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Paper industry is one of major material and energy users in Finland, material costs being far bigger than energy costs. Energy saving is promoted in Finland by an energy service centre, subsidies and energy service companies (ESCOs). Material savings in production processes are typically used to reduce costs while life cycle material efficiency rather would require focusing, e.g. on product design. This could be promoted by total producer responsibility, economic instruments and environmental permits. For industrial sites with limited resources, MASCOs’ (Material Saving Companies) services could manage material savings, e.g. by funding the investments, planning and running the project. Authorities should put more emphasis on material auditing and information on material saving technologies and logistics. Material savings should also be included into the environmental permitting procedures. Materials saving services are developing and the projected Finnish material efficiency service centre could support new businesses. This article is based on a literature review and interviews of persons in paper producing companies and environmental authorities. We also analyse experiences of the first MASCO project in Finland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Property rights granted by land and water policies are not always identical with the claims – meaning perceived rights - people base their actions on. A high discrepancy between both resembles an ineffective policy implementation and bears the risk of unsustainable decision-making. Furthermore, perceived rights to land and its corresponding resource water can vary significantly. In this paper, we operationalize the property rights concepts and empirically assess, by specifying and quantifying, the difference between property rights and farmers’ customary claims to both, land and water resources. With regard to land, actors tend to base their decisions on customary claims, and override property rights. In contrast, regarding water, we find that the full benefits of property rights granted by a policy reform are often not recognized. Whereas in the first case political control and monitoring mechanisms seems to fail, in the latter a lack of information sharing let the farmers not exploit their full investment potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Natural Environment White Paper represents the most important conservation policy shift in the United Kingdom (UK) in twenty years. It formalises the ecosystem approach within national policy objectives and emphasises the economic value of ecosystem services. By analysing the use of various evidence sources, the involvement of science entrepreneurs, and the development of policy narratives, our goal was to understand factors that influenced adoption of an ecosystem service framework in the UK. We interviewed 48 policy actors and found that centrally-sponsored synthesis reports with entrepreneurial authors provided the most influential expert-based knowledge in the development of the White Paper . More recently published reports had greater influence, yet the window of opportunity for scientific evidence having policy impact was greater in the problem-setting stages of policy development. The interaction between teams preparing syntheses and expert entrepreneurs helped influence the construction of strategic policy narratives. Those narratives increased the impact of scientific evidence by communicating and framing key policy-salient messages, and brokering between broad ecosystem-based and environmental economics narratives. The combination of ecological and economics evidence was particularly salient in the UK case due to the context of continued biodiversity loss and the acceptability of valuation narratives within central government. Our findings suggest that evidence impact varies at different stages of the policy process, and that this is driven by the interplay of contextual factors like policy timing, personal influence, and the competition between different sets of actors and narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the policy-making process concerning energy and environmental issues, cooperation between government and firms is a means to create a more efficient energy and environmental policy. Intermediary organizations can play an important role in this policy-making process. Aim of this study is to get insight into the role of one specific intermediary organization: the industry association. In this paper, we focus on the Dutch paper and board industry. Important policy themes for this industry are waste water, waste, and energy efficiency. We distinguished four types of governmental policy instruments: top-down regulation, interactive regulation, negative economic instruments, and positive economic instruments. We analyzed the role of the industry association in the policy-making process for all of these four instruments. The results clearly show different (relative) roles of the industry association in different steps of the policy-making processes and for different types of instruments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Maintaining biodiversity is a key goal of global forest policy which promotes ecosystem health and resilience in the face of changing land use and climate. Sustainable management of forest ecosystems is essential to the social and economic services that forests provide, is an important component of the environmental policies of national governments, and is a specific focus of the Conventional on Biological Diversity. Sustainable forest management supports the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity, and relies on evidence based research to underpin associated policies and practices. Studies that take a focussed approach are particularly helpful in this regard where they identify mechanisms of ecological change in forest habitats, and predictors appropriate to determining the impact of management practices. Observational research can suggest likely mechanisms for ecological change, which can be tested and confirmed through experimental research. Predictors based on long-term research, on the mechanisms underlying ecological relationships, or on modelling approaches can be used to infer information about existing forests and to forecast future trends. This special issue presents a selection of papers which were first presented at the second international IUFRO conference on biodiversity in forest ecosystems and landscapes at University College Cork, Ireland in August 2012. The aim of this conference series is to ‘share knowledge, discuss new trends, reflect on future directions in biodiversity management for sustainable forestry, and provide a stronger scientific basis for biodiversity management in forest landscapes in the light of climate change’. The selected papers exemplify the use of observational and experimental approaches to identify mechanisms of ecological change in forests, and the use of indicators to predict current and future patterns of biodiversity. Trends in forest biodiversity were examined and discussed, drawing on what we know about forests to reconstruct ancient forested landscapes and to identify strategies for the management of forests into the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Offsetting development impacts could help achieve no net loss of biodiversity. [•] France recently geared its legislation on offsetting towards no net loss. [•] New guidance promises improved offset design and implementation. [•] Institutional arrangements for delivering offsets are either poor or lacking. [•] Appropriate institutional arrangements are necessary to avoid paper offsets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Production of sludge as waste in pulp and paper plants can be considered as one of the serious environmental problems that have to be solved. While landfilling is not a suitable solution from the environmental point of view, thermal treatment proved to be the most appropriate one.This paper describes an efficient way of processing sludge including waste-to-energy aspects. A thermal treatment unit with a capacity of more than 100 tons of wet sludge per day had been built in a large pulp and paper plant some years ago. This pulp and paper plant is located in a mining area. When built, this unit was quite modern. However, because of more and more sweeping environmental laws affecting the process industry, the unit needed a complete retrofit. The retrofit has been realised in three stages.A brief description of the unit for the thermal treatment of sludge is as follows: the waste sludge (after transport from a sludge storage system) is burnt in a multiple hearth incinerator with a fluidised-bed chamber. Then, the flue gas enters a secondary combustion chamber (afterburner chamber). During the first stage of retrofit, only a part of heat from flue gas was utilised for heat recovery (pre-heating air for combustion and fluidisation) and a contact cooler was involved in the unit. The second stage of retrofit can be characterised as a “waste-to-energy” one. The contact cooler was replaced by a system for preheating water for steam generation. Off-gas cleaning system consists of a filter for particulate removal and a