakers across the globe are seeking strategies to mitigate environmental pollution to achieve sustainable development. In this context, renewable energy and technological advancements have emerged as an effective way to lower pollution and attain sustainable development. This study evaluates the effect of financial inclusion, technological innovation, and renewable energy on the load capacity factor (LCF) in European countries from 2004 to 2018. LCF is considered the most comprehensive indicator of ecological sustainability, combining both the biocapacity factor and ecological footprint. Hence, the present work fills the literature gap by exploring, for the first time, the effect of financial inclusion on the LCF. Applying the advanced Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR), the study demonstrates that technological innovation and economic growth have adverse effects on LCF while renewable energy and financial inclusion promote LCF. The study indicates that technological innovation and economic growth undermine ecological excellence in European nations while green energy and financial inclusion enhance it. Moreover, the findings of the causality analysis reveal a causal association between financial inclusion, renewable energy, and LCF. Our study recommends prioritizing financial inclusion alongside investments in renewable energy to enhance ecological sustainability., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

A lot of attention has been paid to environmental pollution worldwide, due to the increase in anthropogenic activities. Massive investment in non-renewable energy options raises questions regarding environmental sustainability and how to maximize food and non-food output while still preserving a healthy ecosystem. To this end, the present study explores the three-way nexus between economic growth, CO 2 emission, and agriculture-value added will accounting for other control variables across a balanced panel of selected African economies from 1997 to 2020. Panel econometrics method of the generalized method of moments (two-step difference GMM) is used to obtain a robust result. From the present study, the environmental pollution model shows that economic growth significantly contributes to environmental pollution in Africa. Additionally, the food price index, capital, and FDI promote pollution, while agricultural production and labor decrease pollution. In the case of the economic growth model, the findings reveal that environmental pollution supports the growth-led pollution hypothesis. Also, the food price index and capital ameliorate economic growth, while foreign direct investments decrease economic growth. Finally, the agricultural production model indicates that economic growth increases agricultural production when the interaction term between GDPC and FDI is included in the model. In summary, the combination of explanatory variables, environmental pollution, capital, and foreign direct investment decreases agricultural production. On the contrary, the food price index and labor promote agricultural production in Africa. Furthermore, the study provides a lot of policies for authorities and stakeholders in Sub-Saharan African countries and other developing economies., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Most emerging economies and the South American Countries are no exception to the negative consequences of trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability decisions. This study draws strength from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs-7, 11, 12, and 13). Therefore, this study examines the environmental nexus between economic growth, globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy, in South America from 1995 to 2020. We deployed the pooled mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effects (DFE). Cross-sectional dependence, panel unit root, and cointegration tests were performed. Finally, we used the Dumitrescu and Hurlin test of causality to determine the long-run association between variables. The finding indicates that while environmental pollution increases with increasing economic growth, it decreases with increasing renewable energy both in the short and long term. Whereas economic globalization positively affects environmental pollution in the long term, social globalization and the moderation effect between political globalization and renewable energy improves environmental quality in the long run. Finally, a bidirectional causality was found between economic growth and environmental pollution, with a unidirectional causality running from economic, political, and social globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy to environmental pollution. Given these findings, we discussed potential policy measures., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Despite a spike in publications on business strategies focused on environmental awareness subjects in recent years, business-environment nexus research has recently been criticized for failing to address urgent issues like climate change. Therefore, we endeavored to do a trend analysis to find knowledge gaps in business studies related to the interaction between businesses, the environment, and society using bibliometric. Our study reveals that the area of business sustainability has evolved over the past decade from an internal conquest to include external indices like the environment, such as the debate over the relative merits of social and economic performance and the greening of management. Our findings point to three (3) main conclusions. (1) Many corporations see the urgency of green practices and have distinctive organizational sustainability and business strategies for environmental crises. (2) Business strategy and environment research are concentrated within developed countries to the neglect of developing countries. (3).The literature on business sustainability has not yet given much attention to the managerial implications and effects of climate change. Therefore, scholars must test and develop business-environmental nexuses to aid in sustainable production and consumption improvement., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Universities all over the world are increasingly recognizing the need for the attainment of environmental sustainability on campuses resulting in the adoption of several environmental sustainable initiatives by university management. This article, therefore, seeks to investigate the impact of campus-base management practices on environmental quality among Russian Universities. The study also explores the strengths and weaknesses against the best practices for campus sustainability as defined by the UI greenMetric world university ranking as well as the awareness of students about pro-environmental behaviours on campuses. Secondary data from the 2015 to 2019 world university ranking was sourced for the impact assessment as well as the strengths and weaknesses. The study also sourced primary data with the help of a structured questionnaire from student respondents to assess their awareness of pro-environmental behaviours. Fixed-effects, and random-effects models were used to assess the management impact on environmental quality. The result from the empirical models indicate that education and research, transportation and waste influence environmental quality on university campuses. The strengths and weaknesses of universities were assessed based on six (6) categories (setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transport, and education and research). The study also assessed the perception of students on pro-environmental activities. While the results show an increasing trend of awareness among Russian universities (Management) in campus sustainability initiatives, most students appear to be unaware of environmental initiatives undertaken by their universities. The study, therefore, made some recommendations that can help improve campus sustainability levels while at the same time increase student participation., (© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Tourism development is generally agreed upon to be a key tool in promoting economic growth, and green development has emerged as a significant idea and an efficient approach to accomplish this goal in a manner that is environmentally responsible. It is common knowledge that making the switch to renewable sources of energy may act as a catalyst for economic development in both developed and developing nations. Therefore, people all over the globe are beginning to realize the significance of advancing renewable energy's rising importance that suggests that it will be used extensively in the years to come. