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The international recovered paper trade serves two important functions: increasing raw material availability in the paper and board industry and providing economic incentives to recycle. The purpose of this paper is to shed further light on emerging patterns in this trade by empirically analysing the changes in the bilateral trade flows of recycled paper between 1992 and 2008. According to our estimations, two important changes occurred in the 1990s and 2000s. First, the growing importance of developing economies in global recycled paper trade plays a significant role in import demand as a determinant of trade flows. Second, the changes in global trade patterns necessitate investigating the transportation cost measures used in applied research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization has severe impacts on international transport, which in turn affect local and global environmental issues. This study presents an approach to studying these relationships. It identifies four world scenarios based on a distinction between OECD and other countries, and then traces the implications of these for international transport and environment. The proposed method is applied to a specific transport-intensive sector in the Netherlands, namely the paper industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1992, Sweden introduced a producer responsibility ordinance which explicitly states that sorted out, collected waste paper must be material recycled. Another alternative could be to recover energy by incineration. Material recycling was prioritized, although there is no environmental consensus favouring either of the alternatives. By calculating shadow prices of waste paper for the paper industry and for the heating plants, this study tries to determine whether waste paper should be partly incinerated. The study also addresses whether the producer responsibility has contributed to an inefficient allocation of waste paper. The results find no economic support for the producer responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sets out the legislative background to the recycling of waste materials in the United Kingdom. Benefits from recycling; The provision of recycling credits under the 1990 Environmental Protection Act; The draft Economic Community (EC) Packaging Waste Directive; The German DSD scheme; The setting forth of the elements of a cost-benefit analysis of waste paper recycling; Application of that analysis to a recycling scheme in central Scotland; Conclusions.

Using recent data on a cross-section of Swedish chemical and pulp and paper firms, this paper provides novel empirical insights into the Porter hypothesis. Well-designed environmental regulation can stimulate firms' innovative capabilities, while at the same time generating innovation offsets that may both offset net compliance costs and yield a competitive edge over those firms that are not affected by such regulations. In doing so, we also test the alleged effectiveness of regulatory time strategies in stimulating innovation activities of regulated firms. We find evidence for the effectiveness of such well-designed regulations: announced rather than existing regulation induces innovation and some innovation offsets. Our results imply that empirical tests of the Porter hypothesis that do not account for its dynamic nature, and that do not measure well-designed regulations, might provide misleading conclusions as to its validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on the Matthew Leach, et al.'s study on wastepaper recycling. Report on research carried out for the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; General statement presented in Leach's paper; Argument for the forest product industry; Lack of understanding of the complexities and challenges of sustainable development in Leach's paper.

Presents a case study which questions the applicability for paper of the accepted `hierarchy' of waste management techniques. Uses of paper and paper based products; Approaches taken to study the environmental impact of technical choices or process activity for waste management; Potential danger posed by the emission of dioxins from waste incinerators to human health.

This note discusses environmental aspects of the planning and consultation process undertaken for the UK aviation White Paper. The process as a whole has involved some three years of forecasting and assessment of the operational, economic and environmental implications of some 28 options for airport expansion at 14 UK locations. Unconstrained passenger demand forecasts have been used as a basis for the planning and consultation, and a mitigation approach to environment has predominated. This is inadequate, given the climate impacts of the forecast aviation expansion. Greenhouse gas emissions reduction should be a high priority in transport infrastructure planning, not the subject of post-hoc analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an overall comments, environmental critique of Rural White Papers in England and its implications for land use policy research. Some of the research areas which seems to arise from the Rural White Papers.

Presents comparison and critique on Rural White Papers for England, Scotland and Wales, published by British government between October 1995 and March 1996. The ethos and aims of Rural White Papers; Specific proposals and measures in the Rural White Papers; Policy objectives of the English RWP, Welsh RWP, and Scottish RWP; Reasons behind the persuasive case for incorporating the Ministry's regional management into the Government Offices; Conclusions.

Discusses the origins, production, and consequences of the Rural White Paper in England. Guiding principles established by the White Paper.

