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Selecting appropriate sites for municipal solid waste (MSW) is a challenging problem for urban communities and has economic and environmental implications. This paper proposes a mathematical optimization model to solve the location problem of MSW sites incorporating both push and pull characteristics. Four objective functions comprising health, safety, environmental (HSE), and economic indicators are considered. These objectives are combined into a single objective function using the weighted sum method and the best method is selected based on noise analysis. The parameter uncertainty is incorporated into the model using expert judgments followed by sensitivity analysis to show the effect of the most important parameters. Using the data from a network of 360 population centers in Tehran, the solution for the model is demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first study on location optimization of MSW considering combined HSE and economic indicators. The proposed approach is flexible and parsimonious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined the economic impacts of China's emissions trading system (ETS), implemented in 2013, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita GDP. The methodology drew on a difference-in-differences (DID) method using dynamic panel data for 30 provincial regions. The estimation results show that implementing an ETS policy has statistically significant negative effects on economic growth. When considering the additional control variables, these effects are still statistically significant. Furthermore, these negative impacts increase over time with respect to both GDP and per capita GDP. The counterfactual tests confirm the robustness of our DID estimation results. The specific influence mechanism of China's ETS policy was finally discussed. Our findings provide a quantitative decision-making support for popularizing ETS policy in China. Based on our DID model, empirical investigations of the ETS policy, especially concerning economic growth in other regions would produce prolific contributions to the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban–rural fringe is a dynamic environment where urban expansion limits the provision of landscape services. Economic valuation of these services is proposed to quantify the impact of urbanisation and inform planners of the potential losses that attribute to these land-use changes. However, most evaluation methods remain controversial regarding shortcomings in providing reliable results. This study applies market price, contingent valuation and value transfer methods and compares their performance in assessing the economic impact of land-use changes on the urban–rural fringe of the Amstelland (the Netherlands). Results with these applied methods differ greatly due to their respective advantages in revealing use values or non-use values of landscape services and dependence on land-use change. Thus, results are sensitive to value types, the scarcity of landscape services, scale of the study area, and involved stakeholders. This paper reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of these methods in different planning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green/blue spaces are put under pressure as urban areas grow, develop and evolve. It is increasingly recognized, however, that green/blue spaces provide important ecosystem services, stimulate higher real estate prices and prevent flooding problems. This paper aims to assess and compare the socio-economic impacts of potential green/blue space, urban residential and road infrastructure development scenarios in the Lyon Confluence project area (France), using the Sustainable Urbanizing Landscape Development (SULD) hedonic pricing simulation model. Results show four major tendencies regarding the value-added of green/blue spaces in urban landscapes: (1) cities become more compact; (2) population densities increase; (3) real estate values rise; and (4) demographic distribution patterns change. The magnitude of these impacts depends, however, on the quality and size of the intervention, the social classes attracted to the intervention area and on the location of the intervention relative to existing residential areas, urban centres, road infrastructure and environmental amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarly and policy interest on endogenous cultural institutions (ECIs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is gaining traction, albeit with a lack of robust empirical evidence on compliance determinants. This article contributes in this regard, by drawing from a sample of 200 forest-dependent households in the Santchou Landscape of Cameroon, complemented by key informant interviews (N = 17) and focus group discussions (N = 11). Using the ordinary least square and the logit model, we (i) analyze forest use practices shaped by ECIs, (ii) assess forest-based ECIs compliance determinants, and (iii) estimate the effect of compliance determinants on forest-based ECIs. We find that while norms and customs shape the harvesting of wood-based and vegetal based NTFPs, they are less likely to shape the exploitation of seed based NTFPs. Second, demographic and economic factors override socio-political determinants of ECIs. Third, elites are less likely to affect forest-based ECI compliance. Policy should leverage culturally sensitive ECIs in regulating forest resource use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and the impact of adoption on yields and farm net returns of vegetable farmers in Southern Ghana. We employ a two-step multinomial logit model to account for selection bias that occurs when unobservable factors influence adoption of IPM and impacts on outcomes. The empirical results show that the number of years of schooling and extension contacts of farmers adopting pesticides application only have positive effects on yields, whereas credit constraints and farm size exert negative effects. Farmers adopting pest monitoring only and employing more hired labor are associated with lower yields, whereas farmer-based organizations and lettuce cultivation are associated with higher yields. Increasing the number of years of schooling of farmers adopting pesticides application only tends to increase farm net returns. Farmers with unobserved characteristics linked to lowering yields or farm net returns tend to shift to an alternative IPM component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean acidification (OA) is increasingly recognized as a major global problem. Despite the scientific evidence, economic assessments of its effects are few. This analysis is an attempt to perform a national and sub-national assessment of the economic impact of OA on mollusc production in Europe. We focus on mollusc production because the scientific evidence on the biological impact on calcifying organisms is ample relative to other types of marine organisms. In addition, Europe and its regions are significant producers of marine molluscs. By performing a partial-equilibrium analysis, we show that the highest levels of overall impact are found in the countries with the largest current production, such as France, Italy and Spain. For Europe as a whole, the annual impact will be over 1 billion USD in 2100. Due to the different production foci of the individual countries and their regions, the distribution of the impact is extremely uneven across countries and their respective regions, with the most affected sub-national regions being those on the Atlantic coast of France, which is an important region for oyster production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borrowing from concepts of socio-environmental epidemiology and psychology, we conceived self-rated health as a function of multiple physical and psychosocial stressors and resources at the residential neighbourhood and individual level. In this model of multiple stressors, objective exposure to road traffic noise was specified as a physical stressor whose effect on health may be mediated and modified by residents’ subjective response to noise (serious noise annoyance). Self-reported hearing disability, recreational coping in green areas and residential neighbourhood satisfaction were examined as additional psychosocial stressors or resources, independently of socio-demographic and -economic factors. Results from our empirical analysis based on two studies and multivariable logistic regressions might support the idea that environmental planning should overcome sectoral boundaries and adopt an integrative approach including objective exposures, residents’ subjective responses, and perceived resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]