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect that increasing tourism and adopting renewable energy sources impact on green economic growth development in the region using the AMG test BRICS nations from 2001 to 2022. This research additionally makes use of a rigorous check by means of the CCEMG exam and the DCCEMG test. According to the findings, green economic growth is influenced favorably by the expansion of the tourist industry, renewable energy, and the digital economy, but urbanization and the rise financial industry are detrimental to green economic growth. D-H panel causality test results show that tourism development is causally related to green economic growth, green economic growth to urbanization, and green economic growth to the usage of renewable energy sources. According to these results, the management authorities of BRICS nations should embrace policies of green growth while also controlling environmental pollution in order to achieve sustainable economic development whereas in rural areas. The findings have major policy implications for the nations that make up the BRICS bloc. These implications pertain to the enhancement of tourist development, the digital economy (DIG), and financial institutions, all of which have the potential to improve environmental quality., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Financial integration plays an important role in fostering global economic growth. Energy demand, technology transfer, sustainable production, and climate change have emerged as key drivers of sustainable development. This study explores the influence of financial integration, bolstered by renewable energy-induced trade, industry-driven technology, and environmental concerns, on regional economic growth. This study analyzes a panel of 39 high- and upper-middle-income European and Central Asian countries in 2017–2021. Using a panel generalized method of moments estimator, we reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between regional economic growth and carbon emissions. Moreover, renewable energy-induced trade contributes positively to regional growth while trade openness and technology transfer further enhance this growth. Industry-driven technology negatively impacts regional growth owing to inadequate financial integration. The absence of sustainable energy infrastructure and industrialization also negatively impacts regional growth. Our study underscores the importance of increasing financial integration to promote sustainable energy-driven trade openness and technology transfer in line with the United Nations' sustainable development agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological environment is at great risk due to economic activities owing to investments, rapid industrialization, and energy resources depletion, which pose significant environmental challenges globally. Recent research has emphasized on the crucial role of green energy consumption (GEN) and green technology innovation in attaining environmental sustainability. However, there are still areas that need to be addressed. This research study investigates the role of GEN, green technology innovation, and foreign direct investment while controlling the effect of economic growth (EGR) and trade openness level on the ecological footprint (EFP) using data from 1999 to 2022 for Pakistan. We used diverse econometric methodologies to ensure the data consistency. We examine the long-term relationships among the study variables using fully modified ordinary least-squares and canonical co-integrating regression. The results revealed that green technology innovation, and GEN emerge as pivotal in reducing environmental degradation. Conversely, foreign direct investment and EGR increased the EFP, validating the pollution haven hypothesis in Pakistan. These findings highlighted the significance of green technology innovation that increased GEN to address ecological degradation. These findings contribute to more extensive discussions on environmental sustainability and development of the green horizon, particularly in the context of developing countries like Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, rapid development has exacerbated climate challenges, posing serious threats to ecological sustainability. To address these issues, renewable energy, ICT technologies, financial development, and globalization have emerged as essential tools for mitigating ecological impacts and fostering green economic growth. These measures align closely with the goals of COP 28, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the United States faces considerable challenges in reconciling socio-economic development with environmental sustainability. This study, therefore, investigates the key drivers of CO2 emissions (CO2) in the United States using data from 1990Q1 to 2021Q4. The study employs wavelet quantile-on-quantile regression along with quantile cointegration to analyze these dynamics across different quantiles and timeframes. The results from the study showed that across all quantiles and periods, ICT adoption technologies and fiscal decentralization increase CO2, while globalization, renewable energy consumption and financial development lessen CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of environmental management standards specifically ISO 14000, green production, and environmental policies on sustainable development within food manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia. It also investigates the moderating role of environmental management on these relationships. A questionnaire was distributed to 370 participants across various management levels, with data analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) via SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal that ISO 14000, green production, environmental policies, and environmental management each have significant positive effects on sustainable development. However, environmental management negatively moderates the relationship between ISO 14000 and sustainable development and does not significantly influence the moderating effects of green production or environmental policies. The study offers practical recommendations to enhance sustainability performance through these standards and highlights opportunities for future research and practical advancements in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hampering environmental deterioration and limiting global warming has become a significant task for policymakers at the global level in order to achieve sustainable development. Dozens of studies have questioned various policy instruments, but the role of fiscal policy instruments for sustainable development has not yet been extensively examined. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of fiscal policy tools, economic development, and renewable energy (REN) utilization on sustainable development, represented by the load capacity factor (LCF). The study focuses on Germany from 1995Q1 to 2021Q4 using novel wavelet- and quantile-based estimation methods. The empirical evidence shows a time- and frequency-based dependency between fiscal policy tools, economic growth, REN utilization, and sustainable development. Economic growth and REN utilization enhance sustainable development through their positive impacts, especially at higher quantiles. The potential positive impact of REN utilization offers hope for ensuring sustainable development and preserving the ecology for the well-being of future generations. Despite the limited positive impact of a specific tax-based fiscal policy instrument, the overall effect of tax-based policy instruments on sustainable development is negative across all quantiles. Protection-based fiscal policy instruments, namely environmental protection expenditures, promote ecological sustainability in higher quantiles. These findings have significant implications regarding ensuring a sustainable future for German policymakers. In this regard, German policymakers should not rely on tax-based fiscal policies to improve ecological sustainability. Instead, they should consider promoting ecological protection expenditures to strengthen sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change presents challenges for both industrialized and developing nations, primarily due to insufficient pollution control. Increased fossil fuel usage escalates pollution levels, emphasizing the need to integrate more renewable energy into the energy mix, particularly to reduce carbon emissions. Consequently, public investment in renewable energy becomes pivotal to enhance the necessary technology for green energy production. Human development and technological progress play a crucial role in advancing green energy and ensuring environmental sustainability. This study addresses whether clean energy and technology can foster ecological sustainability in the G7 while considering human development. Findings emphasize the significance of public investments in renewable energy projects, technical innovation, and human development. Such investments are essential for augmenting renewable energy shares and lowering carbon emissions in the long run. The study proposes relevant policies to help G7 nations achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to green energy transition (SDG-7), environmental sustainability (SDG-13), and innovation (SDG-9). In essence, prioritizing renewable energy investment and innovation is imperative for sustainable development., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In recent years, researchers and politicians have become concerned about the ever-increasing energy consumption of ICT gadgets. Any effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should take the ICT industry's carbon emissions into account, given the widespread usage of ICT products across all economic sectors. Employing Driscoll-Kraay Panel Corrected Estimators for E7 economies from 2000 to 2020, we examine the direct impacts of ICT on ecology as well as the indirect implications through connections with the availability of clean fuel and technology for cooking and trade while also adjusting for population and renewable energy. From the empirical findings, it was observed that the two proxies of ICT services (i.e., internet-penetration and mobile-subscriptions) were negatively significantly connected with E7's (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey) carbon emissions. Similarly, access to clean fuel and technologies for cooking and renewable energy decreases emission levels within the E7 economies, while trade openness and population growth increase emission levels within the said economies. Moreover, the method of moment quantile regression used as a robustness check affirms the