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Carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology is an emerging technology with large-scale emission reduction potential and an essential component of the global response to climate change to achieve net-zero goals. As the two most important countries in global climate governance, it is necessary to review and examine the current status and trends of research in the field of CCUS in China and the USA. This paper uses bibliometric tools to review and analyze peer-reviewed articles in the Web of Science from both countries during 2000–2022. The results show a significant increase in research interest among scholars from both countries. The number of publications in the CCUS field in China and the USA was 1196 and 1302, respectively, showing an increasing trend. China and the USA have become the most influential countries in CCUS. And the USA has a more significant academic influence on a global scale. Furthermore, the research hotspots in the field of CCUS are diverse and differentiated. That is, China and the USA pay attention to different research hotspots or have different focuses in different periods. This paper also finds that new capture materials and technology development, geological storage monitoring and early warning, CO2 utilization and new energy development, sustainable business models, incentive policies and measures, and public awareness are critical directions for future research in the field of CCUS, to provide a comprehensive review and comparison of CCUS technology development in China and the USA. It helps to gain insight into the research differences and linkages between the two countries in the field of CCUS and identify the research gaps between them. And place some consensus that policymakers can use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas flaring has been identified as a major contributor to global warming and climate change. It is used either as a safety measure or as a means of disposal for technical or economic reasons. Over 250 toxins have been directly/indirectly associated with gas flaring and its associated emissions. Most of these toxins have been known to have significant inimical impacts on humans' health, plant biodiversity, and the environment. With the recent rise in global energy insecurity, several EU countries have either returned to coal power generation or extended the lifetime of their coal-fired plants thereby increasing anthropogenic carbon emissions. This increase in carbon emission has necessitated the re-evaluate of gas flare practices vis-à-vis the environmental challenges and the financial potentials. This paper presents a holistic review of gas flaring, its types, composition, systems design, estimation methods, social and environmental challenges, the abatement measures, and the re-utilization strategies. It identified the potential to save a minimum of US$10.4 billion globally if more stringent gas flare abatement measures were pursued. Furthermore, the paper highlights the recent trends in flare gas re-utilization technologies such as the production of bioproducts which has been reported to hold a potential for an annual production of about 148 million bbl of biocrude and 67 million metrics of algae protein from 140 bcm of globally flared gas. Finally, it explored the possible way forward and stringent measures that can be pursued to disincentivize gas flare and also increase investments in gas processing technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boom of building various industrial agglomerations in China has continued for many years. The relationship between industrial agglomeration and environmental pollution is the core issue of this paper. At the same time, green finance is a new financial development model that takes environmental protection as the core, and effectively promotes the sustainable development of the environment, the economy, and society while maintaining its own sustainable development, so green finance is a major direction for future financial development. This paper selects the data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2020 as the research object and uses a system-GMM method to verify the relationship between industrial agglomerations, green finance on regional environmental pollution. It provides theoretical reference for improving global climate change and reduces environmental pollution (EP), concludes as follows. (1) Industrial agglomeration can exacerbate EP level in China, and also exacerbates EP in the western region, but the effect of industrial agglomeration on EP in the eastern and central regions has been insignificant. (2) Green finance can improve environmental pollution. The intensity of EP in economically less developed regions is more sensitive to green finance policies. (3) The correlation effect of industrial agglomeration and green finance can improve environmental pollution, i.e., green finance has an important role in improving EP. However, there are significant differences in different regions. The interaction term between industrial agglomeration and green finance with a non-significant positive coefficient in the eastern region, and it is non-significant negative coefficient in the central region, and a significant negative coefficient in the western region. The work has important theoretical value for achieving the goal of regional sustainable development and green transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical metals are indispensable to a world seeking to transition away from carbon. Yet their extraction, processing, and application leave an unsustainable global environment and climate change footprint. To capture the development dynamics and research emphases of critical metals throughout their life cycle, this paper adopts bibliometrics to analyze the various stages of global critical metal flow in multiple dimensions to reveal the hot issues and future strategic trends. The research results indicate that the number of research papers on critical metals is annually rising, with remarkably rapid growth after 2010. Judging from the number of articles published by the authors and the citations, among the authors, Kawakita, Poettgen, Anwander, Inoue, and Dongmei Cui have a significant influence on critical metal research fields. The institutions with the most research on critical metals are universities, not research institutes. In addition, the focus has extended from a single discipline to the interdisciplinary development of multiple disciplines. Analysis of keywords shows that "rare metals" and "precious metals" are the most popular metals among the researched metals. The researched buzzwords of critical metals are disappearing, convergent, and merging over time. The research has focused on the mining and the whole life cycle process of extraction, treatment, and application. Based on the above characteristics, this paper tries to understand the dynamic development and evolution of global critical metals from multiple dimensions, resorting to giving a reference for follow-up-related research scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustaining the resilience of the environment against climate change volatilities is fast becoming a herculean task considering the vulnerabilities of the ecosystem and disruption of the global value chain. Environmental crisis emanating from improper containment of synthetic materials is a major impediment facing the world today, and the situation could get worse if urgent measures are not devised to mitigate the quantity of waste synthetic materials that find its ways to the environment. These wastes are released in the form of toxins, posing danger to the environments, causing biodiversity loss and the degradation of already battered-climate. In this paper, the authors apprise existing containment measures of synthetic waste materials taking a preliminary and on-the-spot assessment of their impacts and effectiveness of their application leading to their operation. The prospect of waste glass fiber in automotive part replacement is given utmost interest in this paper, in which, a significant quantity of glass fiber could be used as part of automotive materials to reduce their overbearing environmental carnage. By this approach, the emerging automotive parts may have their strength and durability enhanced against impact and corrosion. Mindful of the non-biodegradable properties of glass fibers, the paper captures how effective these fibers could be used as automotive parts against the traditional materials. This paper also reflects on the response of the natural fiber in terms of their sustainability, as natural forest faces severe extinction occasioned by anthropogenic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the pressure of global carbon neutrality, it is necessary to study the characteristics of carbon emissions and the trend of "carbon peaking" in countries along the "Belt and Road." Because most of these countries have not yet reached their peak carbon emissions, they still have great potential for growth, and peak carbon emissions are a prerequisite for carbon neutrality. This paper divides the countries along the Belt and Road into 9 country groups according to the level of economic development and industrial structure. Based on the carbon emission panel data of countries along the "Belt and Road" from 1970 to 2018 and environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theory, a panel model was established for each country group for research. This paper analyzes the characteristics of carbon emissions and the trend of "carbon peaking" in these countries and analyzes the economic growth and carbon emissions in combination with the Tapio decoupling model. The decoupling relationship changes on the time scale as a supplement. The results show that in the study area, some countries have completely passed the "carbon peak." The reasons for this are as follows: first, the carbon peak is achieved through industrial upgrading; second, the "carbon peak" is caused by the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union