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The increasing pressure on natural resources and the climate has been noted by businesses and governments worldwide, who now face the difficult task of integrating paths of environmental sustainability and economic growth. One promising approach to sustainable development, reducing the pressure on natural resources and solving waste problems is circular economy. From different ways of implementing circular economy, this study focuses on the productization of industrial side streams, which carry a great deal of underutilized potential. In this article, the productization of pulp and paper industry side stream, fiber sludge, for commercial use as a dust-binding agent is studied via a descriptive, in-depth case study. Apart from inconsistent quality, fluctuating supply, cost of storage and logistics, what makes industrial side stream utilization challenging is the lack of knowledge that stakeholders have about side streams and their utilization and the lack of new value chain development for their commercial use. Therefore, it is essential for all parties involved to have a clearer vision of what is being sold for what purposes, through productization. This study found that the productization of side streams follows the same steps as the productization of any other traditional product, and the productized side streams can be added to the company's product portfolio as by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domain of global socio-economic dynamics, the pivotal role of food production (FP) cannot be overstated. It constitutes the bedrock of fundamental human necessities while being inexorably linked with critical aspects such as economic expansion, societal equilibrium, and geopolitical interplays. The multifaceted nature of FP appears through its direct impact on macroeconomic indicators and its latent influence on international relations and policy-making. This critical nexus underscores the imperative for a comprehensive understanding and strategic management of food production processes to sustain and enhance global socio-economic stability and growth. Investigating the nexus between green finance (GF) and FP is pivotal for ensuring national security and promoting sustainable economic development. This research thus paper examines GF's impact on FP in China as outlined in the 2017 green finance policies. It employs the difference-in-differences (DID) method and analyzes a balanced panel dataset comprising 282 cities in China from 2009 to 2020. The results show that GF has an inhibitory effect on FP, and this remains valid after a range of reliability checks, including parallel trend assessments and placebo tests. Further findings of transmission mechanism analysis indicate that non-agricultural factors and financial exclusion are critical for GF's inhibitory effect on FP. Heterogeneity analyses show that GF's inhibitory effect on FP is more pronounced in the main food-producing areas, the main food-marketing areas, and cities with better infrastructure. The empirical results of this paper comprehensively illustrate GF's impact on FP and how it contributes to the achievement of food security objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine and port economy estimation is conducive to the understanding of the development law of marine economy degree. This study proposes a neural-learning network estimation model of the marine economy degree based on a priori architectural knowledge and adopts time-combined class array columns and multivariate modeling methods to estimate the indicators reflecting the development level of the marine economy degree in the ZJP region. The study adopts the PK_NN multivariate modeling method, taking cargo transportation volume, cargo turnover, cargo carrying value of ports near the sea, foreign trade throughput, port container throughput, and port container throughput as multivariate model inputs, and compared with the other modeling methods, the model of the time combination class array columns of type GM_11, which has a better comprehensive performance. Finally, the PK_NN time-combined class array column model is used to estimate the development level of the marine economy in the ZJP region near the seaport from 2011 to 2020, and the results show that the estimated value of the marine economy in the ZJP region is close to the actual planning value of the ZJP region. The algorithm was applied to estimate the economic degree curves of the five near-seaport areas of ABCDE under different harbor head construction art modes, and the results showed that the relative value error of the estimation was controlled between 4% and 10%, and the fluctuation ranges of each month's specific growth value area estimation were comparable. This proves the effectiveness and accuracy of the a priori marine neural-learning-based network algorithm in this paper. • The algorithm was applied to estimate the economic degree curves of the five near-seaport areas of ABCDE under different harbor head construction art modes, and the results showed that the relative value error of the estimation was controlled between 4% and 10%, and the fluctuation ranges of each month's specific growth value area estimation were comparable. • This proves the effectiveness and accuracy of the a priori marine neural-learning-based network algorithm in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propulsion of economic growth is a multifaceted construct, influenced by technology, capital, and resource management, with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) being a significant contributors to innovation and employment. This study examines the growth of Scottish SMEs across four sectors over a 14-year period (2008–2021) by employing a novel statistical approach to understand their development trajectories within the framework of open innovation. The paper engaged in a longitudinal analysis to assess trends and inform policy for sustainable growth by the utilization of open-access data. Theoretical metrics such as the Average Growth Rate, Compound Average Growth Rate (CAGR), and Year-Over-Year (YoY) Growth were applied to evaluate sectoral performance. The findings revealed varied growth patterns; the information technology sector exhibited a robust increase, while the telecommunications sector showed significant percentage growth. Conversely, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector experienced a decline that suggests a potential market gap. An affirmative trajectory in CAGR was observed in most sectors except ICT, which corroborates a shift in technological evolution and market needs. The study illuminates the dynamic economic landscape of Scottish SMEs, with telecoms emerging as the most prosperous sector in terms of growth rates, thus indicates a shifting economic focus. The study's limitations are briefly discussed, in addition to the need for updated databases and further research employing predictive modeling with machine learning to enhance forecasting capabilities and foster open innovation for sustainable economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between government environmental governance (GEG) and regional green development. The findings suggest that GEG boosts green innovation by promoting the "innovation compensation effect" while inhibiting regional green development due to increased environmental costs, supported by the "compliance cost effect". The relationship between GEG and regional green development is moderated by economic development and environmental pollution in an inverted U-shaped pattern. When economic development and environmental pollution are at lesser levels, the positive effect of GEG amplifies as economic growth and environmental pollution ascend. However, if economic growth and environmental pollution continue to escalate, the positive impact of GEG will lose its strength. In low-carbon pilot cities, GEG negatively affects regional green development, whereas the opposite effect is seen in non-pilot cities. Regardless, there is an inverted U-shaped moderating impact of economic development or environmental pollution in both low-carbon pilot and non-pilot cities, yet the inflection point varies across regions. This paper offers an original perspective by creating a theoretical link between green development and environmental governance and emphasizes the significance of a nonlinear viewpoint when examining the relationship between variables in the regional green development process, thereby expanding our understanding of green development phenomena. [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]

