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• 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]

• The global tropospheric NO 2 columns have generally decreased in the past 18 years. • Several hotspots tropospheric NO 2 are observed over industrialized and highly populated coastal zone areas. • Atmospheric nitrogen deposition plays an important role in nitrogen pollution in Bohai Sea. • The highest tropospheric NO 2 occurs in winter, and the highest near-surface NO 2 occurs at 08:00 and 20:00 LT. • NO 2 trends observed from ground-based measurements and satellite-derived retrievals is consistent. Tropospheric and ground-level levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) may have changed due to environmental policies and technological changes. Here, multiyear ground-based measurement (2014–2022) and satellite-derived retrieval (October 2004 to May 2023) datasets of NO 2 concentrations are used to study the long-term ground-level and tropospheric NO 2 patterns and trends at four time scales (interannual, quarterly, monthly, and hourly) over the three regions with the highest global NO 2 concentrations. Several tropospheric NO 2 hotspots are observed over industrialized and highly populated coastal zone areas. Over the past 18 years, these hotpots have generally decreased due to the implementation of strong and effective environmental protection policies. A significant trend reversal was observed in 2011 in East-central China. The maximum values of tropospheric NO 2 occurred in winter over East-central China, Western Europe and East-central USA, with concentrations of 13.010, 4.243 and 4.149 × 1015 molecules cm−2, respectively. The Bohai Sea exhibited disproportionately high tropospheric NO 2 levels, suggesting it as a significant contributor to regional nitrogen pollution. Ground-level NO2 shows similar temporal patterns to tropospheric concentrations, with over 82.8 % of sites in East-central China exceeding 30 μg m−3, compared to 12.8 % in Western Europe and 3.8 % in East-central USA. The analysis of diurnal variations in ground-level NO 2 concentrations shows a significantly decrease during the daytime compared to nighttime, reflecting that the peak occurs at approximately 08:00 and 20:00 LT, while the lowest concentrations at around 12:00 LT. These insights clarify the impacts of environmental policies on NO 2 levels and identify critical areas for targeted pollution control, enhancing our understanding of NO 2 dynamics in high-pollution regions globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to remain high despite the federal government's commitment to reduce GHG emissions. Environmental policy across Canadian provinces has largely lacked consistency with some provinces implementing targeted policy such as carbon taxes while others have strongly resisted the federal government's attempts to encourage such policy. This study examines the impact of environmental policy on GHG gas emissions across Canadian provinces with policy uniquely measured by public and business sector spending on environmental protection as well as notable province-specific policies. An extended STIRPAT model is specified with the inclusion of proxies for environmental policy using panel data from Canada's ten provinces from 1995 to 2019. The cointegration and the error correction modelling approaches are employed to estimate the non-stationary panel data. A pooled mean group estimation is applied to provide short run and long run coefficients. The findings indicate that although per capita GDP is the main driver of GHG emissions in Canada, environmental policy has a significant mitigating effect, as shown by the negative association between emissions and private and public sector spending on environmental protection in the long run. Furthermore, provinces with targeted policies, such as Ontario's coal phase-out and British Columbia's carbon tax, experienced significant emissions reductions. The theoretical implication is the successful addition of policy variables to the STIRPAT model, providing the model a new application for future research. [Display omitted] • Assess the impact of environmental protection policies on per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. • Utilize public and private expenditures on environmental protection, along with provincial policies. • Extend the STIRPAT model to incorporate environmental protection policies in an empirical model. • Demonstrate a significant negative relationship between environmental protection policies and GHG emissions. • Offer insights with implications for global environmental sustainability efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to reveal how China's green finance reform and innovation demonstration zone policy affects ecologically sustainable development under the constraints of government environmental attention. Employing multi-period DID (Difference-in-Difference) and DDD (Difference-in-Difference-in-Difference) as the base model, the study tested the mechanism of the policy's effect on ecologically sustainable development, using panel data from 277 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2020. Endogeneity tests including Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), counterfactual tests, and other robustness checks, were employed to enhance the study's validity. The research findings are as follows: (1) The policy effectively promotes ecologically sustainable development, and this conclusion remained valid even after conducting several robustness tests. (2) The more pronounced the government's emphasis on environmental preservation, the greater its efficacy in fostering ecologically sustainable development. (3) The stimulating effect of the policy on ecologically sustainable development is more pronounced in cities with higher ecological quality and a larger population. This study not only offers new analytical perspectives for comprehensively investigating the green finance policy but also emphasizes that enhanced policy outcomes hinge on the implementation of green financial reforms and innovations tailored to local conditions. Additionally, it provides valuable policy insights for optimizing the government's role in fostering ecologically sustainable development. (e.g., optimizing the governmental role in fostering ecologically sustainable development, enhancing both the scope and intensity of green finance policy, and harnessing the synergies between green finance policy and environmental protection policy). [Display omitted] • Green finance policy can improve ecologically sustainable development. • Government environmental attention can promote the effectiveness of green finance policy. • Focuses on 277 prefecture-level cities in China between 2006 and 2020. • Uses multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) as the base model. • China should give high priority to green finance policy to improve sustainable development. [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]