Discusses about the Rural White Paper for Scotland entitled `Rural Scotland: People, Prosperity and Partnership, published in December 1995. Background of the Scottish Rural White Paper; Main proposals of the Scottish Rural White Paper; Summary of the programme of research which has stemmed from the White Paper; Conclusions.

Presents Matthew Leach's reply to a detailed critique of his study on wastepaper recycling. Boundaries and scope of the study; Biodiversity and forest management; Carbon cycle; Environmental externalities; Energy issues; Waste paper recovery.

Examines the validity of social conscience as the reason for increasing the rate of recycling paper products. Concerns for recycling wastepaper; Legislation and wastepaper recovery schemes; Challenge to arguments for recycling; Spatial implications of recycling.

Since the emergence of the concept in the 1980s, the terms "sustainable development" and "sustainability" have appeared in a great many papers. Consistent with the nature of the sustainable development concept, most JEPM papers take a social science perspective. More specifically, recent papers within JEPM have significantly contributed to a range of UN goals for sustainable development. Such policy transfer remains an important issue in achieving the UN sustainable development goals. [Extracted from the article]

Examines the constitution, organization and activities of citizens' advisory groups (CAG) in three Lake Michigan areas of concern (AOC). Remedial action planning in the Great Lakes basin; Citizen participation in land use and environmental planning; Case studies.

Globally, tourism is currently one of the fastest-growing industries, with strong impacts on territories, from an environmental, economic and social point of view. The increase in the number of tourists who flock to destinations requires greater attention to sustainability through tools (indicators) such as strategic destination management support. This paper, through the review of 104 scientific papers, aims to analyze the structure and evolution of the evaluation and monitoring of sustainable tourism through the use of sets of indicators. In particular, the study favors the understanding of the most significant aspects of sustainable tourism that the literature suggests to analyze, evaluating how these vary in relation to the type of destination and the time period of the study. The results contribute to the understanding of the theoretical and operational aspects which, today, are considered representative of the concept of sustainable tourism, improving the sustainable management of territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current explosive growth of global consumption has caused many environmental problems, so guiding and regulating the public's green consumption intention and behavior is an important issue. By constructing the tourist green consumption model of urban and rural tourism destinations (TAM-TPB), this paper uses the PLS-SEM method to expound the realization path and mechanism of tourists' green consumption intention in urban and rural destinations. The TAM-TPB model provides better explanatory and predictive power for urban destinations than for rural destinations. In addition, the perceived usefulness plays a significant mediating effect, especially in urban destinations, and the green consumption attitude will not mediate or directly affect consumption intention. Finally, there is a certain gap in tourists' green consumption intention between urban and rural destinations, but it is limited to the paths from perceived ease of use to consumption attitude and from subjective norm to consumption intention. The paper studies the realization path and mechanism of tourists' green consumption intention in urban and rural tourism destinations. The paper first applies TAM to tourism green consumption field, constructing the model of TAM-TPB by PLS-SEM. The TAM-TPB model provides better explanatory and predictive power for urban destinations than for rural destinations. The green consumption attitude does not mediate or directly impact consumption intention. The findings will contribute to enrich the theoretical system of tourism green consumption research and provide practical references for the guidance of public green consumption behavior and the transformation of green consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on research into co-creation labs as a tool for exploring environmental communication. Co-creation labs are novel spaces for experimentation, social learning, and trans-disciplinary as well as cross-sectoral collaboration for sustainability transformations. This paper examines the approach taken by researchers to theorising, via a repurposing of the 2×2 scenario matrix, a series of "labs" that represent diverse spaces in which to explore co-creative convergence through transformative learning processes. In addition, examples from work done to date are offered to illustrate progress in implementing these labs and testing the strengths and weaknesses of these co-creative spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facilitators of collaborative governance structure communication between stakeholders. They influence the process and, in some instances, also the outcome of collaborative governance. Even so, facilitators are, in the literature and in practice, most often reduced to being neutral or seen merely as power sharers. This reductive understanding obscures facilititators' use of power. The purpose of this paper is to outline a nuanced understanding of authority in facilitation practice. We analyse a Swedish collaborative governance process where a governmental agency facilitates collaboration between actors with conflicting interests. We combine the work of Hannah Arendt and Mark Warren to study authority as relationally performed. We find that facilitators' use of power takes the form of a pendulum movement between authority and