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]

A comprehensive understanding of the impact of renewable/non-renewable energy consumption on ecological quality and economic growth can serve to the sustainability of energy, ecology, and economy. This paper provides a new perspective of the comprehensive system of the 3E model, and introduces indicator of social factor to examine the non-linear effects of urbanization on energy, economy, and the environment. A threshold panel regression model is developed using the data of 120 countries in the last 20 years. In the proposed model, renewable energy and non-renewable energy are explanatory variables, economic growth and ecological footprint are explained variables, and urbanization are threshold variable. Non-linear relationships are concretized and quantified in the research of global and different income groups. The results show that global renewable energy can promote economic growth while improving the environment. As the urbanization rate increases, the negative effect of renewable energy on the ecological footprint first weakens and then increases, and the positive coefficient on the economy maintains a growth trend. Non-renewable energy has a more obvious positive effect on economic growth, but it increases the ecological footprint. The development of urbanization strengthens its promotion of the economy and reduces its pressure on the environment. From the perspective of different income groups, renewable energy does not always suppress the ecological footprint. The energy transition reduces economic growth in the initial stages of urbanization in certain regions. After crossing the threshold, the coefficient changes of different income groups have similarities and differences. Based on the conclusions, some recommendations are put forward, including promoting the transformation of energy consumption structure, improving energy efficiency and accelerating the process of urbanization. The model in this paper is suitable for investigating the nonlinear impact of urbanization on the 3E system through panel data, and can provide theoretical support for studying the threshold effect of a country or economy. This study also shows the importance of renewable energy and the indirect effects of urbanization, which is helpful for formulating global sustainable and coordinated development policies. [Display omitted] • A new perspective of the energy-economy-environment (3E) model is proposed. • Threshold models enable the non-linear relationships to be concretized and quantified. • Global renewable energy improves the environment while promoting economic growth. • Urbanization reduces the pressure on the environment from energy consumption. • Urbanization strengthens the positive effect of energy on economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new approach to research on the green transformation of EU countries was proposed. • A profound analysis of current level of green transformation in EU was conducted. • Development patterns of green transformation of EU countries were described. Green transformation has become one of the most important directions in the further development of the world. It involves the development of green technologies and the creation of legal regulations enforcing, for example, saving energy or reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, as well as any other activities aimed at changing society's attitude towards the acceptance of – frequently more expensive but more environment-friendly – technological solutions and legal norms. Thus green transformation can be defined as combining economic growth with caring about the environment in order to guarantee a high quality of life for present and future generations at the level which is attainable due to civilisational development, as well as to an effective and rational use of the available resources. Still, there is no single globally accepted way to this transformation. It is proceeding in a variety of ways and depends on many different factors. The main purpose of the paper is a comparative analysis of the directions of changes occurring in the process of green transformation in EU countries. The added value of the research presented in the paper and its novelty is the analysis of the current patterns of green transformation in EU countries. The paper concentrated on recognizing them and drawing attention to the unfavourable directions of this transformation as well as to its positive aspects. The changes in the process of green transformation were analysed based on data used by the OECD to describe green growth in two periods: 2004 or 2005 as initial data and the last available data (usually 2018 or 2019). For this purpose the TOPSIS method was applied. The EU countries were divided into groups according to their way of applying green transformation. The provided research allows to better understand the course of this transformation in various EU countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A zoning method based on ecological indicators and economic indicators is applied. • Ecological and economic situations are highly correlated with topographic conditions. • The coupling coordination degree(CCD) between ecology and economy is calculated. • Economic development is highly positively correlated with CCD. • Targeted regional sustainable development strategies are put forward. The coordinated development of ecology and economy is one of the key issues of sustainable development. A full understanding of the relationship between ecology and economy is necessary for the coordinated development of the two. This paper takes Sichuan Province as the research area and county-level administrative districts as the research unit. Based on the medium value of the ecological quality index and economic growth index of each unit, Sichuan Province is divided into dual pressure zones (DPZ), economic backward zones (EBZ), ecological crisis zones (ECZ), and coordinated development zones (CDZ) and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) of each unit is studied. The results show that: (1) On the whole, the eastern part of Sichuan Province has a better level of economic development, and the southern part of the western region has a higher ecological quality. The ecological quality and economic growth pattern are highly correlated with topographical conditions. (2) The distribution characteristics of the four types of partitions are significantly different. The EBZ are more distributed in the western and southern of Sichuan Province, the ECZ are more distributed in the eastern, the DPZ and CDZ are relatively more sporadic. More than 90% of the partition changed zones are distributed in the eastern area. (3) The CCD of more than 95% units belongs to moderate coordination and high coordination. The overall CCD of the four types of zones has shown an upward trend from 2010 to 2015. Based on the results, Sichuan Province should follow the path of clear waters and green mountains are as good as mountains of gold and silver, and targeted sustainable development suggestions for DPZ, EBZ, ECZ, and CDZ are put forward. This paper provides guidance for formulating regional sustainable development strategies, especially in areas with unbalanced development due to congenital topographical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GDIM is used to investigate the influencing factors of energy-related PM 2.5 emissions