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This paper empirically analyses the relationship between urban form and Urban Heat Island (UHI) in a dataset of 523 European cities that matches remotely sensed land-use and surface temperature data. A UHI anomaly is defined as an uninterrupted streak of days where the temperature differential measured at 12.00 AM between the city core and its surroundings is higher than a given threshold. From this definition, three UHI indicators are obtained: mean intensity, mean duration of the event and occurrence rate. We study the influence of urban morphology on the UHI indictors with a Heckman model. A sample selection bias is detected for mean intensity and mean duration. The estimation results also show that some urban morphological features have a mitigating effect, while some others play a role at the adaptation level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protection and mitigation of biodiversity are essential within land-use planning; highlighted by the increased importance of nature during the global pandemic and the fight against climate change. Currently, the character of both the land and decision-makers can influence the weight biodiversity is ascribed within planning processes. Through analysis of semi-structured interviews, with various actors within the Northamptonshire planning system, this research explored the opportunities and challenges around promoting biodiversity across brownfield sites; the motivations for conservation by different planning actors; and what this means for the future of urban habitats on previously developed land. This research found that brownfield sites continue to be undervalued for their biodiversity potential, predominantly due to the downplaying of ecological expertise in decision-making. With England's proposed planning reforms, this paper argues that tensions between brownfield redevelopment and biodiversity conservation stand to be further exacerbated as the government intends to "scythe through red tape" (Johnson 2020b). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses spatial econometric and the threshold effect models to study the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) in China's energy conservation and emissions reduction. We use provincial-level data on pollutants (CO2, wastewater emission, exhaust emission, and waste emission) available from 2001 to 2015. Results indicated that FDI not only promotes China's "energy conservation," but also improves China's CO2 emission efficiency and environmental efficiency. We find that export-oriented foreign companies can significantly improve China's energy efficiency and water quality. FDI enhances energy efficiency through eco-oriented technological progress and water quality, air quality through production-oriented technological progress. We also find that the impact of FDI on China's energy conservation and emission reduction has significant threshold effects. Our findings contradict the often believed "pollution haven hypothesis." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the extent and the nature of how the urban planning literature has addressed climate change adaptation. It presents a longitudinal study of 157 peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2013 in the leading urban planning and design journals whose selection considered earlier empirical studies that ranked them these journals. The findings reveal that the years 2006–07 represent a turning point, after which climate change studies appear more prominently and consistently in the urban planning and design literature; however, the majority of these studies address climate change mitigation rather than adaptation. Most adaptation studies deal with governance, social learning, and vulnerability assessments, while paying little attention to physical planning and urban design interventions. This paper identifies four gaps that pertain to the lack of interdisciplinary linkages, the absence of knowledge transfer, the presence of scale conflict, and the dearth of participatory research methods. It then advocates for the advancement of participatory and collaborative action research to meet the multifaceted challenges of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Environmental Liability Directive aims to ensure that damaged habitats are restored where possible, but allows for complementary remediation with replacement habitat where restoration is not possible within a reasonable time. It also allows for compensatory remediation of the resource based on an assessment of environmental values in cases where there are interim social losses. This paper concurs with the argument that physical remediation without consideration of social values can fail to be equivalent to the resource that has been lost. Using, as a case study, a river in Ireland, it demonstrates that estimating social value can be challenging in practice, noting also differences between the value of environmental gains and losses. The paper argues that estimates of final ecosystem service values, including wastewater treatment costs, can provide a measure of social value and makes a case for the systematic collection of these data to inform decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

There are diverse distributed Renewable Energy (RE) trading business models (BM) which enable consumer-prosumer/generator energy trading; however, their efficiency and effectiveness in creating a stable RE market with enhanced economic values are not properly investigated. This paper intends to investigate the impact of diverse distributed RE trading paradigms on creating a stable RE market with enhanced economic values for multiple stakeholders. A comprehensive literature review is carried out to identify different distributed RE trading BMs and the "business model canvas" is used to analyze their characteristics. The findings identified that the ICT-based peer-to-peer (P2P) distributed RE trading has more technical, economic, and social benefits in comparison to other BMs. With the use of ICT applications such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and smart distribution applications, P2P distributed RE trading provides a unique service environment consisting of preference-based trading, distributed market control, automated trading, and customer involvement in price determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In environmental governance, participatory modes of political