argumentation. Hence, authority and argumentation are linked, rather than incompatible, in facilitation practice. This paper sheds new light on the unrecognised, and yet influential, leadership role that facilitators play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial introduces the Special Issue on the role and use of discrete choice modelling in informing environmental and energy decision making and summarises the main insights provided. The papers collected in this Special Issue address a range of applications of discrete choice modelling, from energy decisions to climate change and transport choices, from tourism preferences for climate change mitigation to wildlife conservation strategies and ecosystem management. However, all the papers share the same fundamental aim of using novel methodological approaches in choice models to tackle conceptually and spatially specific policy questions and support decisions with robust empirical evidence. This is particularly relevant to enhance the real-world policy uptake of choice modelling results and develop a network of practice and capacity building to improve the quality of information that is provided to stakeholders and decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns for the ongoing and increasing degradation of the natural environment worldwide have increased the impetus for action, and development of governance arrangements to support natural resource management. Despite this, several issues around governance still remain as challenges to the success of natural resource management. This study reports the findings of a systematic literature review of 240 papers to better understand how governance challenges manifest spatially, and how they change over time. Also the paper identifies key priority areas for strategic governance reform. This paper reveals that the capacity of natural resource management governance systems internationally is most limited by factors that limit connectivity and collaboration between stakeholders in decision-making processes, and the alignment of vision and objectives across institutions. The paper also reveals clear spatial disparities and temporal changes in the number of studies and governance challenges identified in natural resource management in developing and developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the prerequisites for a regulatory-driven transition toward radically lower air and water pollution in industry. This is achieved in the empirical context of the Swedish mining and metals industry, and by investigating the environmental licensing processes during two regulatory systems. The paper derives an analytical framework that explores under what circumstances such licensing processes can result in radical emissions reductions without seriously jeopardizing the competitiveness of the industry. Archived material covering six environmental licensing processes, three during each system, is used to illustrate the various design and implementation issues. The results suggest that regulatory-driven green transitions benefit from trust-based bargaining procedures in which companies are involved in repeated interactions with regulatory authorities, and which extended probation periods permit tests of novel abatement technologies (including innovation). The findings also illustrate the importance of abstaining from simplified normative notions about policy instrument choice (e.g. taxes versus standards). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore whether the over-reliance on political resources hampers corporate technological innovation and the role of environmental regulation in mitigating the adverse effect. A simplified theoretical framework is proposed to combine political ties, environmental regulations, and corporate innovation. Then, based on the data for listed private companies in China's heavy pollution industry, our empirical results show that political relations have negative impacts on both patent licensing and R&D investment, indicating the existence of a political resource curse in listed private companies in China's heavy pollution industry. The transmission mechanisms include mitigating market competition and inducing overinvestment, but increasing the rent-seeking motivation is not a channel through which political connections negatively affect corporate innovation. Further empirical analysis demonstrates that environmental regulations help eliminate the curse effect of political ties on technological innovation at the firm level in China, through increasing market competition and reducing overinvestment. The findings of this paper provide insights for optimizing environmental regulation policies, which are conducive to inducing technical innovation in politically connected enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Press coverage of the Sheffield street tree dispute showed images of protestors and yellow ribbons on trees threatened with felling as part of a highly charged and public argument between the council and some of its citizens. However, a closer analysis of the highways management programme shows that it was not simply a case of two parties in conflict. This paper pulls on a wide range of secondary data sources to explore Sheffield's street tree dispute by examining the urban management approach taken by the local authority. Using the place-keeping concept as an analytical framework, the paper will demonstrate how the Sheffield case reflects "business as usual" maintenance practices undertaken by local authorities when contracting out management work. The analysis also provides evidence showing how the Sheffield case demonstrates poor contract design, governance processes, evaluation and communication practices that had ramifications for the city that went beyond its street trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the necessary and sufficient influence of the innovation environment, which incorporates various innovation variables, on