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Green finance is essential for supporting the development of green, low-carbon projects and preventing environmental and climate financial risks. Investigating and studying whether and how it can aid in implementing energy transformation is worthwhile. This paper uses 30 provinces from 2004 to 2020 as research samples, the entropy method to construct a green finance measurement system, and the weighted multidimensional vector angle index method to construct an energy low-carbon transformation index based on the actual situation of green finance in China and the existing theoretical research basis. We systematically analyzed each province's spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of green finance and energy structure transformation by constructing a fixed effect model, a GMM model, an intermediary effect model, and a spatial Dubin model. We empirically tested the effect direction, internal mechanism, spatial spillover, and regional heterogeneity of green finance development (GFD) on energy structure transformation (EST) to investigate the low-carbon transformation of energy structures. The findings indicate the following:(1) Green finance plays a positive role in promoting the transformation and development of China's energy structure. (2) The influence of green finance development on the transformation of China's energy structure has significant spatial spillover, exhibiting "local and neighborhood" reciprocity. Through the spatial spillover effect, green finance can encourage the low-carbon transformation of local energy structures and increase the level of low-carbon transformation in neighboring areas. (3) The improvement of the level of green technology innovation and the intensity of environmental regulations are essential channels for green finance to support the low-carbon transformation of the energy structure, and regional heterogeneity will alter this transmission mechanism. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence for the vital role of green finance in achieving the double dividend of economic growth and low-carbon emission reduction. This study provides a new perspective for constructing a green finance system and advancing the dual-carbon objective and a resource for formulating effective regional energy transformation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment and monitoring of society's progress towards sustainability requires a multidisciplinary approach in which tools, indicators and data are integrated across existing frameworks. In this sense, the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework introduced by UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative are two of the most important references used by practitioners to assess sustainability at territorial level, in the first case, and at process, product, or organizational level, in the second case. However, due to the different scopes of SDGs and LCSA, the integration between the two tools has been limited so far and the synergies mostly remained untapped. Building on LCSA literature, and with the aid of text-mining analysis, this manuscript analyzes how linkages between product LCSA and SDGs have been and could be addressed, also highlighting key challenges and needs for connecting LCSA with SDGs in a coherent and operational way. The paper highlights that, although SDGs and LCSA are complementary and could inform and feed each other, as of today there is no harmonized way to set up and analyze the connections between the two and progress still seems far from reaching general consensus. Further research is needed to consistently link LCSA metrics to SDGs goals and thus ensure that improved products sustainability effectively contributes to progress towards more sustainable territories. • LCSA and SDGs are key sustainability assessment frameworks for products and territories. • Linkages between product LCSA and SDGs are analyzed based on literature and text-mining. • Further research is needed to consistently link LCSA metrics to SDGs goals. • Key challenges and needs for connecting LCSA with SDGs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the global challenge of climate change and achieve sustainable development, decarbonizing the electric power system in China is considered the most imperative since the power sector is highly related to the decarbonization of other sectors. Significantly, China faces the dual challenges of rapidly growing electricity demand coupling with its commitment to of emission mitigation. This study examines the low-carbon transition and sustainable development of China's power system through 2035 using a multi-stage mixed-integer linear programming generation planning model by matching future demand growth trajectories with the least-cost power supply path. The electric power installed capacity, power generation, carbon emission, power-generating cost, and abatement potentials are analyzed through various scenarios. It is found that China's electricity demand will reach 9800–13300 Terawatt-hours in 2035 due to rapid electrification. Every 1 TWh increase in electricity demand requires 0.41–0.53 GW of newly installed capacity. Reducing the proportion of coal-fired power generation and replacing it with renewable energy is inevitable. However, for every 1 GW of coal power retired, 3.7 GW of renewable energy needs to be built. Incorporating electricity demand-side management is crucial to developing an effective decarbonization pathway for China's power sector, along with inclusive policies and technologies to meet China's requirements for dependable, affordable, and sustainable electricity. The results of this paper can provide a reference for policy makers in China as well as other emerging economies. • China's electricity consumption will continue to rise until 2035 and China will reach emission peak of power sector before 2030. • Meeting China's decarbonization requires gradually reducing coal-fired power capacity by up to the year 2020's 40.5% ty. • Every 1 GW of coal-power retirement requires the construction of 3.7 GW of renewable power capacity. • Demand-side management is crucial to easing high electricity demands for an effective power decarbonization trajectory in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garbage classification and recycling have a lot of benefits, which help protect water and soil resources, improve the living environment's quality, and speed up the green circular economy development. However, traditional garbage collection is weak in effectiveness, requiring a lot of workforces, material, and financial resources. This paper combines ShuffleNet v2 and the depth-separable convolution method to create lightweight YOLOv5s for classifying and positioning recyclable waste. Experimental results show that the enhanced model is only 62% parameters of the original model. In the case of the input resolution being 640 × 640, the mAP (mean Average Precision) of the enhanced model is 94% in accuracy, which is 2.1% higher than the original YOLOv5s. Regarding speed, the reference time is 11.5% faster than the original YOLOv5s on Jetson Nano. In addition, compared with the current mainstream target detection models, the proposed model also expresses the characteristics of recyclable garbage well and can provide a reference value for the classification of recyclable garbage and the lightweight development of recycling. [Display omitted] • Low precision and large number of model parameters in recyclable garbage detection. • Strategic lightweight unit modules added to algorithm framework for efficiency. • Comparative experiments conducted to improve model accuracy and reduce parameters. • Improved the model's performance and running speed, and reduced operating costs. • Improve garbage collection rate to protect natural and living environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve its carbon peak and neutrality targets, China is in need of balancing environmental and economic sustainability; In addition, whether environmental regulations can gain economic dividends while protecting the environment is particularly important. Based on the data of A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2012 to 2021, this study takes China's environmental fee-to-tax as a quasi-natural experiment, and adopts the difference-in-difference-in-differences model to evaluate the impact of environmental tax on enterprises' total factor productivity (ETFP). The results show that the environmental fee-to-tax significantly hinders the growth of ETFP. Further, this negative impact mainly stems from the fact that the reform prompts enterprises to choose strategic innovation and conduct greenwashing behavior. Furthermore, when considering enterprises' heterogeneity, we find that enterprises with large scale, high investment efficiency, state ownership, high market competitiveness and located in western regions are more resistant to policy shocks. This paper provides reliable empirical evidence and useful policy implications for further formulating environmental tax policies to accomplish the "win-win" goal for both the environment and the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The steel industry is one of the largest industrial carbon dioxide emitters, accounting for up to 7% of global emissions. Increasingly stringent global carbon emission regulations are prompting the steel and coal industries to explore and implement carbon abatement strategies through both the incremental development of current technologies and the incorporation of new, innovative ones. This paper reviews the current status and future development of sustainable cokemaking, aiming to identify suitable carbonaceous materials for partial coal displacement in metallurgical coking blends and the desirable properties of coals which facilitate such displacements. Results from works pertaining to the influence of renewable and waste additions on the thermoplastic properties of coal blends and the quality of resulting cokes are included. This includes the mechanism of interaction between various additives and metallurgical coal and the influence on the coking behavior, microstructural and microtextural transformation, and ash chemistry during cokemaking. The sustainability of incorporating certain carbonaceous additives in blends on a commercial scale has also been evaluated. Efforts were made to draw correlations from literature data regarding the impact of coal property parameters on the carrying capacity of coal in blends with renewable biomass feedstocks and other waste additives. The review has identified the knowledge gaps and future research needs in sustainable cokemaking. • Influences of renewable additives for cokemaking are reviewed. • Promising carbonaceous materials for partial coal displacement in coking blends were analysed. • The significance of coal properties on coal carrying capacity was explored. • The knowledge gaps and future research needs in sustainable cokemaking were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization with mismanagement has seriously threatened regional ecology and cultivated land security. At present, the territorial spatial usage regulations often isolate functions from a single aspect, which makes it difficult to meet demands of regional economic development, ecological protection, and sustainable development. This paper attempted to construct a zoning system of territorial spatial usages that comprehensively considers local development demands, resource endowment conditions, and sustainable development, and proposed a method to regulate sustainable development intensity. Wuhan City was selected as the study area. At first, the land resource function was zoned by the modified multi-objective land allocation (MOLA) model considering the resource endowment conditions and social development demands. The study area was divided into ecological, agricultural, and construction land resources. Also, the functions of land, water, and geological resources are integrated into the zonation framework of territorial spatial usages. Then, the construction and agricultural development intensity in different usage areas were quantitatively regulated by comprehensively considering the current basic demands, sustainable development, land use status, and