Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101027
Yushu Qin , Hongtao Li
This study examines whether carbon intensity in tourism transport is decoupling from improvements in tourism economic efficiency within the context of regional transportation–tourism integration. Using the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration as a case study, we apply the Tapio decoupling model to quantify decoupling coefficients, classify decoupling types, and trace their spatiotemporal evolution. Spatial autocorrelation and dynamic diffusion trends are further explored using ESDA and spatial kernel density methods. The geographic detector is employed to identify key factors shaping decoupling patterns. Results show that: (1) Temporally, the number of strong decoupled cities in the urban agglomeration gradually increases; while spatially, the strong decoupled areas tend to concentrate in the southwest and southeast directions. (2) Decoupling patterns are spatially polarized and path dependent, rather than evenly spread across the region. (3) Spatiotemporal factors significantly contribute to the upward convergence of the decoupling effect in urban agglomeration. (4) The level of integration not only serves as the primary factor influencing the decoupling effect but also exhibits significant explanatory power in its interaction with other influencing factors. These findings contribute to the understanding of low-carbon tourism transitions at the urban-agglomeration scale and provide actionable insights for advancing sustainable, high-quality tourism development.
{"title":"Decoupling research of tourism economic efficiency and tourism transport carbon intensity in Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration","authors":"Yushu Qin , Hongtao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101027","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101027","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines whether carbon intensity in tourism transport is decoupling from improvements in tourism economic efficiency within the context of regional transportation–tourism integration. Using the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration as a case study, we apply the Tapio decoupling model to quantify decoupling coefficients, classify decoupling types, and trace their spatiotemporal evolution. Spatial autocorrelation and dynamic diffusion trends are further explored using ESDA and spatial kernel density methods. The geographic detector is employed to identify key factors shaping decoupling patterns. Results show that: (1) Temporally, the number of strong decoupled cities in the urban agglomeration gradually increases; while spatially, the strong decoupled areas tend to concentrate in the southwest and southeast directions. (2) Decoupling patterns are spatially polarized and path dependent, rather than evenly spread across the region. (3) Spatiotemporal factors significantly contribute to the upward convergence of the decoupling effect in urban agglomeration. (4) The level of integration not only serves as the primary factor influencing the decoupling effect but also exhibits significant explanatory power in its interaction with other influencing factors. These findings contribute to the understanding of low-carbon tourism transitions at the urban-agglomeration scale and provide actionable insights for advancing sustainable, high-quality tourism development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101027"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101092
Joseph Holway, Qi Deng, John Sabo
Lotic environments support the food security of hundreds of millions globally, yet tradeoffs among freshwater-dependent food systems remain poorly understood. In the Lower Mekong Basin, where rice and fish production systems are highly heterogeneous, we modeled harvest outcomes using multivariate autoregressive state-space (MARSS) models and flood magnitude as a key driver, measured by the High Seasonal Amplitude Metric (HSAM). High HSAM values (0.5) positively affected floodplain (FP) fish catch and Ca' Mau rice harvests, while moderate val-ues (0.1) had negative effects. In contrast, Dai fish catch and Cambodian rice harvest responded positively to moderate HSAM values but negatively to high values. Based on these patterns, we engineered four flow regimes optimized for each system. Forecasts over 10 years showed that each engineered hydrograph increased harvest for its target system. Some tradeoffs emerged: the FP hydrograph boosted FP fish catch and Ca' Mau rice but reduced Dai fish and Cambodian rice; the Cambodian rice hydrograph showed the reverse. Alternating between high and mod-erate HSAM values mitigated risk to individual systems, improving FP fish catch while having mixed or neutral effects elsewhere. Setting HSAM at 0.19 stabilized production across all four systems, balancing tradeoffs and maintaining current yields. These results highlight the potential to deliberately manage hydrologic regimes to co-optimize food production systems. Expanding hydrologic objectives beyond power generation is essential for sustaining ecosystem services, maintaining regional food security, and staying within planetary boundaries.