baseline technique. According to the findings, the E7 economies can safely boost internet usage and associated technologies to lower emissions. They may lessen their negative impact on the ecosystem by increasing the utilization of renewable energy and expanding access to clean fuel and cooking technologies., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Facts have proven that humanity has incurred a significant environmental cost in the process of gaining economic success due to a surge in carbon dioxide emissions. Nevertheless, if carbon emissions are not curbed at the same time, economic growth may be slowed or stopped completely. It is for this reason that OECD member countries have set out plans to cut emissions. For this reason, the current paper scrutinizes the consequence of renewable energy intake, nonrenewable energy usage, economic globalization and economic progress on environmental destruction among 28 OECD countries by means of data spanning 1990 to 2019 period. The augmented mean group heterogeneous panel model and the common correlated effects mean group regression technique revealed evidence of a positive and negative significant connection between economic progress, and square of economic progress and carbon emission respectively (thus justifying the presence of the reversed U-shaped curve hypothesis) for OECD countries. Moreover, both renewable energy intake and economic globalization reveal a destructive connection with environmental destruction while nonrenewable energy intake has positive significant relationship with the environment. It was also disclosed that renewable energy intensifies the environmental destruction reducing effect of globalization and negatively moderates the impact of economic progress on environmental destruction. On the basis of the findings, appropriate policy recommendations have been developed to assist these economies in their efforts to dissociate economic progress from environmental destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have investigated the overall impact of income generated from natural resources on the ecological footprint. However, there is a lack of literature that specifically analyzes the individual contributions of this variable to environmental degradation. To address this gap, this article focuses on examining the relationship between the ecological footprint and income derived from natural gas, oil, and mineral resources. The study utilizes data from 24 countries that have had a significant impact on their ecological footprint between the years 1984 and 2016. By employing advanced cointegration and non-causality techniques for panel data analysis, the research reveals that oil rents have a more pronounced effect on the environmental footprint compared to mineral and natural gas rents. The paper concludes by discussing the important implications of these findings for public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is necessary to emphasize both the process and results of performance management to find the balance between quality and quantity needed to ensure the sustainable development of universities to make the best use of limited educational resources and meet the diverse needs of students. This study applies failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to analyze obstacles to university sustainability by constructing complete risk assessment modes and reference indicators. The neutrosophic set theory was incorporated into the FMEA to account for information uncertainty and asymmetry. A specialist team then evaluated the importance of the risk factors using neutrosophic indifference threshold-based attribute ratio analysis to determine objective weights for the risk factors. Furthermore, the neutrosophic technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution based on aspiration level (N-TOPSIS-AL) is employed to aggregate the total risk scores of the failure modes. Using neutrosophic sets to measure truth, falsity, and indeterminacy in the assessment significantly improve the adaptability of the fuzzy theory to real-world problems. The study results indicate that when assessing university affairs management and analyzing possible risks, priority must be given to the occurrence of risks and that the lack of educational facilities is the riskiest item in the specialist assessment. The proposed assessment model can be applied as a basis for university sustainability assessments to accelerate the development of other forward-looking approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-commerce is transforming business experiences for both sellers and buyers equally at a fast pace. This study investigates the complex relationship between green entrepreneurship, environmental strategy, digital transformation, and environmental knowledge within the Chinese e-commerce industry. The data were collected from 283 small and medium-sized enterprises indulged in online businesses within Jiangsu Province. The data was analyzed using SmartPLS (4.0). Findings show that green entrepreneurship significantly affects eco-efficient E-commerce. While digital transformation and environmental strategy positively and significantly to eco-efficient E-commerce both directly and through the mediation path from green entrepreneurship. Likewise, the findings revealed a positive and significant moderating role of environmental knowledge on the relationship between green entrepreneurship and eco-efficient E-commerce. Considering the pressure from domestic and global legislative bodies to maintain and report environmental sustainability activities by e-businesses, this study offers values theoretical and practical insights. Several theoretical and practical implications are explained in this study to add into the existing literature, assist e-businesses, policymakers, and future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paris Accord emphasizes the obligation of nations to contribute to Nationally Determined Contributions and mitigate environmental pollution. Consequently, countries worldwide are actively seeking to discern the influence of various factors on improving environmental quality. Among these factors, innovation and financial sector development are indispensable in curtailing environmental pollution. Employing panel data from 1996 to 2018, we investigate the tripartite relationship between environmental pollution, innovation, and financial development within the G-20 countries. The findings of this study reveal that both innovation and financial development contribute to reducing environmental pollution in the long term. However, no significant relationship is observed in the short term between innovation, financial development, and environmental pollution. To further explore these dynamics, we conduct separate analyses for each country to examine the connection between innovation, financial development, and environmental pollution. Our results indicate that the short-term impact of innovation varies considerably across most G-20 countries. Nonetheless, in the long term, enhanced innovation catalyzes diminishing environmental pollution. These findings underscore the significance of innovation as a pivotal factor in alleviating environmental pollution through innovations in products, processes, and technologies. Similarly, financial sector development plays a vital role in promoting environmental quality by facilitating initiatives such as green lending and supporting research on green technologies and renewable energy solutions. Consequently, countries should reassess their policies and take proactive measures to address and mitigate environmental pollution effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of sustainable ecology, financial sustainability takes on greater significance. As a result, this study examines the impact of financial development (bank adequacy) on both renewable energy and carbon emissions for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 2005 to 2020, using institutional quality (government stability and corruption control) as a moderating factor while controlling for FDI, population growth, and urbanization. However, for the investigation, the quantile-on-quantile regression technique was used, while the fixed effect OLS and Driscoll Kraay OLS techniques were used as robustness checks. The first model outcome reveals that all the variables have a positively significant connection with renewable energy. This implies that higher bank capital adequacy-augmented liquid assets, heightened asset returns, and enhanced investment viability. prospects may encourage physical asset outlays of companies operating in greening. But for the second model, financial development, FDI, and government stability have a positive relationship with carbon emissions, which confirms the presence of the pollutant haven hypothesis for the understudied countries while controlling corruption, population, and urbanization to decrease ecological degradation. This outcome implies that excess-investment clean energy enterprises intermediary effect of liquidity of banks for the understudy countries. Moreover, this study adds to the current literature by comparing the financial development (capital adequacy of banks) in GCC countries that are leaders in climate finance and by highlighting the role that bank capital adequacy plays in strengthening environmental laws to promote investment in renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO2), whose atmospheric volume has been increasing, is the principal greenhouse gas (GHG) that causes global warming and climate change. Climate change from increasing greenhouse gases (GHGs) has broad health and environmental influences. Human-emitted GHGs constitute a