relevant policies. The calculation results show that the development intensity of construction land in the construction space should be limited to 43%–53%, while the development intensity in the general farmland area should be limited to 10%. The agricultural development intensity should be greater than 65% in the general farmland, while it should be lower than 64% in the general ecological function area. Additionally, by comparing with the land-use status, the construction in the study area is within a reasonable scope (about 44%). The north and south of Huangpi District, the north of Xinzhou District, Hannan District, and the east of Caidian District still have great potential for development. Finally, based on territorial spatial usage and development intensity regulation, this paper proposed some effective suggestions for territorial spatial development. This paper can provide a reference for the territorial spatial planning and ecological environment protection of Wuhan City. At the same time, it provides a new idea for urban planning research considering the resource, environment, and economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, sustainability concerns gained traction in the scientific literature on cleaner production, as well as in industry and application. In this regard, the circular economy (CE) is intended to contribute to the current ecological transition, providing economic advantages and preserving global society for future generations. CE initiatives have been implemented in recent decades to offset the harmful environmental consequences of supply chain operations. Notably, CE strategies can be applied at different supply chain levels, in product design, manufacturing, transportation, consumption, and disposal. Using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, the present research examines a case study from the Italian egg industry, highlighting the environmental benefits and social implications of initiatives supporting CE (i.e. the use of recyclable and biodegradable packaging and the adoption of a short supply chain). The implementation of those CE strategies shows a 22% reduction in Kg CO 2 -eq emissions, proposing that circular concepts should be incorporated into sustainable supply chain management. Notably, this paper analyses the environmental implications of the intermediate phases of the egg industry supply chain. Both primary and secondary data have been collected. We collected primary data via direct interviews with companies' managers throughout all the study phases. As a result, despite various external issues affecting the company decisions, the paper shows that incorporating CE strategies may deliver demonstrable environmental benefits for the companies. In addition, other strategies that should be adopted in the long term have also been outlined. Finally, the implications that sustainable behaviours of the companies can entail have been examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper proposes a remote sensing image degree analysis method based on deep learning. • The accuracy of this method for complex image classification analysis can reach 98.15%, showing excellent image classification ability. • The reason is that SAE model and ELM classifier model are combined to improve the accuracy of image analysis; At the same time, the structure of sparse self-coding network can also realize the deep mining of image features. In this paper, ELM classifier is used to extract the depth feature of remote sensing image to ensure the computational efficiency of the network. Accurate and effective remote sensing image classification and analysis methods can provide reliable support for the sustainable development of land resources, but the current methods can't support the precise processing of complex images. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a new classification and analysis method of remote sensing image land resources based on deep learning. Firstly, this method first uses ENVI software to realize image preprocessing on the collected data set, and realizes reliable data set; At the same time, based on the sparse auto-encoder network model, the sample features of the image data set are deeply mined to make a better reference for category determination; And based on ELM classifier network, convolution layer and sub sampling layer are alternately connected to extract the depth feature of remote sensing image, which can greatly reduce the number of network parameters and improve the computational. Finally, the actual collected data set is used for simulation verification, and the experimental results show that the accuracy of complex image analysis reaches 98.15%, which shows excellent performance of image feature classification and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to synthetize and critically analyze the linkage between leadership styles and sustainable performance (SP) through application of the rigor of systematic literature reviews. Bibliometric characterization of articles indexed in the Scopus database, network analysis and a manual in-depth review were carried out. The final sample consisted of 47 documents. The most discussed leadership styles were sustainable leadership and transformational leadership. The former was mostly linked with general SP, whereas the latter was linked with environmental performance. In 41 out of the 47 papers, the authors provided empirical research. Upper echelon theory and resource-based view theory have been used in most of previous papers. This study synthesizes how leadership influences SP (directly and indirectly) and reveals that the authors of the analyzed papers did not establish a consensus regarding their empirical evidence. The prospects for future research are shown in terms of research topics, methodology, and variables, as well as, i.a., terminological clarity and a holistic approach to SP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of digital finance has profoundly changed the pattern of economic and social development, which is of great significance for the realization of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and for the promotion of sustainable development. This study measures the state of China's provincial ecological footprint from 2011 to 2019, combines the characteristics of digital financial development, and explores whether such development can promote sustainable development from an ecological footprint perspective. The results show that (1) China's provincial ecological footprint per capita, which was continuously aggravated, increased by an average of 29.15% during the sample period. Digital financial development is shown to be able to effectively suppress the ecological footprint, and an environmental inclusion effect is also observed, which helps achieve a win‒win solution for economic development and ecological conservation while promoting environmental equality. Endogeneity tests and other robustness tests indicate that causality holds. (2) Bridging the digital divide, the improvement of environmental constraints and government digital governance capacity can help amplify the marginal effects of digital finance and mitigate the ecological footprint. (3) Green technological innovation and green finance are critical paths to achieve sustainable development. Digital financial development can facilitate green-biased technological innovation and increase the scale of green credit effectiveness, thereby reducing the ecological footprint. In the future, digital technology should be used to achieve the precise sinking of financial resources, while the government's role in guiding sustainable development should be enhanced, the digital divide should be narrowed, and the role of digital finance in supporting sustainable development should be strengthened. • Using the latest improved methodology, this paper measures the provincial ecological footprint in China. • This paper investigates the impact of digital finance development on the ecological footprint. • Digital finance development can effectively mitigate the ecological footprint and has an environmentally inclusive effect. • The reasons for this are the green bias push of digital finance towards technological innovation and the increase in the scale of green credit effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, green innovation has become an important means of achieving sustainable development, but the impact of peer firms on green innovation is less discussed. To fill this research gap, this paper explores the effect of peer firms on the green innovation activities of the Chinese A-share listed firms in the manufacturing industry from 2011 to 2020 and investigates influencing factors of peer effect. The main findings are as follows. First, there is a peer effect in making green innovation decisions. Second, industry competition has a positive moderating effect on the peer effect of green innovation. Third, digital financial inclusion and government intervention both promote the peer effect of green innovation. The peer effect is more significant with a high degree of digital financial inclusion. But the peer effect has no significant difference between different degrees of government intervention. This paper aims to explore the influencing factors of a firm's green innovation from the perspective of peer effect. The research results can provide a guide for the government to better promote green innovation activities of firms and benign competition in the industry. • A firm's green innovation activities are positively affected by industry peers. • Industry competition has a positive moderating effect on green innovation peer effect. • Digital financial inclusion and government intervention both promote the peer effect. • The peer effect is more significant with a high degree of digital financial inclusion. • The peer effect has no significant difference between different degrees of government intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the interaction among innovation, tourism, and climate change has become a point of focus recently. This study examines the impact of innovation and tourism development on the sustainable development of the G7 economies. Panel data from 2000 to 2019 was analyzed for cross-sectional dependency, and a series of panel unit root tests were used to confirm the variables' unit root properties. Pedroni and Kao's tests confirm the cointegration relationship among the variables. The fully modified OLS and dynamic OLS results show that higher economic prosperity and lower environmental pollution are associated with innovation as measured in scientific publications and patents, highlighting the importance of innovation. The results highlight the positive significant impact of tourism arrivals on pollution reduction and economic expansion, which mark the steps for sustainable development. The study finds further evidence that asylum refugees did not positively contribute to economic prosperity, nor were they active in the environmental correction plans of the countries. The level of education provides strong evidence supporting sustainable development by encouraging economic growth and discouraging environmental degradation. Overall, the results recommend raising the level of innovation, tourism development, and higher technical education for the sustainable development of the G7 economies. These findings offer important contributions to firms, policymakers, and UN sustainable development agendas. [Display omitted] • The paper assesses the impact of innovation and tourism on sustainability. • The results show that innovation helps improve environmental quality. • The results reveal that innovation helps foster economic prosperity. • The paper finds that tourism helps in pollution reduction and economic expansion. • The results show that the level of education is important for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonization is a process that transforms economies to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of economic output, aiming towards net-zero GHG emissions. This process could also reduce short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions, including black carbon and methane. They have relatively short atmospheric lifetimes but have large radiative forcing and impact human health. Therefore, reducing