three-stage scrubber system. (Several alternatives of retrofit were considered and simulated and the most promising one was selected.) [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As China's ecological environmental problem becomes severe, corporate environmental behavior (CEB) has become the focus of a range of stakeholders, policy makers and the whole society since the operating activities of companies is the main source of environmental pollution. This study used a questionnaire survey and structural equation model (SEM) to examine the relative importance of external and internal pressures (EIP) on driving CEB. Data was obtained from 702 papermaking companies in China. The mechanism of EIP effects on CEB was tested employing SEM through path analysis, using AMOS 21.0. The results showed that government pressure, economic pressure and internal pressure played significant positive roles in environmental behavior of papermaking companies in China. Economic pressure was the most important factor on environmental behaviors (including defensive, accommodative and proactive behaviors) of papermaking companies. Furthermore, the role of internal pressure on CEB (defensive and proactive) was second only to economic pressure, while the role of government pressure on CEB was much weaker than our expectation. However, the role of social pressure, which was imposed by general public and environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), was not significant. Thus, policy makers should emphasize on the interactions of economic mechanism, government regulation and internal incentive mechanism to stimulate firms to adopt active environmental behavior. More concerns from the general public shall be addressed to enhance their driving effect on CEB in Chinese papermaking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Dutch ecosystems, whether terrestrial, aquatic or sediment-based, are diffusely polluted by mixtures of contaminants, whose concentrations often exceed regulatory Safe Values or other generic quality criteria. This situation has unclear consequences, especially when local authorities are confronted with such pollution. Water managers are frequently in doubt whether their water systems satisfy the criteria for ‘Good Ecological Status’ as defined in the EU's Water Framework Directive. In case of soils, soil users may wonder whether the soil is ‘fit for use’. In case of nature conservation, the problem is that protected species might suffer from toxic stress. Official regulations in these cases call for appropriate action, but it is unclear whether the diffuse exposure causes adverse effects, and what the action should be. This paper proposes and discusses a site-oriented approach in the risk assessment of diffusely contaminated sites that can be used in addition to the compound-oriented policies from which the abovementioned generic quality criteria were derived. The site-oriented approach can be of help in reducing site-specific risks of diffuse contamination. Reflecting on the results of a large Dutch research effort in systems-oriented ecotoxicological effects, the conclusion is drawn that exposure and effects of diffuse pollution are site-specific in kind and magnitude, determined by the local combination of source–pathway–receptor issues, and often not clearly detectable (though often present). To assist in risk management, higher-tier methods can address various aspects, like addressing local mixture composition, bioavailability, and sensitivity of local species groups. Higher-tier risk assessment methods have as yet been developed mainly for cases of serious contamination, like for pesticide management and Risk-Based Land Management. For diffuse pollution, site-specific information can also be used to obtain site-specific exposure and impact information, while practical and ecology-based approaches can be introduced to obtain an integrated overview of the meaning of site contamination and to derive options for managing and reducing the local risks. These issues are discussed against the background of current major policy shifts, in The Netherlands and elsewhere, from a pollutant-oriented assessment to an additional ecological and site-oriented assessment. The latter is most clearly represented in the Good Ecological Status aim of the EU-Water Framework Directive. The paper assesses, integrates and discusses the results of the Dutch research effort in this policy context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Taiwan''s EPA has implemented a new guideline called the “Plastic Products Restriction Policy”, prohibiting some industries to use plastics as packaging materials for the sake of sustainable use of resources. The significant effect resulting from this policy is the substitution of plastic products with paper products. Is this policy beneficial to achieve future sustainability? I attempt to analyze the resource choice between renewable resources and exhaustible resources for production of final products and services in case of exhaustion of natural resources. In this paper, I develop a framework to examine the dynamic responsiveness of a socio-economical system in facing a continual depletion of natural resources provided by an environmental system. In this framework, the status of an environmental system in terms of carrying capacity is affected by the cumulative impacts caused from human activities, including environmental pollution and resource exploitation. Conversely, it also affects the growth of renewable resources. This framework can serve as a guideline to construct indicators to measure the status of the environmental system and the socio-economical system in order to support a policy planner that formulates an appropriate environmental policy. Based on this framework, I also develop a mathematical model to determine the optimal ratio of resources choice between renewable resources and exhaustible resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focal point of this review is to provide a comparative display of qualitative and quantitative methodologies employed for the appraisal of interacting energy and climate policies, underlying their key features while presenting the most critical issues and limitations not addressed so far. Qualitative approaches provide a descriptive explanatory analysis of often non-quantifiable process in policy interactions, whereas modeling approaches provide numerical data estimating the extent of policy interaction impacts. Quantitative methods work best for narrowly specified policy combinations, while contextual implications and cause-impact effects are explained further via qualitative ones. In addition most evaluations so far adopt a rational view of policies and policy interactions leaving out a systemic evaluation of the institutionalism of interacting policies. Research analysis of energy and climate policy interactions is still young in comparison to the broad field of policy evaluation and impact assessment. However infants inherently tend to grow. Endeavors for a methodological framework that would allow for a systematic exchange of data between qualitative and quantitative approaches and would also include the relevance of the context as well as key casual relationships behind policy combinations, would provide the basis for further growth of knowledge in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive case study of Mumbai (Bombay), India was undertaken to investigate the economic, social and environmental impact of international trade of waste paper for recycling purposes between industrialized and developing countries. Analysis of a Western approach vis-a-vis informal policy for waste paper recovery concludes that employment is maximum under informal policy measure and public response playsan important role in maintaining environmental quality. The study further shows that income inequality is more under informal policy, andwithout policy public cost will increase continuously in the future.The net present value of the informal policy is found to be higher than that for the formal policy. Econometric study on input substitution in the Indian paper industry suggests limited substitution possibilities between domestic and imported waste paper. Results from a static material balance flow model indicate that environmental impacts are less with increased trade and economically the paper sector in India benefits from free trade. Based upon the results of the study, somepolicy recommendations have been made that may enhance the efficiency of waste paper recycling in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Bureaucratic autonomy is the elephant in the institutions matter room. • The flip side of growth in Peru includes the close to 8,500 abandoned mine sites. • Pressures from above and below enable the creation of "paper institutions". • We found little of bureaucratic autonomy in Hualgayoc and Pasco. • The resource curse debate has much to gain from qualitative and mixed methods. Over the last three decades, drawn by international influence and local discontent, mineral-dependent Peru has progressed in the acquisition of environmental protection regulations and policies for its mining industry. However, for regulations and policy announcements to matter, in face of power asymmetries and