decision-making and planning are becoming more prevalent. A rationalist model of governance would assume that instrumental rationales prevail in choosing participatory process designs. Some argue, however, that public policy-makers also follow administrative or governance 'culture'. The concept of participatory governance culture assumes that historically grown institutional traditions, rationales and routines predetermine administrative practice. This paper empirically maps whether differences in participatory approaches can be explained by variation in participatory governance cultures. We study participatory governance in implementing the participatory provisions of three EU environmental directives in German federal states. Results indicate that although statutory requirements play a role in implementation process design, state-specific patterns can be observed. Studying participatory governance cultures seems viable to (1) enrich the theory of participatory planning through greater attention to governance cultures and to (2) offer an explanatory model on variation in implementation processes within one policy field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel methodological approach to help decision-makers in SMEs evaluate and prioritize sustainability reporting (SR) standards. It can thus help SMEs to overcome some of the problems they encounter when initiating SR. In order to explore this decision in more depth, a set of decision criteria are identified, reflecting the costs and benefits that could be derived from SR adoption. The methodological approach proposed is based on the best-worst multi-criteria decision-making method and is tested on a sample of Spanish SMEs. The results highlight the relevance of SR for the legitimacy and reputation of the firm, with GRI ranking first among the SR alternatives. This research helps to strengthen the link between academia and business, by developing a tool with which firms can select a reporting standard. This is especially relevant for SMEs given their relevant role in national economies and their general failure to disclose such information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been limited research examining the impact of the top-down and quota-oriented farmland preservation policies on urban land expansion at the city level in China. This paper aims to narrow this gap, particularly focusing on the policies of prime farmland preservation quota and farmland conversion quota. A multilevel modeling approach was applied to examine the effects. The findings suggest that the two policies had limited effects. The limited effect of the two policies is rooted in the gaps between planning policy-making and implementation. Specifically, prefecture-level city-biased allocation of conversion and preservation quotas led to less restrictions on prefecture-level cities. The decoupling of annual quotas and land use planned quotas undermined the controlling effects on urban land expansion. Also, farmland conversion quotas incorporated into new plans were inconsistent. Additionally, insufficient capacity to monitor policy implementation, especially for prime farmland use, considerably weakened the potential effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased resource demand due to rapid urbanization has made cities like Mashhad highly dependent on their surroundings for resource supply and waste disposal, and has negatively impacted their local-regional hinterlands. To reduce the metabolic footprint of cities and create an environmentally restorative relationship between cities and their supporting ecosystems, a transition toward local alternative and renewable sources is essential. This paper explores potentials for water and energy self-sufficient provision in Mashhad using the Urban Harvesting method to practically illustrate how cities could seek opportunities to meet their needs within their boundaries before relying on external supplies. Results showed that solar photovoltaic and biogas could provide 4495.2 and 472.6 GWh/yr electricity, altogether enabling Mashhad to offset 100% of its consumption. Water cascading and recycling have the potential to meet 72% of the demand, and replace around 125 mcm/yr of imported water. Similarly, water self-sufficiency would increase by 5%–8% (8.6–14.7 mcm/yr) when collecting rainwater from rooftops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aimed at designing a model of sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship among local producers of agricultural inputs. The paper highlights causal, contextual, and intervening conditions for sustainability entrepreneurship among these local producers. In addition, the necessary action strategies are provided to develop sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship. The consequences of agricultural input production are also illustrated based on the insight of sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship. The research population was composed of knowledge-intensive businesses working on pesticide production in Iran. They were sampled using the purposive sampling technique. The research instrument was interviews in the qualitative phase and a questionnaire in the quantitative phase. The qualitative data were analyzed by grounded theory in three steps of open, axial, and selective coding, and the sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship model was derived. The results show that sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship is composed of contextual conditions (e.g. the values and understanding of the society, training, and the role of media), causal conditions (e.g. entrepreneurial attitude and passion, higher demand, and specific diseases), and intervening conditions (e.g. international sanctions, support by the government and other institutions, and the development of technical and technological infrastructure). Also, the strategies of sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship include increasing production capacity, matching national and global regulations, assessing environmental considerations, creating an entrepreneurial culture, and strengthening scientific research and international cooperation. These strategies will have extensive implications at the level of individuals (e.g. motivation), families (e.g. improvement of physical and mental health), and society (e.g. creating employment and value-added and developing sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship in the