{"title":"Design flows and security tradeoffs in the lower Mekong basin","authors":"Joseph Holway, Qi Deng, John Sabo","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101092","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101092","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lotic environments support the food security of hundreds of millions globally, yet tradeoffs among freshwater-dependent food systems remain poorly understood. In the Lower Mekong Basin, where rice and fish production systems are highly heterogeneous, we modeled harvest outcomes using multivariate autoregressive state-space (MARSS) models and flood magnitude as a key driver, measured by the High Seasonal Amplitude Metric (HSAM). High HSAM values (0.5) positively affected floodplain (FP) fish catch and Ca' Mau rice harvests, while moderate val-ues (0.1) had negative effects. In contrast, Dai fish catch and Cambodian rice harvest responded positively to moderate HSAM values but negatively to high values. Based on these patterns, we engineered four flow regimes optimized for each system. Forecasts over 10 years showed that each engineered hydrograph increased harvest for its target system. Some tradeoffs emerged: the FP hydrograph boosted FP fish catch and Ca' Mau rice but reduced Dai fish and Cambodian rice; the Cambodian rice hydrograph showed the reverse. Alternating between high and mod-erate HSAM values mitigated risk to individual systems, improving FP fish catch while having mixed or neutral effects elsewhere. Setting HSAM at 0.19 stabilized production across all four systems, balancing tradeoffs and maintaining current yields. These results highlight the potential to deliberately manage hydrologic regimes to co-optimize food production systems. Expanding hydrologic objectives beyond power generation is essential for sustaining ecosystem services, maintaining regional food security, and staying within planetary boundaries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101092"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Water, energy, food, and environment are strongly interconnected in agricultural systems, and understanding these linkages is essential for sustainable crop production. This study evaluated the inter-linkage among water-energy-food-greenhouse gas (WEFG) dimensions in Indian mustard under varying irrigation, nitrogen (N) rates and bio-regulator (BR) application using WEFG framework to identify resource-efficient and environmentally-sound management practices. A three-year field experiment was conducted in arid region of India with three irrigation levels [full (FI, 100 % ETc), moderate deficit (MDI, 70 % ETc), severe deficit (SDI, 40 % ETc)], three N rates (40, 80, 120 kg N ha−1), and three BR treatments [without BR, thiourea (500 ppm), salicylic acid (0.5 mM)]. Water and energy use, yield, profitability, resource-use efficiency and CO2-eq emissions were quantified and integrated through WEFG Nexus Index (WEFGNI). Irrigation accounted for 95 % of water and 37–66 % of energy use. FI produced highest yield but substantially increased water/energy use and emissions, while SDI reduced resource consumption and emissions but caused substantial yield/profit losses. MDI reduced water (∼25 %) and energy (20–40 %) consumption with negligible yield loss (≤4 %), achieving higher resource use efficiencies. Higher N rates under FI and MDI enhanced yield/profitability but also enhanced emissions, while BR application enhanced productivity, profitability and efficiency particularly under MDI and SDI. The combination of MDI, 120 kg N ha−1, and BR application achieved highest WEFGNI, indicating optimal balance among productivity, efficiency and environmental performance. The WEFG framework effectively capture trade-offs and synergies across nexus dimensions, offering a tool to guide sustainable crop management strategies aligned with the SDGs.
水、能源、粮食和环境在农业系统中紧密相连，了解这些联系对可持续作物生产至关重要。本研究利用WEFG框架评估了不同灌溉、氮肥用量和生物调节剂（BR）应用下印度芥菜水-能源-食物-温室气体（WEFG）维度之间的相互联系，以确定资源高效和环境友好的管理实践。在印度干旱区进行了为期3年的田间试验，采用3种灌溉水平[充分（FI、100%等）、中度亏缺（MDI、70%等）、重度亏缺（SDI、40%等）]、3种施氮量（40、80、120 kg N ha - 1）和3种BR处理[无BR、硫脲（500 ppm）、水杨酸（0.5 mM）]。通过WEFG Nexus指数（WEFGNI）对水和能源利用、产量、盈利能力、资源利用效率和二氧化碳当量排放进行量化和综合。灌溉用水占95%，能源消耗占37 - 66%。FI产量最高，但大大增加了水/能源的使用和排放，而SDI减少了资源消耗和排放，但造成了大量的产量/利润损失。MDI减少了水（~ 25%）和能源（20 - 40%）的消耗，而产量损失可以忽略不计（≤4%），实现了更高的资源利用效率。在FI和MDI条件下，较高的施氮量提高了产量/盈利能力，但也增加了排放，而BR的应用提高了生产率、盈利能力和效率，尤其是在MDI和SDI条件下。MDI、120 kg N ha - 1和BR施用组合的WEFGNI最高，表明生产力、效率和环境绩效达到最佳平衡。WEFG框架有效地捕捉了各相关维度之间的权衡和协同效应，为指导符合可持续发展目标的可持续作物管理战略提供了工具。