and deindustrialization; and third, the carbon peak is caused by poverty and population growth. Most of the remaining countries have not yet achieved the carbon peak. Among them, some countries represented by the Middle East are highly coupled with their economic development and carbon emissions. Middle-income and high-industrial-dependence countries are in the transitional period in terms of the carbon peak. Low-income and medium- and high-industrial-dependence countries are currently still in the stage of barbaric development. From the research on the decoupling situation, the relationship between the economic growth of countries along the "Belt and Road" and their carbon emissions has been improving in recent decades, and it is expected that a more ideal state of decoupling will be achieved in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is an important issue for cities today and in the future. At present, China has a large population and complex climate conditions, and cities are also vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change (Tian, Environ Sustain Dev 6: 153-155 2020). Three-dimensional greening can not only improve the green space system of a city but also have a far-reaching impact on the ecology, image, and economic benefits of a city. Therefore, the study of urban three-dimensional greening is an effective means to deal with climate change strategies. By exploring the influence of traditional greening and three-dimensional greening on Local Climate in Beilin District of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, the mechanism of three-dimensional greening on urban ecological environment was discussed, and the ecological theory, urban three-dimensional greening theory, and urban local climate zone (LCZ) were referred to. Based on the methods of national climate monitoring, ENVI-met simulation, and field independent measurement, this paper selected a research sample site in the east section of Jianshe Road, Beilin District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, and applied ENVI-met software to simulate the thermal stress relationship among building exterior surfaces, plants, and air in the street; quantified the overall ecology of the area; and used measuring instruments. The influence of different types of greening in the base on the site temperature, humidity, CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration, wind speed, and other climate factors data was, respectively, measured and analyzed. The grid analysis was used to compare the traditional greening and three-dimensional greening, then the numerical differences of each impact factor were sorted out, and the effect of three-dimensional greening on the improvement of urban ecological environment was discussed by analyzing the climate factors with greater impact. The results show that (1) three-dimensional greening plus traditional greening is the most beneficial mode; (2) in the same environment, according to the parameter of 1.5 m from the ground in the model environment, it can be seen that the temperature of the space treated with three-dimensional greening of buildings is reduced by 3.5–3.6 ℃ compared with the control group, the relative humidity is different by 7–8%, the CO2 concentration is reduced by about 5%, and the spatial wind speed is relatively small. (3) When the urban green coverage rate is more than 40%, the improvement of temperature is more obvious, if it reaches 50%, the cool phenomenon in summer can be fundamentally changed. From the perspective of human perception, the PMV index increased by 0.27 on average. This paper discusses and analyzes the three-dimensional greening of urban streets in Beilin District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, and studies its influence on urban ecology to different degrees. The conclusions are as follows: Different types of greening have different degrees of influence on urban climate. Meanwhile, the experimental results of this paper show that in cities like Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, where summer is hot, adding three-dimensional greening to traditional street greening can significantly improve the environmental microclimate, which is an effective means to cope with climate change, improve the site environment, and stabilize the urban ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the effect of financial development on environmental quality has become imperative in the modern world due to the climate change challenges. Hence, this systematic literature review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing body of knowledge on the nexus of financial development and environmental quality in developed countries. Three databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were used to search the relevant articles in this domain. Finally, 20 journal articles qualified for the systematic literature review based on the pre-defined article inclusion criteria as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. We found that a range of econometric approaches were used in all examined papers, employing a diverse range of proxy variables to model the relationship between financial development and environmental quality. Overall, the findings of the examined papers imply mixed evidence of this nexus in developed countries. We highlight the knowledge gap in this research domain examining the financial development and environmental quality link from different proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has been a widely concerned issue for decades. As the key policy target, the economic impact caused by climate change has received general attention from scholars and governments around the world. For the number of literatures is huge and the relationships among the literatures are not clear, we aim to clarify the research hotpots and the research trends of current literatures and provide inspiration for the development directions of future research in this paper. Using the bibliometric method, this paper characterizes the literatures on the economic impact of climate change based on the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection. The results reveal that the USA occupies the leading position of the studies, which publishes most documents, and contains the most productive institutes and well-known scholars. From 2009, the number of documents published by a Chinese scholar started to increase rapidly, which makes China the second most productive country in recent years. The journals both belong to the WoS Categories of economics and environmental sciences and tend to publish more literatures than others. Adaptation, vulnerability, uncertainty, economic growth, climate policy, ecosystem service, energy consumption, renewable energy, food security, and land use are the representative keywords that have both high frequency and high centrality. Potential benefits, fat-tailed risk, social cost, international migration, and sustainable intensification are the top five main research hotspots. Based on the citation network of the top 50 documents with the highest local citation score, four research trends are sorted out: (i) the methodological innovation to monetized estimate the economic impact of climate change, (ii) the effect of current and future adaptive measures on agriculture, (iii) the interactional relationship between induced technological change and carbon tax, and (iv) the effect on labor market caused by climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is facing the challenges of climate change and energy structure adjustments. The role of digital finance, a new branch of business that combines digital technology and traditional financial products, in reducing global carbon emissions needs to be studied. This paper uses panel data on 280 cities in China from 2011 to 2019 to empirically examine the efficacy of digital finance for governing carbon emission reductions and the mechanism by which it does so. The results show that (1) digital finance can facilitate carbon emission reductions and help reduce carbon emission intensity within regions; (2) digital finance helps promote the rational allocation of resources and alleviates factor distortions by encouraging firms to rationally use their own factor endowments so as to reduce carbon emission intensity, which holds robustly after considering the endogenous issues such as possibly omitting variables and collinearity; and (3) differences in geographical location, the vitality of regional innovation and entrepreneurship, regional willingness to protect the environment, and environmental protection levels lead to heterogeneity in the effect of digital finance on carbon emission intensity. Therefore, it is necessary to vigorously develop digital finance as a long-term tool for carbon governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the annual mean PM2.5 concentration data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2006 to 2020, this paper constructs a structural model of manufacturing haze pollution, expounds the main mechanisms affecting haze pollution, then statistically decomposes the main factors affecting the change of pollution emissions, and examines the direct and indirect impact paths of the change of haze pollution emissions in China. The study found that (1) the inhibitory effects of latent variables on manufacturing haze pollution is from strong to weak in order: industrial structure upgrading, environmental regulation, trade opening, productivity improvement, and economic scale expansion, while the optimal path for the indirect effect of exogenous latent variables on haze pollution is to rely on environmental regulation and opening up to achieve the improvement of productivity, so as to achieve the purpose of reducing haze pollution. (2) The analysis based on the PVAR model found that industrial structure adjustment is the key factor of haze decline in both the short and long term. Environmental regulation has an obvious effect on haze control in the short term, but in the long run, it still needs to rely on industrial structure adjustment, production efficiency