IGTFP from a configurational standpoint. This paper utilizes fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis and necessary condition analysis methodologies. A total of 11 models are found to be driven by the innovation environment for IGTFP. Technological output is necessary for IGTFP and thus a fundamental factor in various models. The effects of wages and human capital on IGTFP are also relatively significant. Longitudinally, there is no consistent innovation environment-driven model. This paper reveals the intricate associations between the innovation ecosystem and IGTFP while elucidating the mechanism of variable effects on IGTFP influenced by varying spatio-temporal environments, which significantly amplifies current comprehension of the mean effect link between the two. Concurrently, the article furnishes methodological direction for subsequent investigation into the complexity of the relationships between relevant variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change requires forward-looking policy responses. Developing such responses can be challenging for governments and, therefore, specific long-term institutions have been proposed for overcoming short-termism. However, the impacts of such institutions have been underexplored. In this paper, we analyze the influence of a long-term institution, the Dutch Delta Programme, on local governments' decisions. The paper results are based on an analysis of climate adaptation strategies, investment plans and adaptation projects and interviews with policymakers, across seven Dutch municipalities. Results indicate that while local adaptation strategies are largely forward looking, adaptation projects tend to focus on solving present-day issues. We found that the Delta Programme enabled local governments to make forward-looking decisions and policies, by: (1) providing knowledge about climate vulnerabilities, (2) creating a broader framing of the issue of climate change, and (3) providing guidance for developing local climate adaptation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many regions or countries seek to transition to a low-carbon economy, but there is ambiguity about how carbon emissions change with economic growth. This paper captures characteristics of carbon emissions in China using the Tapio Method. To detect driving factors of carbon emissions in economic growth, we adopt the Log-Mean Divisia Index decomposition method. The results of the paper are as follows: (1) Economic growth in most regions of China has outpaced the growth rate of carbon emissions, showing the characteristics of decoupling. (2) Metropolitan cities have a greater impact on the level of decoupling in neighboring provinces and municipalities. (3) The decoupling of carbon emissions from economic growth is caused by declining energy intensity in China. (4) The energy mix and industrial structure have little impact on the growth rate of carbon emissions. In addition, some policy implications are summarized according to the findings of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data for 812 Chinese farmers and a conditional mixed process (CMP) approach, this paper investigates the impact of farmers' e-commerce participation on their awareness of green production. Main results include: (1) e-commerce participation increases farmers' overall awareness of green production by 0.771 (i.e. 0.88 standard deviations); meanwhile such impact is more evident for old-generation, low-income and small-scale farmers; (2) risk awareness is most affected among three sub-dimensions; (3) three influencing channels are confirmed, which are improving information acquisition, strengthening connections with the food market, and alleviating information asymmetry. This paper concludes that e-commerce can play a significant role in promoting the green transition of farmers and agricultural production. As for implications, policymakers need to further promote e-commerce in agriculture while building a more solid food system, including green food certification and a full chain traceability system. However, farmers' heterogeneities should be considered when any intervention is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in behavioural and communication sciences generated enthusiasm in public policy for new ways of 'framing' messages and 'nudging' individual behaviour. Wide research and practice of behavioural interventions that have since ensued triggered the rise of a new sub-field called Behavioural Public Policy (BPP). At the same time, nudges – a part and parcel of BPP, have received criticism for being paternalistic, non-democratic and lacking evidence of long-term effectiveness. More recently, the whole project of BPP has come under criticism as construed too narrowly. Critics have argued for a new approach to BPP that is pluralistic, multi-disciplinary and multi-method. One key pillar of it is a 'policy mix' – a combined application of behavioural and non-behavioural policy tools. Little is known, however, about 'policy mixes' in practice. This paper conducts a scoping non-exhaustive review of the academic and policy literature published between 2008 and 2020 that discusses policy mixes of behavioural policy tools (defined in this paper as 'nudges' and 'frames') and reflective policy tools (defined in this paper as 'deliberative' events and incentives for individuals to 'think') employed within environmental policy. Two questions guide this review: (a) what are the characteristics of policy mixes in terms of their types, geography, sectors of application, and empirical detail of exposition?; (b) to what extent do existing policy mixes include broader governance aspects of politics, awareness of contextuality and flexibility? By taking stock of experiences of empirical place-based policy mixes of behavioural and reflective tools, we provide insights into a fast-developing body of scholarship and point to ways forward with policy mixes. The paper is