in China. • A novel decoupling indicator is constructed based on GDIM decomposition results. • The increase of PM 2.5 emissions is primarily due to output scale and energy use effects. • Emission intensity and emission coefficients are the main factors decreasing PM 2.5 emissions. • Technical effect plays an important role in promoting the decoupling of PM 2.5 emissions. Haze pollution has become a severe threat to China's sustainable development. It is crucial to provide a complete explanation for the mechanism behind the changes in PM 2.5 pollution and explore how to decouple economic growth from PM 2.5 pollution. Compared with the traditional decomposition analysis methods, the Generalized Divisia Index Method (GDIM) integrates multiple influencing factors and provides a fuller understanding of the influence mechanism of PM 2.5 pollution. In addition, the decomposition of the monitored PM 2.5 concentration in previous studies leads to ambiguous economic meanings of some relative impact indicators. In this paper, GDIM decomposition is applied to study the driving factors of energy-related PM 2.5 emissions changes in China. Then, based on the GDIM decomposition results, this paper constructs a novel decoupling indicator to study the decoupling relationship between PM 2.5 emissions and economic growth, and the contributions of the technical and non-technical factors to the decoupling indicator are quantified. The main results are summarized as follows. (1) The output scale effect and energy use effect are the main reasons for the increase of PM 2.5 emissions, while the emission intensity effect and emission coefficient effect make major contributions to decreasing PM 2.5 emissions. The effects of population, per capita emissions, per capita output, and energy intensity are relatively minor. (2) China and its three economic regions move from strong decoupling in 1998–2000 to weak decoupling during 2000–2010, and then into strong decoupling over the period of 2010–2014. (3) Technical effect plays an important role in promoting the decoupling between PM 2.5 emissions and economic growth, but its contribution shows a downward trend over time. In contrast, non-technical effect hinders the decoupling process, and its contribution is decreasing from 2000 to 2014. This paper is supportive for formulating emissions reduction policies and improving China's air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adaptation economies capitalize upon climate change challenges. • Economic growth organizes the 'climate rationale' for climate financing. • Corpus linguistics and interviews used to evaluate country-owned climate financing. • Climate resilient development prioritizes socio-economic restructuring. • Climate resilient development promotes cascading disaster effects. Climate resilient development is emerging as a global policy strategy that integrates climate adaptation and mitigation into sustainable development decisions. For the Caribbean small island developing state (SIDS) of Antigua and Barbuda, the national government is pursuing climate resilient development through multilateral climate funds to protect economic growth from climate and weather-related disasters. Critical adaptation literature argues that interpreting climate vulnerability through an economic growth lens prioritizes economic solutions over other development concerns, which can further the uneven distribution of climate vulnerability and risk. Despite revealing the consequences of market-based climate actions, research has yet to fully understand the economization of vulnerability, which describes the political techniques that render and reconfigure vulnerability in calculated ways. By tracing the discursive interactions between multilateral climate financial institutions and the Antigua and Barbuda national government, this paper empirically examines how vulnerability is economized through climate resilient development. Findings identify the construction of 'adaptation economies' in watershed areas, which are economies that can capitalize upon climate challenges within areas of highest vulnerability through fee-for-climate services. The results illustrate that economic growth rationalities characterize climate vulnerability problematizations, which incentivize solutions that enforce the economic development of areas with the highest disaster impacts. Based on these findings, this study emphasizes a need to critically evaluate national actor efforts to re-organize development under climate financing rationales, and its vulnerability-inducing effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The accuracy of ESs evaluation in Taihang Mountains was improved by using NDVI to modify ESs equivalent factors. • The ESS increased by 2.36%, and ESD increased by 50.93%. • The resilience level of supply and demand of ESs in 67% of the counties in Taihang Mountain decreased. Research on the spatial–temporal pattern of the supply and demand associated with ecosystem services(ESs) is of great significance for regional sustainable development. Due to their high spatial heterogeneity, the relationship between supply and demand of ESs in mountainous areas in particular needs to be further studied. This paper examines the supply and demand of ESs in the Taihang Mountains from 2000 to 2018 at both the whole-region and county scale to evaluate supply–demand patterns, the nature and resilience of the supply–demand relationship, and to analyze spatiotemporal variation and characteristics, which can provide a basis for the coordination and sustainable management of the supply and demand relationship of the ecosystem. Our results showed that during the study period: （1)the ecosystem services supply(ESS) increased by 2.36% and the ecosystem services demand(ESD) increased by 50.93%,the increase in the rate of ESS was far less than that of ESD and on the county scale, the ESS of 20% of the counties decreased whereas and the ESD of all counties increased.（2)the supply and demand pattern of the Taihang Mountains remained basically unchanged，the types of supply and demand in the Taihang Mountains are mainly low supply-high demand, low supply-low demand, and high supply-low demand, accounting for>90% of the total county number.（3)the average supply and demand index of high altitude counties is more than five times that of low altitude counties.The average supply and demand index of counties with low economic growth rate is twice that of the high economic growth rate.（4)67% of counties reduced the resilience level of total ecosystem services（TES), the resilience level of the provisioning services(PS) decreased most significantly, reaching 76%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanity urgently needs new ways of economic growth to strike a sustainable balance between economic development and resource conservation/environmental protection. Green growth, as a new growth mode of for economic development while preventing environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, has been recognized by the international community as an important means for solving the environmental crisis due to unsustainable development. The theme of this special volume is green low-carbon behavior (GLCB), which involves theories, models, simulations, empirical studies and other related researches on GLCB in the field of production and consumption. Five themes are included in this special volume: (1) Endophytic dynamics and growth theory driven by green low-carbon behaviors; (2) Rational choice, preference, and utility of green low-carbon behaviors; (3) Sustainable development ability under green low-carbon behaviors; (4) Action and market influence under green low-carbon behaviors; (5) Carbon footprint and activities that affect low-carbon behaviors. This special volume included 49 high-quality papers with regards to theory, measurement and action in green behaviors towards low-carbon society. Some of these papers also discuss concepts, principles, theories, innovative assessment models, successful experiences, barriers