improvement, and trade opening to achieve the goal of reducing haze. (3) There is an inverted U-shaped nonlinear relationship between output scale and environmental regulation. In addition, trade openness has a long-term effect on productivity. Technology spillovers from opening up can reduce haze pollution in the long run by improving productivity. (4) The environmental regulation policy in the central region is characterized by "race to the bottom," while the eastern region shows the characteristic of "race to the top" in the policy game of improving productivity and optimizing the industrial structure. Therefore, haze control requires an appropriate intensity of environmental regulation to reduce the proportion of high pollution and high energy consumption industries. Make full use of the international cooperation platform of the "the Belt and Road Initiative" and the pilot free trade zone to promote substantive cooperation between Chinese enterprises and developed countries in the field of environmental protection technology, increase investment in research and development of clean equipment and cleaner production technology, improve productivity, help China's green manufacturing, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to global environmental governance and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has a profound impact on human survival and development. Climate change is an energy and economic issue, which should be driven by technology. Total factor energy efficiency (TFEE) improvement is undoubtedly a breakthrough in solving energy problems. In this paper, the fixed effect model, impulse response function, and threshold regression model are used to test the complex relationship between export sophistication and TFEE. The results reveal that export sophistication improvement leads to higher TFEE. The impulse response results verify the existence of a phased and positive correlation between export sophistication and TFEE. Finally, the relationship between export sophistication and TFEE significantly varied across different threshold levels of regional corruption score, economic development, and openness. This article led the foundation for supporting China's export sophistication promotion strategy and also provides a reference for energy efficiency improvement and energy crisis response in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to strengthen research concerning the impact of climate change on China's water resources, in order to avoid extreme weather events such as regional rainstorms and floods affecting the stable supply of energy and electricity. The goal is to reorganize energy industry allocation to make China's energy the most efficient, which would thus help achieve sustainable development goals. The biggest contribution and of this paper is not only to enlarge the scale and take into account the sustainable aspects, but also to consider climate change factors that have been ignored in the past as exogenous variables. For the first time, we take stock of the optimal allocation of new and tradition energy sources and carbon dioxide. This study uses the Dynamic ZSG-DDF model with exogenous variables and undesirable outputs to find a way to redistribute carbon dioxide, new energy, and tradition energy from different provinces on the premise of maximizing efficiency, thus achieving the goal of reducing carbon and saving the earth. The research results show that the energy efficiency of tradition energy is higher than that of new energy in various provinces. At the same time, the China government must comprehensively review the quota targets of new energy, tradition energy, and carbon dioxide (CO2) in each province as quickly as possible. Currently, the quotas of various provinces are seriously misplaced, and 26 provinces in total have great room for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major global concern on energy is focused on conventional fossil resources. The burning of fossil fuels is an origin of greenhouse gas emissions resulting in the utmost threat to the environment and subsequently which leads to global climate changes. As far as sustainability is concerned, fuels and materials derived from organic or plant wastes overcome this downside establishing the solution to the fossil resource crisis. In this context, exploration of agricultural residue appears to be a suitable alternative of non-renewable resources to support the environmental feasibility and meet the high energy crisis. The use of agricultural waste as a feedstock for the biorefinery approach emerges to be an eco-friendly process for the production of biofuel and value-added chemicals, intensifying energy security. Therefore, a prospective choice of this renewable biomass for the synthesis of green fuel and other green biochemicals comes up with a favorable outcome in terms of cost-effectiveness and sustainability. Exploiting different agricultural biomass and exploring various biomass conversion techniques, biorefinery generates bioenergy in a strategic way which eventually fits in a circular bioeconomy. Sources and production of agricultural waste are critically explained in this paper, which provides a path for further value addition by various technologies. Biorefinery solutions, along with a life cycle assessment of agricultural waste biomass toward a wide array of value-added products aiding the bioeconomy, are summarized in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the primary source of carbon dioxide fixation, vegetation is critical to the carbon sink process. In this paper, the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) and the Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) were simulated using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model and the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), respectively, and then the Potential Gross Primary Productivity (PGPP) and the GPP affected by human activities (AGPP) were simulated by combining Potential Net Primary Productivity (PNPP), and then the impact of climate change and human activities on GPP was assessed in the Heihe River Basin (HRB). The results showed that the GPP of grassland and Bare or Sparse Vegetation (BSV) exhibited a fluctuation rise, with increases of 0.709 gCm−2 a−1 and 0.115 gCm−2 a−1, respectively, whereas the GPP of cropland showed a fluctuation reduction, with a decline rate of −0.465 gCm−2 a−1. Climate change and human activity are both positive for vegetation growth, and human activity being the primary factor influencing GPP change. Human-dominated vegetation restoration accounted for 56.1% of the overall restoration area, with grassland GPP being the most visible response to human activities. The GPP changes in crop and grassland had a positive correlation with precipitation but a negative correlation with temperature among climate change factors, whereas the GPP changes in BSV had a negative correlation with both precipitation and temperature. Quantitative analyses of climate change and human activities' dynamic contributions to vegetation can give scientific and theoretical insight for dealing with global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of using renewable energy (RE) sources has increased significantly in recent times, especially considering the growing concerns about climate change problems and rising fossil fuel prices, which pose a significant threat to the national economies. Therefore, empirical studies that can be used both domestically and internationally in harmony can be created in line with rising investments in RE. However, there has no more analysis of RE investments from the viewpoint of investors in the literature up to this point, and it is crucial to highlight the best investor practices when deploying RE. This research provides theoretical and empirical support for the factors influencing RE investments; used in this analysis are newly constructed panel data on 34 OECD countries and the 5 BRICS countries that range from 2000 to 2020. Specifically, the generalized moment method (GMM), robustness check, fixed and random effects models, panel unit testing, and other panel regression techniques were employed in the study to analyze the determinants of RE investment. The main findings of this paper suggest that economic growth, RE policy, and R&D expenditures all have a statistically significant and positive relationship with RE capacity. Furthermore, RE investment is inversely relative to energy use, electricity use, and carbon (CO2) emissions. As a result, rigorous governmental or state regulation (policy, R&D) is essential for RE investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the effect of renewable energy on the drivers of climate change correctly is significant as it is the basic source of climate change mitigation. In the extant literature, its effect on climate change has been estimated predominantly by regressing aggregate rather than sectoral renewable energy use either on aggregate greenhouse gas emissions or the components of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like carbon dioxide emissions. Against this backdrop, the paper investigates if we should estimate the nexus (i) by the causal effects running from aggregate or sectoral renewable energy use to GHG emissions and (ii) by the causal effects running from renewable energy consumption to aggregate GHG emissions or to its components like carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To this end, the paper introduces negative and positive (functional) complementarity between sectoral renewable energy consumptions in reducing or increasing GHG emissions, takes 20 OECD countries from 1990 to 2019, and uses augmented and non-augmented auto-regressive distributed lag approach and vector error correction mechanism. The study finds substantial differences among the results coming out of (i) regressing aggregate and sectoral renewable energy consumption on GHG emissions and (ii) regressing renewable energy consumption on aggregate GHG emissions and on CO2 emissions. The paper suggests regressing sectoral rather than aggregate