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The growing urgency of environmental problems, such as climate change, pollution, and waste management, has highlighted the importance of eco-innovation. It includes the development of sustainable solutions for goods and services. As corporations adopt sustainability practices, governments are increasingly essential in propelling eco-innovation. Innovation and economic growth are inextricably linked since innovation helps reduce costs, increases productivity, and builds knowledge. Eco-innovation, requiring stakeholders' collaboration and knowledge sharing where public policy plays a critical role in fostering eco-innovation, is frequently catalyzed by climate change and environmental issues. This paper provides an assessment of the public policy of several countries and its part in promoting eco-innovation. It explores how policy tools such as research and development investments, regulations, incentives, and infrastructure can be used successfully. It also explores how such instruments influence small and medium enterprises due to their importance in environmental sustainability policy. This research contributes to knowledge and adds to the literature by offering a global approach to the subject, complementing previous regional/single-country studies. It demonstrates the worldwide consequences of policy actions on eco-innovation and provides recommendations for policymakers, businesses, academics, and environmental stakeholders. The results highlight how governmental support is integral to ensuring the sustainability of a green future with economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we assess the sustainability of the electricity sector and explore the correlation between government environmental policies and the sector's sustainability. We find that at the national level, the sustainability of the electricity sector has exhibited a notable upward trend in recent years. However, this trend has not been evenly distributed across different regions of the country. Second, government environmental policies have a significant positive impact on promoting the sustainability of the electricity sector. Third, the impact of government environmental policies on the sustainability of the electricity sector is more pronounced in the western region of China. • We explore the impact of government environmental policy on the sustainability of China's electricity sector. • Government environmental policies can significantly promote the sustainability of China's electricity sector. • Technological progress is an effective channel between government environmental policies and the sustainability of the electricity sector. • The sustainability of the electricity sector is most significantly impacted by the environmental policies of the government in western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing awareness of sustainability issues in industrialized countries has resulted in an unprecedented rise in the number of environmental innovations produced worldwide. However, while this is a general tendency, the amount and importance of environmental innovations is far from consistent across industrialized countries. The influence of countries' policy network styles – referring to which and how interest groups participate in making public policy choices is a dimension that has been subject to growing interest and controversy. We propose that companies from pluralistic countries will generate more environmental innovations, but the importance of environmental innovations will be higher in neo-corporatist countries. Our analysis, based on a longitudinal analysis of 84,274 environmental patents from the United States, Japan, Germany, and the UK during the period 1976–2003, indicates support for our prediction that neo-corporatist countries tend to generate more important environmental innovations than pluralistic countries. Yet, our findings do not support our hypothesis suggesting that pluralistic countries are more likely to generate a higher number of environmental innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problems have a high rank in decision making when they are both urgent and important. Accordingly, water has not earned the attention it deserves in public policy agenda because under normal circumstances it is not viewed as an urgent matter in the eyes of the public and politicians. By creating a sense of urgency, extreme events such as droughts, floods, conflicts, and migrations can create opportunities for implementing some essential policy reforms that would be politically costly otherwise. So, despite their high short-term costs, extreme natural and societal events have the potential to increase the resilience of water systems in the long run. It is argued here that the societal and political sense of urgency about water must be promoted through public outreach and information dissemination. Otherwise, for useful reforms and long-term improvements, we will rely on costly and risky extreme events that sometimes have the potential to fully collapse the human-natural system-of-systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, the Brazilian authorities approved the National Policy on Solid Waste (NPSW) with the aim of promoting the recycling and reuse of solid waste. However, assessing the distribution and progress of recyclable material recovery following the implementation of this key government policy remains a challenging task. Therefore, this study employs a spatial-temporal analysis to investigate the impact of the NPSW on the recovery of recyclable waste in Brazil. We employed spatial statistical techniques such as Getis-Ord Gi* and Global Moran's I. The results revealed significant and heterogeneous clustering of recycled materials among municipalities, both before and after the implementation of the NPSW. The analysis demonstrated that recycled waste tended to cluster in more developed and urbanized areas, while a considerable number of cold spots were observed in less developed regions or densely populated areas, indicating low recycling rates. These findings raise environmental concerns for policymakers and emphasize the need for interventions to enhance recycling efforts. The study highlights the urgency of improving municipal solid waste management and raising awareness among local communities about the economic and environmental benefits of recycling, particularly in areas characterized by unsanitary living conditions, poverty, and low-income disparities. Therefore, it is recommended to tailor the legal framework to local realities, considering the vast and socioeconomically diverse landscape of Brazil. [Display omitted] • This study examined the spatial-temporal trends in the recovery of recyclable waste. • The recovery of recycled waste exhibits significant heterogeneity in Brazil. • Increasing recycling rates poses a challenge and raises concerns for the environment. • It is crucial to adapt laws in local contexts in order to enhance recovery rates. • Governments and stakeholders should explore the potential of recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, China enacted its "most stringent command-and-control" directive for regulating air pollution in major Chinese cities as part of the initiative to achieve the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan established by the government. This study explored the directive's effects on the public's risk perceptions of haze in the country. Specifically, we identified public views regarding haze-related risks, the factors that influence their perceptions, and the changes in such perceptions by administering questionnaires to residents of implementation and non-implementation areas in Tianjin City before and after six months–regulation application in the metropolis. The panel data obtained from the survey were then subjected to difference-in-differences analysis. Surprisingly, the analysis showed that the directive significantly reduced the public's perceptions of risk, even when we controlled for factors related to knowledge, attitudes, health conditions, and expectations from government governance of air pollution. This finding suggested that the evaluation of other control measures that prohibit all construction-related activities during winter and the subsequent formulation of optimal solution and clarification as to what constitutes sustainable energy usage. The external costs of such use should be considered