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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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

It has become a new trend for the future development of Chinese agriculture to accelerate the transformation from increasing production to improving quality and realizing green growth. This paper uses the sequential DEA to measure the agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 306 Chinese cities from 1996 to 2017, then tests its convergence. The results show that the average growth rate of Chinese agricultural GTFP is 0.58%; the main driving force coming from technical progress. The convergence of agricultural GTFP has dual characteristics of stages and regions, and the significant σ convergence only exists in the central region during 1996–2003. There is significant β convergence at the national level, in the eastern and central regions, and neither convergence nor divergence in the western region. However, during 2004–2017, only the eastern region had β convergence. Finally, the conditional convergence speed is higher than the absolute convergence, and the eastern region is higher than the central. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 made researchers notice some new points and change their focus, such as the economies of scale for residential energy use, energy dependency of societies, etc. This paper provides a bibliometric analysis of 497 articles by VOSviewer, finding that existing studies on building energy use during COVID-19 could be summarized into four keywords, i.e., building occupants, coronavirus, sustainability and monitoring and management. Significant increases in residential energy consumption are found with the increased duration of in-home-activity, while the growth rate varies between different neighborhoods, different times of day and different usage of energy. Attitudes vary toward the changing trend in the post-pandemic period, and the impacts of lockdown, new confirmed cases, social distancing, etc. on residential energy consumption have been given special attention in recent studies. Policy implications are concluded for maintaining normal operation of residential energy systems under the shock of public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an assessment framework tool to analyze the performance of nature-based solutions (NBS) for hydro-meteorological risk management. The tool is based on multi-criteria decision analysis within the context of NBSs, an umbrella concept currently in focus that promotes nature and provides ecological and socio-economic benefits. The proposed tool includes the selection and application of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the co-benefits and costs associated with the implementation of NBSs. To ensure high societal impact, the tool relies on a participatory approach. Stakeholder preferences are taken into account within the assessment process. As such, the assessment framework can be used as a design and selection tool for NBSs and other alternative measures, including grey and hybrid solutions. The proposed procedure can be adapted to the specific socio-environmental context and hydro-meteorological risk by tailoring the set of relevant KPIs. The assessment framework is useful for monitoring the implemented measures and to document their effectiveness. The methodology provides quantitative and transparent documentation of hydro-meteorological risk management processes, useful for decision- and policy-makers, and stakeholders dealing with NBS measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new pattern of urbanization, smart cities offer a set of initiatives to achieve a win-win situation for both environmental protection and economic development. This paper aims to explore the influence of smart city policy (SCP) on green technology innovation (GTI) by Chinese listed enterprises. Employing the difference-in-differences (DID) approach, the results show that SCP promotes enterprises' GTI. This finding remains valid after various robustness tests, which include the parallel trend test, PSM-DID, placebo test, the substitution of estimation model, replacement of dependent variable, and the exclusion of the impacts of other policies. Additional tests reveal that SCP improves GTI through government environmental subsidy, corporate environmental awareness, and research and development investments. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis suggests that our findings are more prominent in subsamples during the growth stage, in high-tech industries, and in eastern regions. Our research is vital to the urban ecological environment and high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, British Columbia (BC) adopted Bill 41: The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). DRIPA committed BC to developing a new planning process, modernized land use planning, that involves ethical collaboration with Indigenous Peoples. Although ethical decision-making in planning theory has emerged in academic discourse, planning practitioners are missing clear frameworks to implement theory in practice. Ethical Space, a conceptual approach used to balance power between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, may prove to be a promising implementation framework. This paper offers an exploratory application of Ethical Space for land use planning in Upper Columbia, a region in expressed need of modernized land use planning efforts. Research methods include semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Findings present recommendations for Upper Columbia governments to begin Ethical Space in land use planning. Key insights are transferable to planners with an interest in ethical collaborations between multiple governance structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the effect of natural hazards on migration in the United States (US) and the importance of spatial dependence in such assessments. We use two measures of migration: migration rates and flows. The model for migration flows is estimated using the gravity model, whereas out- and in-migration rates are analyzed using the spatial Durbin model. Our results indicate there is a major and significant impact of economic damage caused by natural hazards on out-migration rates and outward migration flows. In the spatial Durbin model and in the gravity model, a $1,000 dollar damage per capita is associated with an increase in out-migration of 16.0% and 9.1%, respectively. However, when spatial dependence is not accounted for, the effect of natural hazards on migration is substantially overestimated: the coefficients are 1.5–2 times larger when spatial dependence is not considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the various proposed models for practically developing a circular economy system, industrial symbiosis (IS) is one of the most promising. This paper aims at better understanding the extent to which regional industrial symbiosis practices have been internalized in companies and, second, at identifying the most important barriers that impede a company from the adoption of such practices at regional level. The research is grounded on original data collected using a questionnaire. The results allowed the division of firms into four clusters corresponding to different levels of adoption: (i) the perfectly symbiont companies that undertake all the proposed industrial symbiosis practices; (ii) the non-adopters that are low in terms of IS activities; (iii) the resource savers that focus on the use of by-products or waste from other companies; and the (iv) outbound activity optimizers that concentrate on the sale of their by-products and waste to other companies. Moreover, the results contributed to the identification of regulatory constraints and high investment costs and difficulties in finding financing as significant causes that hinder companies in the adoption of regional industrial symbiosis practices, while networking and logistic barriers appear not to be relevant. To overcome these barriers and to promote the adoption of IS at regional level, supporting the transition towards the circular paradigm, several political and managerial suggestions are proposed. [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]

Although there is a growing recognition of the Internet’s role in promoting environmental sustainability, the impact of social media use on low-carbon behavioral intentions remains poorly understood. Based on the survey data for 1,056 contemporary college students from 9 universities in China, this paper examines how social media use affects their intentions regarding low-carbon behaviors. An IV-Ordered Probit model is employed to account for the endogeneity issue and generate accurate estimates. The results indicate that, overall, the frequency of social media use has a significantly positive impact on college students’ intentions to adopt low-carbon behaviors, mainly by improving their subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Additionally, considerable heterogeneities are observed among students of different genders and grades. Knowledge, concern, and belief regarding climate change also have a significant effect on behavioral intentions. Finally, this paper proposes several policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of social media in promoting low-carbon behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green credit is an innovative financial instrument that aims to promote environmentally friendly innovations. However, financial institutions, as carriers of green credit, exhibit noticeable regional differences in the effects of implementation, leading to disparities in the distribution of green credit across regions, which will have a differentiated impact on inter-regional innovation. Unfortunately, the existing literature overlooks the impact of inter-regional differences in green credit distribution on technological innovation. Therefore, this study utilized panel data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2012 to 2021, and adopted the spatial Durbin model to study the impact of regional differences in green credit development on green technology innovation. Additionally, this paper explores the moderating effect of green credit on the spatial impact of green innovation from the perspectives of environmental regulation and digital finance. The results of this paper indicate that the development of green credit promotes green technology innovation at the local level but has a negative impact on neighboring regions. And the negative spatial spillover effect is more significant in the central and western regions and polluting industries. Through mechanism testing, this study finds that the negative spatial spillover effect on green technology innovation is primarily driven by the migration of polluting industries across regions and the turnover of green technology R&D staff in response to the pressure of green credit. Furthermore, this paper finds that marketization and public participation in environmental regulation, as well as the presence of digital finance, significantly enhance the promotion of local green technology innovation and mitigate the negative spatial spillover effect. This study provides valuable insights for the Chinese government in implementing a regional linkage strategy for green credit within the context of the green economy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have witnessed a shift to spatial perspectives in flood risk management. It is recognized that flood protection has substantial implications for land-use plans and requires attention to the functional geographies of river basins, catchments and floodplains. It is against this background that managed retreat is increasingly identified as a viable cost-effective response to flood risk. Yet managed retreat is also a political act, involving the displacement of coastal and riverine communities. In this paper, we examine the spatial imaginaries underlying managed retreat and flood risk management through an in-depth case study of a displaced village on the Danube in Upper Bavaria, Germany. The paper provides insights into the challenges posed by diverging functional, administrative and political spatial imaginaries and how this divergence contributes to perceptions of injustice. We suggest that a shift to a more relational form of communicative planning may help to address this dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse climate impacts present a significant challenge for the majority of the world's population. It is especially true for smallholder farmers in coastal Bangladesh, where some adaptation initiatives appeared to be short-sighted and reproduced further inequity, poverty, and food insecurity. Based on empirical insights, this paper shows how short-sighted climate responses can adversely affect gender equity, illustrated through three adaptation strategies. First, agricultural institutions have traditionally and historically linked with gender roles. Outmigration from the region is gendered as males leave first. This forces increased household and farm responsibilities onto female household members and increased vulnerability. This gendered vulnerability becomes compounded by the ways critical weather information flows at the local level. Taking this gendered lens, this paper illustrates how