renewable energy consumption on the components of aggregate GHG emissions like CO2 emissions rather than on aggregate GHG emissions to produce workable, specific, and conclusive policy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy, as clean and efficient energy, is considered significant support for the construction of a sustainable society in the face of global climate change and the looming energy revolution. Hydrogen is one of the most important chemical substances on earth and can be obtained through various techniques using renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. However, the necessity for a gradual transition to renewable energy sources significantly hampers efforts to identify and implement green hydrogen production paths. Therefore, this paper's objective is to provide a technological review of the systems of hydrogen production from solar and wind energy utilizing several types of water electrolyzers. The current paper starts with a short brief about the different production techniques. A detailed comparison between water electrolyzer types and a complete illustration of hydrogen production techniques using solar and wind are presented with examples, after which an economic assessment of green hydrogen production by comparing the costs of the discussed renewable sources with other production methods. Finally, the challenges that face the mentioned production methods are illuminated in the current review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, many authors have investigated possibility of simultaneous reduction of income inequality and pollution related to climate change. However, none of the previous researches reviewed the empirical studies of relationship between inequality and CO2 emissions. The authors of the selected papers, published from 2001 to 2019, found a diverse impact of income inequality on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. It could depend on different trajectories of Kuznets curves. Furthermore, the majority of authors have provided theoretical analysis (even including human behaviour) of the influence of income inequality on CO2 emissions, considering only territorial (or production-based) emissions. However, this paper recommends to distinguish between the production-based and consumption-based emissions and suggests the revised approaches to the impact of income inequality on CO2 emissions with regard to the production-based and consumption-based emissions. Regarding the production-based emissions, the following approaches are proposed: (i) determination of environmental policies, which also could reveal and explain the leakage phenomenon, and the channels of EKC, i.e. (ii) scale, (iii) composition, (iv) technical and (v) globalization effects. The influence of income inequality on consumption-based emissions can be explained by applying two approaches, namely (i) inequality determined changes in working time (this approach is also related to "Veblen effect") and (ii) individual economic behaviours of households. Therefore, the present study provides a new insight into the subject of the relationship between income inequality and pollution related to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the role of international cooperation on CO2 emissions growth in 36 OECD economies over the period 1970–2016. The indices of political globalization are the benchmark measure of international cooperation since a higher value of the index of political globalization is an indicator of collaboration in the world. The paper finds that political globalization decreases CO2 emissions growth. The findings remain robust when we consider the sub-indices of political globalization and include various controls. Also, the findings of the panel quantile regressions with the fixed-effects via the method of moments indicate that the effects of per capita income and the initial level of CO2 emissions are higher in more pollutant countries. However, the impact of political globalization on CO2 emissions is stable at different quantiles. The paper also discusses the potential implications for the role of international cooperation on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to analyze the scientific production on climate change and fisheries in the Philippine context. This research theme was chosen considering the continuous increase in scientific studies related to climate change and fisheries and will therefore help in directing researchers on future directions for research to aid in addressing critical issues in the Philippine fisheries. A total of 69 search articles were extracted using the set criteria, indexed in Web of Science, and Scopus, covering the period from 1960 to 2020. After careful screening for eligibility, twenty-seven full-text articles were chosen for qualitative synthesis. Among the literature reviewed, research foci were categorized into four: impacts assessment (56% or 15 studies) followed by management (22% or 6 studies), adaptation (15% or 4 studies), and perception (7% or 2 studies), and main themes were categorized into four: resource management (59%), economy and livelihood (19%), governance and stakeholder participation (11%), and community marginalization (11%). This review contributes to the literature by identifying research potentials and suggesting a prescriptive approach to Philippine fisheries and climate change studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is discussed in the context of textiles and fashion. The necessity of collaborative efforts is accentuated to overcome the climate crisis and human health concerns encountered by the textiles and fashion industry. The concerns over poverty faced by cotton farmers, soil depletion, and toxicity to aquatic life due to microfibres and heavy metals are presented. The paper underlines numerous corrective practises such as the utilisation of African Organic Cotton, Better Initiative Cotton, and others that could enable curtailing poverty and hunger. The requirement for a more corporate and socially responsible textiles and fashion business that would propel SDGs is described with inspiring examples of Inditex, Culthread, Saint Basics, Flamingo's Life, etcetera. More, the greenwashing and ardent necessity of transparency across the fashion value chain is emphasised herein. The importance of reducing inequalities and working in partnership for innovation and justice is highlighted such as apple leather, algal foam, and others. Even more, the production waste and landfill disputes are reviewed. Eventually, the paper concludes with an appeal for mindful and diligent efforts from textiles and fashion consumers, designers, manufacturers, and traders to continually adapt to SDGs even after 2030 as there is no planet B. Also, abiding by the laws of nature as listed herein is found to be the key to reaching SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change is one of the leading problems in the today’s world. The rise of the renewable energy meets the sustainable growth objectives since it can decelerate the climate change. For this purpose, this paper investigates the relationship between the renewable energy consumption and the economic growth in the United States (USA). Theoretically, the paper constructs the growth model that captures the effects of the economic complexity indicator as a measure of capabilities and productivity for exporting the “complex” (high value-added) products. Empirically, the paper uses the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) estimations and observes that both the economic complexity and the renewable energy consumption lead to a higher rate of economic growth in the USA for the period from 1965 to 2016. The paper also discusses the potential policy implications of the results for achieving the sustainable growth objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the extended science citation index database (SCI) and social science citation index (SSCI) databases, this paper analyzed the characteristics of publications, research foundations, research hotspots, and the evolutionary tracks of studies in the field of energy, environment, and climate change from 1990 to 2019 using a bibliometric method. This method is useful because it involves the quantitative analysis of large amounts of literature, using mathematical and statistical method. The results showed that the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and China were the countries with the most published papers in the field. The US plays a key role in the cooperation between international institutions. An assessment conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) created the standard scientific reference for the research on climate change and its consequences. From 2006 to 2016, a large number of co-cited papers laid a solid foundation for research in the field. During this period, the research focused on the impact of climate change on the ecological environment, began to propose different countermeasures, and formed a set of mature research methods. From 2017 to 2019, there was an acceleration in the growth rate of the number of published articles. Strategies to address climate change, including renewable energy and energy transition, were the focus during this phase. Future studies are expected to focus on climate change mitigation strategies and energy policies. The findings provide a reference for researchers and can help policy makers balance economic development with environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between climate change and the spatial distribution of population in China. We establish a two-way fixed effects model to investigate the role of temperature difference in the spatial distribution of China's population. We find that the annual variation of temperature has an impact on city size in both large and small cities, and that city size tends to shrink as the temperature difference increases. Meanwhile, we also find that the population in the cities located south of Qinling-Huaihe Line and Aihui-Tengchong Line (Hu's Line) is more sensitive to temperature effects, and that the temperature difference has a significant negative effect on city size. Similarly, the same results are found for prefecture-level cities with low administrative levels. Considering the endogeneity between temperature change and city size, we adopt an instrumental variable using latitude to perform a more robust empirical analysis, the results of a series of robustness tests support these conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been extensively studied because of their significant roles as precursors of atmospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosol pollution. The research aims to comprehend the current advancements in domestic and international VOC emission accounting. The study utilized the CiteSpace software to represent the pertinent material from Web of Science visually. The hot spots and future development trends of VOC emission calculation are analyzed from the perspectives of thesis subject words, cooperative relationships, co-citation relationships, journals, and core papers. According to the statistics, the approaches most often employed in VOC accounting between 2013 and 2023 are source analysis and emission factor method. Atmospheric environment is the journal with the most publications in the area. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Colorado System are prominent institutions in VOC emission accounting research, both domestically and internationally. The primary research focuses on the realm of VOC emission accounting clusters, which are "emission factor," "source analysis," "model," "air quality," and "health." A current trend in VOC emission accounting involves the construction of a VOC emission inventory using a novel model that combines emission factors and source analysis. This study reviews the progress made in calculating volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions over the past decade. It aims to provide researchers with a new perspective to promote the development of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of global climate change is a common problem faced by all countries, and developing countries will face heavier pressure to reduce carbon emissions while promoting economic development. China is currently in a period of economic transformation, and the contradiction of industrial structure upgrading is becoming more and more prominent. The unreasonable industrial structure has caused a large consumption of resources, hindering the optimal allocation of resources and affecting carbon emissions. Technological innovation is an important force to cope with environmental changes, promote economic growth, and improve comprehensive competitiveness. Can technological innovation achieve carbon emission reduction under industrial structure upgrading? In this paper, industrial structure upgrading, technological innovation, and carbon emissions are studied together, and the impact of industrial structure upgrading, technological innovation on carbon emissions is theoretically analyzed, as well as how industrial structure upgrading acts on carbon emissions through technological innovation. An empirical test is conducted using 30 provincial panel data in China from 2005 to 2017, and it is found that industrial structure upgrading can reduce carbon emissions. An econometric analysis based on the mediating effect model finds that industrial structure upgrading has both a direct carbon emission reduction effect and a mediating effect of reducing carbon emissions through technological innovation, and the mediating effect of technological innovation in reducing carbon emissions remains significant in the regression analysis of sub-regions. Based on the research of this paper, it is suggested that the advanced development of industrial structure should be promoted, the rationalization of industrial structure should be promoted, the innovation development strategy should be firmly implemented, and the level of technological innovation should be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past couple of decades, the world has witnessed a rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and rising income inequality that threatens human well-being. Addressing these challenges and ensuring sustainable development become a pressing issue for policymakers. This paper investigates the impact of GHG emissions on income inequality in Africa. The study uses a panel data set from 49 countries from 1981 to 2015 and shows that GHG emission widens income inequality. The result is robust for alternative emission indicators. A direct implication is that climate change policy should be designed to narrow income inequality. It is emphasized that mitigation actions should focus on the agriculture sector. Hence, intervention towards energy-smart agriculture, land conservation practices, exploiting the job creation potential, and strengthening value addition in the agricultural sector is decisive. Reforming agriculture reduces emission, narrows income inequality, and realizes sustainable development on the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computable general equilibrium models (CGE) are used to estimate the ex-ante quantitative impact of a change in economic policy. There is a bulk of research in the field of sustainable development applying it for testing implementation of carbon taxation, analyzing reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG), or addressing agricultural issues to work the land efficiently. The main objective of this review is to provide an exhaustive analysis of the literature about these models and their evolution over the last 50 years. The search was conducted in the main academic databases (Scopus and Web of Science), where 1353 articles were found from 1966 to 2019 related to the topic. The results of the descriptives, relational, and content analyses carried out show the current state of the-art, trends, subfields of research, and future gaps to fulfill. This article contributes to the literature that uses CGE models providing an overview of its different applications in the field of sustainability. It gives useful insights to academics who want to further research the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the factors driving food security in West African countries. Specifically, it examines the impact of natural resource rents, institutional quality, and climate change on food security while controlling for industrialization and economic growth. Our research is motivated by the urgent need for swift policy action to address the escalating food crisis in the region and prevent any potential catastrophic consequences. Second-generation econometric techniques are utilized for accurate and reliable outcomes based on yearly datasets from West African countries from 2000 to 2020, and the countries are sub-grouped into low-income and lower-middle-income. The findings unveil the panel as heterogeneous and cross-sectionally based, and all the study variables are first differenced stationary and co-integrated in the long run. Hence, the Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group estimators are utilized to explore the relationships between the variables, and the findings reveal that natural resource rents, climate change, and industrialization are detrimental to food security across the sub-groups. However, the outcomes affirm institutional quality and economic growth as beneficial drivers of food security across the sub-groups. Therefore, this study recommends that authorities of both low-income and lower-middle-income countries make substantial investments in sustainable natural resource utilization and also work towards enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their institutions, as well as investing in environmental research to explore climate change mitigation possibilities that could enhance food security in West Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managers can determine the function of ecosystem services in decision-making processes through valuation. Ecological functions and processes that benefit people lead to ecosystem services. Valuing ecosystem services mean finding values for the benefits of ecosystem services. For the concepts related to ecosystem services and their valuation, categories in different articles have been presented. One of the most important issues is providing a suitable grouping for different methods and concepts of valuing ecosystem services. In this study, the most recent topics related to ecosystem service valuation methods were compiled and categorized by using the system theory. The aim of this study was to introduce some of the most important classical and modern methods and concepts of valuing ecosystem services. For this aim, a review of articles related to ecosystem service valuation methods, content analysis, and categorization of their contents was used to provide definitions, concepts, and categorization of different methods. To summarize, valuation methods are classified into two types: classical and modern methods. Classical approaches include the avoided cost method, the replacement cost method, the factor income method, the travel cost method, hedonic pricing, and contingent value. Modern methods include the basic value transfer method, deliberative ecosystem service valuation, valuation of climate change risks, and other cases that evolve every day in the world of science. Findings of the paper have the potential to be beneficial in comprehending the definitions and ideas of ecosystem services in ecosystem management, particularly in protected areas, participatory management, and pollutant research. This research can add to the worldwide literature on the valuing of ecosystem services while also determining the most pressing issues and difficulties of today, such as climate change, pollution, ecosystem management, and participatory management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag time-series analysis, this paper investigates the causal relationship between climate change, the tourism sector, and energy consumption in Turkey. The trade-off between a country's economic