Environment, Development and Sustainability最新文献

The coordinated development among city subsystems is an essential driving force of city sustainability. This paper uses the Entropy Weight-TOPSIS Model and Coupling Coordinated Model to measure and compare the City Sustainability Performance (CSP) and Coupling Coordination Performance (CCP) of 52 cities in northern China. The results show that the current measurement results of city sustainability may be too optimistic. The overall sustainability level of the northern Chinese cities is low. Only a few cities, such as the capital, provincial capitals, and other regional central cities, achieved relatively positive CSP and CCP. Nevertheless, under the surface, even in the cities with positive results, their subsystems’ coordinated development is unsatisfactory. The spatial distribution indicates that the high pollution and energy consumption industrial transfer from other regional central cities to the surrounding cities may cause the disadvantage of the CSP and CCP of the surrounding cities. In the context of slowing global and Chinese economic growth, the city economy subsystem development is likely to be lower than the development of the environment, society, and city governance subsystem. To achieve high-quality city development, cities should focus on achieving coordinated development of the environment, society, economy, and city governance.

Globally, the concept of carbon neutrality is gaining traction, and the impact of environmental policy on business has been thoroughly studied. Although research on the impact of environmental policy on the production efficiency of enterprises has been extensive, the mechanism of this effect within the enterprise remains obscure. This paper analyzes “the role process of green innovation and cleaner production” within the enterprise in terms of “environmental policy and enterprise production efficiency improvement” using an innovative approach based on the Porter effect. This paper examines the chain-mediating effect of “green innovation → cleaner production” in “environmental policy → enterprise production efficiency” using data from Chinese publicly traded companies. Different impacts are analyzed by separating environmental policies into environmental regulatory policies and incentive environmental policies. (1) Regulatory environmental policies promote green innovation, which assists enterprises in achieving cleaner production and improving production efficiency. (2) Incentive environmental policies do not promote green innovation but can assist enterprises in achieving green production, which improves enterprise production efficiency. The heterogeneity test of state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises yields intriguing new findings in this study. Through systematic analysis, this paper reveals the internal mechanism of the impact of environmental policy on enterprise output. Finally, policy recommendations are proposed to assist the government in achieving green economic development.

Heterogeneity in urban landscapes plays a vital role in the flow of matter, energy, and information that in turn leads to the change in Land Surface Temperature (LST) over time. The relationship between LST and heterogeneity serves as a valuable resource for urban design, planning, and management. It aids in making informed decisions about how to manage urban land cover to reduce LST. This study seeks to make urban heterogeneous landscapes more balanced to mitigate and regulate LST. In this study, we examined three key landscape characteristics: patch shape complexity, structural and spatial heterogeneity within the landscape, and the connectivity between similar and dissimilar patches. These factors play a crucial role in achieving an appropriate level of heterogeneity for sustainable development. Subsequently, we analyzed these three landscape characteristics in Tehran to examine their relationship with LST, utilizing landscape ecology principles, landscape metrics, and statistical methods. Our findings suggest that the built patches hold greater significance. Furthermore, the shape complexity of both built and green patches plays a critical role in reducing LST, which has the potential to mitigate the urban heat island effect. Consequently, when devising strategies to enhance the heterogeneity of urban environments, built patches should be given priority.

This article intends to provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of recent research in the area of biosensors and their potential applications in climate-smart organic agriculture in order to ensure food availability for the growing population, which largely depends on the collaborative effort resulting in technology development to address the top challenges associated with agriculture and environmental sustainability. Continuous monitoring and early detection of pests, pathogens, contaminants, and disease outbreaks with the help of biosensors can certainly improve the productivity of farming landscapes. In addition to that, biosensors are also used to monitor farmland growing conditions with the objective of assessing and reducing the challenging issues of climate change. Recent advancements in this domain can assist farmers in reducing overall energy consumption and carbon footprints, as agriculture not only contributes to greenhouse gas emissions but is also a victim of climate change. Reducing emissions from agricultural farm fields—primarily methane and nitrous oxide—has a prominent influence on climate change adaptation and mitigation. The main task of the deployed biosensors is the detection and timely removal of biochemicals and other categories of contaminants from the farm fields to maintain the quality and safety of the food items while disposing of pests, pathogens, and weeds. Consequently, growing demand for bio-sensing technologies exists in the agriculture and food industries. Applications of biosensors in the agriculture sector would be important for capacity building, skill development, and intelligent management of natural resources. This article will help researchers in proffering valuable insights and inferences for their research work as a contribution to the comprehension of associated challenges, potential solutions, and advancements for the development of cost-effective solutions for farmers based on bio-sensing technologies.