{"title":"Water-energy-food-GHG nexus-based optimization of irrigation and nitrogen strategies for sustainable intensification of Indian mustard in hot arid region of India","authors":"Vijay Singh Rathore , Narayan Singh Nathawat , Ravindra Singh Shekhawat , Bhagirath Mal Yadav , Dinesh Kumar , Mahesh Kumar , Banwari Lal , Priyanka Gautam","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101055","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101055","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Water, energy, food, and environment are strongly interconnected in agricultural systems, and understanding these linkages is essential for sustainable crop production. This study evaluated the inter-linkage among water-energy-food-greenhouse gas (WEFG) dimensions in Indian mustard under varying irrigation, nitrogen (N) rates and bio-regulator (BR) application using WEFG framework to identify resource-efficient and environmentally-sound management practices. A three-year field experiment was conducted in arid region of India with three irrigation levels [full (FI, 100 % ETc), moderate deficit (MDI, 70 % ETc), severe deficit (SDI, 40 % ETc)], three N rates (40, 80, 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>), and three BR treatments [without BR, thiourea (500 ppm), salicylic acid (0.5 mM)]. Water and energy use, yield, profitability, resource-use efficiency and CO<sub>2</sub>-eq emissions were quantified and integrated through WEFG Nexus Index (WEFGNI). Irrigation accounted for 95 % of water and 37–66 % of energy use. FI produced highest yield but substantially increased water/energy use and emissions, while SDI reduced resource consumption and emissions but caused substantial yield/profit losses. MDI reduced water (∼25 %) and energy (20–40 %) consumption with negligible yield loss (≤4 %), achieving higher resource use efficiencies. Higher N rates under FI and MDI enhanced yield/profitability but also enhanced emissions, while BR application enhanced productivity, profitability and efficiency particularly under MDI and SDI. The combination of MDI, 120 kg N ha<sup>−1</sup>, and BR application achieved highest WEFGNI, indicating optimal balance among productivity, efficiency and environmental performance. The WEFG framework effectively capture trade-offs and synergies across nexus dimensions, offering a tool to guide sustainable crop management strategies aligned with the SDGs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101055"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145651785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101095
Yiming Wang , Zengxin Zhang , Xi Chen
A comprehensive understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services (ESs) and their social-ecological driving factors is the foundation for sustainable ecosystem management. Taking the Poyang Lake basin as the study area, this study first evaluated and mapped six ESs, namely carbon storage (CS), habitat quality (HQ), water yield (WY), water purification (WP), soil conservation (SC), and food production (FP). Then, the Spearman correlation was used to explore the relationships between ESs, and the Self-organizing map (SOM) was used to explore ecosystem service bundles (ESBs). Finally, the geographical detector was used to quantify the impacts of social-ecological drivers on ESs. The results showed that: (1) Strong Synergies were observed among regulation services (WP, SC, and CS) and supporting services (HQ) (e.g., WP-HQ: r = 0.91). Meanwhile, a synergy was found between provisioning services (WY and FP). In contrast, pronounced trade-offs existed between provisioning services and regulation services (WP, SC, and CS) or supporting services (HQ) (e.g., FP-WP: r = −0.90), except for the relationship between WY and SC. (2) WY, SC, and CS are dominated by climatic factors, terrain factors, and socioeconomic factors, respectively. WP, HQ, and FP are dominated by socioeconomic factors and terrain factors. (3) The basin can be clustered into six ESBs, and we proposed targeted ecosystem management strategies for each ESB based on their characteristics. This study provides scientific references for the management and optimization of ecosystems in the Poyang Lake basin.