growth and the environmental degradation caused by tourism and the energy sector is critical in terms of scientifically addressing the issue and developing economic policies. As a result, climate change is used as the dependent variable and is represented by precipitation and temperature separately; the independent variables are tourist arrivals, energy consumption, and economic growth. Data is gathered by various institutions from 1995 to 2020. According to the test results, while positive and negative shocks contribute to the decrease in precipitation and temperature in renewable energy consumption (REC) in the long-run, they affect the increase in precipitation and temperature in non-renewable energy consumption (NREC). In the long-run relationship between tourism and temperature, a decrease in the number of tourist arrivals causes a decrease in temperature and precipitation. The findings reveal that a decrease in the number of tourist arrivals and an increase in REC may aid in decreasing temperature, while the increase in NREC may cause an increase in temperature. Through a case study of Turkey, decision-makers should consider these scientific findings that are in the frame of non-linear analysis as possible scenarios for mitigating climate change and fostering sustainable economic growth with efficient tourism policies for the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development has brought about global greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, global climate change, a common challenge worldwide and urgently needs to be addressed. Accurate carbon price forecasting plays a pivotal role in providing a reasonable basis for carbon pricing and ensuring the healthy development of carbon markets. Therefore, this paper proposes a two-stage interval-valued carbon price combination forecasting model based on bivariate empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and error correction. In Stage I, the raw carbon price and multiple influencing factors are decomposed into several interval sub-modes by BEMD. Then, we select artificial intelligence-based multiple neural network methods such as IMLP, LSTM, GRU, and CNN to conduct combination forecasting for interval sub-modes. In Stage II, the error generated in Stage I is calculated, and LSTM is used to predict the error; then, the error forecasting result is added to the first stage result to obtain the error-corrected forecasting result. Taking the carbon trading prices of Hubei, Guangdong, and the national carbon market, China, as the research object, the empirical analysis proves that the combination forecasting of interval sub-modes of Stage I outperforms the single forecasting method. In addition, the error correction technique in Stage II can further improve the forecasting accuracy and stability, which is an effective model for interval-valued carbon price forecasting. This study can help policymakers formulate regulatory policies to reduce carbon emissions and help investors avoid risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates both the linear and nonlinear effects of climate risk shocks on wealth inequality in the UK using the local projections (LPs) method, based on high-frequency, i.e., monthly data. The linear results show that climate risk shocks lead to an increase in wealth inequality in the longer term. The nonlinear results present some evidence of heterogeneous responses of wealth inequality to climate risk variable shocks between high- and low-climate risk regimes. The findings highlight the disproportionate increased burden of climate change on households that are already experiencing poverty, particularly households in high-climate risk areas. As such, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change need to be tailored so as not to overburden the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced electricity demand through the implementation of an energy efficiency policy is a central pillar of the Malaysian government's energy strategy. Energy efficiency first emerged as part of Malaysia's energy policy agenda in 1979 but only came into force during the 2000s. Initially, it was seen from global fears about the shortage of fossil fuels, then as a way of combating climate change. This paper offers a comprehensive review of Malaysia's energy policies with a focus on adopting policies to improve energy efficiency. Starting with Malaysia's preliminary policy in response to the OPEC-driven global oil crisis in 1973, the paper discusses how policymakers are considering energy efficiency from Malaysia's sustainable development perspective and what relevant government efforts have been made to improve it. The review evaluates the progress that has been made over the past 25 years to address energy efficiency in the economy and highlights the achievements and remaining difficulties. Findings show that the level of energy efficiency while having shown improvement during 1990–2015 was lower than expected. In terms of electricity intensity of GDP, Malaysia has a relatively large position among the ASEAN countries and the world's largest electricity consumers. Researchers, scientists, and practitioners will benefit from the extensive review material of this study, which will help them better understand energy efficiency and the sustainability strategy implemented in Malaysia to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of green composite in automotive part replacement. Adaptation of lightweight materials in transport system has been an integral part of weight saving measures in car's component formation. The continuing rise in ambient temperature is a signal no scientist would ever ignore in the face of global warming and attendant water level surge. Reduction of body system of automobile vehicles has been ongoing for several years with huge patronage on synthetic materials. The sudden attention to green composite may not be unconnected with the environmental impact of vehicular materials after their life cycle. This has led to the improved properties of polymeric materials to replace ferrous and nonferrous metals in vehicle formation. In this paper, an in-depth study was undertaken on sustainable green materials limiting the scope on the plant fibre for automotive part replacement. Plant fibres are increasingly gaining momentum in view of their recyclability and environmental friendliness. It has been noted that nearly all automakers are exploring the recyclable or biodegradable materials for part replacement, making the green composite a material for the future. Part of the attracting properties of plant fibres is their relative high strength and stiffness with low cost and low CO2 emission. This is also, in addition, to their biodegradability and renewability. Further discussion in this paper centred on the difficulty in the modification of plant fibre for sustainable compatibility in part formations. Key of the conclusions drawn from this work indicates a promising future for plant fibres with enormous challenges relating to their chemical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, climate change and carbon sinks have been widely studied by the academic community, and relevant research results have emerged in abundance. In this paper, a scientometric analysis of 747 academic works published between 1991 and 2018 related to climate change and carbon sinks is presented to characterize the intellectual landscape by identifying and revealing the basic characteristics, research power, intellectual base, research topic evolution, and research hotspots in this field. The results show that ① the number of publications in this field has increased rapidly and the field has become increasingly interdisciplinary; ② the most productive authors and institutions in this subject area are in the USA, China, Canada, Australia, and European countries, and the cooperation between these researchers is closer than other researchers in the field; ③ 11 of the 747 papers analyzed in this study have played a key role in the evolution of the field; and ④ in this paper, we divide research hotspots into three decade-long phases (1991–1999, 2000–2010, and 2011–present). Drought problems have attracted more and more attention from scholars. In the end, given the current trend of the studies, we conclude a list of research potentials of climate change and carbon sinks in the future. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of climate change and carbon sink research to better understand the global trends and directions that have emerged in this field over the past 28 years, which can also provide reference for future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon innovation can address both economic and environmental concerns; patterns of low-carbon innovation convergence can determine the effectiveness of mitigating the adverse consequences of climate change. Considering that economic openness has a huge impact on the development of innovation capability, this paper uses a conditional β convergence model to examine the convergence of low-carbon innovation in Chinese manufacturing industry and its relationship with economic openness. We incorporate the spatial spillover effect into the convergence function by constructing spatial error model, spatial lag model, and spatial Durbin model. Based on a panel data set of 30 Chinese provinces over the period 2004–2016, the results show that low-carbon innovation in Chinese manufacturing industry has a strong feature of conditional β convergence. The convergence rate of low-carbon innovation is slightly slowed down by economic openness, and the main reason is that the spillover effect is weak and the convergence rate is slow in lower open areas, so the convergence rate of the whole country is slowed down by that of the lower open areas. Although the economic openness in adjacent areas can contribute to the development of local innovation ability, but generally speaking, economic openness in local areas takes a stronger effect in promoting the convergence of low-carbon innovation than that in adjacent areas. The findings have important policy