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Global climate change due to increasing CO2 emissions threatens the development and survival of many countries, especially those on the coast. Intentional government spending by sectors can lower CO2 emissions to help these countries in sustainable development. Meanwhile, governance has some importance in enabling governments to achieve their economic development goals. Does governance affect the public spending - CO2 emissions nexus in developing economies? The paper seeks answers by employing the system GMM Arellano-Bond estimators to assess the impact of public spending, governance/institutional quality, and their interaction on CO2 emissions for a sample of 109 developing economies between 2002 and 2021. The results seem counter-intuitive that public spending reduces and governance increases CO2 emissions, while their interaction lowers them. Furthermore, private investment and economic growth promote CO2 emissions, while trade openness decreases them. The findings in this paper provide some policy lessons for governments of developing economies to protect environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to highlight the influence of economic and qualitative factors on steel production globally, as well in the EU, US, and China, using a dataset corresponding to the period 2000-2015. The research methods used are the study of specialist literature, problematisation, modelling, and simulation using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The main conclusion of this paper is that, on long term, the steel production is largely influenced by the rate of real economic growth and by car production, even if in the short term the correlation is not obvious. Likewise, qualitative factors affect the steel industry in the context of current regulations on reducing carbon emissions and ensuring sustainable development. An additional aim of the present study is to define entropy in the sustainable development of steel production, as well as illustrate some of its properties and the quality management modelling of the research process in steel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities do play significant roles in tackling global environmental changes. Decoupling economic growth from environmental pressures is critical for global sustainable development, however, few studies pay attention to the decoupling analysis at city level. This paper conducts a comparative study of the decoupling performance of economic output from CO 2 emissions between Beijing and Shanghai, the top two cities in China. In this paper, the decoupling trends and the decoupling effects are explored from a sectoral perspective, by combining the Tapio decoupling elasticity and the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model. The results show that Beijing and Shanghai both experienced weak decoupling in construction, expansive negative decoupling in transport, expansive coupling in trade, and weak decoupling in others over the period 2000–2015. Moreover, agriculture appeared strong decoupling in Beijing, and recessive decoupling in Shanghai; industry showed strong decoupling in Beijing, and weak decoupling in Shanghai. The decoupling effects showed different magnitudes and patterns in industrial sectors between Beijing and Shanghai. Overall, per-capita GDP and population growth inhibited the decoupling, while energy intensity, industrial share, energy mix accelerated the decoupling process. Highlights • The decoupling of sectoral economic output from carbon emissions in Beijing and Shanghai are investigated. • Beijing's industry enjoyed better decoupling performance than Shanghai's industry. • Transport should be put more emphasis in further decoupling efforts. • Energy intensity is crucial effect accelerating the decoupling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of challenges to sustainable development in the post‐2015 development agenda, this paper assesses how increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions affect inclusive human development in 44 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa for the period 2000–2012. The following findings are established from Fixed Effects and Tobit regressions: first, unconditional effects and conditional impacts are respectively positive and negative from CO2 emissions per capita, CO2 emissions from liquid fuel consumption, and CO2 intensity. This implies a Kuznets‐shaped curve because of consistent decreasing returns; and second, the corresponding net effects are consistently positive. The following findings are apparent from Generalized Method of Moments regressions: first, unconditional effects and conditional impacts are respectively negative and positive from CO2 emissions per capita, CO2 emissions from liquid fuel consumption, and CO2 intensity. This implies a U‐shaped curve because of consistent increasing returns; and second, the corresponding net effects are overwhelmingly negative. Based on the robust findings and choice of best estimator, the net effect of increasing CO2 emissions on inclusive human development is negative. