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As a tool for regulating the environment in China, does environmental information disclosure reduce pollutant discharge? To answer this question, we empirically analyzed the emission data of 'the three wastes' (i.e., waste gas, wastewater, and solid waste) in unit industrial GDP in 31 provincial units. As a measure to reduce institutional emission, environmental information disclosure only slightly influenced waste discharge reduction in the implementation period of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan of China. Instead, command control and market-based tools significantly affected waste discharge reduction. Representative measures included penalties and charges. With the continuously enhanced pressure of control, environmental information disclosure facilitates the effects of command control tools on waste discharge reduction. Content analysis of environmental information disclosed by sample listed companies in Jiangsu Province was conducted. The disclosure of insufficient environmental information on emission reduction can be attributed to 'adverse selection' in system performance (i.e., the selective disclosure trend considering 'greenwashing' in the listed companies) and to the limited quality of overall environmental information disclosure. This study provides empirical evidence for Chinese policy makers to improve the system for environmental information disclosure of listed companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Transaction costs are considered an essential factor that can adversely affect the performance of emissions trading markets. However, most studies are based on a static analyzing framework, making it difficult to simulate real economic situations, in which the dynamic behavior and interaction between firms in an emission trading system are fairly complicated and appear irrational to some extent. Based on an agent-based modeling approach, an artificial sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission trading market is developed to identify the dynamic influence of transaction costs on market efficiency. The simulation results based on empirical data from Jiangsu Province in China reveal that transaction costs have a negligible effect on the market price. However, transaction costs can block a small amount of trading as well as decrease total emission trading amount and market efficiency. Therefore, the policy design of emission trading in China should treat transaction costs carefully. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Emissions trading is considered to be a cost-effective environmental economic instrument for pollution control. However, the pilot emissions trading programs in China have failed to bring remarkable success in the campaign for pollution control. The policy design of an emissions trading program is found to have a decisive impact on its performance. In this study, an artificial market for sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions trading applying the agent-based model was constructed. The performance of the Jiangsu SO2 emissions trading market under different policy design scenario was also examined. Results show that the market efficiency of emissions trading is significantly affected by policy design and existing policies. China's coal-electricity price system is the principal factor influencing the performance of the SO2 emissions trading market. Transaction costs would also reduce market efficiency. In addition, current-level emissions discharge fee/tax and banking mechanisms do not distinctly affect policy performance. Thus, applying emissions trading in emission control in China should consider policy design and interaction with other existing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, the authors made an attempt to measure appropriation of ecosystems more reasonably and effectively based on examining the advantages and disadvantages of emergy analysis and ecological footprint. By combining emergy analysis with ecological footprint (EF) in terms of spatial equivalent of energy productivity, a new method of solar space (SS) and its calculating framework was proposed, and some necessary parameters for this method of analysis were calculated. A case study was followed under this calculating framework for Yangzhou city, Jiangsu province, Eastern China, using the data of the year 2000. The main results are as follows: (1) The ecological space in Yangzhou city includes earth surface space and solar space, and their demands were bigger than their supply. In the year of 2000, the earth surface space had an absolute deficit of 2.3063E−02Ga-ha per capita (global hectares), and the solar space had an absolute deficit of 1.4944E−04Sa-ha per capita (solar hectares). (2) There was a relative ecological deficit of 3.68% in earth surface space, and that of 154.86% in solar space. (3) Only freshwater areas and built-up areas were in a state of surplus, and there was a relative ecological surplus of 82.66% for freshwater areas, being greater than that for built-up areas. (4) The ranking of absolute ecological deficit in a descending order was as follows: solar space>arable land>pasture>forest>marine area>garden land, while the relative ecological deficit was the following: solar space>pasture land>forest land>arable land>garden land, except marine areas. A qualitative comparison of methodology was made between solar space method and ecological footprint according to their capability to describe the temporal-spatial characteristics of ecosystems appropriation. Moreover, a quantitative comparison was also conducted to show their differences in applicability to the assessment of ecosystems appropriation. It was shown that the calculating results from solar space method were bigger than that from ecological footprint because the former supplemented additional items of appropriation omitted by the later and included some new items of indirect appropriation that were excluded by the later. It is found that the new measure of solar space operates well as an indicator of the city''s appropriation to ecosystems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]