SLCPs can improve air pollution and help mitigate climate change. Costa Rica was one of the first countries to have a decarbonization plan, and many others have stated their goal to reach net-zero emissions by around mid-century. However, reducing SLCP emissions as an economy decarbonizes is not guaranteed, and few examples in the literature have assessed how decarbonization impacts SLCPs. This paper estimates the SLCP emission reductions from Costa Rica's decarbonization plan. Through a value chain analysis and the identification of implementation barriers, the paper also evaluates which policy instruments can advance SLCP mitigation in multiple sectors, creating implementation synergy. We find that mitigation measures, by 2050, in the transport, agricultural, solid waste, and industrial sectors avoid 25.2 kt of black carbon emissions (23 times the 2018 emissions) and 2167 kt of methane (15 times the 2018 emissions). However, the country faces financial and governance challenges in each sector that will need overcoming to implement the intended mitigation measures. We identify a comprehensive environmental tax reform, the overhauling of urban regulatory plans, the strengthening of institutional capabilities, and low-carbon investment with favorable financing as crucial cross-sectoral policy synergies that will advance the implementation of SLCP mitigation. • Decarbonizing can reduce and avoid short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions. • Black carbon and methane (two SLCPs) cause global warming and poor air quality. • Some policy instruments can reduce SLCPs in multiple sectors, causing synergy. • Improved urban planning can favor the mitigation in transport and waste sectors. • Institutional strength and favorable financing are needed to advance mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New energy vehicles (NEVs) have been recognized as a sustainable eco-innovation to address China's energy and environment problems. As a strategically emerging industry, China's NEV manufacturing industry has been prioritized by governments and manufacturers, significantly impacting its spatial distribution pattern and stimulating the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. China, the largest NEV producer and consumer and with distinctive regional diversity, has experienced a new round of capacity expansion. Therefore, the literature on the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors of NEV industry in provincial level is vital for the transformation of manufacturing industry and transportation sector, while to date, the related studies is few. In this paper, considering the number and location of key enterprises/production bases, the spatial distribution and influencing factors of China's NEV industry were discussed by an empirical study. The results are gained from a spatial perspective. Firstly, in general, China's NEV industry presents a "T" spatial distribution pattern. Secondly, a point-axle spatial exploration pattern is proposed, which includes "four points and one axle" namely Bohai rim, Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Pearl River Delta (PRD), Hubei-Chongqing clusters and Eastern Coastal NEV industrial belt. Thirdly, different types of NEV enterprises show various location preferences and spatial distribution characteristics. Fourthly, the influencing factors on China's NEV spatial distribution are concluded from five aspects of supporting policy, infrastructure condition, economic drivers, technical capacity, and industrial foundation, and the degree of factors is different considering varying enterprise classification and industrial development stage. The findings of this paper provide a reference for rational layout in China's NEV industry, and are expected to stimulate the sustainable development of NEVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of digital finance has profoundly changed the pattern of economic and social development, which is of great significance for the realization of the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature and for the promotion of sustainable development. This study measures the state of China's provincial ecological footprint from 2011 to 2019, combines the characteristics of digital financial development, and explores whether such development can promote sustainable development from an ecological footprint perspective. The results show that (1) China's provincial ecological footprint per capita, which was continuously aggravated, increased by an average of 29.15% during the sample period. Digital financial development is shown to be able to effectively suppress the ecological footprint, and an environmental inclusion effect is also observed, which helps achieve a win‒win solution for economic development and ecological conservation while promoting environmental equality. Endogeneity tests and other robustness tests indicate that causality holds. (2) Bridging the digital divide, the improvement of environmental constraints and government digital governance capacity can help amplify the marginal effects of digital finance and mitigate the ecological footprint. (3) Green technological innovation and green finance are critical paths to achieve sustainable development. Digital financial development can facilitate green-biased technological innovation and increase the scale of green credit effectiveness, thereby reducing the ecological footprint. In the future, digital technology should be used to achieve the precise sinking of financial resources, while the government's role in guiding sustainable development should be enhanced, the digital divide should be narrowed, and the role of digital finance in supporting sustainable development should be strengthened. • Using the latest improved methodology, this paper measures the provincial ecological footprint in China. • This paper investigates the impact of digital finance development on the ecological footprint. • Digital finance development can effectively mitigate the ecological footprint and has an environmentally inclusive effect. • The reasons for this are the green bias push of digital finance towards technological innovation and the increase in the scale of green credit effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, green innovation has become an important means of achieving sustainable development, but the impact of peer firms on green innovation is less discussed. To fill this research gap, this paper explores the effect of peer firms on the green innovation activities of the Chinese A-share listed firms in the manufacturing industry from 2011 to 2020 and investigates influencing factors of peer effect. The main findings are as follows. First, there is a peer effect in making green innovation decisions. Second, industry competition has a positive moderating effect on the peer effect of green innovation. Third, digital financial inclusion and government intervention both promote the peer effect of green innovation. The peer effect is more significant with a high degree of digital financial inclusion. But the peer effect has no significant difference between different degrees of government intervention. This paper aims to explore the influencing factors of a firm's green innovation from the perspective of peer effect. The research results can provide a guide for the government to better promote green innovation activities of firms and benign competition in the industry. • A firm's green innovation activities are positively affected by industry peers. • Industry competition has a positive moderating effect on green innovation peer effect. • Digital financial inclusion and government intervention both promote the peer effect. • The peer effect is more significant with a high degree of digital financial inclusion. • The peer effect has no significant difference between different degrees of government intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the interaction among innovation, tourism, and climate change has become a point of focus recently. This study examines the impact of innovation and tourism development on the sustainable development of the G7 economies. Panel data from 2000 to 2019 was analyzed for cross-sectional dependency, and a series of panel unit root tests were used to confirm the variables' unit root properties. Pedroni and Kao's tests confirm the cointegration relationship among the variables. The fully modified OLS and dynamic OLS results show that higher economic prosperity and lower environmental pollution are associated with innovation as measured in scientific publications and patents, highlighting the importance of innovation. The results highlight the positive significant impact of tourism arrivals on pollution reduction and economic expansion, which mark the steps for sustainable development. The study finds further evidence that asylum refugees did not positively contribute to economic prosperity, nor were they active in the environmental correction plans of the countries. The level of education provides strong evidence supporting sustainable development by encouraging economic growth and discouraging environmental degradation. Overall, the results recommend raising the level of innovation, tourism development, and higher technical education for the sustainable development of the G7 economies. These findings offer important contributions to firms, policymakers, and UN sustainable development agendas. [Display omitted] • The paper assesses the impact of innovation and tourism on sustainability. • The results show that innovation helps improve environmental quality. • The results reveal that innovation helps foster economic prosperity. • The paper finds that tourism helps in pollution reduction and economic expansion. • The results show that the level of education is important for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonization is a process that transforms economies to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per unit of economic output, aiming towards net-zero GHG emissions. This process could also reduce short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions, including black carbon and methane. They have relatively short atmospheric lifetimes but have large radiative forcing and impact human health. Therefore, reducing SLCPs can improve air pollution and help mitigate climate change. Costa Rica was one of the first countries to have a decarbonization plan, and many others have stated their goal to reach net-zero emissions by around mid-century. However, reducing SLCP emissions as an economy decarbonizes is not guaranteed, and few examples in the literature have assessed how decarbonization impacts SLCPs. This paper estimates the SLCP emission reductions from Costa Rica's decarbonization plan. Through a value chain analysis and the identification of implementation barriers, the paper also evaluates which policy instruments can advance SLCP mitigation in multiple sectors, creating implementation synergy. We find that mitigation measures, by 2050, in the transport, agricultural, solid waste, and industrial sectors avoid 25.2 kt of black carbon emissions (23 times the 2018 emissions) and 2167 kt of methane (15 times the 2018 emissions). However, the country faces financial and governance challenges in each sector that will need overcoming to implement the intended mitigation measures. We identify a comprehensive environmental tax reform, the overhauling of urban regulatory plans, the strengthening of institutional capabilities, and low-carbon investment with favorable financing as crucial cross-sectoral policy synergies that will advance the implementation of SLCP mitigation. • Decarbonizing can reduce and avoid short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions. • Black carbon and methane (two SLCPs) cause global warming and poor air quality. • Some policy instruments can reduce SLCPs in multiple sectors, causing synergy. • Improved urban planning can favor the mitigation in transport and waste sectors. • Institutional strength and favorable financing are needed to advance mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New energy vehicles (NEVs) have been recognized as a sustainable eco-innovation to address China's energy and environment problems. As a strategically emerging industry, China's NEV manufacturing