agricultural inputs domain). It was found in the quantitative phase that the model of sustainability-oriented responsible entrepreneurship was well fitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation crowding theory examines how external intervention may undermine intrinsic motivation. Earlier research has shown that intrinsic motivation plays a decisive role in fostering environmental performance of households and consumers, but that external pressures may "crowd out" the intrinsic motivations. Similar patterns could be expected in business organizations. However, only a few studies consider crowding effects of financial incentives on businesses' intrinsic motivation to environmental responsibility, whereas none addresses the impact of external pressures from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media, despite their prominent role. This study aims to address this gap by offering a mediation framework explaining how pressures from NGOs and media affect intrinsic motivation. Empirically, the paper adds to the scant empirical research by estimating a model on a sample of 4,364 enterprises from twelve European countries. We find that NGOs and media pressures increase financial benefits from environmental responsibility, which in turn crowd in intrinsic motivation in enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human health and well-being benefits have increasingly been associated with contact with nature. However, limited research has focused on the influence of ecosystem type and quality on these outcomes. This paper reports on the results of an in-situ survey of 467 visitors to an Ontario protected area. Results revealed high overall restorative outcomes across all ecosystem types, with greater benefits reported for women than men. Perceived ecosystem quality, including species richness, naturalness, and ecological integrity, had the greatest impact on restorative outcomes, while the type of ecosystem and time spent had surprisingly little influence. Greater restorative outcomes for women were also associated with specific ecosystem types. The study advances our limited understanding of the nuanced relationship between human health and well-being outcomes and exposure to diverse ecosystems, and by extenstion the unique aspects of biodiversity and ecosystem condition that Canada's protected areas exhibit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies environmental policy integration (EPI) in eco-city/island, building an empirical model to quantify EPI levels based on decoupling analysis. EPI integration levels have been highlighted but have seldom been quantitatively probed in existing academia. It attempts to identify whether EPI, especially its prioritization, is approached in Chongming eco-city/island and identify the factors for it to be achieved. The four-quadrant decoupling model is applied and further operationalized temporally and spatially. Results show that Chongming had a strong prioritized EPI in four consecutive years in the examined years of 2012–2018 despite fluctuations in integration levels. Spatially in its 18 towns, 7 towns have prioritized EPI and one has strongly prioritized EPI, indicating optimistic empirical evidence for an eco-city/island. Contributing factors are discussed, such as EPI levels embodied in the distributed spatiality and time intervals, isolated bounded spatiality and functional symbiosis, and offsetting high costs with multi-level support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study of policy implementation of green infrastructure and stormwater management in the City of Toronto – Canada's largest city. The analysis uses key informant interviews with public, private and non-profit sector actors to examine the challenges municipalities face in implementing green infrastructure policies. The article begins with a review of the literature related to green infrastructure policy implementation followed by the theoretical and methodological approach used in the paper. Findings are then presented outlining the significant barriers to green infrastructure and insights from participants who articulated that rather than a shift from grey to green, what is evident in terms of policy change is policy layering and very gradual conversion of well-established policies that support grey infrastructure. The paper concludes with a discussion of why the shift from grey to green will continue to be challenging unless significant policy and institutional changes are advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The preparation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) inclusive sustainability appraisals (SAs) for neighbourhood plans (NPs) in England may be required when significant environmental effects are expected to arise from an NP. In this paper, we report on the result of a Ph.D. project, conducted between 2012 and 2015, in which all 15 NP SEA inclusive SAs that had been completed at the time were evaluated. In this context, the quality of SA practice was found to differ substantially. SAs were prepared either 'in-house' (i.e. by neighbourhood planning steering groups) or by consultants. The quality of SAs was found to be associated with their overall perceived degree of influence on the underlying NPs. Whilst the focus of this paper is on practice in England, findings are expected to be of interest to a wider international audience, in particular to those experimenting with voluntary neighbourhood/local level plan SA/SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse environmental effects of intensive agriculture, together with scarcity in phosphates and water, urge farmers to find more sustainable practices. An example of such a sustainable practice is on-farm processing of organic waste. This paper explores three mechanisms that can lead to a widespread uptake of this technique: (1) economies of scale, (2) information sharing, and (3) adjustment of social norms. Although each of these mechanisms has been studied before, this paper provides new insights by considering the interactions that might exist between the different mechanisms when they are applied to real-life situations. Based on a pilot study, we developed a multi-criteria mathematical programming model at individual farm level. We used this model to simulate the uptake of on-farm processing of organic waste, as a result of the three mechanisms and their interactions. Our results show that each mechanism results in an increased uptake, but is not likely