shrimp farming has caused long-term woes for society. These insights help in understanding the complexity of climate–society interactions and the importance of long-term planning on any climate adaptation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of trust in mosaic governance (MG) and is based on in-depth case studies in three municipalities with green volunteers and municipal planners in three municipalities in Denmark. MG refers to a normative governance design focused at stimulating the reflexive co-creation and management of natural areas. Results show that trust is crucial for successful collaboration between municipalities and green volunteers, and hence the unfolding of MG. Municipalities with higher levels of volunteer engagement report greater trust between volunteers and public officials. We show how different kinds of trust (institutional, procedural, rational, and affinitive) influence how collaborations are organized, and how the institutional context influences the possibilities for green volunteer engagement. Trust comes into play in different places and phases of MG and can be said to be the lubricant of MG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates changes in decision-makers' attitudes toward environmentally sustainable urban development in selected Norwegian urban settlements between 1991 and 2020. Changes in general environmental attitudes, problem perceptions and policy preferences concerning urban development are analyzed based on a survey conducted three decades apart in the same case areas among similar samples of decision-makers. The results show a general picture of some mainstreaming of environmental concern, environmentally friendly attitudes and positive attitudes toward measures supporting nature and climate friendly urban development. At the same time, there has been an increased divide between the political left and the political right in their attitudes toward environmental issues in general, as well as toward environmentally sustainable urban development. The results point to a widening gap between environmental attitudes and problem perceptions on the one hand, and the physical reality of escalating crises in the natural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of environmental liability insurance on corporate environmental disclosure for 384 Chinese listed firms during the period 2009 – 2018. We draw on stakeholder theory and find that environmental liability insurance can promote the quality of corporate environmental information disclosure through legitimacy pressure. We also find that, for firms with large environmental deficiency gaps, the positive effect of environmental liability insurance on disclosure is strengthened, whereas for firms with more slack resources, the positive effect is weaker. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for how environmental liability insurance can enhance legitimacy and push firms to offer a more substantive response by triggering their environmental management and supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While existing research at the national/regional and individual levels often emphasizes the compatibility between income inequality reduction and green transition, our study, based on the incentive alignment theory, argues that a certain level of pay gap can encourage executives to exert more management efforts on navigating the organizational change brought about by green innovation. Using a sample of Chinese public firms from 2012 to 2018, our empirical findings, based on ordinary least squares, the Heckman selection model and instrumental variable regression, demonstrate a positive impact of a pay gap on green innovation, particularly on green patents that require more management efforts due to the higher inventive step. Meanwhile, this positive effect is enhanced by executives with backgrounds in both R&D and environmental protection, as well as stronger regulatory pressures and financial resources. However, an excessive pay gap would limit the enthusiasm of employees with high bargaining power and a low sense of belonging to participate in green innovation. Our paper not only advances the understanding of how to promote green innovation, but also has significant practical implications for balancing green transition and pay equity in China and possibly in other countries where tradeoffs exist between these two domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assessed the impact of natural resource management technology (NRCT) on productivity and efficiency in maize production using an endogenous switching regression model in rainfed areas of Southern India. We also identified factors influencing adoption of NRCT, and technical efficiency in maize production. For this study, plot-level primary data from 303 farm households cultivating maize on 419 plots were collected. Results show that adoption of NRCT has resulted in an increase in maize productivity by 490 kg per ha and has also reduced technical inefficiency by 28% as compared to non-adopters. Furthermore, access to credit, better extension services and training on natural resource management are crucial factors positively affecting the adoption of NRCT as well as enhancing the technical efficiency of maize production. Therefore, these factors need to be considered when formulating policies and programmes that aim to improve crop productivity in rainfed areas, as well as sustaining natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture have been respectively proved as important means to break through the dilemma of agricultural green development in China. While their interactive influences on agricultural green development are rarely focused, as well as the mediation mechanism. This paper provides an interactive perspective by exploring the direct and indirect mechanisms affecting the relationship between environmental regulations, financial support for agriculture, and agricultural green development, among which the mediating effects of agricultural infrastructure, are further discussed. Based on the provincial panel data for China from the year 2000 to 2021, this paper constructs a fixed effect model, mediating effects model, and threshold panel model to empirically test the direct and indirect effects of environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture on agricultural green development. The results show that: (1) The full sample of agricultural green development in China shows an M-shaped trend, environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture show spatial and temporal heterogeneity among regions. (2) Environmental regulations, financial support for agriculture, and their interaction all