industry has been prioritized by governments and manufacturers, significantly impacting its spatial distribution pattern and stimulating the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. China, the largest NEV producer and consumer and with distinctive regional diversity, has experienced a new round of capacity expansion. Therefore, the literature on the spatial distribution patterns and influencing factors of NEV industry in provincial level is vital for the transformation of manufacturing industry and transportation sector, while to date, the related studies is few. In this paper, considering the number and location of key enterprises/production bases, the spatial distribution and influencing factors of China's NEV industry were discussed by an empirical study. The results are gained from a spatial perspective. Firstly, in general, China's NEV industry presents a "T" spatial distribution pattern. Secondly, a point-axle spatial exploration pattern is proposed, which includes "four points and one axle" namely Bohai rim, Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Pearl River Delta (PRD), Hubei-Chongqing clusters and Eastern Coastal NEV industrial belt. Thirdly, different types of NEV enterprises show various location preferences and spatial distribution characteristics. Fourthly, the influencing factors on China's NEV spatial distribution are concluded from five aspects of supporting policy, infrastructure condition, economic drivers, technical capacity, and industrial foundation, and the degree of factors is different considering varying enterprise classification and industrial development stage. The findings of this paper provide a reference for rational layout in China's NEV industry, and are expected to stimulate the sustainable development of NEVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2018 European bioeconomy strategy sets a new vision for Europe's sustainable development: a transition to regenerative resource usage that embraces circular principles. Similarly, various member states have developed national bioeconomy strategies. To be effective, such strategies require methodologically sound monitoring tools that support the alignment of national and urban policies. Indeed, cities are central to the bioeconomy, mobilizing ever increasing amounts of biogenic materials. To better understand the suitability of national bioeconomy strategies for guiding urban circular bioeconomy transitions, this paper examines the composition, features, and topical coverage of national bioeconomy indicator sets with a threefold analysis: (1) assessment of the integration of circularity principles in the sets and their alignment with existing policy frameworks; (2) appraisal of quality and the fulfillment of the sets' functional purposes; (3) evaluation of the breadth and depth of tackled issues. Of the 27 EU member states, only nine have a dedicated bioeconomy strategy, of which four propose an indicator set. While there is a general lack of sophisticated monitoring, the tools proposed after the publication of the 2018 bioeconomy strategy (Germany and Italy) follow indicator development standards rigorously. They include circularity in their notion of bioeconomy and combine indicators for a comprehensive, substantial, informative and politically relevant analysis. These characteristics strongly improve the potential for alignment and coherence with urban-level bioeconomy monitoring efforts. Although national measuring tools are not intended to cover all urban needs, the findings of this paper give insight into their remaining gaps and highlight improvement pathways for an efficient EU-wide circular bioeconomy transition. [Display omitted] • Most EU national bioeconomy strategies lack sophisticated indicator sets. • National bioeconomy strategies should favor alignment with other policy levels. • Thoroughly developed indicator sets allow targeted answers to environmental change. • Recent strategies follow indicator development standards more rigorously. • Recent indicator sets enable monitoring of urban circular bioeconomy transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission reduction in the shipping industry is both an external requirement of the government and an intrinsic sustainable development task for ports and shipping enterprises. This paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, port enterprises, and shipping enterprises, analyzes the evolution of the carbon emission reduction strategy choice of the three parties, and studies the mechanisms driving the interaction and influencing the subjects' choices. The results show that (1) to promote carbon emission reduction in the shipping industry, the evolutionarily stable strategy of the three stakeholders is as follows: the government actively regulates, the port enterprises actively reduce emissions, and the shipping enterprises actively reduce emissions. (2) With an increase in the additional cost of government regulation and a decrease in rewards to port enterprises, the probability of the government actively regulating carbon emissions reduction will rise, and the probability of port enterprises actively implementing carbon emission reduction will increase following a reduction in the additional cost and an increase in the opportunity cost of passive emission reduction. (3) An increase in government subsidies for shipping enterprises will lead to a decrease in the additional costs of active emission reduction and an increase in the probability of active carbon emission reduction. This paper provides policy recommendations for carbon emission reduction in the shipping industry, which will help all parties choose the optimal strategy and achieve carbon emission reduction goals as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refers to the current energy situation in the European Union (EU) countries with a particular focus on energy produced from renewable energy sources and coal – sources that provide opportunities for balancing the energy of the region. The strengths and weaknesses of coal mining in Poland were also identified, along with its opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis). Innovative and sustainable development based on the Triple Helix Model (THM), as well as the Open innovation (OI) concept and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles were identified as opportunities for its sustainable development. The combination of these solutions should enable sustainable development of the industry, preserving its economic and social importance and reducing its negative impact on the environment. The use of new clean technologies in the operation and combustion of coal should reduce emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Intensive and government-supported cooperation between the scientific and research community and industry should significantly facilitate these processes. Another aspect important for the changes to be introduced is the social factor, for which the current situation represents an opportunity to preserve jobs in the mining industry, but also a challenge for its sustainable development. These seemingly mutually exclusive elements should form the basis of a new opening for Polish and European mining as an innovative industry based on knowledge and preserving the basic principles of ESG. The paper also outlines the most significant challenges facing the Polish mining industry on its way to innovative development. The article provides a new and relevant to the current reality perspective on the Polish mining industry in the context of the entire EU, for which the current geopolitical situation forces the necessity of setting a new direction of development. The geopolitical changes that have recently taken place in the global economy such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic and the armed conflict within Ukraine have caused very great turbulence in the energy market. Enthusiasm and uncritical adoption of green concepts in the EU has caused, along with the reduction of gas and coal imports from Russia, turbulence in the energy market. This situation has created a great opportunity for the development of the mining industry in Poland, which has not yet managed, following the example of other EU countries, to extinguish the industry. In order to take advantage of this opportunity and obtain a permanent place in the energy mix in the EU, it is necessary to rapidly develop the mining industry in a sustainable manner based on innovative solutions. [Display omitted] • The role and importance of Polish mining in the new geopolitical situation in the EU have been presented. • Challenges, opportunities and threats to mining on the path to its innovative and sustainable development have been identified. • A model of IO cooperation for sustainable and innovative development of the Polish coal mining industry has been developed. • Relationships between mining industry stakeholders have been identified, taking into account the IO and THM models and ESG principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a systematic literature review of how market-based instruments can influence the development of sustainable innovation. Our analysis of empirical papers published in selected peer-reviewed journals from 1992 to 2021 shows that contextual factors such as geography and industrial sector impact whether market-based instruments successfully stimulate firms to adopt sustainable innovation. Interestingly, while most of our selected papers on East Asia report positive effects of market-based instruments, about half of the papers on Europe report negative or non-significant effects. Moreover, we appear to uncover a link between the research method they use for analysis and the observed effectiveness of market-based instruments. We reflect on the limitations and bias in current methodological approaches and discuss explanations for our findings, implications for policymakers, and avenues for future research. • We review the effect of market-based instruments on sustainable innovation. • Results from 76 empirical papers show mixed effects. • The observed effect appears to depend on geography and the research method applied. • Instruments appear more effective in East Asia than in Europe. • Reported effectiveness is higher in studies using patent data versus surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be reached by 2030. They are aimed at all members of society, including businesses, which could integrate SDGs within their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies. As family firms constitute the most widespread form of business, understanding the factors that drive the decisions to pursue SDGs is essential. Thus, this research aims to understand why a family firm complies with SDGs. Additionally, it examines how SDGs enter, at the strategic level, activities and management practices. Following the case study method, the paper focuses on a family firm based in Italy, by means of documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and online data. In line with the Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) theory, family and personal values are crucial. While SDGs are only now entering the strategic level, their rationale has always been part of the family values, and the firm's culture. The selected firm is pursuing ten Goals. SDGs serve as a further motivator for family firms to behave more responsibly, meaning that they help to align the firm's strategy with the global challenges, building on existing family and firm's values. Our paper brings several contributions to the family business, CSR and SDGs literature, providing a representation of the reasons why a family firm pursues SDGs and the first reaction phases to SDGs. It brings practical implications for policymakers, highlighting the role of family values as the main drivers of the choice to invest in SDGs. By providing unique evidence, it is the first to connect the family business literature, CSR and SDGs. • Family values, personal beliefs and governance aspects are crucial drivers of the decision to pursue the SDGs. • SDGs helped the family firm to align its existing CSR activities to the global challenges. • SDGs serve as a motivator for family firms to increase their responsible behaviors. • The decision to adopt SDGs is consistent with