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries, including Nigeria, aim to achieve industrialisation and sustainable development. However, there are few empirical studies that examined the impact of industrialisation-led economic transformation on carbon emissions in developing countries. This is the focus of this study. The paper investigates the impact of industrial value-added on CO 2 emissions in Nigeria using the Kaya Identity framework and Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF), Johansen׳s cointegration technique and vector error correction model (VECM). The data spans from 1980 to 2011. The result of the ADF test indicates that continual long term policies that exert permanent shocks on the variables are required to achieve economic development, industrialisation and CO 2 reduction. The result of the analysis shows that industrial value-added has an inverse and significant relationship with CO 2 emissions, which suggests that there is no evidence that industrialisation increases carbon emissions in Nigeria. GDP per capita and population has positive and significant impacts on CO 2 emission. Energy intensity and carbon intensity has positive but very weak significant impact (at 10% level) on CO 2 emission. The paper recommends that policy makers in Nigeria should pursue pragmatic industrialisation policies coupled with modest decarbonisation and energy-efficiency measures in order to ensure long term industrial, economic and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assumption of the realist theory that survival and self-interest without more are the ultimate goal of each state in international politics and the liberals' viewpoint that international cooperation is in the best interest of a state are as valid and controversial in climate change discourse. Hence, the political choice which Africa should make in the light of increasing adverse effects of climate change, and in particular, amidst the tension of these two theories remains problematic and confounding. Generally, the negative effects of climate change will be prominent in areas including food production, health, water, and infrastructure in Africa. Yet, for long, activities underlying the causation of climate change have thrived in the neo-liberal notion of economic self-determination contrived by the North and remarkable for its historic carbon prints world over. Solutions to climate change in the form of carbon trading and carbon tax have been informed by a similar worldview. Following this path connotes that states in Africa must avoid carbon-based activities which are at the heart of economic development critical to peoples' social economic well-being. It also means that states in Africa should embrace carbon friendly activities, the technology of which is largely at the domain of the North. The merit of the above direction in the quest of economic development in Africa is disputed. This paper aims not only at exploring how adequately political realism can shape the option of Africa in navigating this controversy, it also discusses the prospects and challenges of a possible 'carbon free economy' in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cities represent the microcosms of global environmental change, it is very important for the global sustainable development by decoupling environmental pressure from economic growth on city level. In this paper, the municipality of Chongqing in China is employed as a case to show whether the decoupling of environmental pressures from economic growth has occurred in cities undergoing rapid economic growth; what is the level of decoupling; and what causes the observed degree of decoupling. Results show the following. (1) During the period of 1999–2010, decoupling from economic growth has been absolute for the emissions of SO 2 , soot, and waste water, while it has been relative for total energy consumption, emissions of CO 2 and solid waste. (2) Compared with the period 2000–2005, decoupling level improved for all the six environmental pressures in the period 2005–2010. (3) Compared with China and other three municipalities of China, the overall decoupling level of Chongqing is above China’s average while below those of Beijing and Shanghai. (4) During the period 1999–2000, technological change was the dominate factor for decoupling Chongqing’s environmental pressure from economic growth, as it contributed 131.4%, 134.6%, 99.9%, 97.7%, 104.5% and 54.9% to the decoupling of total energy consumption, emissions of CO 2 , SO 2 , soot, waste water and solid waste, respectively; while economic structural change had very tiny effect to the decoupling of emissions of soot and SO 2 , and it even had negative effect to that of total energy consumption, and emissions of CO 2 and waste water. Based on the above observations, we explain the difference in decoupling levels for different environmental pressures and suggest approaches for policy-makers on further promoting decoupling environmental pressure from economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental sustainability was established by the United Nations as a Millennium Development Goal (MDG7), including a wide variety of targets referred to the access to safe drinking water, the reduction of biodiversity loss, the improvement of lives of slum dwellers and the integration of principles of sustainable development into the country policies. Despite some progress towards meeting this goal, new challenges have appeared, endangering the development and environmental achievements. Therefore, United Nations and the international community are working on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as a new framework placing environmental sustainability at its core. In this context, the analysis of environmental forecasts plays a main role. More specifically, taking into account that the carbon dioxide emissions have increased by almost 50 per cent since year 1990, special attention must be paid to the evolution and projections of emissions for different countries. In this paper we focus on environmental forecasting, based on the extended Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and the Environmental Logistic Curve (ELC). Considering a sample of 175 countries we perform a competition between both methods, analysing their goodness of fit and their forecasting accuracy. The empirical results provide significant evidence about the adequacy of EKC and ELC for explaining CO 2 emissions in different countries, also allowing us to obtain some ex-ante projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between renewable energy consumption (REC), foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, economic growth, and their resulting impact on CO2 