have positive effects on agricultural green development, while their interactive effect is greater. (3) Agricultural power facilities not only significantly mediate the relationship between financial support for agriculture and agricultural green development, but also play a mediating role in the positive effect of the interaction between environmental regulations and financial support on agricultural green development. While rural transportation facilities only significantly mediate the positive effect of the interaction between environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture on agricultural green development. (4) Heterogeneity analysis results show that the effect of the interaction between environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture on agricultural green development is greatest in agricultural optimized developing areas; however moderate developing areas are insignificant. This research contributes to understanding how environmental regulations and financial support for agriculture affect agricultural green development and extends the mediating role of agricultural infrastructure in their relationships. [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 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]

To achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality while stabilizing economic development, enterprises need to achieve technological and management changes, and digital transformation is an important channel for change. This paper uses the 2010–2020 data on the A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from China’s power industry and takes these companies as research objects. The results show that enterprise digital transformation can significantly improve carbon total factor productivity (CTFP). Heterogeneity analysis shows that in state-owned enterprises and in those enterprises integrating coal and electricity, a high proportion of clean energy installed capacity and a high level of profitability result in greater improvements. The mechanism test shows that enterprise digital transformation changes factor preference and marginal output, significantly promotes factor-biased technological progress, and saves costs on expensive factors such as energy, thus improving CTFP. This paper provides new ideas for globally promoting digital transformation and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how cities develop climate plans is crucial to capture their potential to achieve ambitious climate goals. Previous literature has highlighted the role of external pressures or heroic actors in driving local changes. By highlighting the everyday practices of actors in urban climate planning, we reveal new sets of contradictions in climate governance. Drawing from social practice theory, this paper examines how contradictions were managed in the process of developing a new climate plan in Bergen, Norway. Through a variety of empirical sources, we explore the strategic value these offer, and the organisational work accomplished by the navigation of contradictions. We highlight three strategic benefits of negotiating contradictions: the legitimisation, expansion and signalling of climate work. In conclusion, the paper argues that considering practices of climate planning reveals novel forms of agency, namely the potential of mundane organisational processes and the pivotal role of civil servants in this work. [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]

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]

The conventional literature on urban wetlands has, over the years, focused on the effects of urbanization on the encroachment of wetlands and ecosystem services. Nonetheless, little is known about how institutions respond to the encroachments along ecologically sensitive areas within the context of the global south. A comprehensive insight into the management strategies adopted by institutions in ecosystem services governance is essential for advancing the sustainability discourse in Ghana. Using the qualitative research approach, face-to-face interviews were conducted among relevant stakeholder institutions. The findings indicate that the strategies adopted by institutions in the management of ecologically sensitive areas are top-down in nature and this has been ineffective over the years. The paper recommends the need for community-based approaches for the management and protection of ecologically sensitive areas. The community-based approach can be adopted through the integration of local knowledge in promoting ecological sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether agricultural mechanization can drive carbon reduction in Belt and Road countries remains an unanswered question. This paper investigates how agricultural mechanization can contribute to agricultural carbon emissions reduction in countries along the Belt and Road, and to test whether technological progress can play a moderating role. The findings show that: 1) agricultural mechanization can effectively promote carbon emission reduction in countries along the Belt and Road; 2) countries with a high level of technological progress can effectively reduce agricultural carbon emissions by improving agricultural mechanization, and technological progress plays a positive regulating role; 3) agricultural mechanization is regionally heterogeneous and income heterogeneous, and its carbon-reducing effects are more pronounced in Asia, low- and middle-income countries and upper-middle-income countries. The results of the study provide lessons for climate governance and agricultural development in countries along the Belt and Road and help governments to formulate relevant policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions on power exercise by natural resource actors and inherent conflicts have gained traction in scientific and policy circles in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), although there is virtual neglect of harmful convictions embedded in the exercise of power. To bridge this gap, this paper explores power and convictions around land and linked natural resources in Cameroon. Data was generated through focus group discussions (N = 14), key informant (N = 44) and expert interviews (N = 19). The analysis drew from the actor-centered power lens employing thematic and content analysis. The results indicate the following: First, while gender-based and elitism-based harmful convictions significantly shape land and linked natural resource access, region/ethnic-based and religion-based convictions were less significant. Second, actors championing gender-based convictions employ more coercive approaches, while elitist and political actors make use of incentives. This study informs the actor-centered power (ACP) approach, with emphasis on the convictions embedded in the exercise of power during natural resource acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite studies on CSR, not a single research study has been conducted on leadership behavior for environmental CSR in SMEs. The CSR spending in the environment was skewed towards sectors other than the environment. In this context, this paper addresses the research gap through the Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT). Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire from leaders of 353 Indian SMEs. Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modelling were employed to process the data. The leadership “value” positively impacted leadership “motives”, and the “motive” positively impacted behavioral leadership “intention” for environmental CSR. The “Reason for” (improved firm performance, competitive advantage, image, and risk mitigation) had a positive association with the value and motive of SME leaders. The “Reason against” (lack of knowledge, personal commitment, and lack of time) is negatively associated with SME leaders’ “value,” “motive” (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived control), and “behavioral intention” for environmental CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, heating accounts for half of the final energy consumption and is still based mainly on fossil fuels. Nevertheless, the transition to renewable heat has been widely criticized for progressing too slowly. To accelerate the heat transition, an increased use of biogenic residues and waste is discussed as a possible approach, as model calculations show considerable potential for these materials. This paper examines the barriers to an increased use of biogenic residues and waste in the context of municipal heat transition, including their use in district heating networks. The results are based on qualitative stakeholder and expert interviews and focus groups in rural municipalities in Germany. As a central finding, this study identifies the main barriers as multiple fragmentations in different areas (material, utilization paths, actor structure, framework conditions and knowledge) and their interdependencies. These findings contribute to a better understanding of structural obstacles of heat transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging low-carbon behavior and adopting sustainable green lifestyles are crucial to safeguarding the ecological environment. To promote the sustainable development of humans, society, and the environment, it is essential to establish a harmonious relationship between residents’ well-being and the environment. This study investigates the differences of associations in residents’ subjective well-being and multiple types of low-carbon behaviors with place attachment as a mediator using a structural equation model based on a questionnaire survey of the residents of Hangzhou, China. The findings reveal that subjective well-being has a positive and significant effect on place attachment, and place attachment has a positive and significant impact on multiple types of low-carbon behaviors. Furthermore, the mediating effect test shows that place attachment plays a partial mediation role in the influence path of subjective well-being on habitual low-carbon behavior. In contrast, it plays a full mediating role in the influence path of low-carbon purchasing and travel behavior. Based on the emotion-behavior theory, this paper highlights the positive role of subjective well-being in promoting positive human-environment interaction by focusing on microscopic individual behavior. It provides policy implications for the government to promote the adoption of residents’ low-carbon behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College students, as a new force in energy saving and emission reduction, play an important role in environmental protection. However, there is a lack of empirical research on the factors that affect college students' energy-saving behaviors at the individual and organizational levels. In this study, an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model is employed to narrow this gap. A total of 661 valid data points collected from 51 Chinese universities were used to test related hypotheses. The findings reveal that attitude, perceived responsibility, perceived behavior control and subjective norms are significantly related to energy-saving intention. Meanwhile, energy-saving intention is the most decisive factor for Chinese college students' energy-saving behavior. More importantly, this paper verified the positive effect of organizational factors (energy-saving climate) on students' energy-saving intentions and behaviors. Finally, implications for improving students' energy-saving intention and theoretical and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite adopting a mainstreaming approach to spatial adaptation, few cities actually implement it. Why this is so is disputed, as the implementation stage has been under-researched. Inspired by the "mechanism-based" strand, this paper analyses three implementation projects in the Netherlands. Mechanisms are generalizable patterns yielding more plausible explanations for phenomena than "superficial" barriers or drivers. We found one overarching mechanism: the "institutional void" – an absence of policy frameworks with clear norms and agreements on adaptation. It led to three hampering mechanisms (avoidance of administrative responsibility, aversion to innovation and avoidance of private responsibility) and three stimulating mechanisms (window of opportunity exploitation, efficient coupling and policy entrepreneurship). We demonstrate that, although hampering mechanisms constrain the solution space for mainstreaming adaptation, the stimulating mechanisms prove that room remains for committed actors to use the limited available space efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, much attention has been paid to the effectiveness of green reward practices in fostering employee achievement of environmental performance. The current literature reports contradictory findings and points to several gaps in our understanding. First, the effect of green rewards on individual environmental performance is mixed, at best. Second, the role of internal environmental orientation on this effect has been overlooked. Using data from two independent studies, this paper provides findings that help address these issues. The results show that organizational support for the environment conveys the effect of green reward practices on employee environmental performance and indicates