SEW theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine needles are a major cause of forest fires in the western region of the Himalayas in India. There is a need to explore avenues for utilizing this forest bio residue. Pine needles in the form of briquettes are an important source of renewable energy as it has low carbon emissions, low-cost technological interventions, easy accessibility and direct community benefits. The purpose of this paper is to list, classify and rank the enablers supporting energy generation using briquettes made from dried pine needles. This study ranks the enablers by using the fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process which is a multi-criteria decision-making approach. This paper finds that technological enablers are key to such interventions using dried and fallen pine needles for energy generation. The second category is environment-related enablers that directly impact the environment, followed by the market-related factors including good demand for the bio briquettes by the industry, viable fuel linkage, and a sense of business approach among the main actors. Economic enablers are next in importance, including factors such as employment generation, additional income, and self-sufficiency making such initiatives attractive enough to be adopted by people. Government and lastly, social and community-related enablers are next in priority for such projects. This is the first research that recognized, classified as well as ranked these enablers to pine needle-based energy generation in Uttarakhand in achieving United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 such as climate action and affordable and clean energy. • To categorize and assess the major enabling factors supporting energy generation using Pine needles. • AHP with Fuzzy logic approach used for prioritization of barriers. • Managerial and practical implications for these enablers. • Technology related enablers are key to pine needle based energy generation. • Low maintenance of machinery has topmost global ranking as enabler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building integration with photovoltaics has received more and more attention in the development of green buildings. But traditional photovoltaic windows cannot make monthly adjustments to changes in solar altitude and weather. This paper proposes a new type of photovoltaic shutter system, the inclination angle and spacing of which can be adjusted according to the solar altitude angle and weather in different months. In order to better study the natural lighting quality and photoelectric conversion characteristics, this paper builds an experimental test platform for louvered photovoltaic windows. The final results of Illuminance of experiment and simulation are consistent. Furthermore, a new daylighting index is innovatively proposed, which compared to the general annual statistical indicators that are not precise enough. Combined with the typical weather in the area with hot summer and cold winter, the monthly angle and spacing regulation strategy is optimized. The research results show that compared with the change of the inclination angle, the change of the spacing makes the change of indoor lighting and electricity revenue more obvious. The months before and after June are the months with the lowest electric energy and the best indoor lighting quality of louvered photovoltaic windows. Its electricity revenue is between 9.18 and 22.46 kWh, and the proportion of indoor space that meets the 450–2000 lx illuminance range and the daylighting time exceeds 50% is about 85%. The months with higher electricity revenues are around March and October, with revenues ranging from 14.11 to 53.04 kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frugal innovation can help to foster sustainability and address global challenges, like building economic growth, addressing various social needs, and protecting the environment. However, if one wants to measure the sustainability impacts of frugal innovation or enable companies to make empirically informed decisions between frugal and alternative innovation, the question of how to assess these empirical impacts arises. The main objectives of this paper are the identification of approaches and indicators for assessing the sustainability impacts of frugal innovation and the analysis of empirical findings relating to prior assessments. To this end, a systematic literature review was conducted, which identified 15 texts, and a qualitative content analysis was employed to evaluate their contents. From these analyses two main approaches for assessment emerged. First, the assessment based on the triple bottom line or the dimensions of sustainability (ecological, social, and economic). Second, assessment against the Sustainability Development Goals. In the identified texts, the sustainability dimensions are preferred over the Sustainable Development Goals for assessing the sustainability impacts of frugal innovation. From the 15 identified texts, 13 use qualitative indicators and two quantitative (conceptual) indicators. To answer the research question of the paper, a set of 47 qualitative indicators relating to integrated dimensions of sustainability for the assessment of the sustainability impacts of frugal innovation is proposed. In addition, this paper presents new insights relating to the empirical evidence of sustainability impacts of frugal innovation. Approximately 60% of 334 empirical findings from 70 different cases related to the Sustainable Development Goals contribute to the five (socially and economically focused) SDGs 8, 3, 10, 12, and 9. After a transformation to the Triple Bottom Line, these findings contribute predominantly to the economic and social dimensions (in each case 45%), and only slightly to the ecological dimension (the remaining 10%). In turn, 164 empirical results from 77 different cases related to the Triple Bottom Line show an almost similar contribution to all three sustainability dimensions with a small lead of the economic dimension. Nonetheless, in the opinion of the author, these findings confirm other studies, that from an empirical perspective, frugal innovation can be described as inherently socially and economically sustainable and ecological sustainability is mostly not the primary focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy is a sustainable economic development model. It replaces the traditional economic development model that relies heavily on resource consumption and waste generation. Circular economy is particularly important to the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry as e-waste contains toxic substances and precious metals. While previous review studies focused on specific aspects of the WEEE industry (e.g., "4R" circular economy strategies), these studies offer little details on how circular economy practices affect the development of the environment and economy in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. This study examines "10R" circular economy strategies to advance knowledge of the existing literature that focuses on "4R" circular economy strategies. To improve the methodology used in the previous review studies that apply subjective methods (e.g., content analysis), this paper conducts a systematic literature review on 208 studies and uses citation network analysis to examine specific circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. The citation network analysis identified five major research domains (i.e., "e-waste management systems and practices", "e-waste legislation and its components", "extended producer responsibility schemes", "recycling critical materials from e-waste", "circular economy strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry"). Based on these results, this study conducts a main path analysis to reveal ten major topics (i.e., e-waste recycling system; exploring untapped e-waste; compliance assurance of stakeholders; e-waste reverse logistics; reward and punishment mechanisms in extended producer responsibility system; verifying the rationality of product classification; recycling critical materials from urban mines; setting a specific target for preparation for reuse; "10R" strategies applied in the smart factory; consumer attitude toward remanufactured/refurbished/repurposed strategies and the resultant products) in the identified research domain. Finally, this paper proposes future research directions and provides managerial and policy implications for researchers and practitioners. • "10R" strategies for the waste electrical and electronic equipment industry. • Effect of circular economy practices on environmental and economic performance. • Related publications evolution characteristics in 2003–2020. • Five key research domains of circular economy practices and their major topics. • Research directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investments into new energy solution systems, and for example into producing carbon-neutral fuels, are increasing, but tools for the capital investments' feasibility studies are limited. Various contemporaneous attempts to reduce the dependence on fossil energy sources are needed, and a power-to-x (P2X) solution, which is part of the hydrogen economy, can be seen as one opportunity. However, many hydrogen economy solutions have not yet been proven to be economically profitable, but they could be if the investment projects were considered from a broader perspective than from company level and an economic perspective. In previous research, a three-stage economic and technology emphasized feasibility study (FS) framework has been created, and the early results indicate that the P2X investments can meet economic feasibility with over 12% of the investor IRR, and could offer profitable solutions towards a carbon-neutral future. However, the framework did not recognize the full potential of P2X through sustainability, and therefore a new extended version of the framework is needed. The objective of the paper is to create an expanded sustainable feasibility study (SFS) framework from the FS framework to support the P2X investments. As a result, an SFS framework is created, considering the investment projects' feasibility beyond the economic perspective by adding all three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. The three stages of the framework are ecosystem profiling, business model description, and profitability modelling. This paper was made by utilizing the design science research (DSR) methodology and a literature review. Sustainable feasibility study (SFS) framework. [Display omitted] • SFS framework considers the investment projects' feasibility beyond economic perspective: incl. dimensions of sustainability. • The three stages of the SFS framework are ecosystem profiling, business model description, and profitability modelling. • P2X investment projects should study the ecosystem to support realizing the benefits of sustainability and circular economy. • P2X investment projects can meet economic feasibility with over 12% of the investor IRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces the methodology of partially ordered sets to evaluate sustainable human development indicators. It shows its importance to the integration of human and environmental indicators, clarifying the limitations of composite indicators and emphasising the need to move towards higher levels of conceptual consistency and solid informational pluralism, incorporating richer social and environmental spaces towards an analytical structure that avoids subjective, arbitrary and potential obscure choices of variables in the analysis of sustainable human development. The paper uses Hasse diagrams and sensitivity analyses to evaluate the evidence offered by the new pressure-adjusted human development index (PHDI). The results indicate that the introduction of CO 2 and material pressure indicators produce an excessive number of incomparabilities and affect the role of GNIpc in the determination of countries' partial rankings. • The use of partially ordered sets improves the conceptual coherence of sustainable human development indicators. • Evidence-based analysis leads to an identification of incomparabilities among different sustainability dimensions. • Hasse diagrams show that countries should be