also relevant to policy studies beyond the domain of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological civilization construction is an important dimension to achieve high-quality economic development. This paper evaluates the eco-efficiency improvement effect of China's ecological civilization pilot zone policy utilizing the synthetic control method (SCM) differences-in-differences method (DID) and examines the influence mechanism of ecological civilization pilot zones on eco-efficiency in the light of the environmental pollution penalty, green technological innovation, and environmental publicity and education. The study results indicate that the construction of the ecological civilization pilot zone policy has substantially boosted eco-efficiency in the pilot areas, with the strongest boosting effect on eco-efficiency in Fujian province, followed by Guizhou province, and not significantly on eco-efficiency in Jiangxi province. Further, this paper also reveals that the construction of ecological civilization pilot zones has effectively contributed to eco-efficiency through channels such as strengthening the environmental pollution penalty, stimulating green technological innovation, and broadening environmental publicity and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses the implications of Rural White Papers, a major statements by government on policy in particular areas, in Great Britain for land use research. Written report for the reconstruction and administration of land use and economic activity; The context and personalities involved in the production of Scott Report; More.

This paper explores how spatial judgments impacted planning and policy-making by studying how stakeholders on Cape Cod, Massachusetts considered cross-scale relationships between local, regional, and state jurisdictions and hydro-geologically defined watersheds. Analysis of video data from participatory planning workshops illustrates how these judgments were made as stakeholders developed a regional wastewater management plan. Detailed analysis of their deliberations illustrates the complex and dynamic nature of their scalar judgements as they addressed mismatches between watersheds and towns. Findings illustrate how their judgments were part of the process that led to the development of innovative policy tools for collective action that embraced, rather than erased, mismatches. This paper also demonstrates the application of spatial judgments of non-expert stakeholders as they made plans and proposed actions for a complex social-ecological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With immensely growing pressure on land and its scarcity, conflicting societal expectations concerning land use increasingly result in land use conflicts (LUCs). In this paper, we explore local LUCs, which we define as the complex situations, where fragmented planning policies encounter place-based societal conceptions and perceptions of site-specific developmental priorities. The paper adopts a dynamic approach and introduces a theory-driven typology of potentially conflicting planning decisions. The typology is employed as an analytic framework to reveal the open-ended successive planning decisions that lead to complex local LUCs. Two case studies from Central Europe are explored to narrate the evolutionary complexity of LUCs. Our results show that local LUCs emerged as the past planning decisions lined-up into a sequence creating lock-in situations, where different planning policies can be hardly reconciled. Finally, we discuss applicability, transferability and limits of the proposed typology as an analytic framework advancing management of planning conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The System of Environmental and Economic Accounting aims at the integration of national accounts with the contributions of the environment. After three decades of development, though, only a portion of it has become an international standard for national accounting. Its uncertain, experimental status reflects the complexities faced by a project that requires a clear and implementable concept of valuation to be applied to non-market goods. In this paper, we review the debate between competing theories of value that had a role in the early development of the System and we follow the discussion that first accompanied the drafting of its current version and is now informing a revision process that will lead to a new edition of the Experimental Ecosystem Accounting module by 2021. The next developments and every step made toward integration will affect not just the content of the national accounts but also how it can be collected and used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing need for infrastructure development, governments have invested heavily in constructing large infrastructure projects in the form of megaprojects. However, implementing such projects requires lots of resources, and they have formidable environmental, social and financial impacts. Despite facing several sustainability issues, megaprojects proliferate. There is a lack of holistic examination of key sustainability issues and influence factors in the existing literature on megaprojects. This paper, therefore, aims to systematically answer: "what" are the key sustainability issues in megaproject management and "how" can these issues be tackled (influence factors), using 87 peer-reviewed articles obtained from three databases. Moreover, the paper proposes an integrated conceptual model by linking the issues and incorporating the influence factors. Finally, the paper presents some future research areas. This study's findings may be of significant value to the practitioners and policy-makers in incorporating sustainability dimensions in the management of megaprojects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers on environmental themes to be published at the "Journal of Environmental Planning and Management" is presented.