in policy making. • Haze persists in the Beijing–Tianjing–Hebei region. • Urban and rural areas had nearly parallel risk perceptions before regulations. • The public prioritizes the short-term effects of regulation over its sustainability. • The regulation significantly reduced the public's risk perceptions of haze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, coal power plants still play a major role in the power sector and they are considered as a major emission source of air pollution. Strict regulations have compelled the coal power plants to improve environmental performance by reducing carbon emissions and the emission of pollutants. However, due to cost disadvantages, the coal power plants often lack motivation to internalize environmental externalities through investing in green technology. This situation raises a question: is there any alternative to reduce pollutants in operations economically? With a focus on service supply as well as a consideration of government policies, this paper develops a model to investigate the opportunity of outsourcing a pollutant-reduction service to meet the environmental constraint. The service supply chain consists of a coal power plant (end user) and a pollutant-reduction service provider, with the former outsourcing the service to the latter. We study the policy for improving the profit of this service supply chain whereas the benefit allotment is adjusted through outsourcing price negotiation between the two partners. The results show that the green service outsourcing price is interrelated with the government incentive policy which defines the shares of the two partners. Our key contribution lies in integrating the complex factors affecting the supply chain collaboration such as green service, financial feasibility, environmental constraint, government policies, outsourcing price negotiation, and profit sharing. Our research findings have the following implications: considering environmental externalities, the government should motivate the collaboration between supply chain partners; the economic scale of output and sales price subsidy of electricity generation are the primary factors affecting the price of outsourcing green service and, consequently, the allotment of supply chain profits. The study results indicate the collaboration is potentially effective in improving environmental performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, and ecosystem services trade-offs have been widely applied to the development of land-use policy. Although previous studies have focused on trade-offs of ecosystem services, a scenario approach has been seldom used. The scenario approach can reveal the changes of ecosystem services for different land-use patterns in the future, and is of great significance for land-use decisions and ecosystem management. Based on the actual situation of deteriorating water quality and dwindling water supply in the Erhai Lake Basin of southwest China, this study put forward to convert paddy land to dry land (PLDL) in the basin, and simulated its potential impact on ecosystem services. Taking environmental pollution, social impact, economic benefit and residential participation into consideration, four scenarios of PLDL were designed. Then, four ecosystem services (water purification, water yield, soil conservation and rice production) were calculated for each scenario. The optimal scenario of PLDL in the Erhai Lake Basin was identified by trade-offs of the four ecosystem services. The results showed that the total nitrogen export could be reduced by 42.07% and water yield can be increased by 5.61% after converting 100% of paddy lands to dry land, thereby greatly improving the water quality and increasing the water yield of Erhai Lake. However, PLDL involving 100% of paddy lands also increased the sediment export by 17.22%, and eliminated rice production in the region. By comparing the four PLDL scenarios for converting just 50% of paddy lands, the residential participation scenario was identified to be the best choice for PLDL implementation because it achieved the best level of water purification and had the smallest negative effect on other ecosystem services. The optimal scenario for each township showed spatial differentiation, and there were conflicts between the optimal scenarios at basin scale and township scale, suggesting that the object and the spatial-temporal scale should be taken into consideration in land-use decisions using ecosystem services trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many initiatives and policy commitments in natural capital accounting in the recent years. Based on a survey for statistical offices, ministries and independent experts worldwide, we provide some preliminary evidence that there is very little use of natural capital accounts for public policy decisions and, more so, in developing countries. The most relevant obstacles are the lack of political support by key people and institutional leadership unable to promote policy use by other ministries. Concerning developing countries, the factor which is considered as the most relevant in preventing the use of natural capital accounts for policy making is the stage of development of the country. In addition, respondents from statistical institutes and developing countries are firstly, concerned about institutional obstacles and secondly, about data availability and cooperation. Respondents from ministries and independent experts are particularly concerned about design obstacles. Not many accounts may be available to be used in the policy-making process due to data gaps, design challenges and the required investment, the problem being more acute in developing countries. A key result of the survey is the need to evaluate the added value of natural capital accounts with respect to statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deforestation threatens the earth's biodiversity and the ecosystem services upon which humans depend. Formal regulation is a key mechanism by which governments seek to protect forests. However, whether regulation can effectively protect remaining areas of the most threatened and most heavily cleared forests is unknown. We addressed this question using forest loss data for Queensland, Australia between 2000 and 2014 under existing vegetation clearing regulation ( Vegetation Management Act 1999 ). This regulation is specifically designed to provide the greatest protection for threatened forest types that have already lost the greatest amount of their original extent. Importantly, enforcement and governance of this regulation is relatively strong allowing an assessment of regulation design. We applied path analysis to model the direct and indirect effects (mediated by variables representing deforestation pressure) of forest protection level on clearing rates. There was strong evidence for a decline in clearing rates over time, except of clearing for non-agricultural purposes. However, threatened forest types, which have already lost > 70% of their original extent and should have the greatest level of protection under the regulation, continue to be cleared 2.7–2.9 times faster than non-threatened forest types. There was also little evidence that the regulation has driven greater reductions over time in the clearing rates of threatened versus non-threatened forests types. There was much greater support for the indirect than direct effect of protection level. This is because protection level was correlated with variables associated with deforestation pressure, resulting in higher clearing rates for threatened compared to non-threatened forest types. We hypothesise that this arises because the additional protection afforded to threatened relative to non-threatened forests is insufficient to counter the continuing higher level of deforestation pressure on threatened forests. We argue that a potential solution is to build explicit targets for forest retention into regulation, below which no further forest loss is permitted. This could be combined with spatially targeted enforcement and incentive strategies where threats are highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has the world’s highest levels of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and its adoption of optimal measures to address climate change is extremely important. In this article, we assess the performance of various Chinese policies aimed at addressing climate change in terms of cost