economic dependence, there must be bureaucratic autonomy. The cases of Hualgayoc and Pasco, scenarios of long and distinct processes of environmental damage and contention regarding mining in the Peruvian Andes, show fairly limited progress in environmental protection. This study on institutional change begins at the 1990s domestic-neoliberalism-meets-global-environmentalism juncture. The triumphant policy ideology of liberal boosting of the economy structured newborn environmental functions of the state for its mining industry. We show that pressures from above —the greened international political economy— and below —grassroots activism and protest— are contextual conditions enabling formal institutional change: they compel a resource-dependent developing country to carry out institutional reform to protect the environment from extractive industries. However, accretion of formal rules does not bring on their own bureaucratic autonomy for environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We combined life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) with economic analysis of social life cycle costs (SLCC) to investigate five alternatives for newspaper waste management. The alternatives consisted of various recovery and treatment methods applicable to newspaper in a separately collected paper fraction and to newspaper in mixed waste. We linked LCIA and SLCC to each other at three different stages. First, we used LCIA to rank our alternatives and asked how this ranking relates to the SLCC associated with each alternative. Second, we solved the cost minimizing problem and asked how this purely economic ranking relates to our LCIA ranking. Third, we solved the cost minimizing problem when external costs from the use of fossil fuels were included and then compared the solution to the LCIA results. Many useful features emerged. Tying economic analysis firmly to the steps of LCA helps to produce consistent SLCCs. Economic analysis can also be helpful in defining the boundaries of the product system and to facilitate decisions on avoided impacts. Finally, given that environmental policies usually involve trade-offs between environmental and economic factors, economic analysis conducted consistently with LCA complements LCA in a way that can be expected to make the results of the analysis more useful for policy making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The determinants of environmental regulatory activity and levels of air and water pollution for 409 US pulp and paper mills, using data for 1985-1997, are examined. Spatially lagged instrumental variables are used to control the potential endogeneity of individuals, which choose to locate near the plant.

The impact of environmental regulation on productivity is tested to identify whether it differs by plant vintage and technology. The results suggest that the difference is greatly based on plant technology and productivity at different mills.

Policy synergy is a unique way for the government to establish a policy network and a crucial way for cities to expand their carbon reduction channels. Using urban data from China, this paper empirically investigates how environmental governance policy synergy (EGPS) affects carbon emissions. In comparison to non-pilot cities, the environmental information disclosure (EID) policy and low-carbon city (LC) policy play an inhibitory role in carbon emissions. Furthermore, EGPS has a stronger effect and is heterogeneous by region. Through the use of technical advancement and industrial structure optimisation, EGPS lowers carbon emissions, and this effect of EGPS grows over time in tandem with the level of environmental pollution in the cities. Our paper proposes policy implications in order to improve the overall effect of environmental governance policy and help achieve the dual carbon targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Global recycling trade is analyzed by network method and top1 network perspective. • The evolution of global recycling trade networks shows three distinct stages. • The top1 recycling import network obviously differs from export network. • Recycling policy of economies has a serious impact on recycling trade pattern. Recycling trade transfers recyclable resources and relevant environmental pressures on a global scale to solve resources limitation problem for some economies and alleviate urgent environment protection pressure for other countries/regions. Correspondingly, recycling trade relationships among economies are changing profoundly with the constant adjustment of economic and environmental policies. Based on complex network approach and top network analysis, this paper aims to comprehensively explore the structural features and their evolutionary patterns of global recycling trade networks from the macro, medium and micro levels by using global multi-region input-output data. The results are: At the macro level, the depth of global recycling import and export markets has strengthened continuously. The breadth of recycling exports showed a "pre-concentration, post-diversification" trend, and the import market breath demonstrated an opposite trend. At the medium level, the community structure of the global recycling export market increased rapidly in the early stage and became stable in the medium and late stages, while that of import market rapidly declined in the late stage, which means the import market was more sensitive to relevant policies and economic events. At the individual level, developed economics have been trying to transfer recycling products to developing economies, causing the former dominate global recycling export markets and the latter dominate the import markets. Recycling policies of economies, especially the developing economies have a serious impact on the global recycling trade pattern. Therefore, China's new announcement in 2018 for prohibiting import "foreign waste" will inevitably have a huge impact on the global recycling market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quantifying the impact of peer pressure on environmental improvements among local governments in China. • Investigating cities ' reaction to declining air quality rankings through regression discontinuity design. • Demonstrating the efficacy of political incentives in combating pollution and the catalytic effect of rankings on policy action. • Assessing the benefits resulting from air pollution reductions using an exposure response function. This paper estimates the impact of peer governmental pressure on air quality using a regression discontinuity design inherent in China's air quality ranking system. Because air quality rankings are important for political evaluations, local officials who witnessed a decline in air quality ranking are motivated to enforce more stringent environmental standards compared to their counterparts with increased rankings. By exploiting this regulatory discontinuity with monthly air quality ranking data from 2012 to 2020 of 169 cities, we find that cities experiencing a lower air quality ranking in the current month compared to the previous month exhibit a subsequent improvement in air quality during the following month, as evidenced by decreased pollutant concentrations. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that in cities where pollutant rankings decline more sharply, officials are less likely to encounter fewer promotion opportunities. Importantly, we observe that the discontinuity in individual pollutant concentrations is not solely influenced by their respective rankings but is also impacted by the overall A ir Q uality I ndex (AQI) ranking. Linking the reduction in air pollutants concentration with the economic benefits, a back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates the decrease in premature deaths due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases amounts to approximately 200 thousand, resulting in an associated economic saving of more than 600 billion Chinese yuan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A distribution dynamics approach is employed to examine the converge of TFEE across Chinese PAA level cities. • The findings show a clear convergence in TFEE. • Convergence comes more from efficiency drops in high TFEE cities than from efficiency gains in low TFEE cities. • The environmental protection polices in key cities improved energy efficiency. • Large-sized cities show better performance in energy efficiency than small- and medium-sized cities. Improving energy efficiency is considered the most direct route to reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale. To examine the long-run trend of China's energy efficiency, this paper employs a distribution dynamics approach to analyze the convergence of total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) across 286 Chinese cities between 2002 and 2014. The result suggests the existence of convergence, which comes more from the efficiency declines in the high TFEE cities rather than the efficiency gains in the low TFEE cities. Despite the fact that a few cities have performed well in energy efficiency, the majority of cities have converged to a low-efficiency point. Further analyses show that the inefficiency was attributed to inefficient energy use in small- and medium-sized cities. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for China's ongoing energy conservation and environmental protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of significant environmental changes, the urgency of adopting green innovation has become increasingly apparent as a central mechanism for adjusting industrial structures in China. This transition serves not only as a crucial way to address pressing environmental challenges, but also as a fundamental strategy to improve the ecological efficiency of urban areas. Existing research mainly keeps a close eye on the unidirectional relationship between variables such as technological innovation and environmental protection. There is less relevant literature that has researched the cointegration relationship among green innovation, industrial structure, and eco-efficiency of cities. The essential role of green innovation and industrial structure in reaching a higher eco-efficiency of city are discussed in this research and the relationship among these three variables are analyzed by the evidence from cities in China from 2011 to 2019. The fact that the variables are cointegrated in the long run is evidenced by the results for the full sample. The sub-sample results report that in the eastern region, green innovation, industrial structure upgrading, and industrial structure rationalization could improve urban eco-efficiency. However, in Midwest regions where economic development is relatively backward, green innovation's effect on urban eco-efficiency is not in a significant positive way. The results obtained in this paper have implications for different cities in China to formulate corresponding policies on green innovation, industrial structure, and urban eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses time-varying causalities between climate policy uncertainty (CPU) and green finance market, and filling the research gap in revealing their internal dynamic connections. Using rolling-window technique, the empirical findings demonstrate that CPU exert positive and negative impact on green finance market, represented by the green bond index (GBI) during certain time intervals, which do not entirely support theoretical basis. Similarly, the study also uncovers inconsistent conclusions regarding the influence from GBI to CPU among different causal periods, indicating the function of green finance in alleviating climate change is complex. These deviations between variables can be attributed to factors, such as early-stage green bond market, shifts in climate policies, the impact of COVID-19, and underlying macroeconomic fundamentals. The study identifies heterogeneities of the causal relationships in different time intervals, and the bidirectional influence under specific circumstances, offering fresh insights for existing theoretical framework. Several policy implications are thus provided from multiple aspects, such as standardization of green bonds, innovation of green financial instruments, and development of long-term climate governance strategies. These measures can facilitate a positive role for climate policy and green finance in pursuing harmonious development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy security is affected by extreme natural, human, domestic political, geopolitical, and fossil energy price shocks/events and green energy policies. The degree of persistence in energy security determines the magnitudes of social, economic, and environmental outcomes of the shocks/policies. In this paper, we examined the degree of persistence in energy security of G7 countries using a new proxy namely the energy security risk index, and a novel second-generation panel quantile unit root test over the period 1980–2018. In addition, we applied the sequential panel selection method (SPSM), to identify the stationary members within each quantile. Our results indicated the stochastic properties of the energy security risk indexes vary across the quantile and the countries. Among the G7 countries, the energy security risk index of the US displays unit root process within all quantiles. While the energy security risk indexes of other countries display stationary processes, especially within high quantiles. Our results have important policy implications regarding the effectiveness of green policies in improving the energy security of the G7 countries and the disturbance effects of anti-energy security shocks. According to our findings, the US has to constantly pursue the risks that threaten the country's energy system while other G7 countries likely do not have such severe concerns about shocks affecting energy security, and these shocks have a short-term effect on their energy security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, there has been an increasing demand for policy research focusing on market-based measures for decarbonizing shipping. It is increasingly recognized that more than just technological and operational measures will be needed to achieve the objectives of decarbonizing shipping. This paper presents a quantitative review of the existing research leveraging bibliometric analysis techniques, highlighting the concepts, general trends, research themes and applications within the maritime industry in this field. It sheds light on the evolution of policy and regulations, design details, impacts and methods of quantifying the effects of environmental policies and provides future research directions in this area. The findings and future research agenda may become valuable resources for academic research and industrial practice. • This paper presents a quantitative review on market-based measures towards shipping decarbonization. • A bibliometric analysis on research themes and applications of decarbonization within maritime industry is made. • It sheds light on the evolution of environmental policies and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Internalizing environmental costs is a necessary condition for an effective environmental policy. Since the majority of socio-economic activities cannot be free of environmental impacts, the noninternalized (external) environmental costs impose a peculiar thievery of welfare. Charging environmental costs through environmental taxes and other economic instruments is a necessary condition for avoiding welfare thievery. In this context, the anti-tax approaches emerging within ecological economics are found to be misleading and directing away from an effective environmental policy. Environmental responsibility is a different issue from the charging of the environmental costs. Therefore, environmental taxes should not be considered as an induction to less environmental responsibility and, hence, to environmental degradation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development paths leading to the transition to cleaner bleaching technologies in the pulp industry. It devotes particular attention to the key features of the Swedish transition, but also compares this to the Finnish experiences. The empirical investigation builds on an analytical framework highlighting the conditions under which pollution regulations can provide efficient incentives for deep emission reductions at industrial plants. Existing and new archive material, including not least comprehensive license trial acts for Swedish pulp mills over an extended time period, are studied. Based on this historical analysis our findings contradict previous literature, the latter emphasizing that pressures from consumers and the public were the most significant driving forces behind the adoption of–and innovation in–alternative bleaching technologies during the late 1980s. Instead, this paper asserts, the green pulp transition was characterized by regulation-induced technological change and was made possible by long history of industry-wide cooperation in environmental R&D. Furthermore, while previous research has emphasized the leading role of the Nordic countries in green pulp innovation, we identify a number of profound differences between Finland and Sweden. These emerge from various national contexts in terms of, for instance, industry structures and strategies, political cultures, and regulatory styles. Finally, at a more general level the paper provides a few policy implications for supporting the ongoing transition towards a forest-based bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel gravity model integrating multilayer network for waste trade is executed. • Multilayer network results show new patterns challenge the North-South pattern. • Northern waste havens indicate a recycling market for textile and metal scrap waste. • PHH is better supported for highly connected hubs and havens in SDT waste. • Stringent waste management policies reduce exports and imports in SDT waste. Waste management is an international enterprise, and it is important to understand global flows of recyclable materials. The Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH) suggests that waste moves from high income nations with stringent environmental policy to low income nations with less environmentally stringent policy, by exploiting low labor and regulatory costs. This paper assesses the PHH thesis for slag/dross and textiles (SDT) wastes in PHH through novel integration of the multilayer network and