The safety of urban populations sensitive to extreme heat is under increasing threat. Few studies examine the potential benefits of deploying IoT environmental sensors in the urban context and their integration with large-scale human activity data. This paper examines the deployment of IoT sensors in high-resolution extreme heat risk assessment in the case of Seoul, South Korea. This study conducted spatiotemporal analysis on heat exposure with IoT sensors, compared it with an existing land surface temperature map for validation, combined it with human activity data for risk assessment, and finally discussed the benefits of IoTs in detecting abnormal weather events. The results show that extreme heat risks and characteristics vary by age group, and socio-demographic nature overlaps with contextual factors concerning climate risk. This paper discussed possible policy implications to better deal with recurring climate hazards using IoT sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether green credit policy can mitigate firms' financialization. Using data from Chinese non-financial public listed firms during 2008 to 2019, we take the green credit policy promulgated in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment and find that: (1) the green credit policy can reduce firms' entrusted loans, especially affiliated entrusted loans. Moreover, the governance effect exerted by banks' green credit policy reduces free cash flow and excess cash in heavily polluting firms, as shown in mechanism analysis. (2) The profit-seeking incentive dominates shadow banking activities in heavily polluting enterprises. (3) The 2012 green credit guidelines reduce entrusted loans maturity but increase the interest rate. The findings of this paper provide market-oriented insights into the regulation of shadow banking activities. This research also contributes to the literature on the effects of green credit policy by exploring their impact on firm shadow banking activities, and takes one step further to investigate the effect of green credit policy on firms' entrusted loans. This paper also sheds light on how green credit policy can alleviate the imperfections and distortions of financial markets in the emerging market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public Inquiry is an established process for effective testing and scrutiny of plans in terrestrial planning and is regarded as a means of providing credibility and accountability. Independent Investigation is its marine equivalent and was included as a provision in the UK marine planning regime and subsequent legislation since its inception. However, it has been noticeably absent in practice. This paper investigates the reasons behind this situation within the context of the proposed and actual role of II in the marine planning process in the UK. It additionally considers the future use of II in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the marine planning system. This paper concludes that as the use of the marine resource of the UK becomes increasingly contested and controversial, II could be utilized to enhance marine plans and marine planning decisions and thus warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has caused many risks to people, but little research has been done on the effect of residents' air pollution risk perception on their subjective well-being. In order to reveal their relationship, this paper divides air pollution risk perception into four dimensions: risk controllability, risk trust, risk acceptability and risk effect, and explores the effects of different dimensions of air pollution risk perception on subjective well-being based on the structural equation model. The results show that risk controllability, risk trust and risk acceptability can improve well-being, while risk effect can reduce well-being, and air quality satisfaction plays a mediating role. There are also internal influencing mechanisms among different air pollution risk perceptions. Particularly, in areas with poor air quality, risk controllability had a negative association with air quality satisfaction, and higher risk effect corresponded to a higher degree of risk controllability. This paper provides some suggestions for environmental management from the perspective of risk perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effectiveness of traditional water governance in Flood-based Livelihood Systems (FBLS), which harness floods that could have caused environmental degradation. Ostrom's Governing the Commons Principles, widely recognized for the effective management of shared resources, is used as a framework. The paper draws from discussions with 300 farmers and pastoralists in Tana River FBLS, the oldest traditional system in Kenya. The traditional floodwater governance does not satisfy Ostrom's Principles and livelihood needs. Small-scale farmers and pastoralists frequently experience floodwater scarcity while large-scale farmers use excessive floods often causing waterlogging. This floodwater sharing disparity generates conflicts and threatens small-scale farmers' and pastoralists' livelihoods. Large-scale farmers are primarily concerned with inadequate floodwater management infrastructure that hampers maximizing their harvest. For increased sustainability and