to cause a widespread uptake. Interaction between the mechanisms, will lead to a much higher uptake. This result suggests that simultaneous consideration of multiple mechanisms is essential to understand the behaviour of social–ecological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When ecosystem services value estimates are applied in the economic assessment of environmental policies, high accuracy of these estimates is required. One of the directions in the scientific discussion on biases in stated preference (SP) valuation surveys builds on dual-process theories of judgment. The paper contributes to this literature by presenting an experiment where two types of judgment were induced via separate versus joint valuation of environmental goods. The results demonstrated that policy relevance of environmental issues, e.g. the need for conservation measures increases emotional response, causing a larger bias in the separate design as it involves 'valuation by feeling.' This finding suggests that the context of a specific policy, which is often the reason for conducting SP surveys, influences the answers, thereby making the results less reliable for use in cost–benefit analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While strengthening public–private interplay is expected to improve the climate profile of urban planning in terms of mitigation and adaptation, less is known about the practice of such new interactive modes of governing. The paper critically examines the role, benefits and limitations of extended public–private interplay in developing a new housing district in Sweden. The developer dialogue between municipal officials and property developers confirms mutual interests, shared understandings and the added value of interacting. However, the closer the dialogue comes to settling agreements, the more difficult it gets for municipal officials to steer the process and its outcomes in favor of climate proofing. Complications with adapting to the new interactive setting means that municipal officials balance between acting as facilitators and/or regulators and property developers between acting as partners, competitors and/or defenders. Refining steering-strategies for sustaining commitments and securing formal agreements are pertinent for using public–private interplay to climate-proof urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have increasingly acknowledged the relative strength of 'hybrid' approaches to scenario analysis for exploring the futures of coupled human-nature systems. In this paper, we explain, demonstrate, and provisionally evaluate the usefulness of a simple analytical framework, based on five categories of capital assets, as part of a protocol for overcoming the conversion problem in hybrid scenario analysis. Based on a preliminary application of the framework to a case study in South Africa, we suggest that the five capitals framework has the potential to improve expedience and counter the bias against 'soft' drivers in hybrid approaches to scenario analysis. However, in light of the methodological trade-off between rigour and expedience, we suggest that future research needs to compare the available protocols for hybrid scenario analysis by weighing up the relative gain in scenario quality versus the relative cost of scenario construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the case of forest and pasture commons in the Carpathian Mountains, this paper examines the emotional work carried out in institutions, in creating and changing rules, accessing resources, in leadership and contestation processes. The recent restitution of land commons in Romania has created possibilities for participation in the field of relations that shape environments and governance. This paper brings empirical research, based on extensive fieldwork, to showcase disputes over grazing areas, allegations of deforestation and ecological neglect. The ethnographic approach helps reveal the intricate processes by which actors create, experience and rework institutions bottom-up. This paper argues for an enlivened approach to institutions as complex, emergent and relational entities. Using the lens of a relational-vitalist ontology, it emphasizes the depth and subtlety of activities carried out by people that bring forth institutions, and draws attention to the interconnectedness of productive, political and emotional labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to the EU leads to a process of policy convergence in which member states' institutions and policy cultures become increasingly adapted to align with an EU governance system. Especially in EU environmental policy, knowledge and expertise are key aspects of the institutions and policy cultures that are adapted in this process, which ideally results in the alignment of EU policy and administrative arrangements of member states. This paper offers a historical analysis of the Nitrates Directive's implementation in Poland and shows how increasing convergence of Polish institutions and cultures of expertise with EU policy occurred in response to the directive's requirements. The results highlight that (1) knowledge and expertise are central to policy convergence processes and that (2) institutions and cultures of expertise are entwined in 'infrastructures of expertise'. The paper concludes with a call for more consideration of the science-policy interface in policy convergence processes related to Europeanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is the most important public standard for an Environmental Management System. In the last few years, the number of certified organisations has been decreasing. Scholars have largely debated the drivers, barriers and benefits, but the recent decrease in EMAS registrations has not been sufficiently studied, leaving unsolved questions for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers. This paper aims to address this literature gap by (i) analysing the trends of other voluntary certification schemes in order to understand whether the decrease is a peculiarity of EMAS; (ii) investigating the reasons why formerly registered organisations have abandoned EMAS and why ISO14001 certified organisations do not adopt EMAS. The paper reports results of 17 interviews highlighting the lack of financial and human resources, the lack of market and stakeholder recognition, and the unclear added value of EMAS as reasons for the decrease of EMAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As