gravity models. The multilayer network model generates network effect that quantifies interlayer connections of multiple waste trade networks. Instead of North-South movement of waste, North-North, South-South, and even South-North are shown. Results from the gravity model indicate that stringent waste management policies reduce both waste exports and imports. PHH is not found for slags/dross where high income countries are importing the waste, contradicting PHH. On the other hand, PHH is more evident between highly connected hubs and havens in SDT waste trade networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a river basin across regions, is environmental improvement in downstream areas based on actions that negatively impact economic development and social welfare in upstream areas? This paper takes the pilot of Transverse Eco-compensation Mechanism (TECM) in Xin'an River of China as a quasi-natural experiment and uses the difference-in-differences strategy to estimate the impact of TECM on environmental inequality. We find that the government's environmental policy may lead to more environmental inequality，which is often overlooked. Our results show that the pilot of TECM depresses the upstream economy, reduces upstream resident income, especially rural residents, and widens the regional income gap between the upstream and downstream. Heterogeneous tests confirm our findings. Our mechanism test shows that the industries' shutting down and relocation are the main driving forces for the regional environmental inequality in the short term. Therefore, in implementing future TECM, the upstream government needs to pay attention to the economic slowdown and the subsequent unemployment and resident welfare loss. The central and downstream governments should help the upstream regions upgrade the industrial structure, rather than just pay compensation funds, thereby reducing the resulting environmental inequality. Our findings have important policy implications for the treatment of trans-regional river pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In shaping environmental policy, knowledge is power. Yet the opposite is also true. Control over the absence of knowledge facilitates certain policy outcomes being deflected, obscured, or magnified in a way that furthers political, personal, or institutional ends. Applying previous work on ignorance studies and agnotology to the development of Cambodian drought policy, the paper demonstrates how data gaps, restrictions on data sharing, and obstacles to data dissemination serve institutional interests and shape policy development. It proceeds in three parts, each reflecting one aspect of drought sensing in Cambodia and more broadly: hydrological, meteorological, and agricultural. First, how data on the Mekong River is shaped by regional geopolitics. Second, how national rainfall and flood data reflect the political geography of sub-national government administration. Third, how this multi-scalar landscape of political and institutional interests links data generation, data dissemination and adaptation policy, closing certain adaptation pathways, whilst opening others. • This paper examines data gaps, restrictions on data sharing, and restrictions on data dissemination. • This paper presents an agnotological perspective on the politics of data gaps and environmental policy generation. • It shows that drought policy development in Cambodia is influenced by control over environmental generation and circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the development of green innovation is crucial for achieving the green transformation of society. This paper considers the decision bias of different agents in policy implementation and presents a theoretical model that captures the structure of the green innovation system. The model includes six subsystems: government, technology, public, energy, environment, and population. The study examines the transmission effect of green innovation and the influence mechanism of multiple decision biases on policy combination effects using a combination of various policy tools. The results show that: Various policy tools and their implementation differences have distinct effects on the green innovation and environmental performance. In most cases, the synergistic policy mix effect, surpassing the impact of individual policies, is driven by the resource effect. However, the synergistic effect of policy combination may not be fully realized, leading to potential conflicts. Due to various decision biases, particularly the gap in the public's green behavior, the policy mix faces challenges in achieving immediate synergistic effects. Combining tax policies with other policy instruments increases the risk of incoherence and inconsistency. However, in the long term, the combination of policy tools can exert strong late-developing advantages. This study provides insights for green innovation policy improvement. • This paper develops a green innovation system with the government subsystem serving as the operational hub. • This paper establishes a policy framework for green innovation systems based on multi-subject decision bias. • This paper simulates the impact of policy implementation on green innovation and main pollutant emissions. • The study finds that tax policy has a more significant dampening effect when combined with other policies. • This study finds that policy mix can exert resource effects, but decision biases cause a delayed manifestation. [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]

Due to the positive externalities of public transit, fares have been heavily subsidized throughout the United States and the world. Policymakers have designed these subsidies as a potential mechanism to reduce local air pollution. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of free-fare public transit subsidies in reducing air pollution. Studying the "Zero Fare for Better Air" initiative, I find no significant decrease in ground-level ozone due to free-fare public transit in Colorado. This paper also demonstrates how the free-fare initiative failed to improve welfare even when incorporating all the positive externalities of transit ridership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the further question of whether water-related environmental innovations affect water stress in three main sectors such as agriculture, industry and services. The sample consists of 30 OECD countries for the period 2000–2019. This paper employs the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) with fixed effects to analyze the effects of water-related innovative activities across different quantiles of water stress for all three sectors separately. The empirical results indicate that water-related innovations positively affect water stress in the agricultural sector in the lower and middle quantiles, while it has a negative effect in the middle and higher quantiles for the services sector and the higher quantiles for the industrial sector. These findings reveal nuanced effects of water-related innovations on water stress across sectors. Furthermore, the study suggests that while innovations in the industrial and services sectors can mitigate water stress beyond a certain threshold level, the agricultural sector appears to benefit comparatively less from such innovations. These findings underscore the importance of complementing water-related innovations with appropriate regulatory measures, to address informal practices such as losses and leakages in agricultural irrigation. Ultimately, this study provides valuable insights for policy makers to formulate targeted environmental policies and strategies, especially in the context of climate change adaptation, thereby enabling a more effective allocation of resources to mitigate water stress within each sector. • The relationship water-related environmental innovations affect water stress in three main sectors. • Water-related environmental innovations are closely related to water stress. • Environmental innovations has an important nonlinear role for water stress. • Environmental innovation has different impacts depending the level of water stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from Peck and Tickell's (2002) theory of roll-back and roll-out neoliberalism and Brenner et al.'s (2010) theory of variegated neoliberalism, this paper uses comparative historical analysis to understand how the state of Wisconsin suppressed its legacy of progressive environmentalism and embraced neoliberal policy over time. Specifically, this paper examines the rapid expansion of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in Wisconsin's dairy industry since 1995. As these large CAFOs have grown in size, so have the social and environmental problems related to their use, including pollution of drinking water sources for rural communities. Based on analysis of newspaper articles between 1965-2010, I observed that that a turning point towards neoliberalism occurred with the demise of the Office of the Public Intervenor (OPI), a legally designated adversarial force unique to the state that was created in 1967 after a powerful coalition of environmental social movements defeated an attempt to merge the offices of development and environmental protection. Despite the continuous