Pub Date : 2026-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108947
Fander Falconí , Rafael Burbano , Pedro Cango , Ruthy Intriago
The aim of this article is to examine the causes of the increase in material extraction in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in a context of weak relative dematerialization. It argues that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, far from reducing pressure on natural resources, has driven the expansion of extraction by sustaining a growth pattern based on material-intensive activities. In this context, the article analyses the causes and consequences of this intensification between 1970 and 2023, highlighting its negative impacts on ecosystems and the emergence of social conflicts, and incorporates a comparative perspective with other world regions. The results, based on a VAR model, show that in LAC and South America extraction increases in response to economic growth, as expressed by GDP; and, using a PVAR model and Granger causality tests reveals that LAC extraction affects only fossil fuel exports. In South America, there is bidirectional causality between extraction and fossil fuel exports, while biomass exports depend on extraction. These findings stress the urgent need to redirect economic strategies toward more sustainable and equitable development models in the region.
{"title":"Extraction and dematerialization in Latin America, 1970–2023","authors":"Fander Falconí , Rafael Burbano , Pedro Cango , Ruthy Intriago","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108947","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108947","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this article is to examine the causes of the increase in material extraction in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in a context of weak relative dematerialization. It argues that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, far from reducing pressure on natural resources, has driven the expansion of extraction by sustaining a growth pattern based on material-intensive activities. In this context, the article analyses the causes and consequences of this intensification between 1970 and 2023, highlighting its negative impacts on ecosystems and the emergence of social conflicts, and incorporates a comparative perspective with other world regions. The results, based on a VAR model, show that in LAC and South America extraction increases in response to economic growth, as expressed by GDP; and, using a PVAR model and Granger causality tests reveals that LAC extraction affects only fossil fuel exports. In South America, there is bidirectional causality between extraction and fossil fuel exports, while biomass exports depend on extraction. These findings stress the urgent need to redirect economic strategies toward more sustainable and equitable development models in the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108947"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-07DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108951
Shangze Dai , Xinde James Ji
Automation technologies enhance production efficiency, offering potential for sustainable development. Yet, by deepening economic dependence on inherently emission-intensive capital investment, automation may inadvertently increase carbon emissions in economies with transforming industrial and production structure. We investigate this hypothesis first through a conceptual framework incorporating heterogeneous production and industrial components. We then test this using panel data from China's second-level administrative (prefecture) units from 2007 to 2021, estimating both short-run and medium-run effects using fixed-effects and long-difference estimators. Results suggest that automation technology, measured by per capita patents, is associated with increased carbon intensity. This positive effect persists over the short- to medium-term, indicating limited mitigation through structural adaptation. This persistence highlights the inertia of emission structures even amid technological progress. The impact is larger in western and industrial regions, reflecting regional disparities in industrial composition and adaptive capacity. We further examine four mediating channels that reflect capital dependence—relative marginal productivity of capital, capital misallocation, per capita capital stock, and temporary migration—and further conduct sectoral regressions to capture heterogeneity across industrial structures. Together, these analyses reveal that capital dependence and structural change to be important channels through which the automation‑carbon intensity relationship manifests, which reveals complex environmental trade-offs from automation. Overall, the findings provide new evidence that automation may generate unintended environmental costs, calling for policy coordination between industrial upgrading and decarbonization strategies.