Against the backdrop of increasing global pressure for sustainability, the Dominican Republic is faced with the problem of reconciling economic expansion with environmental protection today. Despite its natural beauty and biodiversity, the country's ecosystem is under threat due to unsustainable practices, urbanization, and industrialization. As a result, this research study investigates the concept of “green budgeting” as a vital tool for driving the country's transition to a green economy and a healthy environment. The study employs a two-step GMM approach to demonstrate that increased human capital growth may result in more funding for environmental challenges. However, it is evident that a fundamental policy and budget allocation adjustment is required for the country to meet its long-term development objectives. The study dives into the principles and practices of green budgeting, relying on successful examples from other nations and adjusting them to the Dominican Republic's specific limits and potential. The conclusions of this study are meant for politicians, scholars, and environmental activists, who are expected to gain practical insights and recommendations from the research. The ultimate goal is to trigger a paradigm shift in the Dominican Republic's fiscal strategy, arguing for a more resilient and sustainable future. The country has the capacity to lead the way in the transition to a green economy by aligning budgetary choices with environmental concerns and sustainable development goals. Finally, the report makes policy recommendations for the Dominican Republic, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts to construct a more sustainable and resilient future. The government may develop a better environment for future generations by implementing green budgeting techniques and emphasizing environmental concerns.

Ecotourism, as a distinctive facet of tourism and a prospective sector for sustainable development, plays a pivotal role in the preservation and sustainability of natural resources. This study's objective is to spatially assess land suitability for ecotourism activities within Sivas province (Türkiye) by integrating GIS with the newly introduced MCDA method, Fuzzy Logarithm Methodology of Additive Weights (F-LMAW). In this study, we employed 24 criteria, drawn from literature and local knowledge, to identify suitable areas in terms of ecotourism potential. These criteria underwent reclassification to emphasize their significance in shaping ecotourism potential. Subsequently, the criteria were weighted with the help of the Fuzzy-LMAW method and these criteria were ranked according to their importance in creating ecotourism potential. The Ecotourism Potentiality Index (EPI) was computed using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method, which formed the basis for ecotourism potential mapping. A sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the results. According to the EPI values; the ecotourism potential of the study area was identified as “highly suitable (13.32%)”, “suitable (27.44%)”, “moderately suitable (35.01%)”, “barely suitable (19.55%)” and “not suitable at all (4.69%)”. The areas most conducive to ecotourism potential are concentrated in the Hafik and Zara districts, while less suitable areas are observed in the Suşehri, Akıncılar, and Gölova districts. The results of the sensitivity analysis conducted to test the robustness and validity of the proposed methodology have demonstrated that the suggested integrated MCDA framework is valid and applicable.