classified into 15 human development groups. • The integration of environmental and human indicators produces too many incomparabilities distorting the new PHDI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although considerable literature has focused on the energy poverty reduction effects of green finance, the context of economic policy uncertainty has been paid little attention. Based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2004 to 2020, this paper studies the relationship between green finance and energy poverty the using system generalized method of moments and examines the impacts of economic policy uncertainty by the panel vector autoregressive model. Our findings indicate that the development of green finance effectively alleviates energy poverty in both the short and long terms. From the evolution path perspective, green finance mainly focuses on improving availability and cleanliness in the initial stage, subsequently, efficiency and completeness. In addition, the rising uncertainty in economic policy will decline clean energy investment, thereby hindering the energy poverty mitigation effects of green finance. The government should maintain the development of green finance through fiscal and tax measures while strengthening financial regulations. The government should also try to consider the efficiency and completeness of clean energy supply in the initial stage of an energy poverty eradication strategy. Furthermore, reducing the uncertainty of economic policy and guiding private investors and state-owned investors into clean energy transition are of great importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses a poorly documented issue in the literature, namely the role of clusters in green transformation, including processes related to green, low-carbon, and circular economies. The purpose was to identify and understand the practices of clusters in this area. The adopted mixed research strategy consisted of both qualitative and quantitative research. Both research phases were conducted in a group of Polish Key National Clusters. Through qualitative research, the authors abductively identified practices that are vital for green transformation and categorized them into three thematic areas: Integration, Access to resources, and Education and awareness building. On this basis, the authors developed a method to measure the clusters' level of advancement in green practices, which was used in quantitative research. The results show that the surveyed clusters undertake a number of practices to promote green transformation. They are active in each of the distinguished areas and also engage in its most demanding forms. The study sheds new light on the concept of the clusters, showing how such organizations can be used as agents of change in favor of green transformation. • Research on clusters in relation to green transformation is at a very early stage. • Clusters can pursue various practices to promote green transformation. • Cluster green practices can be grouped as: Integration, Resources, and Education. • Advancement of Polish National Key Clusters in green transformation is rather high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Agenda 2030 poses critical elements regarding the transition towards a more sustainable development. This paper aims at exploring and comparing the path of sustainable development within the United States and China at the subnational level. An index of Integrated Sustainable Development is introduced to measure local sustainable development on an internationally-comparable scale. This Index is computed both at the national and subnational level and the resulting scores are compared within and across the two countries, also through the adoption of convergence and cluster analysis, allowing to answer four questions: Are the US and China moving towards a sustainable development agenda? Are the current achievements uniformly distributed within the two countries? Are states/provinces converging towards a more uniform level of sustainable development? Do the existing differences and analogies between states and provinces give rise to common clusters across the two countries? The results lead to one robust conclusion: while the US can claim a better result in the national and subnational rankings of sustainable development, China exhibits a more balanced achievement in terms of synergies across Goals and spatial distribution. Nonetheless, both countries are characterized by subnational disparities and scarce achievements of Planet-related Goals. Policy recommendations are discussed accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unplanned anthropogenic activities and raced industrial revolution detrimentally causes serious threat to terrestrial and aquatic life. A high discharge of wastewater from industries using dyes affects living organisms and the environment. This paper presents studies on polycationic selenides (PCS) synthesized by hydrothermal methods for photocatalytic degradation of dyes. The synthesized PCS were confirmed by various characterization techniques such as FTIR, SEM, EDX, UV/Vis, and XRD. The FTIR spectra revealed characteristic band at 843, 548 cm−1, and 417 cm−1 due to the M − Se stretching and intrinsic stretching vibrations, respectively. The optical bandgap of polycationic selenide lies in the visible light region (2.36 eV). The SEM images showed that PCS has a spherical shape with an average crystallite size of 29.23 nm calculated from XRD data using Scherer's equation. The PCS has a point of zero charge (PZC) at pH 7. The efficiency of synthesized PCS photocatalyst was confirmed in terms of its activity towards Eosin (EY) and Crystal violet (CV) dyes mineralization. The photocatalytic degradation for EY and CV dyes at optimum conditions was 99.47% and 99.31% and followed second order reactions kinetics with 1.4314 and 0.551 rate constant, respectively. The polynomial quadratic model is the best-fitted response surface methodology (RSM) model having a maximum desirability factors value and significant terms, with R2 (0.9994) and adj R2 values (1.0). [Display omitted] • Green fabrication of new ternary metallic selenides nanostructured materials. • Structural/morphological characteristics of ternary metallic selenides by advanced techniques. • Efficient photocatalytic degradation of textile contaminants under sunlight irradiation. • Operating factors influencing the degradation phenomena are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nexus approaches, aiming at the complex connections among the correlative systems, provide an effective method for analyzing coevolution processes. In the context of urbanization, water, energy, and environment (W-E-E) systems are increasingly connected thus can be profiled as a W-E-E nexus. However, research on urban water-energy interactions and their impact on the environment is still in its infancy. In addition, a generic framework for modeling W-E-E nexus that includes dynamic feedbacks between human and natural systems remains elusive. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper proposes a sensitivity-based framework consisting of four components: the water balance model, the energy balance model, the environmental response model, and the urbanization model. Community sensitivity serves as the missing link, tying together two feedback loops driven by economy and environment respectively. To demonstrate how such a framework could be applied, Wuhan city was selected as a case study and analyzed for its coevolution under three scenarios: extensive development, common development, and sustainable development. The results show that the proposed framework is competent in modeling the W-E-E nexus in Wuhan. The coevolution process is broadly divided into four cyclic stages (expansion, degeneration, convalescence, and stabilization) and environmental recovery consumes decades or more regardless of the development pattern. However, development patterns exert a salient effect on community sensitivity, with +294.4%, +5.5%, and −17.4% for extensive, common, and sustainable development patterns during the simulation period respectively. And only under sustainable development, can Wuhan anticipate achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by the 2060s. It is hoped that this framework will aid our understanding of the fundamental interactions in this complex relationship and allow researchers to improve W-E-E nexus modeling through better capture of the key elements in the feedback loops. • Present a sensitivity-based framework for the water-energy-environment nexus. • Build the missing link that connects 2 key loops driven by economics and environment. • Provide urban development pattern decisions for achieving resource sustainability. • Assess Wuhan's development trajectory over the next 2 centuries quantitatively. • Propose a development pattern to achieve carbon neutrality in Wuhan in 2060s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adapting agriculture to climate change without deteriorating natural resources (e.g., water and energy) is critical to sustainable development. In this paper, we first comprehensively evaluate six agricultural adaptations in response to climate change (2021–2050) through the lens of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus in Saskatchewan, Canada, using a previously developed nexus model—WEF-Sask. The adaptations involve agronomic measures (early planting date, reducing soil evaporation, irrigation expansion), genetic improvement (cultivars with larger growing degree days (GDD) requirement), and combinations of individual adaptations. The results show that the selected adaptations compensate for crop yield losses (wheat, canola, pea), caused by climate change, to various extents. However, from a nexus perspective, there are mixed effects on water productivity (WP), total agricultural water (green and blue) use, energy consumption for irrigation, and hydropower generation. Individual adaptations such as early planting date and increased GDD requirement compensate for yield losses in both rainfed (0–60 %) and irrigated (18–100 %) conditions with extra use of green water (5–7 %), blue water (2–14 %), and energy for irrigation (2–14 %). Reducing soil water evaporation benefits the overall WEF nexus by compensating for rainfed yield losses (25–82 %) with less use of blue water and energy consumption for irrigation. The combination of the above three adaptations has the potential to sustain agricultural production in water-scarce regions. If irrigation expansion is also included, the combined adaptation almost fully offsets agricultural production losses from climate change but significantly increases blue water use (143–174 %) and energy consumption for irrigation while reducing hydropower production (3 %). This study provides an approach to comprehensively evaluating agricultural adaptation strategies, in response to climate change, and insights to inform decision-makers. • Agricultural adaptations negatively/positively affect the water and energy sectors. • Reducing soil evaporation raises food and hydropower production while saving water. • Changing cultivars/sowing dates besides less soil water loss enhances food security. • Irrigation expansion is not the most effective adaptation to boost crop production. • Irrigation expansion uses plenty of blue water and reduces hydropower production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed upon by the UN General Assembly in 2015, and subsequently endorsed by most UN Member States, there was a sense of optimism in respect of their timely implementation by 2030. This optimism has now become a concern. This is due to the fact that a combination of unfavourable circumstances and crises have so severely undermined the pursuit of the SDGs, that there are serious concerns about the probability of their achievement by 2030. This paper reports on an expert-driven literature review of the implementation of the SDGs and a bibliometric analysis, aimed at identifying some of the issues which have been slowing SDGs' progress. Based on the information gathered, it suggests some specific measures which may be deployed, in order to accelerate their implementation by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses thermodynamic modeling of a power