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Economic development is frequently held accountable for environmental degradation, a situation that is particularly dire in E-7 economies. This problem is further exacerbated by inadequate education on its repercussions. Previous studies have explored various socioeconomic determinants of CO 2 emissions, but the effects of education and institutional quality remain underexplored. Using data from 1995 to 2020 for E-7 economies, this study fills the gap by investigating the link between higher education, institutional quality, and CO 2 emissions, factoring in R&D's role. Our findings reveal that better education and improved institutional quality significantly decrease emissions, a trend most pronounced in countries with stronger institutions. Interestingly, the role of R&D in emissions diverges based on institutional quality, showing a positive correlation in countries with lower and a negative correlation in higher institutional quality. The findings highlight the significance of quality education and robust institutions for carbon mitigation, offering critical insights for future sustainability research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Nitrogen, sterilization and tallow origin impact leaf area, total biomass and SPAD. • Invasive tallow populations were higher in Y (II) than natives in sterilized soil. • Native tallow populations were higher in F v / F m than invasives in sterilized soil. • Leaf area of invasive tallow was higher with N and sterilization treatment. • Y (II) of both origins was lower with UV-B and soil sterilization treatment. Abstract Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) is native to China but is aggressively invading plant species in southeastern USA Growth of invasive T. sebifera has been shown to be promoted by N deposition and inhibited by UV-B radiation, and outperform that of the native origin, which indicate higher photosynthesis ability of the invasive origin. In T. sebifera 's native range, soil sterilization could increase its performance by suppression of soil pathogens. However, the interactive effects among these factors on photosynthetic characteristics of both native and invasive T. sebifera are still not understood. Here, we conducted a pot-experiment with both native and invasive populations of T. sebifera to test how N deposition, UV-B radiation and soil sterilization affect T. sebifera performance with respect to biomass and photosynthetic ability. Total biomass and the effective quantum yield of photosystem II (Y (II), correlates to plant CO 2 assimilation) of invasive populations were higher, but the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (F v / F m , a stress indicator) was lower than that of the native populations in sterilized soil. Leaf biomass and leaf area of invasive populations were higher than that of the native populations. Leaf area of both native and invasive populations, total biomass of native populations and relative chlorophyll content of invasive populations were increased by N deposition. Leaf area of invasive populations was increased but that of the native populations was not affected by N deposition in sterilized soil. Y (II) was reduced by UV-B radiation and soil sterilization. These results suggest invasive T. sebifera populations were higher in CO 2 assimilation rate and lower in resistance to environmental stress. The stronger performance of T. sebifera from the invasive range could have been facilitated by N deposition via increased leaf area in sterilized soil even though no significant differences were observed by N deposition in active soil. The photosynthesis response of invasive plants to current global change factors should be considered in future studies determining differences in plant performance between the native and the invasive range and efficient management of invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C. camphora litter removal increase nitrogen cycling functional gene abundance. • Nitrogen addition interacted with C. camphora litter impacting N 2 O emissions. • Nitrogen addition increased CO 2 emission rates only when litter was removed. • Litter removal consistently increased soil N 2 O emission in C. camphora plantations. Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2) contribute substantially to global climate. Understanding N 2 O and CO 2 emission intensity from forest soil is important for greenhouse gas (GHG) budget and climate change mitigation. Litter decomposition and nitrogen (N) addition are two crucial factors impacting soil GHG production, but magnitude depends on litter characteristics. Cinnamomum camphora is used for leaf-harvesting for essential oil extractions, which may disturb litter input and hence soil GHG emissions. We conducted an in situ study over fourteen months in C. camphora plantations to compare litter removal to litter control, combined with N addition, quantify production of N 2 O and CO 2 in full-factorial complete-randomized design. Soil N 2 O emission rates were significantly influenced by litter and N treatment, while CO 2 emissions were only impacted by interactions between litter and N treatment. Specifically, soil N 2 O emission rates were increased by 681%, while copy number of five functional microbial genes associated with N 2 O productions were increased by 2.8 to 71.4 times following litter removal. C. camphora litter might have released chemicals associated with inhibition of related microbial activities. Soil CO 2 emission rates were 25% higher with litter removed and 34% lower with litter when N was added, further indicating inhibition effects of C. camphora litter on microbial activities. In future management of C. camphora plantations with intensive defoliation management and fertilization practice, litter regimes with more litter input should be considered in mitigation of soil GHG emissions, and hence global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]