Search

This paper presents a comprehensive system for assessing contaminant emissions, including the dominant contaminant reduction effects, recessive contaminant reduction effects, and contaminant reduction efficiency indexes. The system is used to evaluate the linkage changes in contaminant emissions reduction across different sectors, the ease of regulation, and the returns on emissions reduction efforts. The study's results demonstrate that firstly, COVID-19 initially reduced contaminant emissions across almost all sectors, although this effect waned over time. Secondly, applying conventional regulatory measures to sectors with high reductions in contaminant emissions may not yield the expected results. Thirdly, while some sectors may be more difficult to regulate, they may offer a higher return on investment in terms of emissions reduction. Based on the above results, the paper advocates for timely measures to consolidate environmental gains, prevent rebounding of contaminant emissions, prioritize supervision and management of easily regulated sectors, prioritize upgrading of cleaner production in sectors with high reduction efficiency indices, and increase investment in environmental technology. • Created a new comprehensive system for assessing contaminant emission changes. • Quantified the unique linkage changes of contaminant emissions during COVID-19. • Developed new models to reveal contaminants' regulatory difficulty and return. • The innovative reduction effects of four key contaminant indicators were measured. • Applied WHEM firstly in research across multiple areas of contaminant emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience has a critical role to promote human well-being in turbulent environments. However, extensive interventions and stimulus measures not only achieve resilience goals with numerous unacceptable consequences, but also highlight the narrow definition of resilience. The study proposes the concept of resilience effectiveness to constrain the unsustainability of resilience in concept and practice. The resilience effectiveness of Chinese cities in the early stages of the pandemic is first implemented for evaluation based on input-output relationship, and then patterns and determinants are investigated using the GIS methods and the geographically optimal zones-based heterogeneity (GOZH) model. The study finds that the average resilience effectiveness is not high, indicating that China's strong resilience is the loss of safety, greenness, inclusiveness, and efficiency in the early stage of the pandemic. Resilience effectiveness has significant spatial heterogeneity and is dominated by innovation ability. The optimal geographic zones of Chinese cities for resilience effectiveness are identified, revealing that it is a complex and multifactorial process. This paper broadens resilience research and provides implications for city planning in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns led to a sharp drop in socio-economic activities in China in 2020, including reductions in fossil fuel use, industry productions, and traffic volumes. China's economy suffered a serious negative effect from COVID-19. However, there is a "positive effect" on CO 2 emissions reduction. Here, for the first time, this paper constructs a new model named "Weighted Multi-regional Hypothetical Extraction Method (WMHEM)" based on a multiregional input-output model. It not only solves the problems of traditional HEM methods such as improper use of assumptions, excessive reliance on industry intermediate input, but also accurately reflects the impact of external shocks on the inter-industry linkages. By using the monthly economic data of each provinces in China during COVID-19 (except Hong Kong，Macao and Taiwan) an the latest Multi-regional input-output tables, the "economic negative effect" and "CO 2 emission positive effect" under COVID-19 in China are measured. Results show that COVID-19 lockdown was estimated to have reduced China's CO 2 emissions substantially between January and March in 2020, with the largest reductions in February. With the spread of coronavirus controlled, China's CO 2 emissions rebounded in April. In addition, key emission reduction sectors and key development encouraged sectors are selected by combining "economic negative effect" and "CO 2 emission positive effect" during COVID-19. Therefore, policies recommendations are put forward based on forward and backward linkages respectively which are from two ends of the supply chain to turn pandemic-related CO 2 emissions declines into firm climate action. • COVID-19 has negative effects on economy, but positive effects on CO 2 emissions. • A new model is used to measure economic and CO 2 emission effects during COVID-19. • Hubei had the biggest economic and CO 2 emission effects on China due to COVID-19. • Economic and CO 2 emission effects of COVID-19 are combined to select key sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the peak of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions requires a large amount of green and low-carbon investment. Whether the green finance system can efficiently support the capital need for achieving the CO 2 emissions target in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic is a matter of concern. This paper constructs a system dynamics model (SD model) to illustrate the quantitative relationship between the green finance system and CO 2 emissions and introduce the COVID-19 epidemic as a variable to analyze ten simulation scenarios regarding the carbon emissions commitment realization under different green finance and economic growth status. It is shown that: (1) Regardless of the impact of COVID-19, China can meet its commitment by reaching its CO 2 emissions peak in 2030 and realizing a 20% non-fossil energy proportion in 2025; (2) Under the impact of the epidemic, the goal can not be obtained in all energy consumption scenarios when the government expenditure on the environment is low. The target year of reaching CO 2 emissions peak becomes 2033, 2037, and 2040. The results indicate that reducing government expenditure on environment protection makes the CO 2 emissions peak target less likely to be achieved within a given time frame. We also concluded with important policy implications according to the result of the simulations. Overall, this study makes a reference for other economies and researchers to quantitatively predict the interaction relationship between the green finance system and CO 2 emissions in the context of COVID-19, which provides policymakers with insights into a joint power of energy consumption upgrading and green capital guidance. • Providing empirical studies regarding the mechanism of the inhibitory effect of green finance on CO 2 emissions. • Using systems dynamics model to address the missing data problem. • Making solid suggestions under COVID-19 Epidemic. • Building the relationship between the green finance system and CO 2 emissions and making forecasts for "3060" mission result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the outbreak of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease, 2019), China adopted traffic restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Using daily data before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, an exogenous shock, this paper analyzes the effects of private vehicle restriction policies on air pollution. We find that the private vehicle restriction policies reduce the degree of air pollution to a certain extent. However, their effect varies with other policies implemented in the same period and the economic development of the city itself. Through the analysis of different categories of restrictions, we find that restriction policy for local fuel vehicles and the restriction policy based on the last digit of license plate numbers have the best effect in reducing air pollution. Under the background of COVID-19 epidemic and the implementation of private vehicle restriction policies and other traffic control policies during this period, we have also obtained other enlightenment on air pollution control. • The causal relationship between air pollution and restriction is analyzed. • An exogenous shock from COVID-19 is used to identify this relationship. • The private vehicle restriction reduces the degree of air pollution. • The restriction policies have heterogeneous effects. • The effects of restriction are affected by other policies against COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]