that internal environmental orientation only strengthens the indirect effect at high levels. The findings are discussed in light of the literature. The findings draw on two independent samples. POSE conveys the effect of green rewards on employee environmental performance. Internal environmental orientation strengthens the mediating effect of POSE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientific ecological security assessment framework is critical to regional ecological security. This paper improves the emergy ecological footprint model which optimizes the traditional emergy ecological footprint by adding the water supply service, to assess ecological security, and quantitatively analyzed the factors affecting ecological security by partial least squares regression. Zhejiang Province, one of the most developed provinces in China, was selected as a case study. The results show that (1) the emergy carrying capacity (ECC) per capita suffered a reduction from 2004 to 2018. (2) The emergy ecological footprint (EEF) per capita presented a rising trend, with a growth rate of 70.13% from 2004 to 2018. (3) The emergy ecological footprint per capita of biologically productive land has increased except for grassland and waters. (4) There was an ecological surplus in the period of 2004–2009, but an ecological deficit appeared after 2009. (5) The ecological insecurity in Zhejiang Province was increasing, which transformed from a comparably safe state to a relatively unsafe state. (6) The dominant influencing factors affecting Zhejiang's ecological security were population density, urban built-up area per capita, secondary industry output value, etc. These findings could provide valuable decision support to policy makers in formatting policies on ecological management and sustainable regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation is increasingly used to legitimize and improve environmental decision making. However, in practice participants often find the process empty and frustrating. This has adverse consequences for environmental planning and consenting processes, where participants become disillusioned, and negative feelings develop into active opposition, causing delays, spiraling costs, and conflict. This paper addresses the gap between participatory ideals and unsatisfactory environmental decision-making in practice. We take a fresh look at how participatory ideals can be implemented and propose a new framework based on translating participatory ideals into practice. We identified commitments and values for fair and achievable participatory environmental decision-making from science and technology studies (STS), procedural environmental justice, and deliberative democracy. These were synthesized and organized into a set of principles (inclusivity, process-orientation, empowerment, and reflection) and then translated into "practical" criteria. The result is a new framework that links participatory ideals to practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are various explanations for the centralization of planning approval authority, but few studies focus on the explanation of selective centralization from a national governance perspective. To address this gap, this paper uses the concept of land risk to identify the reason why central government centralizes the planning approval authority of a prefectural-city in China. An econometric quantitative approach is adopted. The findings suggest that land risk from farmland protection is an important factor affecting centralization. Specifically, the probability of centralization increases by approximately 2% for each unit reduction in per capita farmland area, by 1.6% for every 1% increase in land transfer area and by 1% for each level increase in illegal land use. Furthermore, the cities with high land risk are mainly concentrated in four provinces along eastern coastal China. Additionally, the result is predicted with an overall accuracy of 93%, which proves the validity of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the digital economy has emerged as a new impetus for countries to improve green innovation efficiency (GIE), existing research has thus far overlooked the direct relationship between them. Based on data from 30 provinces in China from 2011–2020, this paper investigates the impact of the digital economy on GIE by applying the spatial Durbin model, the mediation effect model, and the threshold effect model. The findings suggest that the digital economy can significantly enhance GIE directly and indirectly by promoting financial development, accumulating human capital, and optimizing industrial structure. Further research shows that non-linear characteristics exist between them at different levels of financial development, human capital, and industrial structure. Moreover, the eastern region experiences a more visible impact of the digital economy on provincial GIE. This study provides empirical evidence for an insightful comprehension of the link between the digital economy and GIE and policy suggestions for governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production is considered to be one of the main threats to biodiversity. Market-based wildlife-friendly farming (WFF) systems are thought to have great potential to reshape the link between biodiversity and agriculture. In this paper, we explore the potential for WFF rice production in China using choice experiment surveys of consumers and producers. Our results show that there is a significant difference in preferences between urban consumers and rural rice producers. Rice producers pay more attention to the practical concerns around quality (taste), location (ease of working) and prices, while urban consumers pay attention to whether the rice is healthy and free of contamination (e.g. organic or grown with fish). In addition, producers' price expectations for WFF rice production are not uniform due to different challenges with respect to technology, resource allocation and trust. Preference heterogeniety also exists among urban consumers, some of whom are skeptical of 'organic labeling', while others place high levels of trust in rice grown with "biological" indicators such as fish or frogs. Although WFF production systems may not be able to accommodate the full heterogeneity among growers and consumers it can strengthen the incentives to farm more sustainably for the benefit of the economy and the environment if appropriately designed. We suggest the most promising approach is to jointly produce organic rice with fish or another trusted biological indicator to overcome trust issues with existing organic labeling. [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]