efforts of industry, the effort to weaken environmental regulations and institutions in Wisconsin failed not only in 1967, but in 1984 as well. However, by 1995, immediately after the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the state switched their support from populist environmental social movements to industry. Through deregulation, elimination of the OPI, and the gradual dissolution of environmental social movements, the state of Wisconsin created the conditions that enabled CAFOs to expand without the "burden" of environmental regulation. Subsequently, through re-regulation, Wisconsinites lost access to legal remedies that could curb polluting practices of large CAFOs. This research is part of a larger project to understand the environmental impacts of regulatory failure in the Core as states in the Global North continue to adopt neoliberal environmental policy. • Industry in Wisconsin failed in their attempts to de/reregulate environmental regulationsuntil 1995. • Deregulation included termination of the Public Intervenor (OPI)- an environmental watchdog agency created in 1967. • De/reregulation led by the state encouraged the rapid growth of CAFOs despite the pollution they cause in rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Environmental policy has a negative and efficient impact on Portuguese GHG emissions. • Technology transfer may cause an increase in GHG emissions evolution. • A form of a Green Paradox caused by technological progress may occur. • Policymakers should facilitate technology transfer accounting for its adverse effect. This paper analyses the impact of feed-in tariffs, fossil fuel support, technology transfer, and other relevant socio-economic variables on Portuguese greenhouse gas emissions. The results provide evidence that environmental policy has a negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions, which uncovers an efficient environmental outcome from regulation. Additionally, the model reveals that technology transfer may cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions evolution, which is an undesirable effect arising from technological diffusion. By focusing on a specific economy and considering both "pro-climate" and "anti-climate" policy variables, this paper provides policy suggestions to aid Portuguese energy planners and policymakers reaching a sustainable transition. Nonetheless, the results have wider, international, implications for the design and implementation of environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of large and growing urban populations, there is a pressing need to understand how the urban environment can be sustainably planned, developed and maintained for greatest benefit to people and nature. The use of 'green infrastructure', as a framing approach for integrating urban green space into urban decision-making claims significant international impact. This paper describes key urban environmental policy narratives of five different urban areas (Cape Town, Durban (eThekwini) and Johannesburg in South Africa and Birmingham and London in the UK) reflecting on the way that they have brought green infrastructure concepts into their decision-making. This multi-method study includes analysis of academic papers, technical reports and policy documents and semi-structured interviews with academics, practitioners (planners, engineers, environmental consultants), policy-makers and local community actors. This work has highlighted significant differences in the explicit use of urban green infrastructure as a framing within environmental policy, shaped by the mix of biophysical, social and economic factors that dominate the policy priorities of each city. It adds to a growing evidence base from research and practice aimed at supporting effective urban environmental policymaking. • Exploring 'green infrastructure' as a framing in urban environmental policy. • Focussed case studies on Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Birmingham and London. • Cities adapt green infrastructure as a term and as an approach to fit their own needs. • Differences in interpretation are shaped by the wider policy priorities of each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to debates on positive tipping points in climate mitigation, which are relevant for accelerating low-carbon transitions. The first contribution is to draw attention to dynamics after the tipping point and criticise the determinism of existing approaches, which excessively focus on irreversible self-reinforcing processes. We conceptually extend Geels and Ayoub's socio-technical perspective on tipping points by adding potential negative feedback processes on political and socio-cultural dimensions that can decelerate further diffusion after the tipping point. The second contribution is to replicate Geels and Ayoub's framework with two new case studies and thus enhance its empirical validity. The case studies are solar-PV diffusion in Germany and the UK, which both first accelerated because of positive feedbacks and then slowed down because of negative feedbacks. We explain why solar-PV diffusion almost entirely halted in the UK but regained momentum in Germany after 2016. Our findings demonstrate the importance of analysing both positive and negative feedbacks in low-carbon transitions. Our findings also show that the strength of various feedback processes is shaped by broader economic and political contexts. • Paper extends socio-technical transition perspective on positive tipping points • It shows that post-tipping negative feedbacks may decelerate change • Extensions are validated with comparative case study of solar-PV in Germany and UK • Balance of positive and negative feedbacks explains varying post-tipping patterns [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the potential of a Green Infrastructure Policy Assessment Tool (GIPAT) by assessing national planning guidance across all four devolved UK nations. National planning guidance is a key material consideration to the formulation and implementation of green infrastructure (GI) policies in statutory development plans and decision-making. Hitherto, there has been a lack of holistic assessments of GI policy in spatial planning with most attention on specific developments. GIPAT was informed by three GI initiatives; - Building with Nature, Central Scotland Green Network and Mainstreaming GI, supported by a global academic literature to address key multifunctional and mainstreaming components within 26 assessment criteria. The tool assessed, with justification, how well national guidance met the assessment criteria, together with the strength of policy wording. The results reveal a significant weakness in policy wording across all countries highlighting GI vulnerability. In terms of coverage, biodiversity and ecological networks generally score well but there are deficiencies in stewardship, blue infrastructure and mainstreaming demanding greater policy attention. There are important implications for development plan policy(ies) highlighting the need for greater integration of grey, blue and GI and improved mainstreaming as illuminated through exemplar policies. We recommend the use of Green Blue Infrastructure (GBI) to address the blue deficiency. The paper concludes with a discussion about GIPAT's wider transferability and the need for greater research into how policies are translated into development plans and decision-making. • A policy analysis tool has been co designed to assess UK national policy for green infrastructure. • National Planning Policy across the UK devolved nations endorses green and blue infrastructure as a multifunctional asset. • Policy wording for green infrastructure highlights significant vulnerability when compared with other policy priorities. • Major differences are shown across devolved nations in green infrastructure performance using the tool. • Green infrastructure needs improved mainstreaming and stewardship components moving away from a single policy focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection and sustainable development are now profoundly ingrained in the public consciousness in the modern era of the global green revolution. First, this paper uses an evolutionary game model to theoretically analyse the impact of environmental regulation and green finance on enterprises by dissecting the game behaviour between local governments, banks and enterprises. Then, we incorporate entrepreneurial spirit into the model to determine whether entrepreneurial spirit accelerates the achievement of green sustainability objectives. Environmental regulation and green finance are found to contribute substantially to the innovation of green technologies by local enterprises, while entrepreneurial spirit accelerates this process. Finally, we empirically test the findings based on a prefecture-level panel dataset from 2007 to 2020. We find that green finance has a positive impact in Central and Western cities of China, while Eastern cities are in greater need for government environmental regulation controls. For entrepreneurial spirit, the incentive effect of entrepreneurial spirit on the level of green technology innovation is more significant in Central and Western regions of China. This paper enriches the field of research on entrepreneurial