ecological concerns become pressing, attempts to address these remain limited to enforcing laws, while alternative ways of encouraging workplace pro-environmental behaviors (WPEBs), such as cultivating mindfulness, remain unexplored. Informed by theories of PEBs from OB-IO literature, we offer propositions detailing the role that practicing mindfulness plays in (directly and indirectly) enhancing managerial propensity to engage in WPEBs. Our paper contributes to extant literature: (1) on theories of PEBs, by showing that some of the same theories that apply to the private domain also hold for commercial organizations; (2) relating mindfulness to PEBs, by expanding the exploration from personal and consumer domains to managerial contexts; and (3) on interventions to enhance WPEBs, by exposing the underlying mechanism of 'how' practicing mindfulness enhances managerial engagement in WPEBs. We call for companies to offer more mindfulness-based training programs to employees, since such initiatives complement laws and other interventions in supporting WPEBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the role of land-use planning, especially open space systems, in mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) at the urban level. Whilst there is increasing interest in BES mainstreaming to balance environmental protection with socio-economic development, there is also concern that BES thinking deflects attention from underlying social justice questions. Through the case study of Durban, South Africa - often held as an exemplar in BES mainstreaming - we argue open space systems can offer a pathway to BES mainstreaming that is both scientifically effective and socially just. Yet what makes this possible in Durban, we argue, is (1) a robust scientific evidence base deployed reflexively and sensitively; (2) a move towards explicit emphasis on providing benefits of BES to the most vulnerable people; and (3) supportive policy frameworks plus the presence of biodiversity managers able to navigate the political as well as scientific landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on assessing airline environmental efficiency with network structure and build a three-stage efficiency production process. Then, we propose a new model, network range-adjusted measure with weak-G disposability, to measure the environmental efficiency of 29 global airlines based on the data from 2008 to 2015. Finally, a second-stage regression analysis is done to explore the important influencing factors. The main findings are as follows: (1) Eva Air is the airline with the highest efficiency among these 29 airlines; (2) Delta is at the bottom of the efficiency ranking among the 29 airlines and this result is in correlation with its old aircraft fleet; (3) the average efficiency change index in 2014 is the highest in the period 2009-2015; (4) only average fleet age has a slightly significant impact on the overall efficiency and Services efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing problem, causing concerns for many countries. Consumer electronics often feature substantial e-waste, yet little is known about the materials used or physical designs applied that might ensure the appropriate management of e-waste. This paper examines user-driven innovation in 'green' electronics, based on a 2015 survey of Taiwanese residents. The conjoint analysis, conducted with digital cameras, reveals consumers' perceptions of innovative designs for seven component materials: battery, shell, monitor, filters, modeling, flash, and sensor. The results suggest that users can be encouraged to participate in the design of energy-related products that satisfy their needs. Rethinking the design of certain attributes in electronics can help reduce the need for toxic materials, improve energy consumption, reduce landfill space, and mitigate ecological pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is now an emerging sense of the scope and nature of response that can be implemented at building and neighbourhood scales to help adapt cities and urban areas to the changing climate. In comparison, the role of larger natural and seminatural landscapes that surround and permeate cities is less well understood. Addressing this knowledge gap, this paper outlines two case studies that describe and map the flood risk management functions offered by green infrastructure landscapes situated within the Urban Mersey Basin in North West England. The case studies establish that areas potentially exposed to flooding can be located at some distance, and within different jurisdictions, from upstream areas where the flood hazard may be generated and could be moderated via functions provided by green infrastructure landscapes. This raises planning and governance challenges connected to supporting and enhancing flood risk management functions provided by green infrastructure landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given many potential obstacles, what types of strategic plans and measures for climate protection and/or energy sustainability are more likely than others to be adopted by cities? What are the key internal and external obstacles to adopting and implementing these plans and measures? Based on data obtained from a survey conducted from 2010 to 2011 and other sources, this paper develops a framework derived from political contracting theory and strategic orientation literature to examine how public management obstacles, socio-economic factors, and political factors influence a city's likelihood of having strategic energy sustainability plans and measures in place. Moreover, this paper finds that many California cities remain reluctant to require residents and businesses to comply with more challenging sustainability measures, such as smart-growth land-use practices, and that those cities with a strategic energy sustainability plan already in place tend to be more willing to adopt smart-growth land-use measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While regulations have advanced product take-back in some markets, challenges to increasing product reuse and remanufacturing remain. Most research to date has focused on original equipment manufacturers taking back and remanufacturing their products, which is often problematic. The present study demonstrates that there are emerging opportunities for small companies with innovative business models to enter the market and advance product end-of-life (EoL) management. The paper