{"title":"Unintended carbon cost of automation technology in transforming economies: The role of capital dependence and structure change","authors":"Shangze Dai , Xinde James Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108951","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108951","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Automation technologies enhance production efficiency, offering potential for sustainable development. Yet, by deepening economic dependence on inherently emission-intensive capital investment, automation may inadvertently increase carbon emissions in economies with transforming industrial and production structure. We investigate this hypothesis first through a conceptual framework incorporating heterogeneous production and industrial components. We then test this using panel data from China's second-level administrative (prefecture) units from 2007 to 2021, estimating both short-run and medium-run effects using fixed-effects and long-difference estimators. Results suggest that automation technology, measured by per capita patents, is associated with increased carbon intensity. This positive effect persists over the short- to medium-term, indicating limited mitigation through structural adaptation. This persistence highlights the inertia of emission structures even amid technological progress. The impact is larger in western and industrial regions, reflecting regional disparities in industrial composition and adaptive capacity. We further examine four mediating channels that reflect capital dependence—relative marginal productivity of capital, capital misallocation, per capita capital stock, and temporary migration—and further conduct sectoral regressions to capture heterogeneity across industrial structures. Together, these analyses reveal that capital dependence and structural change to be important channels through which the automation‑carbon intensity relationship manifests, which reveals complex environmental trade-offs from automation. Overall, the findings provide new evidence that automation may generate unintended environmental costs, calling for policy coordination between industrial upgrading and decarbonization strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108951"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108946
Cécile Ezvan , Fiona Ottaviani
In this conceptual and methodological contribution, we focus on indicators of the good life and examine how an embodied form of universalism in qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluating the good life may be promoted. We aim to explore what type of universalism can align with a localized understanding of the good life. To achieve our purpose, we propose a gnoseological and ethical framework, grounded in an Aristotelian perspective. This framework supports a universalist goal while avoiding the homogenization often linked to the commensuration process.
Our study main results consists in an ethical and gnoseological framework for understanding the good life based on 4 principles: (1) considering plural dimensions of the good life (not just well-being) as a purpose, (2) analyzing the plurality of causes and effects, (3) identifying sufficient thresholds (rather than focusing solely on exponential growth), and (4) practicing evaluation as an art for citizens (instead of mere calculations by technical experts).
We emphasize how indicators based on our framework can foster collective reflection on values, rather than reducing qualitative aspects to quantitative measures. While the embodied universalism highlighted in this paper helps avoid some of the pitfalls of abstract universality, this art of composition required for evaluating the good life implies both to respect these universal principles and to adopt a tailor-made evaluation process to embody the approach in each specific context.
{"title":"Embodied universalism: An Aristotelian perspective for evaluating the good life","authors":"Cécile Ezvan , Fiona Ottaviani","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108946","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108946","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this conceptual and methodological contribution, we focus on indicators of the good life and examine how an embodied form of universalism in qualitative and quantitative methods of evaluating the good life may be promoted. We aim to explore what type of universalism can align with a localized understanding of the good life. To achieve our purpose, we propose a gnoseological and ethical framework, grounded in an Aristotelian perspective. This framework supports a universalist goal while avoiding the homogenization often linked to the commensuration process.</div><div>Our study main results consists in an ethical and gnoseological framework for understanding the good life based on 4 principles: (1) considering plural dimensions of the good life (not just well-being) as a purpose, (2) analyzing the plurality of causes and effects, (3) identifying sufficient thresholds (rather than focusing solely on exponential growth), and (4) practicing evaluation as an art for citizens (instead of mere calculations by technical experts).</div><div>We emphasize how indicators based on our framework can foster collective reflection on values, rather than reducing qualitative aspects to quantitative measures. While the embodied universalism highlighted in this paper helps avoid some of the pitfalls of abstract universality, this art of composition required for evaluating the good life implies both to respect these universal principles and to adopt a tailor-made evaluation process to embody the approach in each specific context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108946"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Humboldt Current System off Peru is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, and its seafood products contain high-quality protein and essential micronutrients. Yet, malnutrition is still a staggering burden for Peru. We suggest and explore fishery management aiming to increase nutrient availability for the local population as a possible solution. We empirically estimated a four fish species model with consideration of climate change and constructed a nutrient-based optimization model. This enabled us to evaluate fishery management strategies, their production potential for a number of nutrients (omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and iron) and to compare them with Peru's national nutrient requirements. We found that if anchovy is harvested exclusively for export as fishmeal and fish oil, the other three species cannot provide adequate nutrient supply to meet even one-third of Peru's national requirements. The gap between the supply from these three fisheries and the national requirements for these three nutrients is equivalent to 0.087, 1.6, and 2.93 million tons of anchovy, respectively. Including the anchovy harvest in the nutrient supply from the fisheries suffices for national nutrient security purposes. It can, however, lead to significant economic losses for the fishmeal and fish oil industries, thus highlighting the trade-offs in fishery management. Our analysis identifies options for aligning fishery management with national health policies in developing countries where nutrition intake is insufficient to achieve sustainable development goals.