effectiveness, cost-benefit efficiency, and their contribution to a reduction in emissions with a new single-region model, DEMETER-CCPE. Our analysis shows that the performance of these Chinese policies strongly depends on the principles and indicators used in the evaluation. When climate-specific cost indicators are considered, the mixed policy performs best in terms of cost reduction. When cost-efficiency indicators are used, a single policy performs better to some extent. From the perspective of evaluating the contribution to emissions reduction, the development of non-fossil-fuel-based energy technologies offers the greatest opportunity for reducing emissions in a mixed-policy scenario. Finally, this article study possible ‘burden’ and ‘free-rider’ scenarios in order to explore the effect of different levels of joint actions between China and the rest of the world (ROW) on a performance evaluation of policies to address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, China has been facing serious water pollution crises. To address this problem, discharge standards for wastewater treatment plants in China are becoming more and more stringent. Also, the sewage charge for compliant emissions and the penalty rate for non–compliant emissions have increased significantly. This paper comprehensively investigates the economic and environmental implications of such wastewater management policy in China. In this paper, a general framework for the analysis of WWTPs’ behavior and the resulted economic and environmental consequences is presented, and the impacts of discharge standard, charge rate, and penalty rate are analyzed. The trade–offs between the operational cost, environmental impact, and pollutant emissions are identified. This study also provides some insightful management implications for concerned policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combustion of fossil fuels in the transport sector represents the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, governments are fostering diversification of energy sources by creating a set of governmental environmental policies and initiatives. In this context, biofuels are expected to represent a substantial part of source diversification, but it is necessary to assess the sustainability of their market to explore its effect on economical, technological, social, political and environmental dimensions. This research presents a dynamic simulation modelling of the Colombian biodiesel market and analyzes the policy support instruments for creating and managing it. A system dynamics based model is proposed to enable decision-makers to understand the influences between the different variables that describe the system and the impact of the biodiesel government policy in Colombia. The primary focus of this paper is to establish the characteristics of each sustainability dimension for the case of study and apply the system dynamics methodology with different types of validation. Finally, the Colombian market status and a sensitivity analysis are developed. The results show that in order to support the development of this sector, it is necessary to diversify the raw materials for the production of biodiesel in the medium term, which means raw materials without competence for the primary rainforest or competition with food productive lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining soil quality is commonplace throughout Southern Asia and sustainable strategies are required to reverse this trend to ensure food security for future generations. One potential solution to halt this decline is the implementation of integrated nutrient management whereby inorganic fertilisers are added together with organic wastes. These organic materials, however, are often quickly broken down in soil and provide only a transitory improvement in soil quality. Biochar, which can potentially persist in soil for centuries, may offer a more permanent solution to this problem. To address this, we undertook a 2-year field trial to investigate the interactions between conventional NPK fertilisers, farmyard manure (FYM) and biochar in a maize cropping system. Biochar application to the nutrient poor soil increased maize yields after year one by approximately 20% although the yield increase was lower in the second year (ca. 12.5%). Overall, there was little difference in grain yield between the 25 t ha −1 and the 50 t ha −1 biochar treatments. In terms of soil quality, biochar addition increased levels of soil organic carbon, inorganic N, P and base cations and had no detrimental impact on pH and salinity in this calcareous soil. Overall, this field trial demonstrated the potential of biochar to induce short-term benefits in crop yield and soil quality in maize cropping systems although the long-term benefits remain to be quantified. From a management perspective, we also highlight potential conflicts in biochar availability and use, which may limit its adoption by small scale farming systems typical of Southern Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban transport sector's transition to cleaner energy is needed to help stop global warming. To reduce the sector's dependence on fossil fuels, government are promoting green mode of transportation and it can help reduce air pollution in cities. Our study examines Chinese consumers' environmental awareness and attitude toward new energy vehicle (NEV) policy, and its impact on their attitude toward NEV. Using the theories of planned behavior and social exchange we examine the relative impact of Chinese consumers' attitude toward NEV, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on their purchase intention. Our findings show that consumers' favorable attitude toward government policy and environmental awareness improves the consumers' attitude toward NEV, and a positive attitude toward NEV and the impact of social pressures or evaluations of early adopters help the transition to cleaner energy use by increasing the adoption of NEV. And this study suggests that consumers' education level has a significant moderating effect on their NEV purchase intentions. The study findings provide direction for the government's NEV promotion and application policy for city residents. • Consumers' favorable attitude towards government policy and environmental awareness improves the consumers' attitude towards NEVs. • Education level has a significant moderating effect on consumers' new energy vehicles purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public environmental awareness (PEA) is critical to the implementation of environmental policies by governments and product strategies by companies, however, there is less literature discussing its drivers. Environmental information disclosure (EID), as a bottom-up environmental policy, promotes public environmental management. This paper takes the Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI) as a proxy for the degree of EID and discusses its impact on PEA. Using the PITI of 113 cities and the Baidu index-based PEA for 30 provinces from 2010 to 2019, we find a significant increase in PEA with the widening of EID, and the impacts of EID get larger as the quantile increases. Moreover, the effects of EID on PEA are amplified in areas with heavy pollution, high levels of green innovation, and stringent environmental governance capacities, but are diminished in areas with rampant corruption. The findings of this paper provide recommendations for optimizing EID implementation. • With the expansion of EID, PEA has increased significantly. • The impacts of EID on PEA are amplified in areas with high pollution, green innovation, and strict governance capacities. • The impacts of EID on PEA are diminished in areas with rampant corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of information in environmental and economic policy has been a theme for over 100 years but standards for integrating environmental and economic information were not adopted until 2012, through the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). For 20 years the technical ‘push’ to develop accounts proceeded largely independently of the ‘pull’ from the intended or likely end-users of accounts. Consequently governments have little knowledge of the accounting or how it might be used. We examine why public policy imperatives have not yet pulled environmental accounting into the mainstream and explain how accounting can help reshape government decision-making. As