to and enablers of green behaviors, which can provide a solid foundation and new inspiration to catalyze or promote a green and low-carbon society with emphasis on ecological health and sustainable development. • This special volume discussed the theory, measurement, and action for improving green low-carbon behavior (GLCB). • Concepts, theories, methods, models, lessons, and enablers were documented on five themes. • A special effort was made to promote interdisciplinary integration of multi-agent modeling and theorical innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional quality is critical to explain differences in the economic benefits of natural resources. To achieve the green development in the Belt and Road countries (BRI countries), it is worth thinking about the role of institutional quality in preventing resource curse. Based on new institutional economics theory, this paper first proposed the affecting mechanism of institutional quality in the relationship between natural resource abundance and green economic growth. Then combined with SBM model and GML index, the level of green economic growth in 48 BRI countries was calculated and further analyzed. Furthermore, panel threshold models were adopted to investigate the role of institutional quality in preventing resource curse and conduct heterogeneous analysis of different income levels. The results indicated that, for BRI countries the resource curse on green economic growth could be eliminated as the institutional quality went above the threshold value. For high-income countries, the promotion effect of natural resource abundance increased significantly when institutional quality was above the threshold value, while for low- and middle-income countries, natural resource curse did significantly exist and turned to be a blessing only when institutional quality was above certain threshold. Therefore, improving institutional quality would be an active way in green economic growth of BRI countries. • The affecting mechanism of institutional quality between abundant natural resource and green economic growth were analyzed. • The role of institutional quality were further estimated combined with SBM method and threshold model. • The resource curse in BRI countries can be eliminated as institutional quality went above the threshold. • The role of institutional quality showed heterogeneity in different income groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda encourages and establishes initiatives that are important to society. In this sense, it is vital and valuable to adapt these initiatives on a sectoral basis. Therefore, this study aims to handle sustainability issues at ports within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) framework. Two targets were set. The first target is addressing the attention of European ports' sustainability disclosures to SDGs. The second target is to develop a comprehensive framework of port related sustainability initiatives to support the achievement of SDG targets. This paper is based upon a qualitative content analysis study. To consolidate the best practices, European Ports were selected as the research area. First, this study contributes to the extension of the UNSDG and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicator framework with port specific aspects. Therefore, it provides a comprehensive picture of port-related actions linked to each SDG goal. Secondly, it provides evidence of how European ports are aligned with SDGs. The results revealed that the port industry has the potential to contribute mainly to SDGs 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure; 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, 13 Climate Action, and 17 Partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new form of industrial organization, there is still a lack of research on how industrial symbiotic agglomeration affects green economic growth. To fill this research gap, this paper analyzes the impact mechanism of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth from the perspective of energy efficiency, waste recycling, and green technology innovation. Based on the data of Chinese cities from 2004 to 2019, we use the spatial difference-in-differences approach for empirical testing. The research concludes: (1) Industrial symbiotic agglomeration can both significantly promote green economic growth and have a spillover effect on neighboring cities. (2) The specific spillover effects are divided into three cases. Diffusion effect (within 150 km), siphon effect (150 km–750 km), no significant spatial effect (over 750 km). (3) The promotion and spillover effects of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth can only be brought into full play when a certain threshold is reached. The local promotion effect requires the area of the symbiotic agglomeration area to be greater than 106 km2, while the spillover effect requires a larger scale (greater than 393.2 km2) for it to manifest itself. This has theoretical and practical significance for promoting green growth and achieving sustainable development through symbiotic agglomeration. • For the first time, we analyze the impact mechanism of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth from the perspectives of energy efficiency, waste recycling and green technology innovation. • For the first time, the impact of industrial symbiotic agglomeration on green economic growth is quantitatively analyzed. Industrial symbiotic agglomeration can both significantly promote green economic growth and have a spillover effect on neighboring cities. • The specific spillover effects are divided into three cases. Diffusion effect (within 150 km), siphon effect (150 km-750 km), no significant spatial effect (over 750 km). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better digging the sustainable development path of the top five energy consumers (China, the United States, India, Japan and Russia) can serve both domestic economy and global economy to achieve coordinated development with the ever-increasing energy demand. This work has made the following efforts: (1) the Tapio decoupling model was employed to determine the decoupling states between energy consumption and economy; (2) based on the extended Kaya formula and the LMDI method, this work focused on measuring the impact of technological factors and urbanization factor on energy consumption; (3) the LMDI method and the Tapio decoupling model were combined to measure the impact degree of influencing factors on decoupling indicators. The main findings show that from 2001 to 2018: (1) Japan was the country with the most year of strong decoupling, followed by the United States, which indicates that the decoupling status of developed countries was better than that of developing countries. (2) The driving forces behind the energy consumption growth are mainly the effects of R&D scale and urbanization, while the main factors that hinder energy consumption growth were technological factors, including energy intensity effect and R&D efficiency effect. (3) Energy intensity effect was the main driving force for the decoupling process, and the R&D efficiency effect was the biggest obstacle to decoupling energy consumption from economic growth. Finally, this paper proposes that the government can give priority to relying on technological innovation to accelerate the development and promotion of energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies. • Exploring the coordinated development path of energy consumption and economic growth in top five energy consumers. • Extending the traditional LMDI method to measure the impact of technological progress and urbanization on energy consumption. • R&D scale and urbanization promote energy consumption growth, while technological progress inhibits energy consumption growth. • Governments can prioritize technological innovation to speed up energy conservation and emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal aim of our study is to investigate the contribution