{"title":"Fishery management for food and nutrition security in Peru under a changing climate","authors":"Biao Huang , Ricardo Oliveros-Ramos , Marie-Catherine Riekhof , Renato Salvatteci","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108941","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108941","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Humboldt Current System off Peru is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, and its seafood products contain high-quality protein and essential micronutrients. Yet, malnutrition is still a staggering burden for Peru. We suggest and explore fishery management aiming to increase nutrient availability for the local population as a possible solution. We empirically estimated a four fish species model with consideration of climate change and constructed a nutrient-based optimization model. This enabled us to evaluate fishery management strategies, their production potential for a number of nutrients (omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and iron) and to compare them with Peru's national nutrient requirements. We found that if anchovy is harvested exclusively for export as fishmeal and fish oil, the other three species cannot provide adequate nutrient supply to meet even one-third of Peru's national requirements. The gap between the supply from these three fisheries and the national requirements for these three nutrients is equivalent to 0.087, 1.6, and 2.93 million tons of anchovy, respectively. Including the anchovy harvest in the nutrient supply from the fisheries suffices for national nutrient security purposes. It can, however, lead to significant economic losses for the fishmeal and fish oil industries, thus highlighting the trade-offs in fishery management. Our analysis identifies options for aligning fishery management with national health policies in developing countries where nutrition intake is insufficient to achieve sustainable development goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108941"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146135182","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Radical Ecological Economics is a more appropriate way for collaboration with communities in the Global South. It transcends the conceptual and methodological premises of Ecological Economics, integrating realities that are not commonly considered, but exist and actively resist throughout the world. The text addresses three major areas: 1) the broadening of the understanding of the social, not only as “the human” but as the encounter of complex structures of organization, of biological and cultural reproduction, of identity reaffirmation and even the search for autonomy in the face of historical oppressions whose leadership is entrusted to a Revolutionary Communitarian Subject; 2) the understanding that, within this social complexity, there are realities that are not generally considered, in which the natural endowment and goods for consumption and enjoyment are not allocated by market mechanisms; where production is organized as part of the social fabric; in which surpluses take multiple material and non-material forms, and are distributed for the common good (human and non-human); and in which socioecological metabolic configurations are nourished by historical cosmovisions that respect the biophysical limits of ecosystems; 3) REE has clear ontological, epistemological, methodological, and political foundations, taking into account a diversity of realities. This formulation offers a comprehensive method to understand the multiple worlds and approaches of millenarian societies that now are forging worlds outside the capitalist model by communities committed to alleviating the multi-scale crisis that afflicts them.