examines the biotechnology industry - a growing sector with high spending on lab equipment and relatively short lifespans of research and development instruments. Building on previous research and analysis of industry practices and emerging drivers for product reuse and remanufacturing, the authors propose a framework for sustainable EoL management that includes five managerial drivers: financial benefits, space, ease/convenience, information, and sustainability goals. The paper concludes with discussion of the lessons learned and practical implications for managers in charge of purchasing or disposing of surplus equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separate waste collection in Italy comes under the responsibility of local authorities, provinces, while national laws set quantitative targets to be achieved over time. Overall, just a few provinces have reached the thresholds set by the latest law (Legislative Decree 152/2006) and some territorial differentiation has been detected. The aim of this paper is twofold: to verify the effectiveness of Legislative Decree 152/2006 in promoting higher levels of separate collection and to test whether institutional quality (considering the following indicators: voice and accountability, regulatory quality, rule of law and corruption) affects provinces' efficiency in the separate collection process. For this purpose, we implement the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Results suggest that the effectiveness of Legislative Decree 152/2006 has been affected by provinces' institutional quality. In particular, the presence of institutional constraints did not allow the most virtuous provinces to achieve the targets set by law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2015 Peril of Flood Act mandates that municipalities in Florida, USA consider sea level rise (SLR) in the coastal element of the comprehensive plan. Because the mandate lacks specificity, planning actors have broad discretion on how to respond. This paper examines how state, regional, and local level actors are implementing the mandate through a case study of the Tampa Bay region. Documents and interviews reveal that state agency staff provided inconsistent compliance guidance. Regional organizations developed credible planning intelligence and promoted collaboration and shared learning. Local planning actors, led by champions, utilized the mandate as political cover and a window of opportunity to pursue progressive planning. These champions were committed to technically competent planning practice and a moral duty to plan for SLR. The analysis reveals the importance of a top-down mandate to spur SLR planning in Florida when paired with regional capacity building and local level progressive champions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen Science (CS) projects vary greatly. The aims and goals of a CS project determine the type of citizen involvement and the tools to be used, which in most cases also entail information and communication technology (ICT) that facilitates public participation in scientific research. Resource limitations in CS projects often require adopting suboptimal tools, which, however, may come with hidden costs stemming from poor usability and underwhelming functionality, thus reducing volunteers' motivation. Meeting the volunteers' expectations by designing or using existing tools with functional features which fulfill and nurture their motivations, will foster long-term participation and contribute to project sustainability. This paper reviews the types of CS projects, volunteer motivation and retention strategies from the literature and classifies them thematically. This is distilled into guidance that can help CS practitioners to design and implement CS tools and plan and manage CS projects, which better serve their scientific and volunteer-related goals. [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]

This paper is concerned with the ways in which Danish municipalities seek to mitigate climate change through a range of governance strategies. Through the analysis of ten municipal climate plans using the framework of Mitchell Dean, as well as extensive ethnographic fieldwork in two municipalities, this paper explores how local climate change mitigation is shaped by particular rationalities and technologies of government, and thus seeks to illustrate how the strategies set out in the plans construe climate change mitigation from a certain perspective, thereby rendering some solutions more likely than others and recasting citizens as passive consumers who are to be guided to consume in more climate-friendly ways in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Screening is a critical first stage of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, vetting development proposals to determine whether or not they require a full assessment. Inadequately executed significance tests undermine EIA's purpose of environmental protection. There is considerable variation across jurisdictions in terms of prescriptive and discretionary significance tests and the criteria and thresholds within them. Of all aspects of EIA, screening is cited as the most frequent source of actual infringements, yet there is a dearth of research in this area. This paper presents an empirical study from South Australia that investigates the adequacy of its discretionary screening process. The findings suggest that improvements are much needed toward improved consistency and transparency of decision-making and, ultimately better environmental protection. The paper prompts a thorough examination of significance testing elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Data collection for economic valuation by using Internet surveys and pre-recruited Internet panels can be associated with severe disadvantages. Problems concerning sample coverage and sample representativeness can be expected. Representation errors may occur since people can choose whether to be part of an Internet panel and subsequently whether they wish to participate in the survey, thereby introducing two elements of potential self-selection. These elements may be correlated with preferences, thus making the respondents a non-random and non-representative sample, ultimately biasing results. This paper analyses a sample used for an Internet contingent valuation method survey eliciting preferences for improvements in water quality of a river. We find that some variables that affect the survey