and/or the influence of Foreign Trade (FT), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Financial Development (FD) on the Energy Consumption (EC)-Environmental Pollution (EP)-Economic Growth (EG) link for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the period 1971–2019. To realize the study aim, we develop an augmented growth model to examine the long-run relationship between the mentioned variables by applying the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) procedure and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to capture direction causality. The empirical results suggest that the variables concerned are cointegrated. Further, the coefficients estimated are mixed across countries. In the long-run, EC, FT (except Kuwait), and FDI (except Oman and KSA) are related to a rise in EG for all countries. Besides, the findings support that EC generates EG in the short-run for all GCC countries, implying economic expansion. Moreover, the major conclusion of this research paper has an impressive value for the policymakers to advance comprehensive trade, investment, financial, and energy policies that enable to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although green growth has become the economic development strategy of many countries in the world, and studies have analyzed the influencing factors of green growth from multiple angles, there are few literatures devoted to the impact of fintech and green finance on green growth. From the perspective of fintech development, this paper tries to construct a comprehensive index to evaluate the green growth of regional economy based on the in-depth analysis of the influence mechanism of green finance on green growth. At the same time, China's provincial panel data from 2011 to 2018 are selected to test the impact of fintech innovation and green finance on green growth, and its mechanism. It turns out that fintech and green finance significantly promotes green economic growth. At the same time, the impact of fintech and green finance on green growth has obvious regional heterogeneity, that is, the impact in eastern China is significantly stronger than that in central and western China. Further research shows that fintech innovation mainly promotes green economic growth through green credit and green investment. Therefore, fintech innovation can promote green economic growth by improving the development level of green finance, which has great reference significance for most countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presently, economic sciences share a conviction that creative capital is one of the main factors in economic growth. Both theorists and practitioners agree on the role of creativity as a source of competitive advantage on the micro- and macroeconomic scale. The claim that the greatest socio-economic achievements emerge in those territorial areas where creative capital develops seems justified. Consequently, the study would allow for a demonstration of the fact that contemporary development depends on the proper generation of that capital as well as the regional background supporting its absorption from the perspective of sustainable development. The paper reviews research into the influence of cognitive, theoretical and methodological, as well as empirical issues related to the development of creative capital as well as the determination of relationships regarding which of its subindices determine sustainable development to the greatest extent on the national and regional levels. The theoretical publications analysed provided strong evidence to support claims pertaining to interrelations between creative capital components and sustainable development. Thus, in order to be able to identify the areas of such relationships, the research part of the study involves several stages of analysis, namely: overall creative capital analysis and analysis concerning particular creative capital components, i.e. technology, tolerance, talent and culture, and their relationship with sustainable development at the national as well as regional level. Empirical analysis was performed using analyses of frequency, basic descriptive analyses including the Shapiro-Wilk test, Pearson's r coefficient correlation, regression, Spearman's ρ rank correlation and comparative analysis. Our research results demonstrated that for all regions altogether (the whole of Poland) sustainable development had a strong relationship with three dimensions of creative capital: talent, technology and culture, whereas no such relationship existed with the tolerance subindex. The research results obtained are particularly important to countries such as Poland which are not among the top ten of the world's regions showing significant growth of creative capital or sustainable development. The identification of guidelines which may change this state of affairs and developed studies allowed for the determination of the areas whose functional improvement might allow for more efficient development and meeting global competitive requirements. • Creative capital indexes are critically discussed. • Linkages between creative capital and sustainable development analysed • Intra-dependencies of the creative capital at regional/national level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compatibility of renewable energy consumption and economic growth is the key to both the development of renewable energy, and to sustainable economic development. This paper explores the influence mechanism of renewable energy and economic growth from the two dimensions of natural resources and institutional environment. Resource dependence and anticorruption regulations are mainly selected as the intermediary variables. The hypothesis is tested by using the panel data (from 2002 to 2018) of 104 selected countries and regions, and by conducting regression estimation. On the whole, this study finds that a positive relationship exists between renewable energy and economic growth. The group discussion results show that, for high-income countries, the relationship between renewable energy and the economy is inconsistent under different thresholds. Where, the role of renewable energy in promoting the economy is significant. For the middle-income group, the relationship between renewable energy and economic growth is not the same in the resource dependence and anticorruption regulation models. However, for the low-income groups, no matter which model is used, a U-shaped relationship emerges between renewable energy and economic growth. [Display omitted] • Examine the relationships between economic and renewable energy for 114 countries. • Resource dependence and corruption regulations are important intermediary factors. • The impact of renewable energy on economic varies across income groups. • The U-shaped relationship is supported in the high income group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policies are a significant driver of change towards the achievement of sustainability. Policies impact on the environment through direct and indirect effects. Indirect effects pertain to the effect of innovation and invention mechanisms. The paper analyses those direct and indirect effects by focusing on different measures of environmental productivity. Econometric analysis on a long macroeconomic panel dataset is used to convey original insights, and as a platform for policy assessments. Results show that environmental policies adopted by countries may boost environmental productivity performances both directly and indirectly, through innovation, across various environmental dimensions. The increasing stringency of environmental policy, which has been observed over the last decades, is a crucial driver of change for climate actions, waste and resource efficiency, touching upon various SDGs related to responsible consumption and production, economic growth, industry and innovation infrastructures and climate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of a circular economy is often presented in discourses on a more