spirit and regional green sustainable development by providing empirical evidence for the evaluation of environmental regulatory and green financing policy impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate policies such as carbon tax and green finance policy are critical measures to promote low-carbon transition worldwide. These policies are, however, likely to interact with each other and create unintentional consequences. This paper adopts a stock-flow consistent model to theoretically explore the effects of policy interactions. Specifically, commercial banks, as the key credit creators and critical players in providing source of finance, are included. Based on the numerical simulations of the dynamic model, we find that both carbon tax and green finance policies render positive impacts on low-carbon transition. In addition, green credit incentives, if imposed simultaneously with carbon tax, can enhance the positive effects. Although low-carbon transition could generate higher net government revenues, our results show that banking sector tends to expose to higher financial risks when firms' debt-equity ratio rises. Further analysis shows that subsidies on green loans can support green transition and bring positive consequences to debt rollover and social welfare, indicating the needs for active government intervention to improve policy effectiveness. The framework proposed in this paper provides a useful way to understand policy dilemmas in pursuing low-carbon transition and give important implications to form optimal policy mix. • A stock-flow consistent model is developed to examine climate policy interactions. • We show that climate policy-mix can generate both positive and negative effects. • Green finance policies can enhance green investment and induce higher financial risks. • Active government intervention such as green subsidies can ease financial distress and improve policy effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to a circular economy can be undermined by rebound effects, which could mean secondary production does not fully displace virgin raw materials. So called 'circular economy rebound' is under examined in the academic literature and thus requires greater attention if it is to be successfully estimated and mitigated by decision and policy makers. Accordingly, this paper undertakes a systematic review of the methods that have been deployed to measure rebound effects of all types and identifies those quantitative tools that have yet to be utilised in the nascent area of circular economy rebound but which could have application in this context. In so doing, the paper also reflects on the data needs of different methods, as well as the magnitude of the different rebounds identified and potential mitigating strategies. Findings suggest clear research gaps within the rebound literature and identify areas in which estimation of the circular economy rebound specifically could benefit from this wider body of work on rebound assessment. • Circular economy rebound is underexamined in the academic literature. • A review of applied methods for estimating rebound effects is conducted. • Methods that could be used to estimate circular economy rebound are identified. • Data needs, rebound effect sizes and mitigation options are discussed/classified. • Major gaps in the rebound effect literature are synthesised in a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Getting out of the dilemma of incompatibility between efficiency and equity is an important goal of local government to modernize their environmental governance. Based on the theory of public value management, this paper constructs an analytical framework for digital technology enabled government environmental governance under the perspectives of efficiency, equity and coupling of the two, then empirically examines the impact and mechanism. The results show that digital technology can enhance efficiency and equity of local government environmental governance. Meanwhile, digital technology is an effective way to solve conflict between efficiency and equity values, but its green effect may be weakened in the short term due to uncertainty risks of internet. Education can strengthen green effect of digital technology, and digital dividend is especially beneficial when years of education has reached a certain threshold. In addition, there are heterogeneity and spatial correlation in digital technology to improve local government environmental governance. Finally, the results of mechanism test show that digital technology realizes enabling effect through three paths: industrial structure optimization effect, social public participation effect and innovation and entrepreneurship effect. The findings of this paper enrich research literatures on government environmental governance empowered by digital technology, and also provide useful references for formulation and implementation of government environmental policies under the new development pattern. • Explore the contradiction between "efficiency" and "equity" in local governments' environmental governance. • Digital technology is an effective way to overcome the dilemma of "efficiency" and "equity". • Education has a positive moderating effect on digital technology empowering local government environmental governance. • Education has dual threshold effect on digital technology empowering local government environmental governance. • Industrial structural upgrading, public participation, incentives for innovation and entrepreneurship are mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Policy settings are outcomes of ontological work. • The settings become configured in terms of their policy-relevant dimensions. • The outcomes affect how environmental liabilities become defined. • Tools are developed to trace ontological work performed by policy documents. • A study on water management shows how policies became diluted via ontological work. Environmental policies often leave room for case- or region-specific discretion. In this paper, we focus on the transformation of socio-material settings into objects of policy discretion. This move calls for manipulation—ontological work—enabling settings to be connected to policy aspirations. The settings become configured in terms of their professed policy-relevant dimensions. The outcomes affect how environmental liabilities become defined in policy processes. The paper develops a conceptual toolkit to analyse ontological work as it is performed by policy documents. We use the toolkit to analyse three types of policy documents defining how agricultural nutrient loading is to be reduced in the Finnish region of North Savo. The findings show that regulatory decisions and policy recommendations are, to a significant extent, outcomes of ontological work. Environmental liabilities are shaped by the ways 'unstable junctures' are brought into being. By these junctures we refer to the points in the configured policy landscapes where choices influential for water protection are, according to the documents, to be made. The documents also generate exclusions that narrow down what liability implies in the unstable junctures. Without a focus on the ontological work and emerging ordering effects, it would have been difficult to show how environmental liabilities became (un)defined in the policy documents. The approach is needed to understand how power is practiced in policy processes and how policy instruments come to have consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The installation of fast electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) will be essential to promote the acceptance by the users of electric vehicles (EVs). However, if EVCS are exclusively supplied by the grid, negative impacts on its stability together with possible CO 2 emission increases could be produced. Introduction of hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) for EVCS can cope with both drawbacks by reducing the load on the grid and generating clean electricity. This paper develops a weighted multicriteria methodology to design the most suitable configuration of HRES for EVCS. This method determines the local renewable resources and the EVCS electricity demand. Then, taking into account environmental, economic and technical aspects, it deduces the most adequate HRES power generation planning for EVCS. Besides, an experimental stage to validate the design deduced from the multicriteria methodology is included. Therefore, the final power generation planning for the HRES in EVCS is supported not only by a complete numerical evaluation, but also by an experimental verification of the demand being fully covered. Methodology application to Valencia (Spain) proves that an off-grid HRES with solar PV, wind and batteries support would be the most suitable configuration for the system. This solution was also experimentally verified. • The paper presents a novel multicriteria methodology to design HRES for EVCS. • An experimental stage of the power balance and SOC is included in the methodology. • Valencia (Spain) is chosen as a case study due to its environmental policies. • The best configuration is an off-grid HRES with solar PV, wind resources and batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores conceptualisations of