significant cause of global warming. The main objective of this article is to assess the influence of technological innovation, economic growth, fossil energy use, renewable energy consumption, and globalisation on CO2 emissions (CO2Es) in South Africa over the observation period 1990–2020. The Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) estimator was implemented to examine the relationship between the constituents. The study results indicate that economic growth, fossil energy use, technological innovation, and globalisation boost CO2Es, whereas renewable energy consumption reduces CO2Es. The output of the canonical cointegrating regression and fully modified least squares estimators also supports the output of the DOLS estimator. We concluded that, in South Africa, a rise in economic growth, fossil energy use, technological innovation, and globalisation results in an upsurge in CO2Es. In contrast, an increase in renewable energy consumption leads to a reduction in CO2Es. This research work contributes to the discourse on CO2Es in the South African context. The study recommends that policymakers in South Africa should design policies that foster the formation of a low-carbon country, the consumption of renewable energy, and the implementation of environment-friendly technological innovations that reduce the use of fossil energy. Highlights: • This study assessed the impact of economic growth, technological innovation, fossil energy use, renewable energy consumption, and globalisation on CO2Es in South Africa. • The analysis revealed that economic growth, fossil energy use, technological innovation, and globalisation boost CO2Es, whereas renewable energy consumption reduces CO2Es. • There is a need to incorporate policies that promote the development of a low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of renewable energy as a substitute for fossil fuels has several advantages. For a long time, the growth of Ghana’s renewable energy industry has been a priority for both the past and present governments. Currently, the economic growth of Ghana has not been impressive and the country is entrenched in an energy crisis. Despite the country’s achieving an electrification rate of 80%, still 60% of the rural population have no connection to the electricity service. The review gives an overview of the current energy scenario in Ghana and analyses its potential effects, benefits, and barriers to the expansion of renewable energy sources in the country. The results show that the Ghana Government has established its energy sector based on the definition of the key targets in line with the world trend. Ghana is equipped with a vast quantity of renewable energy potentials which include hydropower, solar, wind, and bioenergy. Even though it is critical to invest in the renewable energy industry, the growth of the sustainable energy sector has been hindered by certain factors such as; insufficient technological knowledge, lack of enough experience in developing sustainable energy and socio-cultural and human barriers.Highlights: Use of fossils fuel is associated with a lot of challenges including emission of greenhouse gases & renewable energy are alternative sources Ghana is experiencing an energy crisis despite modest economic growth and focus on renewable energy sector by governments Renewable sources of energy available in Ghana include; hydropower, solar, wind, etc. & has been a focus for government [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) reports have highlighted the inadequacy of environmental sustainability efforts. Thus, it is clear that current efforts towards environmental sustainability (SDG 13) and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) policies are insufficient and a comprehensive policy agenda is needed. Existing literature limitedly addresses the determinants of environmental sustainability but relatively ignores the impact of nuclear energy research and development investments (NCI) and green environment on environmental quality. The motivation of this study is to fill this research gap and propose an overarching policy structure to achieve SDGs. In this context, this study investigates the effects of green environment, economic growth, human capital, and NCI on environmental sustainability comparatively for the United States and France through the Asymmetric Autoregressive Distributed Lag, which considers structural break. Based on the empirical analysis results, economic growth and trade openness harm environmental sustainability, while positive shocks in NCI improve environmental quality in both countries. Negative NCI shocks deteriorate environmental quality in the United States but not France. In conclusion, this study provides detailed environmental sustainability policies for the United States and France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One possible way to achieve environmental sustainability is by addressing the issue of rising CO2 emissions, which significantly cause climate change by intensifying the greenhouse gas effect. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which substantially contributes to global CO2 emissions, necessitates a paradigm shift towards using clean energy sources and promoting green innovations to ensure environmental sustainability. Thus, this study aims to inspect the role of renewable energy use, green technology innovation, political stability, and fiscal decentralization in attaining environmental sustainability by limiting CO2 emissions for seven OECD economies from 2000 to 2019. This study has employed the 'Cross-Sectional Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag and Augmented Mean Group Estimator' for robust empirical analysis. The results indicate that renewable energy use, political stability, and fiscal decentralization can mitigate CO2 emissions and ensure environmental sustainability in OECD economies. In contrast, green technology innovation exhibits an insignificant effect on CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the moderation effects of fiscal decentralization and political stability exhibit a negative relationship with CO2 emissions. Notably, this study advises OECD nations to encourage regional cooperation to ensure political stability and devolution of fiscal powers to promote green innovation and renewable energy use to achieve sustainable goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ELISA based on a recombinant Theileria annulata surface protein (TaSP) was evaluated for detection of antibodies in sera from cattle exposed to tropical theileriosis in Sudan. The reference positive samples, used in this study, were from Theileria-infected populations and consisted of 80 cattle from an endemic area in Khartoum State, with high antibody titers in the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The reference negative samples were taken from non-exposed populations and consisted of 120 cattle maintained under strict tick control at a commercial farm in Sudan. The cut-off value determined by Two-Graph Receiver-Operating Characteristic (TG-ROC) curves was set at 31.6%, based on the positive reference samples. Further diagnostic validation was performed, which consisted of the measurement of the area under the ROC (AUC) and by valid range proportion (VRP), which was 0.97 and 0.98 for the cut-off, respectively. There were no cross-reactions with antibodies raised against Babesia spp. It is concluded that the TaSP ELISA is a useful test for the diagnosis of T. annulata infection in cattle under field conditions.

In a world increasingly threatened by climate change and its associated risks, there's an urgent need to actively seek solutions for environmental protection and sustainable economic development. Central to this effort is understanding the role of environmental taxes and productive capacities in shaping environmental outcomes. Focusing on countries within the European Economic Area (EEA), this research uses advanced second-generation econometric techniques to examine this relationship. The use of cross-sectional autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL) and dynamic common correlated effects (DCCE) models allows for a robust examination of panel data and provides reliable results. The results reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship, or Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), between GDP growth and environmental degradation in the EEA economies. Furthermore, while our data reveal a significant negative correlation between environmental taxes and CO2 emissions, we find that productive capacities have a more significant impact on reducing these emissions. These findings call for further research into the effectiveness of policies to support productive capacities in achieving environmental protection goals in the EEA., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The BRICS nations are often seen as being at the vanguard of the push to implement sustainable energy technologies, even at the household scale, as part of the transition to sustainable societies. Given that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are interconnected and that achieving one is a good springboard for achieving others, we see the SDGs as having three dimensions: socio-economic-environmental sustainability. However, energy is central to attaining these tenets in the UN-SDG. Therefore, this work aims to use three germane methods-feasible generalized least square (FGLS), fixed effects model, and quantile regression-to discover empirical evidence to back up these statements. When different econometric estimate methods were used, these findings remained reliable. The research also showed that clean energy is essential