generation cycle, cooling, and freshwater with the employment of solar energy. The introduced system has different subsystems; solar dish collector, a re-compression sCO 2 Brayton cycle integrated with a combined Rankine power-ejector refrigeration system and humidification and dehumidification desalination unit driven with a solar dish system. The considered system is analyzed in the context of thermodynamics index and criteria such as irreversibility, freshwater production, energy and exergy efficiencies, and environmental metric. The performance-affecting primary variables are determined through a parametric evaluation of the suggested system. According to the results, the system is capable of producing 83.3 kW of electrical power at the design point and 3.1 kW of cooling as well as 41.54 kg/h of freshwater. A more accurate analysis of exergy destruction shows that solar dish and heat exchanger-4 have the most significant rate of exergy destruction. In addition, parameters such as solar radiation intensity, compressor pressure ratio, and entrainment ratio are parametrically analyzed. The results indicated that increasing entrainment ratio from 0.3 to 0.6, will increase the refrigeration capacity from 2.33 kW to 4.66 kW and the operation of Turbine 2 from 15.96 kW to 18.63 kW. Also, enhancing the solar radiation intensity from 650 W/m2 to 950 W/m2 has different influences the system outputs so that increasing the solar intensity will reduce the performance of the cooling cycle and increase the freshwater produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deconstructs industrial green transformation into two aspects, industrial efficiency green transformation and industrial structure green transformation. We examine the impact of digital finance development on industrial green transformation using data from Chinese cities and listed companies. The results showed that: (1) digital finance can contribute to the green transformation of industrial structure distinctly but has an inhibiting effect on the green transformation of industrial efficiency. (2) Digital finance can promote capital-using technological progress and support industrial green transformation with its price effect and scale effect. (3) Higher government environmental preferences and governance capacity can strengthen the green transformation effect of digital finance. Strengthening financial supervision and narrowing the digital divide will help digital finance better support industrial green transformation. Digital finance development can more effectively promote the industrial green transformation of non-SOEs and enterprises with high financing constraints and high financial dependence. (4) Considering the financial attributes and highly polluting characteristics of real estate, digital finance exacerbates the pollution of the real estate industry. This study helps clarify the mechanism of digital finance supporting green development and provides some ideas for China's digital finance development and green economy transformation. • Deconstructing the industry green transformation (IGT) into EFFI and STRU. • Analyzing the synergistic effects of digital finance on the EFFI and STRU of the industry green transformation. • The positive impact of digital finance on the industry green transformation is statistically significant and robust. • The green transformation incentive effect of digital finance has significant heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary concepts of economic development in the European Union (EU) progressively focus on environmental protection. At the stage of their implementation by the EU countries, some of the policies include sustainable development, green growth, green economy, and circular economy. The leading concept in this regard is the European Green Deal. It should be noted, that a multitude of means exists within EU countries, by which plastic waste is managed, with a significant share of countries largely landfilling it or placing it in waste storage facilities. The aim of this paper is to introduce a proposal meant to propel the prospects related to managing plastic waste through chemical recycling. This recommendation would contribute to the fulfillment of the circular economy model implemented by EU countries. By means of chemical recycling, it is possible to transform plastic waste into a full-value market product which can be used, for example, in the fuel industry, constituting an alternative to the agricultural products used (biocomponents). Thereby, it may result in the production of, for example, engine fuel components that can replace plant-based components or other added-value chemicals. The findings demonstrated on four levels: environmental, technical, economic, and managerial, confirm the technological possibilities of chemical recycling of plastics and the legitimacy of the implementation of the presented concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is experiencing an unprecedented transition towards a low-carbon and renewable-based energy system, driven by the imperatives of mitigating climate changes, building climate resilience and ensuring sustainable development. Recently, polygeneration systems based on renewable energies have emerged as a viable solution to support the energy transition since they can improve resource utilization and energy efficiency, thus reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and the environmental impacts on ecosystems. Renewable polygeneration systems can play a significant role in the decarbonization of the food processing industry due to its high thermal energy demand at low and medium temperature levels. This paper presents a detailed analysis of a renewable polygeneration system integrating solar, geothermal and biomass energies and able to produce electricity, heat and cold water. The novelty of this study is the analysis of polygeneration system configurations relying solely on renewable energies and the optimization of the strategy to control the energy exchange between power systems, storage facilities and utilities. Two system configurations based on different power technologies and control strategies are investigated and compared, considering as end-user a milk production process with hot and cold water requirements at different temperature levels and load profiles. To this end, a dynamic model in Matlab/Simulink has been developed to simulate the behaviour of the polygeneration system over time and evaluate its overall energy performance parameters. For each system configuration, the optimal operating strategy has been identified by maximizing the energy conversion efficiency and minimizing the unmet thermal and cooling loads. Simulation results highlighted that, compared to polygeneration systems relying only on fluctuating renewable energies, those including a backup heat source (i.e., a biomass boiler) were able to meet the thermal energy needs of larger and more complex milk production processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving forestry green total factor productivity is important for promoting green and high-quality development of the forestry industry. Meanwhile, there are major expectations that the digital economy, which is the new engine driving China's economic development, will help achieve the green transformation and high-quality development of the industry. We systematically examine the impact of the digital economy on forestry green total factor productivity in dynamic and spatial dimensions using a dynamic panel model, mediating effect model and dynamic spatial Durbin model based on the Non-Radial Directional Distance Function-Luenberger Hicks Moorsteen model; furthermore, we measure forestry green total factor productivity in 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2019. Our results indicate that China's forestry green total factor productivity grew at an average annual rate of 5.03% from 2013 to 2019, maintaining an overall stable growth trend, and the growth rate declined in the order of Central, Eastern, Western, and Northeastern China. At the same time, the positive spatial correlation of green total factor productivity in China's forestry industry increased significantly during this period, and the local spatial correlation showed a trend of gradually shifting to the H–H agglomeration feature, with significant path-dependent characteristics and overall spatial spillover effects. The digital economy can significantly promote an improvement in forestry green total factor productivity, and this conclusion is still valid after robustness tests and endogeneity treatment. The analysis of the mechanism of action shows that industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation are important mechanisms through which the digital economy can improve forestry green total factor productivity. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the enhancement effect of the digital economy on forestry green total factor productivity is more obvious in the eastern and northeastern regions than in the central and western regions. Finally, according to spatial spillover analysis, the positive effects of the digital economy can have spatial spillover effects on neighboring regions that are geographically close and have similar economies. The research in this paper advances the understanding of the growth drivers of forestry green total factor productivity, the mechanisms, and the regional differences in forestry green total factor productivity as affected by the digital economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the goal of pursuing carbon neutrality, this study is aimed to investigate effectively managing distributed renewable energy. Considering the uncertainty of wind power (WP), photovoltaic power (PV), and load, a two-stage robust optimization model for virtual power plant (VPP) is proposed, with a focus on calculating the available capacity of electric vehicle (EV) aggregated virtual energy storage (VES). Time–space distribution characteristics of EVs and the responsiveness of EV users are analyzed and the available capacity calculation model is constructed. In the first stage, the bidding strategy and unit combination of the VPP are determined based on the predicted values of WP, PV, and load. Combining with the pre-decided decision from the first stage, the output of each unit is determined by considering an uncertainty set in the second stage, for achieving the best operational benefit under worst-case scenarios. Robust control parameters are introduced into the model and used to adjust conservativeness. The model is solved by applying the C&CG algorithm. Additionally, a carbon trading mechanism is leveraged to balance the system economy and environmental friendliness. The results show that the optimal scheduling solution helps to reduce fluctuations caused by uncertainties, balancing the economic benefits and operational risks of the VPP. Besides, guidance is provided for VPP operators to formulate reasonable incentives for EV users and the construction of energy storage systems. When the carbon trading price of the VPP proposed in the paper is set at 160 ¥ /ton, economic and environmental sustainability can be effectively balanced. [Display omitted] • Virtual power plant structure featuring electric vehicle virtual energy storage. • Electric vehicle user responsiveness-based available capacity calculation model. • Two-stage robust scheduling model for virtual power plant with electric vehicles. • Scheduling under varied risk achieved by modifying robust coefficients. • Balancing economic and environmental properties via suitable carbon trade parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Process simulation is combined with life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. • Instant coffee has >2 times higher impacts and costs than ground coffee. • Light roasts have lower impacts and costs due to lower losses and energy use. • The coffee industry emits 863–894 kt CO 2 eq./y, or 1.3% of total from UK food sector. • This could be reduced by 4.9% through process and packaging improvements. With around two billion cups consumed daily worldwide, the coffee industry faces pressures to improve its sustainability. Focusing on the UK as the fifth largest coffee consumer in Europe, this paper presents for the first