全面了解生态系统服务及其社会生态驱动因子之间的关系是生态系统可持续管理的基础。本研究以鄱阳湖流域为研究区，首先对碳储量（CS）、生境质量（HQ）、产水量（WY）、水净化（WP）、土壤保持（SC）和粮食生产（FP） 6个ESs进行了评价和制图。利用Spearman相关分析生态系统服务之间的关系，利用自组织图（SOM）分析生态系统服务束（esb）之间的关系。最后，利用地理探测器量化社会生态驱动因素对ESs的影响。结果表明：(1)监管服务（WP、SC和CS）与支持服务（HQ）之间存在较强的协同效应（如WP-HQ: r = 0.91）。同时，在供应服务（WY和FP）之间发现了协同作用。相比之下，提供服务与调节服务（WP、SC和CS）或支持服务（HQ）（如FP-WP: r = - 0.90）之间存在明显的权衡，但WY与SC之间的关系除外。(2)WY、SC和CS分别受气候因素、地形因素和社会经济因素的支配。WP、HQ和FP主要受社会经济因素和地形因素的影响。(3)将流域划分为6个ESB，并根据每个ESB的特点提出了针对性的生态系统管理策略。本研究为鄱阳湖流域生态系统的管理与优化提供了科学参考。
{"title":"Identification of ecosystem service bundles and social-ecological driving factors in the Poyang Lake Basin, China","authors":"Yiming Wang , Zengxin Zhang , Xi Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101095","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101095","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A comprehensive understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services (ESs) and their social-ecological driving factors is the foundation for sustainable ecosystem management. Taking the Poyang Lake basin as the study area, this study first evaluated and mapped six ESs, namely carbon storage (CS), habitat quality (HQ), water yield (WY), water purification (WP), soil conservation (SC), and food production (FP). Then, the Spearman correlation was used to explore the relationships between ESs, and the Self-organizing map (SOM) was used to explore ecosystem service bundles (ESBs). Finally, the geographical detector was used to quantify the impacts of social-ecological drivers on ESs. The results showed that: (1) Strong Synergies were observed among regulation services (WP, SC, and CS) and supporting services (HQ) (e.g., WP-HQ: r = 0.91). Meanwhile, a synergy was found between provisioning services (WY and FP). In contrast, pronounced trade-offs existed between provisioning services and regulation services (WP, SC, and CS) or supporting services (HQ) (e.g., FP-WP: r = −0.90), except for the relationship between WY and SC. (2) WY, SC, and CS are dominated by climatic factors, terrain factors, and socioeconomic factors, respectively. WP, HQ, and FP are dominated by socioeconomic factors and terrain factors. (3) The basin can be clustered into six ESBs, and we proposed targeted ecosystem management strategies for each ESB based on their characteristics. This study provides scientific references for the management and optimization of ecosystems in the Poyang Lake basin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101095"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2026-01-07DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2026.101123
Haotian Chen , Xiaoyu Shi , Hao Yang , Xinyi Wang , Haoruo Li
Soil nematodes have established themselves as powerful bioindicators for assessing soil health and ecosystem functioning in agricultural systems. Despite extensive research linking nematode communities to agricultural management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, and organic amendment, a global synthesis of research trends is lacking. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2730 articles published between 1991 and 2024 to identify research hotspots and thematic evolution. Results revealed a steady increase in publications, with a marked statistical inflection in 2009 signaling a shift from exploratory to mature research phases. Organic amendments dominated the literature, accounting for over 60 % of studies, likely because they align with multiple sustainability agendas and benefit from long-term trial availability, whereas tillage and crop diversification were less represented. The United States and China were identified as the most productive contributors, with rapidly expanding international collaborations. Co-citation analysis revealed the central role of ecological indices and underscored a sustained research focus on root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), a prioritization driven by their substantial impact on crop productivity. Emerging research increasingly emphasizes functional and metabolic footprints as integrative measures of soil food web functioning. Overall, substantial progress has been made in developing nematode-based ecological frameworks for soil health assessment. Translating these advances into robust field applications hinges on the enhanced collaboration among stakeholders to standardize methods and integrate nematode with key soil and environmental covariates.