equity, fairer floodwater sharing systems and enforcing institutions should be introduced before infrastructural development. These lessons from Tana River can contribute to a larger livelihood potential for flood-based agriculture globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) is an empowering tool for the enhancement of local communities' participation in the planning and management of natural resources. The inadequate involvement of local stakeholders in rangeland planning and management has been of great concern. Discussions on the role of PGIS and collaborative management approaches in promoting local involvement in rangeland management has not been clearly understood due to the scarcity of literature. This paper assessed how local participation in rangeland management can be enhanced using a combined collaborative management framework and PGIS approach. The objective was achieved through a focus group discussion, local ecological knowledge mapping and key informant interviews. The combined PGIS and collaborative management approach enabled the empowerment of local actors through knowledge enhancement, encouraged the practice of rangeland governance and the transfer of responsibility to local actors. This study provides a conceptual contribution toward the improvement of local actors' participation in rangeland management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper explores theoretical linkages between community well-being and key dimensions of public spaces (i.e., physical characteristics, technical experts, and communities). It draws on environmental justice literature and the Tripartite Framework to contextualize the concept of access to public spaces. The nexus between the key dimensions of public spaces and community well-being are explored by drawing on the Network Theory of Wellbeing. The main contribution of this paper is its merging of the aforementioned seminal work (i.e., Tripartite Framework and Network Theory of Wellbeing), two important bodies of scholarship that have yet to intersect but which offer a formidable platform to advance knowledge on how technical (e.g. planners), social (i.e. communities) and physical (e.g. built spaces like parks) dimensions of public space production can contribute to communal benefits derived from a public resource and community well-being. The applicability of the conceptual synthesis is illustrated through the discussion of specific examples in Maryvale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) originally aimed to promote nature conservation through community empowerment, but this aim is not easy to achieve. To analyze the reasons and propose responses, this paper constructed an analytical framework for CBNRM based on the theory of socio-ecological system synergies. A mixed-method (questionnaires, interviews, and observations) explanatory case study of Feicui village within the Mount Huangshan World Natural Heritage Site in Eastern China was conducted. The research illuminates the complexity of the CBNRM initiative in Feicui village, which neglects socio-ecological system synergies, leading to a lack of connection between the benefits from and attitudes toward natural conservation and a loss of integrated resource management. This study responds to the incomprehensibility of CBNRM and provides important theoretical contributions to international debates on CBNRM by highlighting the essence of recognizing system synergies to avoid deviating from the original intent of CBNRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses trends in recent academic literature on cumulative effects assessment (CEA) in the field of environmental impact assessment (IA). We performed an inductive, thematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature published between 2008 and 2018. We find that most academic research on CEA originates in North America, and much of it is situated in periodicals other than the leading IA journals. There is agreement that CEA is still not well understood conceptually and there remains a need for procedural guidance as support for practitioners. Support for regional and strategic approaches to CEA remains strong. Our review of the literature also shows that, increasingly, researchers advocate estimating relative ecosystem vulnerability to anthropogenic activities by aggregating stressors and differentiating the most heavily disturbed valued components and impact zones. The paper concludes with our suggestions to strengthen CEA scholarship globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of China's rapid urbanization for decades and its environmental effects, this paper focused on the impact of urbanization on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration, and estimated the definitive urbanized population whose PM2.5 concentration reached the peak according to the comparison of classical static/dynamic spatial econometric models. The estimation results of 227 prefecture-level cities and municipalities directly under the central government covering the period 1998–2016 show that the spatial spillover effect is statistically significant, while the exogenous effect stands out in the dynamic spatial Durbin model. In terms of the relationship between urbanized population and PM2.5 concentration, the cities themselves