{"title":"Radical ecological economics: A paradigm from the global south","authors":"David Barkin , Erika Carcaño , Claudia Camacho , Alejandra Sánchez","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radical Ecological Economics is a more appropriate way for collaboration with communities in the Global South. It transcends the conceptual and methodological premises of Ecological Economics, integrating realities that are not commonly considered, but exist and actively resist throughout the world. The text addresses three major areas: 1) the broadening of the understanding of the social, not only as “the human” but as the encounter of complex structures of organization, of biological and cultural reproduction, of identity reaffirmation and even the search for autonomy in the face of historical oppressions whose leadership is entrusted to a Revolutionary Communitarian Subject; 2) the understanding that, within this social complexity, there are realities that are not generally considered, in which the natural endowment and goods for consumption and enjoyment are not allocated by market mechanisms; where production is organized as part of the social fabric; in which surpluses take multiple material and non-material forms, and are distributed for the common good (human and non-human); and in which socioecological metabolic configurations are nourished by historical cosmovisions that respect the biophysical limits of ecosystems; 3) REE has clear ontological, epistemological, methodological, and political foundations, taking into account a diversity of realities. This formulation offers a comprehensive method to understand the multiple worlds and approaches of millenarian societies that now are forging worlds outside the capitalist model by communities committed to alleviating the multi-scale crisis that afflicts them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108939"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108944
Babette Never , Alexander Stoecker , Aime Tsinda , Eric Mujanama , Roger Mugisha
Green, circular buildings are crucial for climate change mitigation and resource efficiency, yet their employment impact in Sub-Saharan Africa remains unclear. This paper explores green job potential in Kigali, Rwanda—an urbanizing city with strong policy commitments and urgent housing needs. Employing a sequential mixed-methods design, we conducted 33 expert interviews and surveyed 546 firms across five construction value chain segments. We find that (1) many green jobs already exist, with 5.1% highly green and about 58% partly green based on practices performed; (2) green and circular practices are emerging through both policy support and grassroots innovation, (3) greening is positively, significantly correlated with employment growth for highly green firms, and (4) greening is significantly associated with improved job quality for all firms. Targeted support for firms in critical greening phases could boost job creation and quality. A mix of interventions is required to tackle cost competitiveness, skills and attitudes.
{"title":"Green jobs and green economic development in Kigali's construction value chain: Evidence from a firm survey","authors":"Babette Never , Alexander Stoecker , Aime Tsinda , Eric Mujanama , Roger Mugisha","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108944","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108944","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green, circular buildings are crucial for climate change mitigation and resource efficiency, yet their employment impact in Sub-Saharan Africa remains unclear. This paper explores green job potential in Kigali, Rwanda—an urbanizing city with strong policy commitments and urgent housing needs. Employing a sequential mixed-methods design, we conducted 33 expert interviews and surveyed 546 firms across five construction value chain segments. We find that (1) many green jobs already exist, with 5.1% highly green and about 58% partly green based on practices performed; (2) green and circular practices are emerging through both policy support and grassroots innovation, (3) greening is positively, significantly correlated with employment growth for highly green firms, and (4) greening is significantly associated with improved job quality for all firms. Targeted support for firms in critical greening phases could boost job creation and quality. A mix of interventions is required to tackle cost competitiveness, skills and attitudes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"244 ","pages":"Article 108944"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108937
Tuija Lankia, Eija Pouta, Janne Artell
In Finland, where only few major river systems run free without hydropower production or other artificial constructions, the demand for river restoration efforts is increasing. In a choice experiment for river restoration measures using a latent class model, we identified five distinct preference classes. Classes ranged from cost-conscious supporters of nationwide restoration to respondents favoring measures regardless of costs, as well as those emphasizing new trout and salmon waters or preferring the status quo. The main differences across classes concerned sensitivity to costs, the relative importance of restoring free-flowing river sections versus creating new fish waters, and whether restoration should be geographically restricted. To gain insight into the underlying values and attitudes guiding respondents' choices, we employed constructs of cognitive hierarchy model. Our analysis revealed that individuals favoring new restoration measures without concern for costs exhibited the strongest values and attitudes associated with environmental protection. Conversely, the class preferring the status quo displayed the weakest values and attitudes related to environmental protection. We provide insights into respondents who do not respond to the cost attribute as expected and for whom it is not meaningful to calculate willingness-to-pay estimates.