{"title":"Soil nematodes as bioindicators of agricultural management practices: Insights from bibliometric analysis","authors":"Haotian Chen , Xiaoyu Shi , Hao Yang , Xinyi Wang , Haoruo Li","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2026.101123","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2026.101123","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil nematodes have established themselves as powerful bioindicators for assessing soil health and ecosystem functioning in agricultural systems. Despite extensive research linking nematode communities to agricultural management practices such as tillage, crop rotation, and organic amendment, a global synthesis of research trends is lacking. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 2730 articles published between 1991 and 2024 to identify research hotspots and thematic evolution. Results revealed a steady increase in publications, with a marked statistical inflection in 2009 signaling a shift from exploratory to mature research phases. Organic amendments dominated the literature, accounting for over 60 % of studies, likely because they align with multiple sustainability agendas and benefit from long-term trial availability, whereas tillage and crop diversification were less represented. The United States and China were identified as the most productive contributors, with rapidly expanding international collaborations. Co-citation analysis revealed the central role of ecological indices and underscored a sustained research focus on root-knot nematodes (<em>Meloidogyne spp.</em>), a prioritization driven by their substantial impact on crop productivity. Emerging research increasingly emphasizes functional and metabolic footprints as integrative measures of soil food web functioning. Overall, substantial progress has been made in developing nematode-based ecological frameworks for soil health assessment. Translating these advances into robust field applications hinges on the enhanced collaboration among stakeholders to standardize methods and integrate nematode with key soil and environmental covariates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101123"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145938496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum to “The dynamics of social conflict and deforestation: Empirical evidence from the refugee crisis in southeast Bangladesh” [Environ. Sustain. Indicat. 28 (2025) 101014]","authors":"S.M. Asik Ullah , Saifur Rahman , Rojina Akter , Khondokar Humayun Kabir","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101114","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101114","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101114"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146077383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101110
Ngo Thanh Mai, Dinh Duc Truong, Le Huy Huan, Duong Duc Tam
As carbon markets emerge as critical instruments in climate policy, understanding what drives corporate participation becomes essential, particularly in developing countries undergoing regulatory transformation. This study investigates the determinants of carbon market participation intention among emission-intensive enterprises in Vietnam, a fast-growing economy establishing its domestic carbon trading scheme. Grounded in the Technology - Organization - Environment framework and Institutional Theory, the research develops a conceptual model encompassing technological perceptions, organizational readiness, and institutional pressures. The study also examines the mediating role of firms’ attitude toward carbon markets and the moderating effects of government support and industry association engagement. A structured survey of 338 enterprises across six high-emitting sectors was conducted. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results reveal that seven factors significantly influence carbon market participation intention, with perceived economic benefits, regulatory pressure, and reputation concern emerging as the most influential predictors. Attitude mediates several key relationships, particularly those involving economic, institutional, and cognitive factors. Furthermore, both government support and industry association engagement significantly moderate firm behavior, enhancing participation intentions under favorable institutional conditions. This study offers empirical evidence on the behavioral and institutional enablers of carbon market participation in the Global South. It contributes to the literature by integrating Technology - Organization - Environment and Institutional Theory frameworks in the context of carbon pricing and provides practical recommendations for regulators, industry associations, and enterprises. By highlighting both the opportunities and challenges firms face, the study informs the design of inclusive, context-specific carbon market policies aimed at accelerating private sector engagement in climate mitigation.
{"title":"Trading emissions, shaping ambitions: Understanding what drives carbon market intentions in Vietnam","authors":"Ngo Thanh Mai, Dinh Duc Truong, Le Huy Huan, Duong Duc Tam","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101110","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101110","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As carbon markets emerge as critical instruments in climate policy, understanding what drives corporate participation becomes essential, particularly in developing countries undergoing regulatory transformation. This study investigates the determinants of carbon market participation intention among emission-intensive enterprises in Vietnam, a fast-growing economy establishing its domestic carbon trading scheme. Grounded in the Technology - Organization - Environment framework and Institutional Theory, the research develops a conceptual model encompassing technological perceptions, organizational readiness, and institutional pressures. The study also examines the mediating role of firms’ attitude toward carbon markets and the moderating effects of government support and industry association engagement. A structured survey of 338 enterprises across six high-emitting sectors was conducted. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results reveal that seven factors significantly influence carbon market participation intention, with perceived economic benefits, regulatory pressure, and reputation concern emerging as the most influential predictors. Attitude mediates several key relationships, particularly those involving economic, institutional, and cognitive factors. Furthermore, both government support and industry association engagement significantly moderate firm behavior, enhancing participation intentions under favorable institutional conditions. This study offers empirical evidence on the behavioral and institutional enablers of carbon market participation in the Global South. It contributes to the literature by integrating Technology - Organization - Environment and Institutional Theory frameworks in the context of carbon pricing and provides practical recommendations for regulators, industry associations, and enterprises. By highlighting both the opportunities and challenges firms face, the study informs the design of inclusive, context-specific carbon market policies aimed at accelerating private sector engagement in climate mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101110"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101104
Huiqing Dai , Luanyun Hu , Xiaoye Zhu , Panyue Zhang , Yuwei Wang , Xiaoling Guo
This study aims to precisely quantify the spatio-temporal impacts of specific digital economy (DE) drivers and their interactions on carbon emission intensity (CEI) across China. Utilizing a panel dataset from 30 Chinese provinces (2011–2022), this study first constructs a comprehensive composite digital economy index. The core of the methodology is a novel interactive geographically and temporally weighted regression model, which integrates interaction factors identified by the optimal parameter geographical detector into the geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The results indicate that (1) Among DE driving factors, software business revenue and enterprise R&D expenditure intensity exert the strongest explanatory power on CEI. (2) Interactions between DE driving factors augment their individual effects, with the interaction between proportion of digital industry employees and per capita telecommunication business volume exhibiting the strongest explanatory power. (3) The impacts of DE driving factors and their interactions on CEI exhibit pronounced spatial heterogeneity. Interactions between factors induce nonlinear changes in their individual effects, mainly reflected in the direction, intensity, and spatial scope of their impacts on CEI. These findings provide critical and actionable insights for designing regionally differentiated policies, enabling policymakers to harness the synergistic potential of the digital economy for targeted carbon mitigation, thereby supporting the achievement of China's “Dual Carbon” goals.