The grade evaluation of forestry ecological security helps to comprehensively improve the stability and service function of forest ecosystems, and plays a crucial role in the process of realizing the high-quality development of industries as well as the goal of ecological civilization construction. Based on the Pressure-State-Impact-Response (PSIR) model and the Lotka-Volterra symbiosis model, we constructed a forestry ecological security evaluation index system and analyzed the symbiotic relationship between forestry industry and forest ecology in 31 Chinese provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) from 2010 to 2021, to provide policy enlightenment for realizing the goal of ecological civilization construction. The results showed that: (1) The forestry industry level index I(t) increased from 0.0503 to 0.7866, the forest ecological index E(t) increased from 0.1544 to 0.8229, and the environmental capacity C(t) increased from 0.1863 to 0.6372 from 2010 to 2021, and all three were in fluctuating upward. (2) The study period showed a dynamic change process of “Safety - Deterioration - Risk - Safety - Risk - Safety - Sensitivity” level. The relationship between industry gaining and ecological damage were shown. (3) There were great spatial differences in forestry ecological safety level among provinces, among which the forestry ecological safety level in western and northern provinces was better than that in eastern and southern provinces, and the areas with forestry ecological safety hazards were gradually concentrated in the eastern and central regions. Under the influence of multiple factors, such as forest natural resource endowment, forestry industry development direction, and economic and social development level, the overall coordinated sustainability of China’s forestry ecological security has risen, but the heterogeneity of the provincial areas is obvious. Therefore, differentiated strategies and policies are necessary to improve the forestry ecological security level.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have witnessed remarkable economic growth over recent decades. Arguably, this progress of these major oil and natural gas producers has come to the detriment of the environment in terms of increased CO₂ emissions and associated ecological degradation. The effects of these high emissions and environmental challenges on human health, specifically life expectancy (LE), have not been thoroughly explored in the literature. We aim to fill this research gap by assessing the relationship between Ecological footprint deficiency and the diverse and context-specific factors affecting LE in the GCC, highlighting the critical roles of urbanization, economic indicators, and digitization in shaping health outcomes. The study employs panel data for the 2000–2020 period. It utilizes linear and non-linear panel estimation methods to analyze these variables’ long-term and short-term effects. Specifically, we run unit root tests, cointegration analysis to validate our datasets, and OLS, ARDL, and panel threshold regressions to examine said relationships. Our findings reveal a significant relationship between ecological footprint and LE across the GCC countries. The results indicate that a higher ecological deficit is associated with lower LE in our sampled nations. Meanwhile, our panel threshold results highlight more nuanced impacts of our variables of interest, revealing significant threshold effects and intricate dynamics influencing LE. Our results are robust when substituting CO₂ emissions for the ecological footprint suggesting and supporting our evidence for a more complex, potentially nonlinear relationship. Our study emphasizes the urgent need for sustainable environmental policies to mitigate health risks and promote long-term well-being in the GCC region. Nuanced approaches are needed to address each GCC country's health and environmental challenges.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of medicinal plants cultivation on rural livelihoods. To achieve this goal, firstly, using relevant literature and secondary sources, the data were collected, and then to determine the validity, a questionnaire was provided to a panel of subject experts, and pilot tests were used to determine the analysis tool's dependability. The alpha coefficient of Cronbach was then determined for different parts of the completed questionnaire and showed that the questionnaire has acceptable reliability. The statistical population of the study consisted of 9178 medicinal plants farmers in the South-Khorasan province of Iran in the year 2019. The sample includes 368 individuals based on Krejcie Morgan table. The results showed that there is a connection between medicinal plant cultivation and human health as well as rural livelihoods. The correlation coefficient of cultivation of medicinal plants and economic capital had the highest position and the rest are in environmental, human, social, and physical, capital. The main outcome of the cultivation of medicinal plants is increased income and savings and poverty reduction, 68% of which are affected by improved rural livelihoods through the cultivation of medicinal plants. This study concluded that economic capital has the highest priority in measuring livelihood. Providing loans and facilities in the field of medicinal plants and agricultural equipment is one of the solutions that help the government pave the way to expand planting and crops export through production incentives. Moreover, concerning the impact of different varieties of medicinal plants on improving livelihoods, poverty reduction, and increasing the income and savings of rural households, it is recommended that saffron planting be a priority, and barberry, cumin, and jujube be considered in the next priorities. It is also recommended that researchers and experts in this field try to identify and introduce quality cultivars to farmers.

This study aims to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green innovation due to the fragmented and inconsistent findings in previous research. To achieve this, a meta-analysis is conducted on 29 peer-reviewed articles. The aim is to unravel the overall relationship between CSR and green innovation and identify potential factors that may influence this relationship, such as industry, data type, and region. The author’s results concluded that the robust relationship between CSR and green innovation remains consistent and strong, whether in manufacturing or other industries. Moreover, the outcomes indicate that research based on primary data demonstrates a more robust relationship between CSR and green innovation than secondary data studies. The findings also bring attention to regional differences in the relationship between CSR and green innovation, with studies conducted in North America displaying the most notable influence. This study represents the first-ever comprehensive meta-analytic investigation into the relationship between CSR and green innovation.