households in sustainability transitions. Existing literature in the field has only engaged with households in a limited and fragmented way, despite the role of households in resource use, shaping social innovation and as a target of environmental policies. The paper asks: how are households conceptualised in sustainability transitions and how could this be further developed in future research? The paper uses systematic review to explore how the literature currently engages with households. We find two overarching approaches to households: a closed-box approach and an open-box approach. The closed-box approach engages households as a fixed unit of analysis, without attention to internal dynamics and how these may interact with system-level changes, whereas the open-box approach unpacks the household as a dynamic social unit and material setting in the context of multiple scales and other social units. Both approaches are further discussed in terms of how they engage with households as users, sites and sources. Based on the analysis, the paper proposes a comprehensive definition of households in transition studies, and identifies four areas for future research in sustainability transitions: households' and householders' agency; unpacking household dynamics; household innovation across scales and socio-technical systems; and households in policy and governance. • Role of households in transitions is systematically reviewed • Distinction is made between closed-box and open-box approaches • Open-box approach is less developed in transitions research • More attention is needed for agency, dynamics, innovation, and policy and governance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy debates often get polarized along binaries of environment versus economic development or conservation versus rights. Sustainability scientists and practitioners generally suggest finding common grounds as a pathway for building consensus among the diverse perspectives involved in polarized environmental policy discussions. This paper takes a critical stance towards such calls for common grounds by calling attention to the implicit assumptions that underlie these discourses. We study the case of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in India, which has polarized the forest policy discourse between conservationists and rights activists in India. We examine scientific publications on the FRA using discourse and framing analysis and show that scholarly discourses on FRA lie along a spectrum characterized by underlying epistemic and normative practices. We identify five groups of scholars based on the unique positions they have taken on FRA: a) advocacy-centric, b) welfare-centric, c) community-centric, d) dialogue-centric, and e) techno-centric scholars. We find that negative framings of the forest dweller community lead to scientific endorsement of policy prescriptions that empower socio-political institutions that are external to these communities. We argue that scholarly calls for common grounds often assume uniform or neutral framings for the stakeholders involved. We conclude that recognizing the polarization spectrum in environmental policy discourses can help us move towards pluralistic approaches to environmental governance. • Scientific polarization on Indian forest policy discourses lies along a spectrum. • Epistemic and normative practices shape scientific positions on forest policies. • Negative framings of traditional communities tend to empower external institutions. • Calls for dialogue often do not specify framings for the stakeholders involved. • Recognize the polarization spectrum for enabling pluralistic environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explores Saudi Arabia's National Vision 2030 for a transition to a low-carbon economy. • Discusses the potential of the 2030 vision from an environmental law and policy perspective. • Based on primary data it highlights that more integrated environmental policies are both, taking place and needed. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has adopted a new law and policy framework, Vision 2030, designed to deliver a transition to a diversified and low-carbon economy. This paper analyses from an environmental law and policy perspective how law is providing opportunities and challenges in achieving the outcomes of this national masterplan. The paper employs traditional legal scholarship to assess the law itself and also explores its impact in practice, via an analysis of findings from expert stakeholder interviews. Key issues around environmental governance are discussed in depth in the light of Vision 2030. One of the key issues of focus is that of integration, in terms of the design and practice of law, institutions and outcomes. To date, it is clear that the further policies needed to ensure that environmental integration and a low-carbon transition take place are currently being created in the effort to deliver the aims of the Vision. This study finds that the transition to a low-carbon economy in the KSA is under-researched and under-explored in practice, from an environmental perspective. The findings attest that although some significant actions have been initiated, further action needs to be taken, given the importance of this transition, in the KSA in the light of the promising nature of Vision 2030 in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CCUS development among EU countries with the latest progress in the field. • Realization of EGD targets with CCUS technology in EU. • Applicability of benchmarking method to compare environmental profiles. • UK and the Netherlands are among top countries with rapid CCUS development. • Poland and Germany with a high level of difficulty in achieving the EGD targets. Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a technology highlighted as one of the tools in climate change mitigation and one of the ways to reach the goal of 1.5℃ set by the Paris Agreement. The European Commission (EC) developed this goal by creating and implementing the European Green Deal (EGD) – the European Union's (EU) environmental policy. This paper provides an analysis of environmental policies and an overview of crucial CCUS projects of selected member states based on a benchmarking analysis of 27+ UK member states. An overall review of a total of 28 countries was undertaken based on economic and environmental factors. Afterward, a benchmarking analysis was performed ranking the countries according to the TOP10 for the selected five categories: total net emissions with international transport, percentage share of the energy sector, percentage share of fossil fuels, percentage share of fossil fuels in the Gross Electricity Production (GEP), and numbers of CCUS projects. Subsequently, a detailed and comprehensive overview of four selected member states was done, with a special focus on the national energy policy towards net-zero emission goals, the role of CCUS in domestic environmental policy, with current projects and facilities development. Finally, this paper outlines how the EGD has reformed the national energy policies of selected member states, and what is the part of CCUS technology in the national efforts towards climate neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The governance dimension of global digital cooperation is underdeveloped. • Environmental policy and governance literature offers insights that help to address digital cooperation challenges. • Policy leaders, knowledge-based expertise and polycentric governance arrangements can help to improve digital cooperation. • The UN can model processes and institutions for digital cooperation based on successful environmental governance arrangements. The digital age brings great promise for human development. Yet, the benefits of digital technology can only be realised by mobilising global cooperation to close persistent digital divides and address the harms, risks, and uncertainties of digitalisation. To date, the global digital landscape is dominated by private technology companies and a few governments of technologically advanced countries, while less developed countries and civil society actors effectively have no voice. The goal of the United Nations's (UN) Digital Cooperation initiative is to maximise the benefits and minimise the costs of digital transformation while ensuring that no-one is left behind. The UN's Digital Cooperation identifies the main directions for action but also acknowledges that persistent governance gaps undermine its cooperation efforts. This paper argues that we can learn how to improve global cooperation to govern the digital space by drawing on experiences from global environmental governance. Based on an extensive literature review, I show how existing governance gaps in global digital cooperation can be analysed and addressed. Specifically, I focus on the implications for the UN and identify which roles and functions it could take. Online misinformation is used as a compelling illustration of how lessons derived from environmental governance can inform responses to digital problems. The paper outlines an agenda that can set UN Digital Cooperation on a path towards success in mitigating the uncertainties the digital future will bring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]