{"title":"Assessing the spatio-temporal impacts of digital economy drivers on carbon emission intensity: An interactive geographically and temporally weighted regression framework","authors":"Huiqing Dai , Luanyun Hu , Xiaoye Zhu , Panyue Zhang , Yuwei Wang , Xiaoling Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101104","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101104","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to precisely quantify the spatio-temporal impacts of specific digital economy (DE) drivers and their interactions on carbon emission intensity (CEI) across China. Utilizing a panel dataset from 30 Chinese provinces (2011–2022), this study first constructs a comprehensive composite digital economy index. The core of the methodology is a novel interactive geographically and temporally weighted regression model, which integrates interaction factors identified by the optimal parameter geographical detector into the geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The results indicate that (1) Among DE driving factors, software business revenue and enterprise R&D expenditure intensity exert the strongest explanatory power on CEI. (2) Interactions between DE driving factors augment their individual effects, with the interaction between proportion of digital industry employees and per capita telecommunication business volume exhibiting the strongest explanatory power. (3) The impacts of DE driving factors and their interactions on CEI exhibit pronounced spatial heterogeneity. Interactions between factors induce nonlinear changes in their individual effects, mainly reflected in the direction, intensity, and spatial scope of their impacts on CEI. These findings provide critical and actionable insights for designing regionally differentiated policies, enabling policymakers to harness the synergistic potential of the digital economy for targeted carbon mitigation, thereby supporting the achievement of China's “Dual Carbon” goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101104"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101085
Alessandra Rigo, Laura Secco, Elena Pisani
Nature-based health initiatives (NbHIs) are emerging as innovative approaches to promoting human well-being and environmental sustainability. However, a standardised method to evaluate the multi-actor, multi-level, and multi-sector governance required for their implementation is lacking. This study addresses this gap by presenting an evaluation tool empirically tested through a multi-case study involving three NbHIs at different stages of development in North-Eastern Italy. Data were collected through 20 in-depth structured interviews with experts and 27 online questionnaires completed by the initiative participants. A total of 152 governance indicators were derived and hierarchically aggregated into a composite index, designed to capture the multidimensional and context-sensitive nature of NbHI governance, based on a purpose-built conceptual framework. The findings highlight that overall governance performance does not align uniformly across all dimensions and components of the framework. This variability is shaped by governance-related and contextual factors, such as the composition of the actor network and the maturity stage of each initiative. The proposed methodology provides a practical and adaptable tool for monitoring and evaluating the governance of NbHIs, helping to identify strengths and weaknesses and offering guidance for targeted improvements. It enhances understanding of how these initiatives can generate meaningful environmental and health outcomes through stronger cross-sectoral collaboration, providing evidence to support their integration into both health and environmental policy agendas. Finally, the study illustrates the application of the tool by offering case-specific recommendations and actionable insights for practitioners involved in the design and implementation of NbHIs.