part of this a model showing the place of accounts in the information system and the policy cycle is presented along with a research agenda and principles for the decision-centred design of accounts. We conclude that a phased implementation of the accounts as well as additional research into their applications will be needed to build practical understanding and political acceptance of the accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are various ways to construct good processes for soliciting and understanding science. Our critique of advisory models finds that a well-supported chief science advisor (CSA) best ensures the provision of deliberative, informal, and emergency advice to government. Alternatively, bias, increasingly manifest as science-based advocacy, can hinder communication, diminish credibility, and distort scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research that addresses policy measures to increase the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has discussed government regulations such as California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) or penalties on petroleum-based fuels. Relatively few articles have addressed policy measures designed to increase the adoption of EVs by incentives to influence car buyers’ voluntary behavior. This article examines the effects of such policy measures. Two of these attributes are monetary measures, two others are traffic regulations, and the other three are related to investments in charging infrastructure. Consumer preferences were assessed using a choice-based conjoint analysis on an individual basis by applying the hierarchical Bayes method. In addition, the Kano method was used to elicit consumer satisfaction. This not only enabled the identification of preferences but also why preferences were based on either features that were “must-haves” or on attributes that were not expected but were highly attractive and, thus, led to high satisfaction. The results of surveys conducted in 20 countries in 5 continents showed that the installation of a charging network on freeways is an absolute necessity. This was completely independent from the average mileage driven per day. High cash grants were appreciated as attractive; however, combinations of lower grants with charging facilities resulted in similar preference shares in market simulations for each country. The results may serve as initial guidance for policymakers and practitioners in improving their incentive programs for electric mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on delineating the conditions under which the governments of poorer countries become active defenders and protectors of the environment. It does so based on field work in two poorer countries, El Salvador and Costa Rica, where the governments have instituted moratoria on financially lucrative but environmentally destructive mining in order to protect the environment. Building on these case studies and prior work, the article posits three conditions—related to civil society, the private sector, and the public sector—under which governments of poorer countries implement policies that favor environmental ends over shorter term economic rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model is developed to analyse optimal environmental policy when consumer preferences are endogenous. It captures that pollutive consumption is sensitive to consumption by others and commercial advertising. This is conceptualized through a consumption norm. An increase in this norm means that consumers will become dissatisfied with a given consumption level and try to raise it, which will cause an increase in pollution. The model is particularly relevant for the study of conspicuous consumption which generally is subject to concentrated advertising efforts while it generates considerable pollution. The model can accommodate the cases of an externality created by advertising being positive or negative. We also show that using different functional specifications for the norm function one can address either conformity or status seeking. We derive optimal rules for a pollution tax, a subsidy or tax on advertising, and information provision by the government. The results not only contribute to more realism in environmental policy theory but also extend public policy with new instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of modern industrialization has caused heavy environmental pollution. Environmental protection is a basic national policy of China. In 2011, China began to implement the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan for National Environmental Protection" (12th FYP_NEP). Using the survey data of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Shandong Province of China, this paper empirically explores the impact of 12th FYP_NEP on the energy utilization and operating efficiencies of SMEs. It is found that the environmental policy "12th FYP_NEP" has a significant incentive effect on both efficiency performance of Chinese SMEs, and has a greater positive impact on operating efficiency. Our heterogeneity analysis showed the following results. The incentive effect is different in different industries and enterprises of different sizes. The policy "12th FYP_NEP" has a greater positive impact on the energy utilization efficiency of SMEs in China's first and second tier cities, but it has no significant impact on their operation efficiency. This shows that SMEs in first and second tier cities are more effective in coping with the national environmental policy reform strategy. It can be seen that the promulgation of China's environmental policies can significantly improve the energy utilization awareness of these SMEs. The incentive effect of the policy on the two efficiency performances of SMEs in cities with "heavy air pollution" is greater, indicating that the implementation effect of "12th FYP_NEP" on SMEs in such cities is better. The enlightenments are as follows: the current situation of Chinese SMEs is that the energy utilization efficiency is low, while the operating efficiency is high. Most enterprises attach great importance to their own operating profits and economic development, and the awareness of energy utilization needs to be greatly strengthened. "12th FYP_NEP" has obvious positive effect on the energy utilization and operating efficiencies of SMEs, but there are slight differences among different types of enterprises. It is suggested that governments can refine their own environmental regulation standards and implement different environmental regulations for different types of enterprises, so as to enhance the performance of domestic enterprises most effectively. • This paper used the China survey data on SMEs over the period 2010–2013. • It is found that the Chinese "12th FYP_NEP" has a significant incentive effect on efficiency performance of Chinese SMEs. • The incentive effect is different in different industries and enterprises of different sizes. • The policy makes for improving the energy efficiency of SMEs in first and second-tier cities and heavy-polluted cities. • Chinese SMEs should attach great importance to energy utilization rather than operating profits only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of unilateral climate policies may be hampered by carbon leakage and competitiveness losses. A widely discussed policy option to reduce leakage and protect competitiveness of heavy industries is to impose border carbon adjustments (BCAs). The estimation of carbon leakage as well as the assessment of different policy options led to a substantial body of literature in energy-economic modeling. In order to give a quantitative overview on the most recent research of the topic, we conduct a meta-analysis on 25 studies, altogether providing 310 estimates of carbon leakage ratio according to different assumptions and models. The typical range of carbon leakage estimates are from 5% to 25% (mean 14%) without policy and from −5% to 15% (mean 6%) with BCAs. A meta-regression analysis is performed to further investigate the impact of different assumptions on the leakage estimates. The decrease of the leakage ratio with the size of the coalition is confirmed and quantified. Among the BCA options, the extension of BCAs to all sectors and the inclusion of export rebates are the most efficient features in the meta-regression model to reduce the leakage ratio. All other parameters being constant, BCAs reduce leakage ratio by 6 percentage points. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new exhaust emission inventory of ocean-going vessels (OGVs) was compiled for Hong Kong by using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data for the first time to determine typical main engine load factors, through vessel speed and operation mode characterization. It was found that in 2007, container vessel was the top emitting vessel type, contributing 9,886, 11,480, 1,173, 521 and 1166 tonnes of SO2, NO x , PM10, VOC and CO, respectively, or about 80%–82% of the emissions. The top five, which also included ocean cruise, oil tanker, conventional cargo vessel and dry bulk carrier, accounted for about 98% of emissions. Emission maps, which add a new spatial dimension to the inventory, show the key emission hot spots in Hong Kong and suggest that a significant portion of emissions were emitted at berth. Scientific evidence about the scale and distribution of ship emissions has contributed in raising public awareness and facilitating stakeholder engagement about the issue. Fair Winds Charter, the world's first industry-led voluntary emissions reduction initiative, is a perfect example of how careful scientific research can be used in public engagement and policy deliberation to help drive voluntary industry actions and then government proposals to control and regulate marine emissions in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic model is used to construct political factors. • SBM-DEA model is used to evaluate the ecological efficiency of 36 cities. • Time effect is introduced into FSQCA to analyze the panel data of all cities and four regions. • Differences of the four urban agglomerations are compared. • Analyze the different paths of political factors in 36 cities. Rapid economic development of any country will usually lead to negative environmental impacts. A free market economy cannot fundamentally solve this issue, which requires the guidance and control of the government. The environmental policies of governments can effectively improve the ecological conditions in a region. This study quantifies environmental regulation policies and takes four urban agglomerations in eastern China as the research object to explore the influence of environmental regulation on regional ecological efficiency. First, policies can be divided into policy control, pollution control, ecological protection, and social adjustment by building a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model of a policy text library to measure differences in urban policy bias. Next, a slack-based measure (SBM) model was used to measure urban ecological efficiency. Finally, using the qualitative comparison analysis method, the time effect was considered and the ecological efficiency configuration of the entire region was obtained. In addition, contrast analysis was conducted for different path configurations and the reasons of the statuses of the four urban agglomerations were obtained. The results show that policy control, pollution control, ecological protection, and other mandatory policies can significantly reduce the negative environmental effects, especially when the policy controls involve an explicit form of punishment, which is a necessary condition for achieving a high level of ecological efficiency. However, social adjustment means having higher requirements for regional total factor development, which requires improving the environmental awareness of residents and improving corporate social responsibility. Regional differences will mean that areas with a lower level of economic development have a higher intensity of policy control, and the means of policy control should be matched with the level of economic development. In addition, this study proposes some policy suggestions, such as strengthening policy control and pollution prevention, strengthening social regulation, and promulgating environmental laws and regulations according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Environmental regulations can play a major role in fostering improvements in industrial environmental performance. This potential can be best leveraged when regulatory aspects are tiered by performance criteria in “performance-based” policies. Although recognized as an essential part of incentivizing performance improvements, these polices present a significant challenge for developing countries. This paper presents a definition and the basic elements of performance-based regulations, and a case study in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Starting with a brief discussion of public environmental policy instruments, the performance-based concept is defined and examined, using the experiences of the U.S. to list the most relevant characteristics by which a public policy can help regulators to not only recognize but also to reward and encourage environmental performance improvement. The introduction of performance criteria into the renewable permits in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, is described as an example of these practices. By establishing an innovative permitting model, the state environmental agency encourages continuous environmental performance improvements in industries. Some preliminary results are presented with regard to administrative and environmental benefits, with an example of water reuse and wastewater volume reduction at a petrochemical hub to illustrate the strategy's potential. Finally, the adequacy of the implemented permitting system was evaluated with the performance-based criteria reported in the literature. The results attest to the potential of this model to foster improvements beyond traditional compliance, mainly through the adoption of cleaner production, thereby contributing to environmental quality improvements with low economic, socio and political enforcement costs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article synthesizes the growing empirical literature on transaction costs to identify pragmatic design recommendations for environmental and natural resource policies. The New Institutional Economics literature recognizes that appropriate policy choice and design will be a function of the specific characteristics of the problem. The physical and institutional determinants of both transaction costs and abatement costs should be considered in the policy design process due to potential interactions between them. Analysts also need to incorporate the extent to which the technologies, institutional environment, governance structures, or policy designs can be changed; some factors can only be adjusted to or “designed around” while others can be designed differently. This framework highlights the importance of property rights since transaction costs will be incurred to obtain or retain property rights and since the rights assignment may affect both the magnitudes and distribution of costs. Another implication is that education and extension programs or use of behavioral economics concepts to affect choices can be cost-effective in some circumstances. Policy design should take advantage of economies of scale and foster technical change. Appropriate sequencing of policy instruments may decrease transaction costs, particularly if there is potential for technical change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article discusses the concept of planetary boundaries that has been advanced by a group of leading experts around Johan Rockström. I place the concept of planetary boundaries in the larger framework of the emerging research paradigm of earth system governance, welcoming it as a crucial contribution that defines the overall goals of governance. Yet I also elaborate on the political conflicts that surround the identification of planetary boundaries, which are, in the end, a social construct. I then explore the policy and governance responses that may follow from the planetary boundary approach. In the conclusion, I point to several research challenges that flow from the current state of knowledge on planetary boundaries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is growing interests among policy-makers in applying ecosystem services concepts to inform strategies that provide for peoples’ needs while sustaining ecosystems and maintaining biodiversity. Since many policy dialogs and decisions rely on metrics and indicators to communicate concise and relevant information, an assessment of ecosystem service indicators can help identify gaps hindering policy-makers from more fully adopting ecosystem service approaches. In this study, we present an evaluation of ecosystem service indicators compiled from over 20 ecosystem assessments conducted at multiple scales and many countries. Based on criteria used to assess the compiled indicators, the strengths and weaknesses of indicators for different ecosystem services are explored, and possible reasons for these patterns examined. We then outline some priority steps for identifying and applying indicators to improve the ability of policy-makers to more fully mainstream ecosystem service approaches. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Evidence on the role of information and knowledge for policy making shows that policy actors seldom use information as a direct input to their decisions. Similar patterns of (non)use have been identified in the case of indicators in the environmental and sustainable development policy domains. The objective of the paper is to elucidate the patterns of environmental indicator use and to argue for the introduction of a ‘politics of policy indicators’. With a limited set of characteristics (e.g. legitimacy, credibility and salience) of indicators, which help to apprehend the usability of indicators, we argue that the usability profile of indicators can be analysed as a matter of construction and deliberation by indicator creators and policy actors. The performance of indicators as policy tools – as rendered with their usability profile – is co-dependent of the institutional embeddedness of the indicators. Our conclusion makes the case that if environmental improvements towards more sustainability are partly relying on the quality and uptake of information into policy processes in order to steer decisions, then the ‘usability profile’ of indicators itself should be subject to collective and conscious steering. This call to ‘steer the steering’ is supported by the wider calls to initiate patterns of ‘reflexive governance’ within the sustainability policy domain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper compares the outcomes of policies that target vehicle holdings with those that target vehicle usage using data from the US Consumer Expenditure Survey. Results show that a higher price of gasoline shifts vehicle holdings towards more fuel efficient vehicles and reduces the annual demand for miles, whereas imposing a fee on vehicles or a feebate program only shifts vehicle holdings towards more fuel efficient vehicles and has little to no impact on the demand for miles. While it is relatively expensive to reduce CO2 emission through incentive-based policies, achieving any abatement level is more expensive through imposing fees on vehicles than gasoline taxes. In addition, the maximum amount of abatement attainable by a feebate program is relatively small and the same amount could be achieved by imposing a $0.73 gasoline tax per gallon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper provides an analytical framework for investigating the effects of unilateral measures to control greenhouse gas emitted by the aviation industry. It is found that, unilateral efforts might lead to an increase in global greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, emissions taxes implemented as part of such measures could lead to larger negative impacts on home than on foreign airlines, possibly resulting in competitive issues. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Concentration permits are regarded as an interesting policy tool for regulating emissions where, besides absolute amounts, also local concentration is important. However, effects of governance structure, trading system and possible policy interventions in the permits' allocation are not yet well analysed and understood. This paper explores in how far tradable fertilisation standards can be seen as a concentration permit trading (CPT) system which can be fine-tuned for further policy intervention. Indeed fertilisation standards such as obliged by the EU Nitrate Directive can be regarded as local nitrate emissions limits, and thus concentration permits. A multi-agent spatial allocation model is used to simulate the impact of defining the manure problem in terms of concentration permits rather than conventional emission permits. Impacts are simulated in terms of environmental performance and increased reallocation costs. The model is applied on the Flemish manure problem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) explicitly integrates economics into water management and water policy in Europe. Specifically, Article 11 and Annex III of the Directive call for a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of alternative mitigation measures as a requirement in formulating Programme of Measures (PoMs) to achieve ‘good ecological status’ for all waters in Europe. As agriculture is supposed to be the major contributor to diffuse water pollution, CEA of agri-environmental measures has been given paramount importance in establishing the PoMs. This paper summarises the status, significance, and methodological limitations of WFD-related CEA studies in Europe. Cases from the United Kingdom, countries surrounding the Baltic Sea and central and southern Europe were included in the review. Review results indicate that most WFD-related CEA studies: (1) were based on models of ‘representative’ farms without capturing the variability among real-world farms; (2) concentrate on a single ecological effect of measures or are based on cost estimates of the sectors directly involved in the pollutant-reduction programme (i.e., co-benefits, trade-offs, and external costs were not examined); and (3) did not incorporate uncertainties in both cost and effectiveness estimates. Based on the review results, the paper suggests policy implications and recommendations for future research in the field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Land use change and land management intensification are major drivers of biodiversity loss, especially in agricultural landscapes, that cover a large and increasing share of the world's surface. Incentive-based agri-environmental policies are designed to influence farmers'' land-use decisions in order to mitigate environmental degradation. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes for biological conservation in a dynamic agricultural landscape under economic uncertainty. We develop a dynamic ecological economic model of agricultural land-use and spatially explicit population dynamics. We then relate policies (subsidies to grassland, taxation of agricultural intensity) to the ecological outcome (probability of persistence of a species of interest). We also analyze the associated trade-offs between agricultural production (in value) and biological conservation (in probability of persistence) at the landscape scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent debates on environmental problems and policies, the strategy of “degrowth” has appeared as an alternative to the paradigm of economic growth. This new notion is critically evaluated by considering five common interpretations of it. One conclusion is that these multiple interpretations make it an ambiguous and rather confusing concept. Another is that degrowth may not be an effective, let alone an efficient strategy to reduce environmental pressure. It is subsequently argued that “a-growth,” i.e. being indifferent about growth, is a more logical social aim to substitute for the current goal of economic growth, given that GDP (per capita) is a very imperfect indicator of social welfare. In addition, focusing ex ante on public policy is considered to be a strategy which ultimately is more likely to obtain the necessary democratic–political support than an ex ante, explicit degrowth strategy. In line with this, a policy package is proposed which consists of six elements, some of which relate to concerns raised by degrowth supporters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: New Zealand dairy farmers face a tradeoff between profit maximisation and environmental performance. The integrated simulation model presented here enables assessment of the economic and environmental impact of dairy farming with a focus on nitrogen pollution at the catchment level. Our approach extends the value of the DairyNZ Whole Farm Model () as an environmental policy tool by building and integrating nitrogen discharge functions for specific soil