and the exogenous influences from other neighboring cities are U-shaped and inverted U-shaped with urbanized population at the inflection point that 3.77 million and 1.77 million, respectively. Moreover, the exogenous effects occupy the mainstream position, indicating that the PM2.5 concentration of prefecture-level cities mostly comes from the input of surrounding cities. It is proven in this paper that a moderate scale of population urbanization is an important factor in haze control, which should be accompanied by joint governance and coordination of urban agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption and market segmentation generally result from inter-regional resource allocation mechanism at the level of government and market, and it is of great significance to clarify their effects on haze pollution for the healthy development of the regional economy. With theoretical analysis, this paper applies systematic GMM to examine the impact of corruption on haze pollution. The mediatory effect model is used to further evaluate the mediatory effect of market segmentation by using panel data for 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2018. The evaluations reveal that corruption positively affects haze pollution at the 1% significance level and has a prominent "time inertia". After alleviation of the endogenous problem and a series of robustness tests, this conclusion remains valid. Based on national samples, corruption, especially environmental corruption, not only directly provokes an increase in haze pollution, but also aggravates it through market segmentation, and, the impact of corruption on haze pollution in different regions and at different periods has significant heterogeneity. Therefore, policymakers should start from the institutional mechanism to curb haze pollution by improving the performance appraisal system. Moreover, the synergistic effect between anti-corruption and governance on the environment should be enhanced by improving the anti-corruption management system. Local protectionism should be eliminated to promote the integration of regional markets. A unified, open and organized market system should be established to form the synergy of governance on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the living environment through household efforts remains a challenge for many developing countries. Little attention has been given to the role of Internet use in previous studies. Based on the Attitude Behavior Context (A-B-C) theory, this paper builds a theoretical framework where Internet use affects residents' adoption of living environment improvement practices (LEIPs). Using large-scale household survey data from China, this paper adopts the recursive bivariate probit model to overcome the endogeneity biases and investigate the treatment effects of Internet use on residents' adoption of integrated flushing toilets (IFT) and centralized disposal of domestic waste (CDDW). The results indicate that Internet use increases the likelihood of adopting IFT and CDDW by 24.5% and 19.0% respectively for Internet users. Besides, the counterfactual results show that the possibility of adopting IFT and CDDW will increase by 28.8% and 26.4% respectively if they use the Internet. Moreover, residents who are female, the CPC members, having more years of education and higher household income are more likely to adopt LEIPs. Additionally, the results show evidence of regional heterogeneity. Overall, the impact of Internet use on LEIPs adoption is larger for residents in less-developed and urban areas. The findings suggest that policies embedded with expanding Internet access shall help to promote the sustainable improvement of residents' living environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new energy demonstration city policy (NEDC), an essential economic system aiming to implement innovative development strategies and energy structure transformations in China, is crucial for solving the current plight of resource-based cities. This paper studies the effect of the implementation of the NEDC on the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of resource-based cities in China; understanding this relation is of great significance for the further promotion of the NEDC. For this purpose, the SBM-undesirable model is employed to measure GTFP. The propensity score matching and difference-in-difference (PSM-DID) model and the mediation effect model are also utilized to empirically examine the impact of the NEDC on GTFP across a dataset of 106 resource-based cities between 2005 and 2016. The empirical results indicate that the NEDC can significantly improve the GTFP of resource-based cities. After both counterfactual and common trend tests are performed, the research conclusion of this paper is still robust. Moreover, the NEDC promotes the GTFP of resource-based cities through structural effects, technological innovation effects, and fiscal support effects. Furthermore, the effect of the NEDC on GTFP is also affected by the regions, sizes, and types of the different resource-based cities. This research provides evidence for the ability of the NEDC to improve GTFP and optimize the spatial layout of new energy demonstration cities in resource-based cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]