time a life cycle environmental and economic sustainability assessment of coffee production at the product and sectoral levels. Both gate-to-gate and cradle-to-gate system boundaries are considered to identify opportunities for improvements in the manufacturing process and along the supply chain. Process design and simulation are combined with life cycle assessment and life cycle costing to evaluate the sustainability of the production of ground and instant coffee roasted to different levels. Based on the functional unit of 1 tonne of coffee produced, instant coffee has higher impacts and costs than ground coffee for both system boundaries because it requires double the amount of green coffee beans and 7–11 times more energy. For gate-to-gate, roasting and packaging are the main contributors to the impacts and costs; for cradle-to-gate, cultivation of coffee beans and packaging are the hotspots. Light roasts generally have lower impacts and costs due to lower material losses and energy requirements. At the sectoral level, the coffee industry emits 863–894 kt CO 2 eq. annually, contributing 1.3% to the GHG emissions from the UK food and drinks sector. Key opportunities for improvements include switching to lighter roast and pouch packaging, as well as using air recirculation roasters and silverskin as fuel. These results will be of interest to the coffee industry, policy makers and consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A regional division method of municipal solid waste incinerators based on incineration characteristics is proposed. • The material balance equation of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) process is established. • The energy balance equation of MSWI process is established. • A multi-input and multi-output controlled object model is constructed, which lays the foundation for optimal control. Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is an important part of energy recovery and sustainable development, constructing the model of controlled object is the basis of studying its optimal control. MSWI is a typical multi-input and multi-output industrial process, which has many uncertain characteristics such as strong nonlinearity and multivariable coupling. To solve this problem, a model of controlled object in MSWI process is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the MSWI process based on grate incinerator is analyzed to summarize its relevant variables and control requirements. Secondly, the solid phase and gas phase of MSWI process are divided to construct material balance equations of subsystems. Next, the energy transfer process in incinerator is deduced and calculated through thermodynamic laws. Finally, the validity of the model is verified by the process data of a MSWI plant in Beijing, China, which lays a model foundation for the study of the optimal control of MSWI process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• BIM-DB can effectively simulate building performance parameters. • The PSO-RF-NSGA-III hybrid method can be used to predict and optimize building performance. • NSGA can simultaneously optimize energy consumption, carbon emissions and thermal comfort. • The optimal building parameters are different in different regions. Near-zero-energy-consumption buildings (NZEBs) are of great significance for sustainable development, and their design and research have attracted increasing academic attention. To drive and realize the energy saving design and achieve carbon emission and thermal comfort optimization of NZEBs, in this paper, an intelligent optimization method integrating the BIM-DB and PSO-RF-NSGA-III method is established. Multiobjective optimization problems involving NZEBs in four typical climate regions in China are explored. With a typical office building as an example, first, simulation calculations regarding the energy consumption, carbon emissions and indoor thermal comfort in the four climatic regions are performed based on orthogonal tests and BIM-DB. Second, the nonlinear mapping relationships between building design parameters and prediction targets are constructed with the PSO-RF model, which is trained with sample data. The obtained nonlinear mapping relations are used to establish the objective function of NSGA-III, and the multiobjective Pareto-optimal solution set is obtained with the developed PSO-RF-NSGA-III algorithm. Finally, the only optimal solution is determined by using the ideal point method, and reference near-zero-energy-consumption office building parameters are calculated for different climate regions. The conclusions are as follows. (1) The PSO-RF algorithm can efficiently predict building energy consumption, carbon emissions and thermal comfort. In the four regions, the goodness of fit of the three targets is greater than 0.94. (2) Multiobjective optimization can be performed with the proposed RF-NSGA-III intelligent optimization method. After optimizing multiple groups of optimization schemes and adopting energy saving measures, the energy consumption levels in the four climate regions are reduced by 39.72 %, 32.22 %, 26.94 % and 35.37 %, and the other goals are optimized. (3) Index calculations indicate that the optimized building design parameters meet the specified standards for NZEBs, and the main influencing factors and corresponding measures vary from region to region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The construction and optimization of ecological networks in urban–rural areas are carried out. • A novel comprehensive ecological network optimization strategy with spatial zoning and multi-scenario coupling is proposed. • The optimized ecological network is conducive to promoting the circulation of ecological processes between urban and rural gradients. • The optimization strategy can guarantee the maximization of the integrated benefits of regional urbanization and ecological protection. Ecological network construction and optimization is an effective way to balance the contradiction between regional development and ecological protection in the process of urbanization. The urban–rural fringe is both a frontier zone in the direction of urban expansion and an important space for improving the urban ecological environment. However, there are few studies on how to construct and optimize the ecological networks in urban–rural fringe. In this paper, the morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) and the minimum cumulative resistance model (MCR) were firstly employed to initially construct the ecological network and reveal the characteristics and problems of ecological security pattern in the study area. Then, a new ecological network optimization strategy with a multi-scenario coupling of urban–rural gradient spatial zoning was proposed to meet the maximization of integrated benefits of future urban development and ecological protection. The study results show that: (1) Urbanization caused a high fragmentation of ecological patches, and exerted a strong spatial hindrance to ecological processes. (2) The spatial distribution of the initially constructed ecological network was extremely uneven, and ecological communication in the north–south direction was severely difficult. The optimized ecological network was significantly improved in this respect, and the priority construction of important corridors will also help to strengthen ecological communication in the direction of urban–rural gradient. (3) The proposed optimization strategy improved the connectivity and accessibility of the ecological network in Licheng District, and enhanced its structure, which will promote the overall ecological process cycle and better balanced the urban development and ecological protection. (4) Policy makers should strengthen the construction and implementation of ecological green corridors and forest belts in urban–rural fringe to achieve a balance between urban development and ecological protection. This study can provide scientific references for biodiversity conservation, green infrastructure planning, and sustainable development in the process of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Trying to break out of the stereotypical thinking of inherent study areas. • Use of a three-stage DEA model to make efficiency results more scientific. • Multidimensional identification of differences between strategic areas. • Valuable regionally targeted policy recommendations are made. The Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin are important economic regions and ecological barriers in China. Promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and promoting ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin are major regional strategies implemented by the Chinese government, and the green growth of the two regions is important for the high-quality sustainable development of the whole China. To investigate the regional differences in green growth efficiency of the same type of geographical units, this paper measures the green growth efficiency and decomposition indicators of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2020 using a three-stage DEA model and the Malmquist index method and establishes a panel Tobit model to identify the influencing factors of green growth efficiency. The results show that: ①After using the three-stage DEA model to remove the influence of external environment and stochastic factors, the mean values of green growth efficiency of Yangtze River Economic Zone and Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2020 are 0.996 and 1.089, respectively. The change of green growth efficiency of Yangtze River Economic Zone is slightly higher than that of Yellow River Basin. ②The Malmquist indexes of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin have generally increased, with the Technological Progress Index, which characterizes technological innovation, being the main endogenous driver of green growth efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, while the technical efficiency index, which characterizes factor mix and management level, is more significant in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. ③The Tobit model regression results show that the factors influencing green growth efficiency are also different in the two regions. Among them, the urbanization rate has a significantly positive effect on the two regions, while the effects of environmental regulation and research intensity are not significant. External openness has a suppressive effect on green growth efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, while the level of financial development and human capital negatively affect green growth efficiency in the Yellow River Basin. Therefore, green development in the new era should pay attention to the differences between different regions, and make appropriate development policies according to the local conditions of the development status of different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present research is to assess how and to what extent government-to-person (G2P) digital welfare, and business-to-person (B2P) electronic payroll practices, affect formal financial inclusion outcomes in the global open economy. To this end, the paper relies on the inter-temporal economic theory of consumption, together with a random utility theoretic framework to characterize the behavioral manifestations of formal account ownership (FA), formal saving (FS) and borrowing (FB), attributable to G2P and B2P electronic transfer practices, across 155 economies between 2014, 2017 and 2021. Following sensitivity and robustness testing, the results highlight that ceteris-paribus, controlling for social, economic, financial, demographic, spatial as well as temporal influences, G2P digital welfare, and B2P electronic payroll practices significantly improve individuals' likelihoods of formal financial inclusion in the global open economy. Indeed, while G2P digital welfare increases individuals' marginal utilities (MUs) from FA, FS, and FB by 65.9%, 9.4% and 16.3% respectively; B2P electronic payroll practices increases individuals' MUs from FA, FS, and FB by 41.2%, 22.3% and 18.1% respectively. Therefore, implications for real-time payment systems' open innovation, as well as inclusive and sustainable growth are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]