types and topography using a metamodelling technique. A hybrid model is created by merging the merits of differential evolution and non-linear optimisation to expedite policy simulations, in which farm profits and nitrogen discharges obtained from the differential evolution optimisation process are assembled to form a profit–pollution frontier. This frontier is then subject to constrained optimisation based on non-linear optimisation in order to predict producer responses to alternative pollution control policies. We apply this framework to derive marginal abatement costs for heterogeneous farm types and find that abatement costs for intensive farms are lower than for moderate and extensive farming systems. We further conclude that abatement can be achieved more cheaply using a compulsory standard or threshold tax than using a standard emissions tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies in the context of global change involve a high degree of uncertainty, as knowledge about future changes and the effectiveness of potential measures is insufficient. Our study set out to investigate how members of the public evaluate policy options that aim at adaptation to climate change, and more specifically, to reduce the risk from flooding and low flows. We explored how hierarchically structured networks of values and beliefs shape public preferences and attitudes towards two different policies, insurance and a sustainable flood management scheme. In particular, we assessed the role of governance-related values such as efficiency, solidarity and sustainability that allow individuals to evaluate a policy option even if its outcomes are highly uncertain. To this end, we conducted a survey among members of the Scottish public (n=1033). Findings from spike models and structural equation modelling suggested that there was general support for both policy measures, with a preference for the sustainable flood management approach. In particular, we found perceived severity of change, trust in government, governance-related values and fundamental values to inform attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for policy measures. More specific constructs, such as attitudes, were embedded in contexts of more abstract and situation-transcendent values. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: According to Article 9 of the European Water Framework Directive, water-pricing policies have to provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently by 2010. In this paper, we investigate some of the conflicts that may arise when introducing the polluter pays principle for the recovery of costs of water supply and sanitation services. We argue that conceptually, there are no a priori reasons to question the co-existence of the polluter pays principle with other principles of environmental policy, although the latter do influence its practical implementation. There also seem to be no major formal conflicts with the rules that govern services of economic interest. This, however, does not mean that it is easy to implement the polluter pays principle in the water sector. Rather, it is a consequence of the fact that the Water Framework Directive does not reflect a strong commitment to a very stringent implementation of the principle that the polluter should pay. This does not imply that the ideas that lie behind the polluter pays principle should therefore be abandoned, but the neoclassical motive of cost-efficiency might not be the main argument to recommend its use in the context of water supply and sanitation services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Greater emphasis on public policy aimed at internalizing the societal cost of carbon dioxide emissions leads to more questions about the economic impacts of that policy. In cooperation with the State of Florida''s Department of Environmental Protection, the authors have constructed a model to simulate the dispatch of electric generating units to serve electric load in the state – and obtained some counterintuitive results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Satellite services benefit civil society by helping tackle challenges such as climate change, the digital divide, etc. They have the potential to deliver concrete benefits to European society through innovative services supporting economic, societal and environmental policies. Such benefits can trigger increased public support for space in Europe. However, this potential has yet to be achieved. This paper argues that technological bias, the diversity of interests and initiatives among stakeholders and their individual actions do not always serve their collective objective to ensure wide diffusion of satellite services. It draws on theories of diffusion of innovation and on its authors'' participatory work with the space and the user communities and at their interface in an effort to help diffuse satellite services within civil society. One of the major causes of insufficient service diffusion is the weakness of the interface between the space and user communities; some of factors that currently contribute to this state of affairs are the space community''s over-reliance on publicly financed, technical demonstration projects as solutions to service diffusion; insufficient coordination by public authorities of innovation policies and programmes with other public policies and objectives; and an insufficient integration of satellite services within users'' culture, traditional tools and services. The discussion allows for conclusions to be drawn on how the system of stakeholders could function better in order for satellite services to be successfully diffused in Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study I analyzed the role of environmental policies and energy cost savings on the pattern of switching to natural gas by stationary sources in Chile. According to the data most of the switching was induced by the lower cost of natural gas, although environmental policies played a small role and showed that sources were more sensitive to the cost of energy than to the environmental regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A range of EU environmental policies support the goal of reducing fossil-fuel use in commercial thermal applications. Combustion installations which are covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme now face a substantial opportunity cost for fossil-fuel CO2 emissions. However, it is unclear whether the EU ETS will provide a sufficient incentive for switching to forest-derived biomass fuel by energy-intensive installations currently firing on coal or peat. Using Ireland as a case study, the paper analyses the availability and cost competitiveness of forest residues produced within the vicinity of three cement kilns. EU Allowance prices observed during much of 2007 and 2008 would appear to be sufficient to equalise the carbon-adjusted purchase costs between chipped pulpwood and bituminous coal. However, no such fuel switching has been observed to date by kiln operators and none appears to be envisaged. The apparent reasons for this include (1) a ready availability of cheaper substitute fuels such as Meat and Bone Meal; (2) technical issues regarding the chemical consistency of the woodchip; and (3) the prospect of pulpwood prices rising in the medium term due a growing supply shortage. The prospect of such a constraint is an unintended consequence of Irish government policy to promote biomass co-firing in peat-fired power stations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sweden's current climate policy affects domestic combustion of fossil fuels and, thus, produces synergies on the policies aiming at reducing NO x and SO2 emissions. A matter of climate policy recently discussed by the Swedish Government, however, is to adopt a carbon emissions target, which excludes traded CO2 allowances. Although, this redefined carbon emissions target could be attained at the least costs through emissions trading, it will obstruct the ancillary benefits of reduced SO2 and NO x emissions arising from the current climate policy. The findings, here, suggest that additional policy instruments would have to decrease the SO2/GDP and NO x /GDP ratios by 48 and 72%, respectively for the 2020 carbon emissions target, in order to counteract the obstruction of ancillary benefits. Here, the emission multipliers of carbon emissions trading sectors distinguish from those of non-trading sectors when introduced into the interindustry model and applied to official emissions projections in examining the nitrogen and sulphur outcomes of Sweden's climate policy for 2020. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies instrument choice under market-based regulations when governments expropriate private property in order to protect the environment. The analysis uses survey data collected for Bangkok's old motorcycle retirement program. While the literature studies only “Cash for Clunkers” schemes, this hypothetical experiment allows us to compare owners’ preferences for alternative schemes. Policy implications of the proposed schemes can be inferred after examining owners’ responses to different financial incentive provided by the government. Our analysis provides criteria that could be used when choosing one scheme over another. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Greece responded to the Habitats Directive aims, maintaining biodiversity through sustainable natural resource use, by establishing a network of protected areas. In implementing the European conservation policy, 27 management agencies were established in 61 Natura sites. To assess the effectiveness of the Greek state’s policy response we conducted 91 semi-structured interviews with state and non-state actors in the Greek conservation policy process. Following a grounded theory approach, we revealed national strategy as compromised by absence of conservation policy history, lack of state capacity, uncommunicated biological knowledge and lack of public participation. This strategy gap became apparent when appraising the decision making process in establishing a network of protected areas in terms of its interrelated activities. In particular, incomplete intelligence, ineffective promotion, irrational prescription and discontinued and non-independent appraisal led to a break down in implementation and to policy failure. Lack of clear goals, and divergences between stated and actual goals led to bureaucratic interpretations of conservation objectives and distortion of decision processes in favour of satisfying economic and development interests. Given the importance of Greek biodiversity and governmental failure to confront this policy hiatus, we argue for specific actions at both member state and European level and, in particular, the formulation of a conservation strategy as an official part of an integrated Greek conservation policy, and the establishment of independent institutions staffed by qualified reviewers to evaluate and monitor member states conservation policies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A number of different tools for analysing environmental impacts of different systems have been developed. These include procedural tools such as strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental management systems (EMS) as well as analytical ones such as life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC), cost–benefit analysis (CBA) and the system of economic and environmental accounts (SEEA) including input–output analysis (IOA). Descriptions or scenarios of the future are typically relevant elements in these tools, since they are often used to describe impacts in the future. For futures studies a number of different approaches and techniques have been developed. In an earlier paper we have presented a typology of different types of scenarios that respond to different types of questions. These include predictive scenarios, explorative scenarios and normative scenarios. The aim of this paper is to explore connections between selected tools for environmental systems analysis and different scenario types. Although there is a clear need for futures studies in several tools for environmental systems analysis, it is interesting to note that the literature on methodologies for and case studies of combinations of futures studies and environmental systems analysis tools is rather limited. This suggests that there is a need for further research in this area including both methodology and practical case studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In a set of US urban areas, this study documents patterns of association between multiple measures of sustainability policies and outcomes on the one hand and indicators of three principal political culture theories on the other. Five dimensions of urban sustainability attributes are examined (environmental, public health, economic utility, sprawl, and local government plans and policies) as well as a summative index across the five dimensions. The three political culture theories are creative class, social capital, and historical legacy. First, the analysis examines the relationships among the five dimensions of sustainability. Second, a correlation analysis exhibits further evidence of major effects attributable to social capital and historical legacy cultural heritage. Third, a multiple regression analysis predicts the summative sustainability index score by measures for creative class, social capital, moralistic cultural legacy, and controls for education level and percentage of low income households; both a moralistic cultural heritage and strong social capital are shown to be facilitative contexts for a US city making a commitment to sustainability, even in the presence of demographic controls. The results suggest that environmental professionals engaged in sustainability efforts must be cognizant of their cultural context and of the linkages among different sustainability domains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Agri-environmental measures are among the most important instruments for the promotion of environmentally adapted agricultural land use. While their pertinence in Europe has been increasing for some years, evaluations of these measures have shown that their design is still lacking in both effectiveness and efficiency. This paper describes the derivation of indicator plant species that make it possible to implement result-oriented remuneration schemes in the grassland sector. In many ways, result-oriented agri-environmental schemes can be expected to prove superior to the measure-oriented schemes which are currently most widely used. It is demonstrated how a checklist of indicator species can be derived by using expert knowledge and statistical crosschecks with a database of pre-existing vegetation samples. These species are indicators for conservationally relevant, agriculturally usable grassland on moderately dry to moderately wet sites. The qualities that make a site eligible for remuneration are defined by societal demand as expressed through political objectives and guidelines. One of the challenges in deriving an indicator checklist was to represent quality through species that not only satisfy scientific criteria like validity, but are also operational within remuneration programmes. For example, operational indicator species have to be easily identifiable. The checklist of indicator species for result-oriented remuneration in the Land Brandenburg presented here covers the entire spectrum of site conditions and all types of usable grassland in Brandenburg. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper shows that, under certain conditions (including path dependence and lock-in), policies and measures leading to a cost-effective GHG emissions mitigation in the short term may not allow reaching long-term emissions targets at the lowest possible cost, that is, they might not be cost-effective in the long term. The reason is that, in a situation where currently expensive technologies have a large potential for cost reductions through learning effects and R&D investments, the implementation of incentive-based mitigation policies such as taxes or tradable permits will encourage the adoption and diffusion of currently low-cost abatement technologies, but might not be enough to make attractive the diffusion of expensive ones, which is a necessary condition for these technologies to realise their cost-reduction potential through the aforementioned effects. A simple model and a numerical simulation are provided to show this possible conflict between static and dynamic efficiency, which points out to the need to combine different instruments, some aiming at short-term cost-efficiency (such as incentive-based environmental policy) and others at encouraging dynamic cost reductions (such as technology/innovation policy). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]