{"title":"Willingness to pay, values, and attitudes: Exploring preferences for river restoration measures in Finland","authors":"Tuija Lankia, Eija Pouta, Janne Artell","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108937","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108937","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Finland, where only few major river systems run free without hydropower production or other artificial constructions, the demand for river restoration efforts is increasing. In a choice experiment for river restoration measures using a latent class model, we identified five distinct preference classes. Classes ranged from cost-conscious supporters of nationwide restoration to respondents favoring measures regardless of costs, as well as those emphasizing new trout and salmon waters or preferring the status quo. The main differences across classes concerned sensitivity to costs, the relative importance of restoring free-flowing river sections versus creating new fish waters, and whether restoration should be geographically restricted. To gain insight into the underlying values and attitudes guiding respondents' choices, we employed constructs of cognitive hierarchy model. Our analysis revealed that individuals favoring new restoration measures without concern for costs exhibited the strongest values and attitudes associated with environmental protection. Conversely, the class preferring the status quo displayed the weakest values and attitudes related to environmental protection. We provide insights into respondents who do not respond to the cost attribute as expected and for whom it is not meaningful to calculate willingness-to-pay estimates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 108937"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146098325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108940
Jérôme Faure , Helena Hansson , Anne Sophie Dietrich , Esther Devilliers
Agriculture relies heavily on anthropogenic inputs, but reducing their use is critical to reduce the negative impact on ecosystems, on which production ultimately depends. At the same time, reducing inputs is often viewed as risky and potentially costly for farmers, which implicitly assumes that inputs are already being used in optimal way. However, conventional estimations of allocative efficiency – optimal use of inputs - are subject to several biases, which obscures the understanding of what is an optimal input allocation. In this short communication, we highlight what we consider a critical but often overlooked bias: the failure to account for nature-based alternatives to human-made inputs. We explore this issue through microeconomic theory and econometrics, and highlight that accounting for nature-based solutions may lead to a reconsideration of how the efficiency of certain anthropogenic inputs is understood. We illustrate this using a bioeconomic model of oilseed rape production, where farmers can manage pests either through chemical inputs or nature-based solutions, such as grassland re-implementation to enhance natural pest control. Our results show that both the productivity and allocative efficiency of insecticides are overestimated when the potential for farmers to rely on nature-based solutions is excluded from the analysis. This study contributes by showing that neglecting ecosystem services as a viable and competitive alternative to human-made production inputs generates a deadweight loss for society. Rather than focusing solely on negative externalities—as is often the case—our approach shifts the perspective towards identifying what constitutes the economically efficient way to manage agricultural systems.
{"title":"Are we overestimating the benefits of agricultural intensification by overlooking nature-based alternatives?","authors":"Jérôme Faure , Helena Hansson , Anne Sophie Dietrich , Esther Devilliers","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108940","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108940","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agriculture relies heavily on anthropogenic inputs, but reducing their use is critical to reduce the negative impact on ecosystems, on which production ultimately depends. At the same time, reducing inputs is often viewed as risky and potentially costly for farmers, which implicitly assumes that inputs are already being used in optimal way. However, conventional estimations of allocative efficiency – optimal use of inputs - are subject to several biases, which obscures the understanding of what is an optimal input allocation. In this short communication, we highlight what we consider a critical but often overlooked bias: the failure to account for nature-based alternatives to human-made inputs. We explore this issue through microeconomic theory and econometrics, and highlight that accounting for nature-based solutions may lead to a reconsideration of how the efficiency of certain anthropogenic inputs is understood. We illustrate this using a bioeconomic model of oilseed rape production, where farmers can manage pests either through chemical inputs or nature-based solutions, such as grassland re-implementation to enhance natural pest control. Our results show that both the productivity and allocative efficiency of insecticides are overestimated when the potential for farmers to rely on nature-based solutions is excluded from the analysis. This study contributes by showing that neglecting ecosystem services as a viable and competitive alternative to human-made production inputs generates a deadweight loss for society. Rather than focusing solely on negative externalities—as is often the case—our approach shifts the perspective towards identifying what constitutes the economically efficient way to manage agricultural systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 108940"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108936
Xiaobin Zhang , Heng Luo , Xianfan Shu , Linlin Zhang
This study provides nationwide evidence of the ecological and economic effects of China's National Park pilot projects. It compiles comprehensive datasets at the county level, including land use types, NDVI, NPP, nighttime light intensity, reported GDP, rural income and a range of other socioeconomic indicators such as employment, consumption levels and outstanding bank loans. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that turning already-existing protected areas into National Park (NP) pilots promotes ecological conservation. On the other hand, NP pilots have led to a decline in local economic growth, as indicated by nighttime light intensity, GDP and outstanding bank loans. Despite slower economic growth, we find no evidence that NP pilots negatively affect per capita rural incomes and consumption levels. Our data allow us to explore specific mechanisms through which NP pilots slow local economic growth. This economic effect appears to be driven by restrictions on construction land expansion and adverse impacts on both new and existing firms. The null effects on rural income and consumption level can be explained by a relative decline in rural inhabitants in the treated counties.