emissions is widely discussed area in energy and environmental literature; however, there is an unseen literature on moderation and mediation effect of per capita income and FDI inflows with the renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions in developing countries like Pakistan, which is being evaluated in this study by using a consistent time series data for a period of 1975-2016. The results show that economic growth and FDI inflows both increase CO2 emissions, while REC substantially decreases CO2 emissions during the study time period. The results do not support the inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for per capita income (and FDI inflows) and per capita CO2 emissions in a country. The results supported 'pollution haven hypothesis' where FDI inflows damage the natural flora of the country. By inclusion of moderation and mediation effect of per capita income and FDI inflows with the REC on CO2 emissions averted the positive impact of REC, and converted into negative externality, where environmental sustainability agenda is compromised by lower environmental regulations and unsustainable production techniques that increase country's economic growth. The study concludes that by adding REC in existing energy portfolio may help to reduce CO2 emissions while strict environmental compliance may disregard the negative externality of unsustainable production and it will support to achieve green development programmes in a country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater treatment infrastructure (WWTI) construction in China has entered an accelerated stage of development in recent years as a result of rapid economic growth, urbanization, and the demand for improving water quality. As a result, a large amount of resources and materials will be allocated for the WWTI, and it is particularly important to find ways to reduce resource consumption effectively so that social dematerialization and sustainable development can be achieved. In this study, we employed the dynamic material flow model to estimate the material flows and stocks of WWTIs and the associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through 2050, considering effects of a rise in water consumption, a longer lifetime, and an increased material recycling rate. Our results indicate that material consumption in WWTIs will increase rapidly through 2025 to meet the needs of the increased volume of discharged wastewater as well as to overcome the shortage of existing wastewater treatment plants. In contrast with the moderate effects of rise in water consumption, prolonging the lifetime will greatly reduce material consumption in WWTI construction during the period 2030-2050, and approximately 60% of the total material input will be saved in the medium-lifetime scenario, compared with the short-lifetime scenario. Material output and CO2 emissions associated with WWTIs will be reduced by 87% and 37%, respectively, in the medium-lifetime scenario, compared with the short-lifetime scenario, under high-water-consumption growth. Our results highlight the great importance of pipeline construction and cement consumption in resource consumption associated with WWTI construction in China. Moreover, this study also examined the potential ways to reduce material consumption in WWTI construction in the context of the demand chain, the design, construction, operation and management, and demolition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationships among CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and economic growth helps nations to develop energy sources and formulate energy policies in order to enhance sustainable development. The present research is aimed at developing a novel efficient model for analyzing the relationships amongst the three aforementioned indicators in G20 countries using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model in the period from 1962 to 2016. In this regard, the ANFIS model has been used with prediction models using real data to predict CO2 emissions based on two important input indicators, energy consumption and economic growth. This study made use of the fuzzy rules through ANFIS to generalize the relationships of the input and output indicators in order to make a prediction of CO2 emissions. The experimental findings on a real-world dataset of World Development Indicators (WDI) revealed that the proposed model efficiently predicted the CO2 emissions based on energy consumption and economic growth. The direction of the interrelationship is highly important from the economic and energy policy-making perspectives for this international forum, as G20 countries are primarily focused on the governance of the global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of economic growth on CO2emission using the dynamic panel threshold framework. The analysis is based on data from a panel of 31 developing countries. The results indicate that economic growth has negative effect on CO2emission in the low growth regime but positive effect in the high growth regime with the marginal effect being higher in the high growth regime. Thus our finding provides no support for the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis; rather aU-shaped relationship is established. Energy consumption and population were also found to exert positive and significant effect on CO2emission. Including financial development indicator in the model did not change the conclusion about EKC hypothesis. Employing panel causality methods, there is evidence of significant causal relationship between CO2emission, economic growth, energy consumption and financial development. The findings emphasize the need for transformation of low carbon technologies aimed at reducing emissions and sustainable economic growth. This may include energy efficiency and switch away from non-renewable energy to renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]