sustainable future. A circular economy proposes more efficient material flows in growth-based economy and in support of sustainable development. Repair is presented as one of the phases in a circular economy and supports product lifetime extension. The paper brings a particular form of repair, community repair, into discourses on a circular economy. Data from a world-wide initiative in community repair and from participant observation in a Repair Café provide new insights in the possible roles and challenges of repair in a circular economy. Notions of efficiency and economic growth are contested in community repair; repair contributes to product lifetime extension and product attachment through acts of tinkering, sharing, and care. The analysis points to an inseparability of the material and social in community repair, contributing to a non-reductionist understanding of a circular economy. Community repair is a sociomaterial entanglement of people and things. This enables a different perspective on the role of repair, from merely a phase in the material flows in a circular economy to a sustainable way of living with things in a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's fisheries economy has expanded dramatically. As a result, environmental pollution caused at least partially by such an expansion has endangered human health and the sustainable development of fisheries in some coastal regions. This paper establishes an indicator system for fisheries economic growth and environmental quality and evaluates the coordinated level of the two systems in 12 regions in China. Results show that i) it is necessary to expand the relative scale of fisheries economy, optimize the structure of fisheries industry, and improve the utilization capacity of pollutants; ii) the selected regions are evaluated as half each the fisheries economic lagging type and the environmental lagging type; iii) most of the selected regions exhibit a high coupling coordination degree, and the highest of those is Shandong. In the last section, the policy implications and further research directions are discussed. • The coupling coordination degree of fisheries economic and eco-environment systems is evaluated. • The selected regions are evaluated to be half each of the fisheries economic lagging and environmental lagging types. • Most selected regions exhibit a high coupling coordination degree, and Shandong's is the highest one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated methodology is proposed to conduct the spatial–temporal decoupling analysis. • Economic growth decouples from water consumption. • Decoupling of water consumption and economic growth shows spatial independence. • Paths of realizing sustainable water consumption while developing economy are identified. Decoupling economic growth (EG) from water consumption (WC) is crucial to regional sustainable development. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the spatial and temporal decoupling of WC and EG, and then to identify the feasible paths for achieving the desired level of decoupling. Firstly, this paper measures the WC of the provincial areas in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2004 to 2017 by using the water footprint (WF) method; Secondly, the decoupling analysis of WF and EG is carried out based on the Tapio decoupling model, furthermore, the spatial autocorrelations of decoupling results are examined by the Moran's I index with three different spatial weight matrices; Finally, the paths of achieving strong decoupling (SD) of WC and EG are explored by using the static fixed effect regression model. Three main conclusions can be drawn: (1) The WFs of most provincial areas in the YREB show an overall increasing trend and there are huge disparities among the provinces in terms of their WFs; (2) The WF and EG in the YREB are decoupled either strongly or weakly. More SD has been achieved since 2015 in general. No spatial autocorrelations are observed; (3) Reducing the WF as the economy grows is a necessary condition for achieving SD. Moreover, developing water-saving technologies is a key path of achieving SD since it has huge positive impact on WF reduction. In a nutshell, this study provides a novel framework and results that can be used as an evaluation index and policy insights for decoupling EG from WC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for sustainability and social responsibility investments is magnified as the world faces a significant loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity. Unfortunately, current assessment and decision-making support tools used to establish local sustainability priorities have limited efficacy. Thus, there is a critical need to design decision-making support tools and assessment models that appropriately fit a specific context. Essentially, they must be more effective in directing our investments in sustainability and social responsibility, both of which influence our future global economic growth. The sustainable value mapping and analysis (SVMA) methodology, presented for the first time in this work, is a tool to engage multi-stakeholder groups in a strategic assessment of the social, environmental, and economic priorities and needs within supply chain operations. This paper introduces the SVMA methodology and applies it to two case studies, California almond growing and California winegrowing systems. The results point to the efficacy of the SVMA and opportunities to use it to develop and evaluate localized sustainability performance and outcomes against broader sustainable development goals (SDGs). • SVMA systematically establishes stakeholder consensus for sustainable management. • Benefits of SVMA are demonstrated for two agricultural sustainability programs. • SVMA can adapt broad sustainability frameworks or goals to a local context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a framework to assess the status of sustainable development performance of OECD countries towards reaching the 2030 agenda based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each SDG addresses a critical area of sustainable development and is represented with several social, economic, or environmental indicators. As a result of data collection efforts, 17 SDGs are represented with total of over 90 variables following the guidance of United Nation's (UN) recent reports. Using such a high number of variables to create a benchmark score for each of the 35 OECD countries is a challenging and complex task due to the degree of correlation among the indicators and unit of measurement differences. To cope with these challenges, we proposed a Goal-Specific Principal Component Analysis (GS-PCA) approach and compared statistically with the UN reports for experimental validation purpose. It was found that SDG1 No Poverty, SDG7 Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG17 Partnerships to Achieve the Goal and the group mean of 17 SDGs were found to be improving. On the other hand, SDG4 Quality Education and SDG8 Decent Work and Economic Growth were in decline. The highest performance was observed in SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth (78.06) and the lowest performance was observed in SDG 17 Partnerships to Achieve the Goal (29.93). In addition, substantial differences were observed in the scores and ranks of mediocre and poor performing countries compared to the benchmark reports, while both the results of this study and benchmark reports were found to be strongly positively correlated. • OECD countries' sustainable development performance was investigated. • A Goal-specific Principal Component Analysis approach was proposed. • Majority of sustainable development goals were not found to be improving. • The highest performance was observed in SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth (78.06). • The lowest performance was observed in SDG 17 Partnerships to Achieve the Goal (29.93). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The decoupling state in the upstream reaches has deteriorated. • The decoupling state in the mid and downstream reaches was in a stable weak decoupling state. China's economic development is gradually transforming from an extensive expansion mode to a green development mode that pursues environmental quality and environmental benefits. To achieve economic growth and reduce environmental pollution at the same time is the essence of decoupling. This paper combines the Tapio decoupling model and the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model to analyze the decoupling performance and driving factors of economic output and water environment pressure of provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2004 to 2018. The results show that the overall water environment pressure and economic growth of the Yangtze River Economic Belt have shown a positive trend (from weak decoupling to strong decoupling). Strong decoupling areas were identified in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Chongqing), the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan), and the lower reaches (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui). When compared with decoupling in the middle and lower reaches, the decoupling state of the upper reaches is unstable and tends to deteriorate. The driving factors of water environment pressure indicate that population size and urbanization are the main factors influencing wastewater discharge. The direction and size of the industrial structures are affected by policies and markets. Then, economic growth, fixed asset investment, and trade openness have had a positive impact on wastewater discharge. Technological progress and environmental regulations are important factors in controlling wastewater discharge. However, their current effect on wastewater discharge is not ideal. Therefore, while controlling the reasonable flow of population, each region should carry out industrial optimization and technological upgrading, and increase the management, capital, and technical support for the underdeveloped provinces of the Yangtze Economic Belt. This is necessary to achieve green economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism development has become increasingly important in supporting China's sustained economic growth. However, unreasonable tourism exploitation and large energy consumption have brought severe challenges to China's urban environment, particularly for air pollution problems which constrains improvements in sustainable economic development and social welfare. This paper is aim to empirically investigate the direct and spatial spillover effects of tourism development on air pollution in China using panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities from 2005 to 2017. After spatial correlation statistical analysis, this research employs a generalized nested spatial econometric model (GNS) to conduct empirical estimations. The results demonstrate that the tourism development's direct effect on PM 2.5 concentrations takes on an inverted U-shaped relationship. In contrast, the indirect effect of tourism development on PM 2.5 demonstrates reveals a U-shaped relationship. For industrial SO 2 emissions, both the direct and indirect effect of tourism development have inverted U-shape relationships. We find that urban high-speed rail construction and tourism resources play an important moderating role in the relationships between tourism development and urban industrial SO 2 emissions. These results confirm a tourism-environment Kuznets curve in the context of China, with significant spatial spillover effects from tourism development on air pollution. We conducted two robustness tests and then offer policy suggestions to reduce air pollution. • Estimates the spatial spillover effect of tourism development on urban air pollution in China. • The method of generalized nested spatial econometric model is employed. • The nonlinear relationship between tourism development and urban air pollution in China is revealed. • The moderating effect of tourism infrastructure (High-speed rail and 5-A tourist scenic spots) is analyzed. • Empirical results indicting that tourism air pollution should be taken seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing more affordable and cleaner energy for all raises complex and significant financial, political, technical, and institutional issues, which must all be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Energy technology innovation has a critical role to play as one of the best pathways to achieve the transition to a global clean energy system. This paper is an endeavor to study the impact of government energy technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) budget, which is the primary input of energy technology innovations on cleaner energy supply and carbon footprints (CFP). In this study, a cleaner energy supply is measured as the contribution of renewable energy to total primary energy supply (RE). We assumed that the effect of energy innovation is not uniform but varies according to the descending and ascending movements in a government's energy technology RD&D budget. To this end, we distinguished the impact of the descending and ascending movements in government energy technology RD&D budgets on cleaner energy supply, and CFP in Europe over the period 1985 to 2016. Additionally, we carried out a comparative examination of the effects of energy technology RD&D expenditures on RE and CFP under both linear and nonlinear panel techniques. To increase room for policy implications, we also controlled for the role of economic growth and trade openness and performed several robustness check analyses. We found that the reduction of carbon footprints associated with an increase in public support to energy technology RD&D is more pronounced than the contribution of energy technology innovation to the deployment of renewable energy in Europe. This study provided little evidence in favor of the effectiveness of a government energy technology RD&D budget to substantially boost renewable energy in Europe. Following these results, we suggest that the knowledge of the asymmetric linkage between public energy technology innovation, RE, and CFP is a starting point to achieve win-win solutions that favor clean energy and environmental sustainability. • Optimizing the nonlinear effects of energy technology RD&D budgets over different time horizons. • Asymmetries in the responses of RE and CFP to shocks in energy technology innovation budgets. • The influences of energy technology innovation vary over different time horizons. • The public budget devoted to energy innovation is fundamental for curbing CFP rather than boosting RE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the relationship between water pollution and economic growth holds great significance for sustainable development. Under Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, this paper focuses attention on a Chinese context and investigates the relationship between water pollution discharge--waste water (WW), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 –N) and economic growth--per capita Gross Domestic Production (GDPPC), based on a comparison of the results from two variable coefficient panel data models–-a Locally Weighted Smoothed Regression Estimator and Smoothing Scatterplots Model (LOWESSM) which is a nonparametric model, and a Semi-parametric Seemingly Unrelated Regression Model (SSURM) which considers the contemporaneous correlation of water pollutants that most previous studies have ignored. The empirical results indicate that there exist differences that can be represented by the characteristics of different EKC types, or different turning points under the same EKC type and that the SSURM may be more conducive to reflecting the real relationship between water pollution and economic growth. The study also finds that there are eight types of EKC which can be categorized as "good EKCs" (negative monotonic shape, inverted N-shape, inverted U-shape and M-shape), "bad EKCs" (positive monotonic