In the implementation process of economic and environmental policy, a key concerned problem is the inability of some local officials to faithfully implement environmental policies made by the central government in China, as well as many other developing countries. In this paper, a multitask principal-agent model is established to make a comprehensive comparison on the role that the current incentive mechanism (CIM) and the long-term performance-oriented incentive mechanism (LTPOIM) play in policy implementation. In addition, both the incentive effect and the choice of incentive intensity in the LTPOIM are investigated. The results provide the insight that local officials may trade off the efforts of environment protection for economic growth in the CIM. However, local officials are incentivized to allocate higher efforts toward the implementation of environmental policies (IENP) to strengthen environment protection, or invest higher efforts toward IENP and the implementation of economic policies (IECP) to pursue the win-win situation for economy and environment in the LTPOIM. Besides, the chance of distributing higher efforts toward IENP and IECP in the case of complement tasks is higher than that in the case of substitute tasks. The optimal incentive intensities of long-term performance in the case of complement tasks are higher than those in the case of substitute tasks. • The long-term performance-oriented incentive motivates local officials to balance environmental and economic policies. • The central government makes use of the multitask agency problem to gain a win-win situation for economy and environment. • The adjustment of local officials' efforts portfolio and central government's incentive strategies are investigated. • The chance of distributing higher efforts toward two tasks is higher in the case of complement tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite China's stringent environmental regulations, there has been a persistent policy implementation gap at local level, specifically due to local protectionism and inadequate enforcement measures. To address this issue, the Central Environmental Protection Inspection (CEPI) initiative was launched in 2016, replacing the Regional Environmental Protection Inspection (REPI) system. This study examines why the REPI failed to tackle the implementation gap and how the CEPI works. This is achieved by constructing a tripartite evolutionary game (EG) model consisting of the central government, local governments, and polluting enterprises. Using system dynamics (SD), the study simulates and analyzes the behavior and strategies of the three game players in two scenarios, namely weak and strong negative incentives. Then, this study analyzes the evolutionary process of environmental protection inspection (EPI) by means of a case study. The results show that: (1) the strategy adopted by polluting enterprises depends on the actual signal conveyed by the local governments. In addition, whether the strong regulatory signal of the central government can be effectively transmitted to polluting enterprises mainly depends on the attitude of the local governments. (2) The CEPI conveys a reliable commitment and provides effective external stimuli that adjust the incentive structure of local governments. Meanwhile, the REPI lacked significant punishment measures, which made it difficult for the central government's environmental regulatory signals to reach polluting enterprises in an effective manner. This study contributes to a better understanding of the evolutionary process and causes of the EPI system, as well as how the Chinese government tackles the local environmental policy implementation gap. • The strategy adopted by polluting enterprises depends on the actual signal conveyed by the local governments. • The CEPI conveys a reliable commitment and provides effective external stimuli for local governments. • The key to effective environmental regulation is to break through the obstacle of local protectionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission charge policy has recently switched from pollutant discharge fees to environmental taxes in China. Considering spatial heterogeneity, the effects of changes in emission charge policy may subject to different Chinese regions. In this study, environmental efficiencies of Chinese regions are evaluated through provincial environmentally extended input-output tables and a frontier-based optimization model. Driving factors of environmental productivity growth are identified through global Luenberger productivity decomposition approach. Moreover, spatial heterogeneity on the effects of change in emission charge policy on environment and economy are assessed. Results show that all regions experienced environmental productivity growth. Technology progress is the major driving factor in most regions with an average contribution of 90%, while technical efficiency regress slows environmental productivity growth in Southwest region. Switching from pollutant discharge fees to environmental taxes would decreases emission intensities by 1.42% on average, but it would have different negative impact on economic growth (−1.13%∼-4.90% of regional GDP) due to spatially heterogeneous trade-offs between environmental protection and economic development. Addressing such spatial heterogeneity provide not only a basis for diversified tax rate determination but also a framework for other environmental policy assessment. Note: The percentage changes of (a) environmental inefficiency score, (b) GDP, and (c) emission intensity of seven Chinese regions when changing emission charge policy from pollutant discharge fees to environmental taxes. Image 1 • Environmentally extended input-output tables for Chinese provinces are proposed. • Input-output analysis is combined with frontier-based optimization model. • Environmental productivity growth and its driving factors are identified. • Effects of replacing pollutant discharge fees with environmental taxes are assessed. • Spatial heterogeneity on effects of emission charge policy change is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The evaluation of the multiple policies is regarded as a multi-output regression problem. • An evaluation framework of the FECPs in western China is proposed. • Experimental