when determining strategies to achieve environmental sustainability, human development, and foster green economic growth. Thus, investments in green resources and technological innovation promote the country's transition to sustainable development. They also show a substantial beneficial influence of clean and green energy and technology on supporting the main tenet of UN-SDG in BRICS across most quantiles. As a result of these major analytical findings, some relevant policies are proposed to enable the BRICS countries to achieve some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are closely related to undergoing green energy transition (SDG-7) and achieving environmental sustainability (SDG-13) through the channel of innovation (SDG-9). The study consequently suggests that to combat climate change, promote green economic growth, and assure human development, which will increase the likelihood of the UN-SDGs, investment in clean energy should be given top priority on the BRICS agenda., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The main cause of environmental degradation is carbon emissions, which puts environmental sustainability in jeopardy. This ecological worry, the obligation for which falls on all economic actors, has not gone undetected, and so in 2021, the Glasgow Climate Pact (COP: 26) was organized, with the primary aim of decreasing global carbon emissions. Because the Post-Glasgow Agreement goals represent a significant challenge to achieving ecological responsibility, pressure is applied to the participating nations. However, earlier literature lacked sufficient investigation of factors useful for the mitigation of carbon emissions in E7 (China, Turkey, India, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico) economies. Hence, we aim to fill this research vacuum by predicting the impact of clean fuels and cooking technology availability, renewable energy, and environmental taxes on E7 economies' carbon emissions from 2000 to 2020, while taking urbanization and population expansion into account. Evaluation is done using four different cross-sectional dependence (CSD) methods, as well as unit root tests (CIPS and CADF), cointegration analysis (Westerlund and Kao), and the Driscoll-Kraay and quantile-on-quantile long-run factor estimate methods. The long-run analysis revealed from our findings that environmental tax, renewable energy, and access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking decrease carbon emission for the E7 economies. On the other hand, urbanization and population growth enhance emissions for the E7 economies. Finally, our results hold up under a variety of policy interpretations that would aid in reducing carbon emissions and their negative effects on the environment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This paper explores the historical context surrounding administrative regulation concerning copyrighted works and illuminates its particular challenges within the realm of video games in China. This study introduces a pioneering and tailored administrative framework designed explicitly for the Chinese video game industry by conducting a comparative analysis of regulatory practices on an international scale. This innovative approach effectively strikes a harmonious balance between fostering creativity and upholding social responsibility, ushering in a new era of measures to cultivate a robust and accountable gaming ecosystem. Through the integration of cutting-edge content rating systems, alongside the implementation of resilient anti-addiction measures, our framework is poised to empower the video game sector. Notably, the proposed framework transcends the traditional boundaries of regulatory efforts, encompassing a range of novel strategies that collectively contribute to its holistic efficacy. These strategies include real-time player engagement monitoring, dynamic adjustment of gameplay mechanics, and an adaptable player reward system, all of which synergistically function to enhance the gaming experience while ensuring player well-being and societal interests are safeguarded. The paper's core aspiration is to transcend convention and embark on a transformative journey, ultimately envisioning a gaming landscape enriched with unfettered creativity, robust player protection, and responsible industry growth within China. By charting this progressive course, the study envisions a future wherein the video game industry thrives not at the expense of social well-being but in tandem with it, setting a precedent for a globally admired model of conscientious interactive entertainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is motivated by the need to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation given the new wave of chase for higher economic growth trajectories comes with its environmental cost implications, especially among developing blocs like the Emerging 7 (E7) countries. There is a consistent trade-off between economic growth versus environmental quality. Government apparatus are perpetually on the chase for low-carbon emission policies via the pursuit for green economy. To this end, this present study extends the conventional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) argument by incorporating the role of institution in emerging industrialized economies (E7) and using second-generation panel analysis methods like mean group (MG), augmented mean group (AMG), common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG), and the Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality test for more robust estimates and inferences. To this end, we explore the long-run and causality relationship between economic growth, quadratic form of economic growth, institutional quality, trade flow, investment in energy sector, and financial development in an EKC environment. Empirical analysis established a long-run equilibrium relationship among the outlined variables over the study period. The long-run regression shows the presence of EKC in the E7. Thus, suggesting the preference for GDP growth over environmental quality at the earlier stage of growth curve. Interestingly, investment in energy, trade flow dynamics across the blocs, and financial development dampens the detrimental effect of environmental pollution as we observed negative relationship with the ecological footprint. On the contrary, quality of institution is weak as institutional quality increase (worsen) the quality of environment in the E7 economies. From a policy perspective, this current study proposed the need for more stringent environmental treaties and regulations and promotion of green economy without compromising economic growth. In the conclusion part of the study, more details and specifics about the policy blueprint are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship among trade openness, poverty, and human capital development in the pursuit of sustainable development across a panel of ten ECOWAS economies over a 34-year period (1987–2020). Specifically, it examines the roles of trade openness, poverty, and human capital development in sustainable development, while also exploring the moderating role of trade openness on the poverty-sustainable development relationship within the ECOWAS region. To conduct this analysis, the study employs panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) using both the Pool Mean Group (PMG) estimator and Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) techniques, taking into account cross-sectional dependence, cointegration, and other relevant diagnostic tests. The findings indicate that poverty has a consistent negative long-run impact on sustainable development, while human capital is positively associated with sustainability over the long term. Trade openness lacks a significant relationship with sustainability in both the short and long run. Inflation is insignificantly related to sustainability. Exchange rates demonstrate mixed effects. In terms of moderation, trade openness positively and significantly moderates the poverty-sustainability relationship in the long run but not the short run. Robustness testing using the AMG and P-OLS models further validates the significant positive impact of human capital and the insignificant effect of trade openness on sustainable development. Given poverty's significant negative association and human capital's positive link with sustainable development, the findings suggest the need for integrated policy mixes prioritizing multidimensional poverty reduction and human capability enhancement to promote sustainability objectives across both short- and long-term horizons in ECOWAS countries. Furthermore, prudent management of exchange rates and well-designed trade policies should complement these efforts to mitigate potential risks and harness any benefits for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture has been the backbone of African economies, and agricultural development has the potential to drive overall economic growth. Considering the importance of agriculture in Africa, foreign aid donors have supported the sector to help push economic growth and reduce poverty. Studies indicate governance quality of a recipient country is an important factor for agricultural aid. Building upon this, the paper explores how bilateral donors provided agricultural aid to two African countries that have different institutional quality, Ghana and Uganda. The analysis of agricultural aid in those two countries was carried out with bilateral aidprofile data from 2011 to 2022. Despite the similar economic importance of agriculture in Ghana and Uganda, donors to Ghana invested the largest amount in agriculture among aid sectors, followed by health. On the other