participation decision also affect willingness-to-pay, consequently biasing our welfare estimates. We show how adjusting willingness-to-pay for this bias can be accomplished by using a grouped data model incorporating a correlation parameter to account for selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Australia recently introduced a mandatory carbon price, this paper provides a rare perspective of how such institutional changes influence consumer preferences for voluntary climate action. When examined using three contingent valuation questions, the results show that the compliance mechanism induces a substantial reduction in the number of air travellers who are willing to pay extra for voluntary carbon offsets and in the payment amount, although the crowding-out effect is incomplete. A disproportionately larger welfare benefit is attached to the carbon offsets for a domestic flight than its international counterpart. Overall empirical findings advocate the continued role of voluntary programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental education and collaboration are key tools used by biosphere regions/reserves to encourage a harmonious relationship between people and the land. The goal of this paper is to examine collaboration among organizations offering environmental education within the Beaver Hills Biosphere of Alberta, Canada. Based on analyses of 23 semi-structured interviews with environmental educators and planners, we describe current mechanisms of collaboration, benefits and drawbacks, enablers and barriers, and future recommendations in the context of collective impact theory. These findings highlight the principles and importance of interagency collaboration throughout all stages of offering environmental education, from creation and leadership, to delivery and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of land scale heterogeneity on participation by farmers in collective action and the level of erosion control, and its mechanism of action, using survey data from 45 villages and 1,149 households in a typical erosion area of the Yellow River basin. The results show that there is a non-linear, U-shaped relationship between land size heterogeneity and farmers’ participation in collective action and the level of erosion control, respectively, and that collective action plays a mediating role in the U-shaped relationship between land size heterogeneity and level of erosion control. This implies that maintaining a homogeneous distribution of land among households within the village collectivity and a large disparity in land allocation both promote participation in collective action and thus improve the level of erosion control. Using an endogenous regression transformation model to deal with endogeneity and robustness tests, the findings remain robust. In the mechanism analysis section, variables for the level of trust and co-ordination of interests are introduced and a non-linear, U-shaped relationship is found between land size heterogeneity through the effect of both on collective action. This suggests that the allocation of land resources as described above can co-ordinate the level of trust and the direction of interests among farmers, leading to conditions for co-operation and thus facilitating farmers’ participation in collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and carbon emissions has been inconsistent. Based on the panel data for 261 cities from 2008 to 2018 in China, this paper takes the “Broadband China” pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, and uses the difference-in-differences model, instrumental variable approach and other research methods to comprehensively evaluate the impact of the “Broadband China” pilot policy on carbon emissions. Our research found that the “Broadband China” pilot policy can reduce carbon emissions in China, but there was a certain lag in this effect. At the same time, the “Broadband China” pilot policy can reduce carbon emissions by promoting adjustment of industrial structure and green technology innovation, and the mechanism of green technology innovation played a stronger role. In addition, we also found that there was a spatial spillover effect of the “Broadband China” pilot policy affecting carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third-party governance of environmental pollution (TEG) is a market-oriented mechanism designed to attract social capital to participate in ecological environmental protection. Can this mechanism result in positive and significant environmental and economic effects in developing countries? This paper examines the practical effectiveness of China’s pollution governance system reform by analyzing data on the registered business capital of the environmental protection industry in 285 prefecture-level cities during the period of 2003–2019. The study finds the following: TEG can effectively curb urban pollution emissions and improve the urban green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities; heterogeneity analysis shows that specialization, marketization, and enterprise nature exert important impacts on its effectiveness; mechanism analysis shows that TEG can restrain pollution emissions by strengthening the tendency toward urban green technology progress; and its effects of releasing the industrial production capacity can be leveraged to improve the quality of economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today’s globalized world, characterized by complex supply chain networks, integrating sustainability supply chain risks into the corporate assessment models seems crucial. To tackle the global challenges this paper presents a Sustainability Risk Assessment Framework that allows measurement of environmental and social risks upstream and downstream, along global supply chains, using a combination of quantitative methods (environmental and social footprint computing tools) and qualitative methods (hotspots analysis) from three dimensions (by scenarios, by product components, by lifecycle stage). To test this framework this study focuses on the mobile phone industry, due to the importance of its environmental and social impacts. The results show the low impact of recycling strategies in environmental terms and social terms on the mobile phone industry. Fostering re-use strategies by companies will substantially improve their impacts. This framework overcomes some of the weaknesses of the corporate sustainability risk assessment methodologies, combining