shape, N-shape and U-shape) and "transition EKC" (positive monotonic and flat-tailed shape) and the proportion of "good EKCs" in economically developed areas (71.43%) is lower than that in the less economically developed areas (76.47%) in terms of COD discharge. Results suggest that addressing the state of water pollution will not occur automatically as GDPPC increases, but requires the regulatory power of government environmental policies. Image 1 • Exploring correlation of pollutants by semi-parametric seemingly unrelated model. • Semiparametric seemingly unrelated model reflects income-pollution relation better. • Eight types of Environmental Kuznets Curve are found, including a new M-shape. • Good EKCs' proportion in underdeveloped area (76%) is higher than developed (71%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Circular Economy ("CE") is gaining momentum as an approach to addressing sustainability challenges. The CE is framed as a transformative model with economic, environmental and social benefits. Nevertheless, the degree of circularity in the global economy is low and critics highlight that current interpretations fall short in delivering promised results regarding the social dimension of sustainability. Instead economic growth is elevated above more radical socio-environmental transformation. This exploratory paper adopts a human needs approach, using Max-Neef's Human-Scale Development proposal as an analytical lens to explore the contentious social dimension of the CE. The study revisits four seminal texts which are commonly referenced as influencing the CE's conceptual development: The Blue Economy; Cradle to Cradle; Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development; and, The Performance Economy. These texts were analysed to identify satisfiers of human needs. This provides insight into how inclusive earlier visualisations were of encompassing human needs, and how these compare to the current CE direction. We argue that satisfiers of human needs are embedded, to differing extents, in some of the early CE depictions. Nevertheless, the CE concept has selectively developed, neglecting radical, human-centric transformational aspects and instead adheres to a familiar pathway of business-led economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development is the direction of China's agricultural sector. Investigating the main influencing factors of the agricultural sector's CO 2 emissions will help plan agricultural development and achieve low-carbon growth. This paper selects 2001–2016 panel data of China's 30 provinces, and uses the nonparametric additive regression models to investigate the agricultural sector's CO 2 emissions. The empirical results show that economic growth, financial capacity, and energy intensity all have a "pull first, then restrict" inverted U-shaped nonlinear effect on CO 2 emissions. However, the influencing mechanisms of these three influencing factors are different and need to be paid attention by relevant government departments. More complicated, the impact of urbanization on CO 2 emission shows a gentle "M-shaped" pattern. In addition, an inverse "N-shaped" nonlinear link exists between trade openness and CO 2 emissions. Therefore, government departments should formulate differentiated emission reduction policies at different stages. • The drivers of CO 2 emissions in China's agriculture sector are investigated. • Financial capacity has an inverse "U-shaped" effect on CO 2 emissions. • The impact of urbanization on CO 2 emission shows a gentle "M-shaped" pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen a revival in growth scepticism, yet degrowth in relation to the macroeconomic level has received almost exclusive attention. This resulted in a lack of literature on how post-growth and specifically degrowth visions of economy could be implemented, including from the perspective of firms and other organisations. This paper focuses on degrowth literature and fields of knowledge which share a similar or sympathetic perspective regarding the undesirability of economic growth and desirability of living within planetary boundaries while pursuing wellbeing. It then applies degrowth vision to firms and identifies potential elements of a business for a degrowth economy, here referred to as a degrowth business. These elements comprise a degrowth business framework. The framework is centred around the following groups: (1) environment, (2) people and non-humans, and (3) deviation from profit maximisation imperative. It aims to contribute to an emerging discussion on what firms should be like for a degrowth economy and society to be possible. • To transition towards a degrowth society, the link between firms and degrowth needs to be explored. • What degrowth means for firms is investigated, and potential elements of a degrowth business are identified. • Transition towards degrowth cannot be reduced to transformation of firms. • Further efforts are required to investigate underlying values which underpin degrowth business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Industrial demand-side flexibility holds unique potentials for system stability. • Hereby, it may be an engine for sustainable and inclusive industrial development. • We illustrate guidelines of a corresponding flexibility transition pathway. • We develop a first monitoring approach for a country's flexibility transition. • Our monitoring approach indicates mis-developments and needed countermeasures. In many countries, industry is one of the largest consumers of electricity. Given the special importance of electricity for industry, a reliable electricity supply is a basic prerequisite for further industrial development and associated economic growth. As countries worldwide transition to a low-carbon economy (in particular, by the development of renewable energy sources), the increasing fluctuation in renewable energy production requires new flexibility options within the electricity system in order to guarantee security of supply. It is advanced in this paper that such a flexibility transition with an active participation of industry in general has unique potential: It will not only promote green industrial development, but also become an engine for inclusive industrial development and growth as well as delivering a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Given the high potential of industrial demand-side flexibility, a first monitoring approach for such a flexibility transition is illustrated, which bases on a flexibility index. Our flexibility index allows for an indication of mis-developments and supports an appropriate implementation of countermeasures together with relevant stakeholders. Hence, it holds various insights for both policy-makers and practice with respect to how industrial demand-side flexibility can ensure advances towards an inclusive, just, and sustainable industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Bank computes estimates of Genuine Savings (GS), a leading indicator of sustainable development, for most countries. A well-established literature has called for methodological enhancement. This paper presents augmented estimates of Irish GS throughout a period of unprecedented economic expansion and decline (1990–2016). A time-series constructed predominantly from national sources includes the most comprehensive coverage of pollutants in the literature surveyed. We apply a novel method to aid the property rights designation assessment required for transboundary pollutant accounting. In sharp contrast to the World Bank's estimates, our findings suggest that a modern developed economy can exhibit signs of unsustainability. Furthermore, extended environmental damages drive these results suggesting expanded country specific GS may diverge considerably from the World Bank's estimates. We find rapid economic development and rapid declines in environmental damages can occur concurrently and on the transition away from an unsustainable path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]