{"title":"The ecological and economic impacts of national park pilot projects in China","authors":"Xiaobin Zhang , Heng Luo , Xianfan Shu , Linlin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108936","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108936","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study provides nationwide evidence of the ecological and economic effects of China's National Park pilot projects. It compiles comprehensive datasets at the county level, including land use types, NDVI, NPP, nighttime light intensity, reported GDP, rural income and a range of other socioeconomic indicators such as employment, consumption levels and outstanding bank loans. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that turning already-existing protected areas into National Park (NP) pilots promotes ecological conservation. On the other hand, NP pilots have led to a decline in local economic growth, as indicated by nighttime light intensity, GDP and outstanding bank loans. Despite slower economic growth, we find no evidence that NP pilots negatively affect per capita rural incomes and consumption levels. Our data allow us to explore specific mechanisms through which NP pilots slow local economic growth. This economic effect appears to be driven by restrictions on construction land expansion and adverse impacts on both new and existing firms. The null effects on rural income and consumption level can be explained by a relative decline in rural inhabitants in the treated counties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 108936"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108932
Duy V. Dang
Shifting consumption toward sustainability is essential for balancing economic development and environmental goals. In many emerging economies, rapid growth, rising inequality, and structural constraints complicate this transition, while the broader impacts of “green” consumer actions remain insufficiently understood. This study develops an integrated framework to assess household-level sustainability interventions across three dimensions—carbon emissions, poverty, and income inequality—while explicitly incorporating rebound effects. Applying this framework to Vietnam reveals substantial trade-offs. Many interventions that appear effective in reducing emissions lose much of their mitigation potential once re-spending behavior is considered, though their social benefits often remain intact. Transport interventions stand out as structurally robust, delivering consistent emission reductions and stable distributional outcomes with low sensitivity to rebound effects. Food and appliance interventions exhibit high mitigation potential but also large rebound-driven uncertainties, underscoring the need for complementary policies that steer savings toward low-carbon options.
{"title":"Beyond the environment: Sustainable consumption amid poverty and inequality. Insight from a developing economy","authors":"Duy V. Dang","doi":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108932","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108932","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shifting consumption toward sustainability is essential for balancing economic development and environmental goals. In many emerging economies, rapid growth, rising inequality, and structural constraints complicate this transition, while the broader impacts of “green” consumer actions remain insufficiently understood. This study develops an integrated framework to assess household-level sustainability interventions across three dimensions—carbon emissions, poverty, and income inequality—while explicitly incorporating rebound effects. Applying this framework to Vietnam reveals substantial trade-offs. Many interventions that appear effective in reducing emissions lose much of their mitigation potential once re-spending behavior is considered, though their social benefits often remain intact. Transport interventions stand out as structurally robust, delivering consistent emission reductions and stable distributional outcomes with low sensitivity to rebound effects. Food and appliance interventions exhibit high mitigation potential but also large rebound-driven uncertainties, underscoring the need for complementary policies that steer savings toward low-carbon options.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51021,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Economics","volume":"243 ","pages":"Article 108932"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146072577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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