hand, donors to Uganda supported mainly health-relevant sectors with agriculture being ranked only fifth. Donors in both countries implemented agricultural aid mostly as project types. Yet, donors disbursed their aid funds through different aid channels. Donors to Ghana disbursed 48% of agricultural aid funds through the public sector institutions channel (or the state channel). By contrast, donors to Uganda disbursed only 24% of agricultural aid funds through the state channel, essentially bypassing Ugandan public agencies. They instead provided 76% of agricultural aid through the non-state channels such as non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, and private entities. Similar donor preferences of the aid disbursement channels were observed with total aid across all aid sectors. Overall, the donor aid profiles suggested donors provided Ghana with more flexible agricultural aid, while in Uganda they controlled agricultural aid more tightly. There could exist multiple underlying reasons for this, but the different level of institutional quality is highly likely one of the possible reasons. For foreign aid, governance quality is an important issue equally to both donors and recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural progress is one of the world's greatest challenges in the twenty-first century as the global population is estimated to rise to over nine billion by 2050. Over the years, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have sought prosperous African Policies based on sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth. Additionally, the AU has adopted the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) policy framework. Given the growing need for innovative policies and studies to reduce the negative environmental effects of agricultural development in Africa, this paper investigates the significance of green finance and digital technologies on green agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2003 to 2018. Analysis of panel co-integration estimates indicates all variables are integrated. Using the panel-corrected standard errors estimator for long-run equilibrium co-integration assessment, the outcomes indicate mitigated green finance (MGF), internet and mobile phone use (IMU), as well as sustainable energy utilization (RE), individually and collectively exert a positive effect on agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (AVA). Additionally, panel causality estimates indicate (i) a bi-directional causality between MGF and AVA. (ii) A uni-directional causality running from IMU towards AVA without any rebound effect. For policy insights, the AU could urge member states to implement macro-policies to increase agricultural green credit to sustain food production and employment generation. Similarly, the FAO and AU could provide technical support in digital agricultural research and value chains towards ensuring sustainable agriculture development in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As consumers play an increasingly active role in the energy market, understanding their preferences for renewable and non-renewable energy is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7. This study employs a labelled discrete choice experiment to investigate consumers' preferences and willingness to pay for solar PV panels, power generators, and biomass, considering service provider, service quality, and purchasing price. The survey was administered to 250 households in Kumasi, Ghana. This study finds that solar PV panels are the most preferred energy source, with the highest willingness to pay estimate. However, in cases where solar panels are not easily accessible, households turn to biomass as an alternative. Although there are similarities in choices, variations in preferences among consumers were identified. Furthermore, consumers value product or service quality but remain indifferent between foreign and domestic service providers. Based on these findings, policymakers are advised to engage in awareness campaigns and provide incentives such as subsidies and low-interest loans, to drive solar PV panel adoption among households. Energy developers should consider customized payment plans based on income levels to facilitate affordability. Additionally, recognizing the heterogeneity in preferences necessitates an inclusive policy approach that considers diverse consumer needs and addresses the energy access challenges faced by low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental behavior needs a keen intervention to avoid the upcoming worse outcomes of the energy utilization. Global warming is transitioning towards the global boiling stage and the reason behind the faster growth of renewable energy resources exploration. The present study empirically investigates the circularity impact of the renewable energy on the environment. Two different models of the environment were estimated by applying biased corrected method on 28 low income countries from 1990 to 2019. In this study, we develop a circularity index on the basis of renewable energy sources and found that in low income economies circularity brings a positive impact on the environment in both models. The study also concludes that digitization has also positive implication in terms of environmental quality. In the sample study trade shows negative as well as positive association with environment while economic growth, financial development and energy use have positive impact on the environment. The study suggested policies based on the circular practices for energy generation to achieve the sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in economic growth, the world is facing serious challenges concerning environmental sustainability. Hence, the green economic growth is imperative for sustainable and inclusive development. The objective of this study is to contribute to the existing literature about the factors that influence green economic growth. The study investigates the role of green technology, green energy, foreign direct investment, and globalization on green economic growth in G7 countries. The data of the study is collected from WDI, KOF Swiss Economic Institute, and OECD database and the data period ranges from 1995 to 2020. The existence of cointegration between the variables of the study was tested by Westerlund's (Oxford Bull Econ Stat 69(6):709–748) cointegration test. Due to the presence of cross-sectional dependency, the study employed the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) method to estimate the coefficients in the long and short run. The study also used a common correlated effect—mean group (CCEMG) estimator for robustness check. The findings of the study reveal that green energy and FDI positively contribute to green economic growth in the long and short run. The green technology also contributes positively to enhance green economic growth but only in long run. To accelerate green economic growth, G7 countries should incorporate policies promoting green energy and technology, while acquiring more foreign investments to ensure a sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global trend of environmental degradation, marked by escalating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and expanding ecological footprints, poses a significant risk to the planet and leads to global warming. This decline in the environment is primarily attributed to the extensive use of non-renewable energy sources and substantial economic activities. This study investigates the dynamic impact of non-renewable energy (coal, gas, and oil), renewable energy, economic growth, and capital formation on CO2 emissions and the ecological footprint in Indonesia spanning from 1965–2022. Employing Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and a robustness test with Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) techniques, we seek to establish long-term associations among the studied variables. Preliminary findings, supported by our primary models, reveal that every increase in coal and gas directly results in higher CO2 emissions but does not affect ecological footprints. Conversely, every increase in oil affects the rise of ecological footprints but not CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, the rise in renewable energy will reduce both CO2 emissions and ecological footprints, consequently enhancing Indonesia's environmental quality. Furthermore, increasing economic growth will increase both CO2 emissions and ecological footprint, while the rise in capital formation reduces the ecological footprint. The Granger causality test showed unidirectional causality from CO2 emissions to renewable energy and also revealed bidirectional causality between ecological footprint and renewable energy. This study clarifies the patterns of energy emissions in Indonesia and provides policymakers with recommendations for maintaining environmental sustainability, including investing in renewable energy use and transitioning away from non-renewable energy, given the pressing climate challenges and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality. Highlights: Renewable energy is a key sector for enhancing environmental quality in Indonesia. This study explores the potential factors for reducing CO2 emissions and ecological footprint in Indonesia. The FMOLS and DOLS methods have been applied to time series data, supported by a robustness test using CCR. The results provide a clearer insight into how renewable energy can help decrease both CO2 emissions and the ecological footprint, whereas non-renewable energy exacerbates these issues in Indonesia. This study offers policy recommendations to help achieve environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing green innovation for business sustainability represents a pressing global challenge. In the context of the manufacturing industry, the relationship between proactive green innovation (PGI) and structural social capital (SSC) remains a profoundly under-researched area. Drawing upon the theories of social capital and dynamic capability (DC), this study investigated the relationship between SSC and PGI within manufacturing enterprises via three individual and sequential mediating factors, namely cognitive social capital (CSC), relational social capital (RSC), and DC. Adopting a cross-sectional quantitative design, this study collected survey data from 485 manufacturing sector employees in China using purposive sampling. Structural equation modeling analysis of the data revealed no significant direct impact of SSC on PGI, but a strong indirect impact through the sequential mediating influences of CSC, RSC, and DC. The findings suggests that PGI within manufacturing enterprises is not wholly shaped by SSC; rather, firm-level dynamic capabilities, characterized by a sequential mechanism, plays a crucial role in achieving PGI within these enterprises. This paper offers both theoretical and practical contributions and provides recommendations for future research based on its limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of carbon emissions on the environment has made some of the Sustainable Development Goals difficult to achieve. Despite the efforts of international bodies, there is still a need to address the problem since the transition is not complete. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of globalization, economic growth, financial inclusion, renewable energy, and government institutions on carbon emissions from the period of 1998 to 2021. To be able to assess both the direct and indirect effects of the variables, the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling is employed, where renewable energy serves as the mediator, and the Two-Stage Least Squares is employed as the robustness check. The findings of the study reveal that globalization promotes the use of renewable energy, but financial inclusion has a negative effect on renewable energy use. Renewable energy has a direct positive and significant effect on carbon emissions. Financial inclusion has an indirect negative and significant effect on carbon emissions. The results imply that more enlightenment on financial inclusion will help a smooth transition, and globalization should be embraced when all environmental regulations are enforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation poses a growing threat to sustainable development, and thus, exploring the intricate relationship between the environment, agriculture, and natural resources becomes increasingly crucial for achieving food security, agricultural sustainability, and resource conservation. To this end, this study employs a "novel dynamic autoregressive distributed lags model" and "Kernel-based regularized least squares (KRLS)" to empirically establish connections between agricultural expansion, natural resources and their impact on the load capacity factor (LCF) as an environmental indicator. Focusing on Pakistan as a case study with data spanning from 1972 to 2021, the study reveals several key findings. Firstly, the study finds that agricultural expansion has a notably negative impact on LCF in Pakistan, with a coefficient of − 0.419, indicating its detrimental effect on environmental quality. Secondly, natural resources' negative influence is reflected by a coefficient of − 0.026, underlining their role in reducing the load capacity factor. Additionally, the long-term impact of economic growth is deemed harmful to the load capacity factor in Pakistan, with a coefficient of -0.270. Lastly, a robustness analysis, incorporating ecological balance and the KRLS estimator, lends further support to these findings, underscoring the pressing need for government intervention to enhance environmental conditions. This can be achieved through enacting and rigorous enforcement of environmental regulations, representing a crucial step towards ensuring environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection tax is of great significance to the realization of an environment-friendly society. Using data from 280 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2020, this paper measures total factor energy efficiency in China by the super slack-based measure model. The impact of China's environmental protection tax reform on total factor energy efficiency is tested through differences-in-differences method, and its transmission mechanism is explored. Environmental protection tax reform policies have a significant positive impact on total factor energy efficiency. Environmental protection tax reform policies have greater impact on resource-intensive cities in central region and cities with lower initial energy efficiency. Cities with increased tax have positive spillover effects on the neighboring cities. This study provides empirical evidence for further optimization of environmental protection taxes and energy efficiency. The structure of the environmental tax system should be optimized, and the environmental tax policy should be implemented according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial development as a viable tool in nation-building and economic expansion is generally established in growth empirics. That notwithstanding, its roles in the drives towards environmental sustainability have received commending and reprimanding views in recent times. However, empirical study advancing the asymmetric effects of financial development from the broader view of measures seems limited and evolving. Hence, the present study investigates the positive and negative effects of financial development measured by broad money and domestic credit to the private sector on environmental sustainability (CO2 emissions and ecological footprint) in the Emerging Seven (E7) economies from 1995 to 2019. The empirical evidence considers the intervention of government policy through fiscal policy instruments (government spending and tax revenue), eco-digitalization, affluence, and population growth in a STIRPAT framework. The main analyses focus on advanced estimators such as pool mean group, mean group, dynamic fixed effects, and panel quantile regression. Feedback shows that negative shocks from financial development captured by broad money induce more surges in CO2 emissions. Similarly, the negative shocks from domestic credit to private sectors promote CO2 emissions, while the positive shocks moderate the emissions. The findings also uncover eco-digitalization as a viable tool to achieve environmental sustainability in the E7 economies. Furthermore, the measures of fiscal policy have differing impacts on environmental sustainability as evident from the positive and negative signs attributed to government expenditure and tax revenue. Moreover, affluence and population growth exacerbate CO2 emission surges. Policy insights that drive environmental sustainability are suggested based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in economic and human development has led to increasing concerns about environmental degradation, thus necessitating effective strategies to enhance sustainability and environmental quality. Therefore, this study empirically examines the impact of environmental fiscal policies, environmental technologies, and research and development (R&D) expenditures on achieving environmental sustainability in the G7 countries. Using advanced econometric techniques, including the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lags (CS-ARDL) model and the Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCCE) approach, the study identifies both short-run and long-run correlations between the aforementioned variables and their impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Our findings confirm the inverted U-shaped Kuznets Curve relationship and reinforce the previous literature on the complex dynamics between economic growth and GHG emissions specific to developed countries. The research also supports the effectiveness of well-designed environmental taxes in reducing environmental degradation and GHG emissions, consistent with and extending existing studies in this area. In addition, the study provides empirical evidence of the critical role of environmental technologies and targeted R&D expenditures in improving environmental quality. In terms of policy implications, our research underscores the urgency for policymakers in the G7 countries to fine-tune environmental taxation mechanisms and increase investment in sustainable technological solutions. Specific recommendations include the development of more efficient tax systems that adhere to the polluter-pays principle, as well as financial incentives such as tax credits and subsidies aimed at accelerating green technology adoption and innovation. In doing so, the study seeks to contribute to the broader discourse on environmental policy and sustainable development, providing valuable perspectives for both the academic community and policy actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using basic data from China's 30 provincial regions from 2005 to 2015, the slacks-based measure of super-efficiency in data envelopment analysis (super-efficiency SBM-DEA) is used to measure industrial green economic efficiency (IGEE). Moreover, the temporal change and spatial equilibrium of IGEE are analyzed, and the panel quantile regression model (PQRM) is used to empirically analyze the impacts of the degree of agglomeration of pollution-intensive industries (PIIs) and other influencing factors on IGEE. The results reveal the following. (1) The kernel density distribution curve of China's IGEE exhibits a double-peaked distribution, and the overall peak value of the curve changes relatively greatly, exhibiting obvious spatial inequality. (2) Based on their trajectories, the centers of gravity of IGEE are all distributed in the central region. The moving speed of the centers of gravity exhibits a trend of "accelerating–decreasing–quickly accelerating." Judging from the changes of the standard deviation ellipse (SDE), the spatial distribution pattern of China's IGEE generally presents a northeast–southwest pattern, and it has exhibited the trend of shifting to a north–south pattern in recent years. (3) The agglomeration level of PIIs has a significant positive effect on the development of China's IGEE at each quantile level, and the most significant impact on China's IGEE is at the 75th quantile level. This paper empirically analyzes the impact of the agglomeration level of PIIs on IGEE to aid in the greening of industrial economic efficiency and the sustainable development of the ecological environment in China and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic fertilizers have been revolutionary in the way that the increased production of food crops has increased as a result of the application of synthetic fertilizers. Despite the fact that global N, P, and K consumption have increased from 64.9, 25.9, and 18.2 kg/ha in the year 2000 to 85.5, 33.2, and 20.4 kg/ha, respectively, they are still relatively low. Additionally, excessive use of inorganic fertilizers has also resulted in a deterioration of environmental systems, especially that of water resources. The presence of this toxic substance inside the human body is therefore due to the fact that it enters the body through the food chain and causes serious illnesses, such as cancer. For instance, in most countries, the maximum nitrate concentration for drinking water is restricted to between 45 and 50 mg/L. Besides promoting the use of chemicals and the application of fertilizers in farming, there should be a push to encourage the sustainable use of biofertilizers to protect the environment and human health. Composts that have been developed from various waste materials, such as poultry farms, dairy farms, and other sources, have proven to be very rich in N, P, and K. For example, compost generated from dairy farm wastes can provide a value of 45,100, 7300, and 9100 mg/kg of N, P, and K, respectively. In order to make the use of these biofertilizers in agriculture possible, it will be necessary to spread awareness among the farmers so that they can adopt the concepts of sustainable management in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how various livestock ownership typologies affect household food security in rural Lesotho, a developing nation marked with poverty and food insecurity. Despite the significance of livestock to food security, little study has been done in this area. The study divides households into four typologies of livestock ownership, ranging from none to varied animal herds, using data from 2,014 rural households. The study uses analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a mixed effect ordered probit model to examine the connections between these typologies and food security. In comparison to typology I (no livestock ownership), the results show that ownership typologies III (moderate small ruminants and poultry) and IV (big mixed poultry, small, and large animals) have a beneficial impact on household food security. The study advances our understanding of how different livestock species and herd sizes affect food security. It emphasizes the importance of nuanced and context-specific approaches when employing livestock to improve household food security, advising development and intervention programs to take into account the delicate interplay between livestock ownership and food security among the target population. Thus, intervention programs must carefully consider the complex and context-specific relationship between livestock ownership and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a scarce, strategic resource and the most important input for economic development, especially in agricultural countries such as Brazil. Cocoa production is directly related to water availability, and, as climate changes, selecting drought-tolerant genotypes is vital to keep cacao crops sustainable. Here, we evaluated cacao genotypes under irrigated and water-stressed conditions and selected drought-tolerant ones based on nutritional and physiological traits. Thirty-nine genotypes were monitored for three years for agronomic traits and higher fruit yield. After this evaluation, the 18 most promising genotypes were evaluated in a randomized block design, under a 2 (with and without irrigation) × 18 (genotypes) factorial arrangement, with three replicates and five plants per plot. We evaluated seven physiological and 11 nutritional traits, selecting genotypes based on the Genotype-by-Trait Biplot approach. Significant effects (p < 0.05) were observed for the nutritional traits N, P, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Mn and for the physiological traits CO2 assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), intercellular and atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ci/Ca), intrinsic water use efficiency (A/gs), instantaneous water use efficiency (A/E), and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency (A/Ci), as determined by analysis of variance. The genotype × irrigation treatment interaction was significant (p < 0.05) for the traits A, gs, and E. Genotypes CP 41, CP 43, and CCN 51 exhibited superior performance for both nutritional and physiological traits (A, gs, and E). In the irrigated environment, CP 41 showed superiority in traits such as P, A/E, A/gs, Mn, S, and Zn. Conversely, under non-irrigated conditions, CP 43 exhibited better performance in nutritional properties, specifically Mn, Mg, and Zn. Notably, in both irrigated and non-irrigated environments, CCN 51 excelled in key physiological traits, including A/Ci, A/E, and A/gs. This robust performance across diverse conditions suggests that these three genotypes possess physiological mechanisms to endure water-stressed conditions. Our research can generate valuable insights into these genotypes informing suitable choices for cocoa cultivation, especially in the context of global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovations are the most critical factor in promoting environmental sustainability worldwide. Trade can speed up the adoption of green innovations by facilitating the transfer of information, skills, and technology. However, trade policy uncertainty can create significant challenges for businesses investing in eco-innovations, leading to increased risk, reduced investment, and slower progress toward sustainable technologies. Recently, a growing number of researchers have shown their interest in finding the factors that can impact green innovations, but none have investigated the influence of trade policy uncertainty on green innovations in the USA and China. In addition, none of the past studies has relied on the nonlinear assumption. This analysis fills these gaps by examining the nonlinear impacts of trade policy uncertainty on eco-innovations in China and the USA over 2000Q1–2021Q4 by employing a nonlinear ARDL model. The finding reveals that a positive shock in trade policy uncertainty results in a decrease in green innovation in the USA and China, while a negative shock in trade policy uncertainty leads to an increase in green innovation in the USA over the long run. The nonlinear models also indicate that a positive shock in trade policy uncertainty harms green innovation in both the USA and China in the short run. The robustness of these results is confirmed by the NQARDL model, which confirms that an upsurge in trade policy uncertainty lowers green innovation in most quantiles in the USA and China in the short and long run. Conversely, negative shocks in trade policy uncertainty stimulate green innovation at most quantiles in both China and the USA, in the short and long run. Thus, policymakers need to consider the potential impact of trade policies on eco-innovations and work to create stable and predictable trade environments that support the growth of renewable technologies and other sustainable solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong relationship between water and soil conservation practices and food security in Lorestan province in Iran. Socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors effect adoption of conservation practices in the region. The food security status of 296 random households was assessed with face-to-face interviews using the Household Food Insecurity Assess Scale. Our findings revealed that 78.7% of the sampled households experienced varying levels of food insecurity, including marginal (22%), moderate (10%), and severe (46%) status, while 21.3% were food secure. Among the surveyed farmers, water conservation exhibited a stronger correlation with food security compared to soil conservation. We identified several key factors, including education, employment, microcredit funds, NGOs’ supports, and government subsidies that influenced the adoption of different water and soil conservation practices. To effectively manage water and soil resources while considering socioeconomic factors, food security status, and the preservation of limited resources, it is crucial to reevaluate the existing practices and policies governing resource management in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]