quantitative methods and qualitative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm relocation is applied in numerous spatial planning processes, including the conversion of agricultural land for nature development or urbanization. In this paper, we present the results of a qualitative study on farm relocation. With the aim of identifying main problems and success factors related to farm relocations, we performed in-depth interviews with relocated farmers in the Netherlands and in the region of Flanders, Belgium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study looking at the farmers' perspective on relocation that includes farmers from different planning projects and countries. Using grounded theory, we were able to identify factors that determine the perceived success or failure of farm relocation, subdivided into five categories: (1) farmer and firm; (2) financial aspects; (3) process; (4) old location; and (5) new location. Insights gathered in this study might guide spatial planners towards effective use of farm relocation in different planning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste heat from industry or urban facilities represents a largely underused and long disregarded energy source, while heating and cooling count for half the final energy demand in Europe. From the early 2010s onwards, waste heat recovery (WHR) is being recognized as a key challenge for energy transition and tends to be integrated into energy strategies at different levels. This paper provides an analysis of how WHR became a matter of public policy in Europe and in France. Based on a literature review, the analysis shows that WHR has been framed as a techno-economic problem, while some barriers (legal, organizational) to its development remain largely unaddressed. A study of European and French energy agendas illustrates how WHR progressively started to be recognized as an energy resource next to renewables. As a result, questions are raised as to further social science contributions to an extended research agenda addressing WHR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper measures the environmental efficiency of the grossly polluting Indian leather industry which faces stringent environmental regulations. The environmental efficiency measure accounts for associated bad outputs (total suspended solids and chromium) with the good output (leather products) of firms and hence, provides an important benchmark for improving environmental performance. Drawing data from fieldwork in the Kanpur industry of India, the study estimates efficiency using the directional distance function approach under three directional vectors. The results reveal that the efficiency of firms is underestimated when bad outputs are omitted in the production technology. There is significant potential to increase leather production and reduce pollutants across firms. The study confirms that regulation improves the environmental efficiency of leather firms. However, regulation imposes an opportunity cost on firms of an average 3% loss in expanding leather output and reducing inputs. The study recommends mandating the use of cleaner technology and market-based instruments to improve environmental efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental performance evaluation is an essential part of environmental management—however, current methods of environmental performance overlook efficiencies in individual operational processes. Environmental pollutant waste not only causes internal resource loss but also leads to external environmental damage through emissions and generation of other byproducts, and these dual factors are critical in environmental performance evaluation. This paper develops an "Internal Loss-External Damage" (ILED) environmental performance evaluation method. This two-dimensional method is applied to a coal-fired plant's environmental performance evaluation to demonstrate that the ILED method can identify key environmental pollution impact factors and quantify internal resource loss costs and environmental damage costs. Results show that combustion is a priority process for cost reduction efforts. This assessment will be helpful for enterprises seeking to improve environmental management effectiveness and reduce environmental pollution risk. Also, this performance evaluation provides a new perspective on environmental management and enriches the theoretical framework for environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand the practice of SEA in the urban development sector in New Zealand. In New Zealand, SEA has been practiced over the last two decades under the Resource Management Act (RMA) of 1991. Given this legal context, the SEA process of a major urban plan was evaluated against a set of procedural criteria. The results indicate that the SEA has, in general, fulfilled key procedural requirements, albeit with a few shortcomings. The shortcomings include absence of cumulative impacts, inadequate baseline information, inadequate mitigation and monitoring. The possible causes of the shortcomings are explained. This study also explored some key features of SEA practice in New Zealand that may influence SEA practice. Finally, recommendations are made for improvement of SEA practice in New Zealand with future directions. The findings of this study can be useful to SEA for urban planning in New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been increasing interest in whether low carbon cities developed under Chinese institutional arrangements can facilitate a transformative change. Unlike their western counterparts, Chinese low carbon cities are mainly developed through a top-down approach characterized by strong regulatory influences and centrally-led pilots. Inspired by insights from institutional theory, this paper assessed the progress that has been made in Chinese low carbon cities through understanding urban actors' willingness and capacity to pursue more radical changes. Based on semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, it is found that due to the low recognition of the intrinsic value of carbon reduction, low carbon transition was largely represented as a practical discussion around national binding targets and local economic development. Following this, it is suggested that any attempt to speed up urban low carbon transition should consider strengthening incentive structures for cultural or paradigm change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]