implications as they suggest the need for a more equal degree of economic openness among Chinese provinces to speed up the convergence of low-carbon innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to investigate the new driving forces behind China's green energy and further assess the impact of green energy on climate change. The existing literature has used linear methods to investigate green energy, ignoring the non-linear relationships between economic variables. The nonparametric models can accurately simulate nonlinear relationships between economic variables. This paper constructs a nonparametric additive model and uses it to explore green energy. The empirical results show that the impact of green finance on green energy is more prominent in the later stage (a U-shaped impact). Fiscal decentralization also exerts a positive U-shaped impact, meaning that expanding local fiscal autonomy has contributed to green energy growth in the later stage. Similarly, the impact of oil prices and foreign direct investment demonstrates a positive U-shaped pattern. However, the nonlinear impact of environmental pressure displays an inverted U-shaped pattern. Furthermore, this article explores the impact of green energy on climate change and its impact mechanisms. The results exhibit green energy generates a positive U-shaped impact on climate change, meaning that the role of green energy in mitigating climate change gradually becomes prominent over time. Mechanism analysis exhibits that industrial structure and energy structure both produce a nonlinear influence on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, all countries have been facing the crisis of climate change problem. They have been addressing this issue by focusing on implementing green energy innovation initiatives and promoting a sustainable future through environmental sustainability. In this research study, we focus on examining the role of green finance through green energy innovations, which are taking place in several sectors across different regions to promote environmental sustainability. The study has analysed 152 articles on this research domain through a systematic literature review to understand the present state of existing knowledge. The current study examines the Scopus-indexed research articles from the time period 2002 to 2023. Six emerging themes have been examined to understand their development and the potential impact of green initiatives for environmental sustainability. Various institutional theories have been explored to understand their association with the investigated research area. The paper has discussed multiple challenges that need to be addressed for the speedy implementation of green innovations. Finally, future research questions have been proposed based on the findings from the extant literature and the existing research gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines sustainable development, which employs an integrated approach to tackle environmental, social, and economic challenges. It provides a theoretical underpinning by examining sustainable development's inception, fundamental tenets, and conceptual structures. This study highlights the interdependence of social equity, economic prosperity, and environmental conservation, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach. Quantitative methodology is utilized in this study, and the dependent variable is sustainable development. Financial risk, green growth, technological innovation, renewable energy, financial inclusion, and soft infrastructure are all independent variables. The analysis is predicated on secondary data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and World Development Indicators databases spanning 2004 to 2019. An entropy-weighted method used for the green growth index is a metric that enhances the precision of variable indicators. Cointegration, correlation, VIF, cross-sectional dependency, and stationarity tests are among the diagnostic tests that inform the selection of methods for the panel data set. It is determined that fully modified ordinary least squares is the suitable technique. The findings suggest statistically significant positive correlations among greenhouse gases, financial inclusion, and soft infrastructure. Conversely, significant negative correlations exist between financial risk, green growth, renewable energy, and technological innovation. An estimated 55% long-run variance is present. The study's key finding is that financial risk has an adverse effect on sustainable development, while an impactful relationship where increased green growth is linked to decreased GHG emissions. This association is notably significant. Results show that renewable energy has a negative coefficient and significant negative impact on greenhouse gases, showing an active relation to enhancing sustainable development. In contrast, financial inclusion has a significant positive effect on sustainable development. The implications imply that providing incentives to institutions engaged in alternative energy, precisely renewable sources, could positively impact the environment. Government policies and funding regulations oriented toward sustainable development are indispensable for environmental sustainability. Government policies and incentives are pivotal in advancing an environmentally conscious and sustainable future. This study's contribution lies in elucidating the positive correlation between government interventions and promoting renewable energy adoption, thereby paving the way for a greener tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the integrated different interdisciplinary studies derived the environmental solutions of the climate change impacts (e.g., cultivation, wastewater treatment, and managing groundwater resources) (Mesalhy et al. 2020, and Gobashy et al. 2021). Thus, this paper focused on the application of bioremediation to maximize the use of wastewater for new reclamation areas in the Northwest Egyptian desert (New Egyptian Delta (NED). In the NED project, the drainage water samples collected from Nile Delta drains will provide the main unconventional water resources for irrigation through the new Hammam canal. Therefore, three Pleurotus strains were grown moderately on two natural media, the first containing Salvia L. (sage) extract (MDA) and the second containing Thymus vulgaris L. (origanum thymus Kuntze, Thymus collinus Salisb) (TDA) extract replacing potato infusions in standard PDA. Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacquin; Kummer) strain records the highest growth among the three tested fungi on modified media. PO records 4.49 and 4.41 cm on (MDA) and (TDA), respectively. There is a marked decrease in the majority of heavy metal concentrations on sterile drainage water amended with PD broth and inoculated with three tested Pleurotus strains individually. At the end of the incubation period, Pleurotus ostereatus which expressed in abbreviation (PO) are more efficient in the removal of Al, Co, Cr, and Ni by 53.15, 95.87, 58.47, and 85.07%; respectively. Pleurorotus pulmonarius (Fr.) which symbolized (PP) is more potent in the removal of Cd, Si, Sn, Sr, and V by 70.37, 56.59, 41.19, 52.78, and 96.24%; respectively. Pleurotus floridanus (NZOR) which indicated as (PF) is actively over the former species in the removal of Ba, Fe, and Mo by 87.84, 46.67, and 97.34%; respectively. Cu, Mn, Pb, As, and Se could not be detected as the control sample recorded measurements below 0.009 mg L−1. An unexpected increase in Zn among the different treatments was detected from 05.04 to 07.01%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas serve as a vital contribution to the global structural change towards renewable and sustainable energy technologies which also influence climate change. The aim of this paper is to identify the adoption roadblocks to renewable and sustainable urban energy technologies. This research has three parts: a mini-systematic literature study was conducted to identify the most prevalent roadblocks. Using total interpretive structural modeling (ISM), the relationships between the roadblocks and the source of causation were then examined. The roadblocks are classified based on their dependence and driving powers using MICMAC analysis in the third part of this research. The principal results and major conclusions demonstrate that all roadblocks are necessary for renewable and sustainable urban energy technologies. The roadblocks at level I are insufficient infrastructure, lack of coordination among authorities, lack of quality and reliable data and information, and competition with non-renewable technologies; roadblocks in level II are lack of skilled and trained personnel, limited public participation, awareness, and consumer interest, and lack of standardized technology; roadblock in level III is high initial investment cost; and lastly, roadblocks in level IV are lack of subsidies and financial support programs and absence of coherent related policies. Furthermore, as a result of the MICMAC analysis, none of the aforementioned roadblocks are classified as autonomous variables, implying that they are all required. The dependent roadblocks to renewable and sustainable energy technologies are defined as lack of coordination among authorities, lack of information, and competition with non-renewable technologies. Moreover, linkage roadblocks have high dependence and driving powers which are insufficient infrastructure, limited awareness and consumer interest, and lack of standardized technology. Lastly, high initial investment costs, lack of subsidies and financial support programs, absence of coherent related policies, and lack of skilled and trained personnel are the driving roadblocks with high driving power however not dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is very important for the distribution of plant resources, especially for crops. Angelica plants have a long history of use and significant crop resources in China, whose rhizomes are extensively used in medicine and food. In this paper, 1599 georeferenced herbarium records were analyzed using DIVA-GIS, and the ecological distribution and richness of the current and future distribution simulation were analyzed using the MaxEnt model. The results show that they are from 32 provinces in China. Among these provinces, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan have the largest number of herbariums. According to the MaxEnt model simulation, it is found that the precipitation in the warmest season, annual precipitation, and the driest monthly precipitation are the foremost bioclimatic variables that control the distribution of eight selected Angelica plants (A. biserrata, A. gigas, A. laxifoliata, A. likiangensis, A. longicaudata, A. omeiensis, A. polymorpha, and A. valida). It can be seen from the potential distribution map that the suitable growth areas of A. polymorpha and A. valida have increased, while the suitable growth areas of the six species of Angelica have decreased in varying degrees, 18.24%, 20.01%, 9.91%, 53.16%, 10.06%, and 12.64% respectively. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the Angelica plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is closely related to the distribution of plant resources. Cerasus serrulata is an important plant resource in China. The study on the influence of environmental factors on the distribution of suitable areas of C. serrulata is conducive to the protection and development of C. serrulata. In this paper, the distribution information of 238 Chinese Cerasusserrulata plants was processed by DIVA-GIS. The MaxEnt model was used to simulate the current and future distribution, and the ecological distribution and richness of Cerasus were analyzed. The results showed that the Cerasus serrulata was widely distributed in Hebei, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces, mainly in the low and middle elevation areas of 10 to 1200 m. Based on this model, the precipitation of the warmest quarter, the precipitation of the driest month, and the mean temperature of the coldest were the most significant bioclimatic variables affecting the distribution of C. serrulata. In the future, climate change may lead to a slight increase of 2.31% in the area of suitable habitat for Cerasus serrulata, while the optimal habitat will decrease from 20.81 to 14.55%. Therefore, conservation measures should be taken to protect these precious resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blue-green algae (CyanoHABs), photosynthetic bacteria that create a harmful aquatic environment, have been a trending issue on Taihu for over a decade. CyanoHABs adapt to varying climatic changes, which explains why the problem on Taihu still thrives. One major drive that keeps the algae is Sediment Oxygen Demand (SOD). In this paper, seasonal and spatial variations of SOD that contribute immensely to nutrient growth in Lake Taihu were done using the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The results were analyzed based on Nitrogenous SOD (NSOD) and Total SOD (TSOD). Summer results ranged from − 0.05754 to − 0.0826 (− 0.75658 to − 0.83902) (g/m2/day) and Winter values ranged from − 0.3022 to − 0.40171 (− 1.34486 to − 1.48856) (g/m2/day) indicate a gradual decrease in NSOD (TSOD) values respectively. Relatively higher values in summer are attributed to warmer surface water which sets up thermal stratification to increase the internal loading of nitrogen. Lower winter values are related to inverse stratification, where lower oxygen concentration decreases the SOD to trigger ammonium accumulation in the water column. NSOD (TSOD) values for Autumn results ranged from − 0.1039 to − 0.24786 (− 0.96251 to − 1.39454) (g/m2/day) and Spring values of − 0.43019 to − 0.35959 (− 1.48297 to − 0.54089) (g/m2/day). Transition seasons (i.e., Autumn and Spring) results are impacted by wind mixing that allows dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the whole water column. However, spring values depict a gradual increase in SOD value attributed to spring turnover and gradual stratification, which decrease nutrient concentration. In contrast, decreasing SOD values in autumn are related to mixing, but temperature decreases tend to increase nutrient concentrations. Carbonaceous sediment oxygen demand (CSOD), due to sulfide oxidation, presents high values from the difference between TSOD and NSOD. Based on the high values of CSOD, it is highly recommended that more research on eutrophic Taihu lakes would consider delving into CSOD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically examines the impact of climate change on cereal production in selected lower-middle-income countries with a balanced panel dataset spanning 1971–2016. The study uses average annual temperature and rainfall to measure climate change. Besides this, CO2 emissions, cultivated land under cereal production, and rural population are used as the control variables. Second-generation unit root tests, i.e., CIPS and CADF, are used to test the stationarity of the variables. Feasible generalized least square (FGLS) and fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) models are used to achieve the objective. Pedroni cointegration test confirms the presence of cointegration between cereal production and climate change variables. The findings show that a rise in the temperature reduces cereal production in lower-middle-income countries. In contrast, rainfall and CO2 emissions have a positive effect on cereal production. For robustness purpose, the Driscoll-Kraay standard regression and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) models have also found similar results. Dumitrescu-Hurlin test has found the bidirectional causality of cereal production with temperature and CO2 emissions. Also, unidirectional causality is running from rainfall and rural population to cereal production. The adverse effects of temperature on cereal production are likely to pose severe implications for food security. The paper recommends that governments of the sample countries should research and develop heat-resistant varieties of cereal crops to cope with the adverse effects of temperature on cereal production and ensure food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the largest carbon emitter in the world. Understanding carbon emissions of China, especially at the provincial level, will help identify the critical factors behind carbon emissions and effectively implement carbon emission reduction measures. There are significant achievements in the study of carbon emissions of China's provinces. However, there is a gap for improvement in the study from periods and groups' perspectives using a decomposition-clustering method. This paper adopts the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) to decompose each province's carbon emissions, introduces the elbow and K-means methods to cluster provinces based on the driving factors of decomposition, and analyzes the driving factors of carbon emissions from the view of groups and periods. By analyzing the carbon emissions data of 28 provinces in China from 1998 to 2018, a breakthrough has been found that economic activities and energy intensity were the main driving factors of carbon emissions. Some possible countermeasures, such as optimizing the industrial structure and the energy structure, significantly increasing clean energy consumption, would receive effective carbon emission reduction feedback. The results provide better decision-making support for emission reduction policies in China and contribute to global climate change issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the effects of climate change on African agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) growth and test whether agricultural TFP levels are converging in the region. The study uses cross-country balanced panel data covering 35 countries from 1981 to 2010 and a technological catching-up model based on the Ricardian analysis estimated by Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) regression. Historical country-wide rainfall and temperature are climate factors included in the model. Education, capital intensity, and arable land equipped with irrigation are other potential confounding variables in the regression. The empirical results show that levels of African agricultural TFP are converging over time, though the rate of convergence appears relatively slow in the region. We also find that rain significantly increases agricultural TFP growth, but temperature does not affect the study's African agricultural TFP growth. Other results show that education, capital intensity, and arable land equipped with irrigation significantly increased agricultural TFP growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon development in BRI countries is crucial to the global response to climate change. As an important factor in promoting economic growth, financial development has a great impact on BRI countries' carbon emissions. This paper applies the panel data of 43 BRI countries for the period 1997–2019 to investigate the influence of financial development on carbon emissions. The two-tier stochastic Frontier model is employed to decompose the restraining and rebounding effects of financial development. The results show that financial development has both restraining and rebounding effects on carbon emissions, and the rebounding effect is less than the restraining effect, resulting in a positive net effect. The average restraining effect is 0.165, and the average rebounding effect is 0.018, causing the net effect of financial development on carbon emissions to have an average value of 0.147. The restraining effect decreases year by year, implying there is a blocking point to release the restraining effect. Moreover, technological progress strengthens the restraining effect, while the increase in energy consumption weakens the restraining effect. The findings indicate that excavating the restraining effect of financial development, promoting technological progress, and reducing fossil energy consumption is crucial to promoting the low-carbon development of BRI countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]