{"title":"Nature-based health initiatives: A governance assessment tool based on indicators","authors":"Alessandra Rigo, Laura Secco, Elena Pisani","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nature-based health initiatives (NbHIs) are emerging as innovative approaches to promoting human well-being and environmental sustainability. However, a standardised method to evaluate the multi-actor, multi-level, and multi-sector governance required for their implementation is lacking. This study addresses this gap by presenting an evaluation tool empirically tested through a multi-case study involving three NbHIs at different stages of development in North-Eastern Italy. Data were collected through 20 in-depth structured interviews with experts and 27 online questionnaires completed by the initiative participants. A total of 152 governance indicators were derived and hierarchically aggregated into a composite index, designed to capture the multidimensional and context-sensitive nature of NbHI governance, based on a purpose-built conceptual framework. The findings highlight that overall governance performance does not align uniformly across all dimensions and components of the framework. This variability is shaped by governance-related and contextual factors, such as the composition of the actor network and the maturity stage of each initiative. The proposed methodology provides a practical and adaptable tool for monitoring and evaluating the governance of NbHIs, helping to identify strengths and weaknesses and offering guidance for targeted improvements. It enhances understanding of how these initiatives can generate meaningful environmental and health outcomes through stronger cross-sectoral collaboration, providing evidence to support their integration into both health and environmental policy agendas. Finally, the study illustrates the application of the tool by offering case-specific recommendations and actionable insights for practitioners involved in the design and implementation of NbHIs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101085"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101070
Zhuona Sun , Yiyang Jia , Dongmei Zhou , Xin Huang , Jing Jiang , Xiaoyan Zhu , Jun Zhang
Critical ecological components can be comprehensively recognized and conserved by developing an ecological security pattern, thereby facilitating the establishment of a functional ecological network. The results of this study indicate that (1) within the Hexi region, 21 key ecological sources were situated, spanning a combined area of 253.5 km2. Spatially, they show a “western concentration and eastern dispersion” pattern, distributed across the oasis areas in western Jiuquan, the southeastern mountainous regions of Zhangye, and desert transition zones in northeastern Wuwei. (2) Analysis of the source areas showed 46 key ecological corridors, totaling 1432.6 km in length. Within this network, the longitudinal corridors traverse the three cities along the Hexi Corridor, whereas the transverse corridors connect the mountain systems in the north and south, effectively ensuring regional ecological connectivity. (3) A hierarchical management and control pattern of the “Three Belts and Multiple Areas” was established; the Ecological Protection Belt focuses on maintaining the water conservation functions of the Qilian-Altun Mountains; the Ecological Potential Belt centers on improving the stability of the oasis system in the corridor; the Economic Corridor Belt implements coordinated ecological-production management and control; and the Multiple Areas implemented the differentiated governance strategies for the desert-oasis transition zones. By optimizing the spatial configuration of the ecological network, this pattern substantially improves the region's ecosystem resilience to disturbances and its service provision efficiency.
{"title":"Constructing an ecological security pattern by integrating ecosystem service values and ecological sensitivity: A case study of the Hexi Region, China","authors":"Zhuona Sun , Yiyang Jia , Dongmei Zhou , Xin Huang , Jing Jiang , Xiaoyan Zhu , Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.indic.2025.101070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Critical ecological components can be comprehensively recognized and conserved by developing an ecological security pattern, thereby facilitating the establishment of a functional ecological network. The results of this study indicate that (1) within the Hexi region, 21 key ecological sources were situated, spanning a combined area of 253.5 km<sup>2</sup>. Spatially, they show a “western concentration and eastern dispersion” pattern, distributed across the oasis areas in western Jiuquan, the southeastern mountainous regions of Zhangye, and desert transition zones in northeastern Wuwei. (2) Analysis of the source areas showed 46 key ecological corridors, totaling 1432.6 km in length. Within this network, the longitudinal corridors traverse the three cities along the Hexi Corridor, whereas the transverse corridors connect the mountain systems in the north and south, effectively ensuring regional ecological connectivity. (3) A hierarchical management and control pattern of the “Three Belts and Multiple Areas” was established; the Ecological Protection Belt focuses on maintaining the water conservation functions of the Qilian-Altun Mountains; the Ecological Potential Belt centers on improving the stability of the oasis system in the corridor; the Economic Corridor Belt implements coordinated ecological-production management and control; and the Multiple Areas implemented the differentiated governance strategies for the desert-oasis transition zones. By optimizing the spatial configuration of the ecological network, this pattern substantially improves the region's ecosystem resilience to disturbances and its service provision efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36171,"journal":{"name":"Environmental and Sustainability Indicators","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 101070"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145748867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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