results show that our evaluation framework is feasible and efficient. Abstract Western China serves as a significant national ecological security barrier, but the eco-environment is deteriorating. The government of China has been making great efforts to reduce the loss of soil, improve water retention, and generally protect biodiversity and eco-systems in western China by implementing several large-scale forestry and environmental conservation policies (FECPs) from 1999. The primary objective of this study is to assess the potential efficacy of all the FECPs and understand which forest policies contribute more to developing social economy, protecting natural resource, and improving ecological environment in western China. Due to the underlying complicated relatedness amongst multiple policies in terms of social economy, natural resource and ecological environment, it disables many traditional regression approaches to be applicable to this case here. In this work, the evaluation of the multiple policies is regarded as a multi-output regression problem from input indicator system to implementation effect indicator system, and an evaluation framework is proposed. Finally, experimental results on the data from China Statistical Yearbook on Environment show that our evaluation framework is feasible and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desert oases are fragile agrarian areas, very vulnerable to sand encroachment by wind. Ensuring their conservation highly depends on our capacity to identify sand encroachment patterns, e.g. the origin of sand and its spatial distribution in the irrigated plots. Here we show how to tackle this issue using the case study of Erg Chebbi (Morocco), where two oases (Hassilabiad and Merzouga) are surrounded by dunes, Hamada and alluvial sediments from the Wadi Ziz. We combine field interviews with the study of wind dynamics, sediment sampling, Particle Size Distribution (PSD) tests and End-Member Modelling Analysis (EMMA). We observe that the most relevant contributor to sand encroachment is the Wadi Ziz (30%), followed by the Hamada (28%), an undetermined source of dust (25%), and the Erg dunes (16%). These genetically different sediments cluster unevenly in the oases, indicating the existence of areas with contrasting degrees of exposure to sedimentary sources. The results allow to define on solid grounds which sand source areas should be stabilized first in order to obtain the greatest reduction in sand encroachment. Our approach also provides policy-makers with better tools to identify which spots are specially vulnerable to accumulate a specific sediment, thus allowing for a more nuanced management of sand in oasis environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost-Benefit Analysis is a method to assess the effects of policies and projects on social welfare. CBAs are usually applied in a top-down approach, in the sense that a decision-making body first decides on which policies or projects are to be considered, and then applies a set of uniform criteria to identifying and valuing relevant cost and benefit flows. This paper investigates the possible advantages, prerequisites and limitations of applying CBA in what may be considered an alternative, “bottom-up” manner. Instead of starting out with a pre-defined policy option, the suggested approach begins with the underlying environmental problem, and then assesses costs and benefits of strategies and solutions as identified by local and directly affected stakeholders. For empirical case studies concerning two river catchments in Sweden and Latvia, the bottom-up CBA approach utilises local knowledge, assesses plans which are not only developed for local conditions but are also likely to be more acceptable to local society, and sheds additional light on possible distributional effects. By not only benefitting from, but also supporting participatory environmental planning, bottom-up CBA is in line with the growing trend of embedding stakeholder participation within environmental policy and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bureaucrats represent the general public or are they more in line with an interest group? We study preferences for environmental policy using a choice experiment (CE) on three populations; the general public, Swedish EPA bureaucrats, and recreational anglers. We also test for existence of multiple preference orderings: Half of the respondents were asked to choose the alternatives that best corresponded with their opinion, and the other half was asked to take the role of a policy-maker and make recommendations for environmental policy. The SEPA bureaucrats have the highest marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) to improve environmental quality. Differences in MWTP are robust and not due to differences in socio-economic characteristics across the populations. We only found weak evidence of multiple preference orderings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The majority of existing studies argue that rich people and the residents in high-income countries and regions have stronger willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection. Does such a rule hold true for China at the present stage? Previous studies pay little attention to this issue due to the lack of related data. Merging the micro data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010 (CGSS2010) with the macro data at the corresponding urban level of China, as well as two types of satellite monitoring data, this paper investigates the effect of income on residents’ WTP for environmental protection at both macro and micro perspectives based on the ordered Logit model. The results show that the rich do have stronger WTP for environmental protection. However, with the increase in residents’ income, the marginal WTP for environmental protection will decline, and a reversal occurs at the top income level. Therefore, the WTP does not always rise with the increase in income, and the middle-income class has the strongest WTP for environmental protection. Moreover, after controlling individual characteristics, residents’ WTP for environmental protection more depends on environmental pollution degree rather than urban average income level measured by both GDP per capita and the nighttime lights data from satellite monitoring. The residents in more polluted cities have stronger WTP for environmental protection. Therefore, it is not reasonable to improve people’s environmental preferences purely through economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the enormous growth in the development and utilization of solar-energy resources, the proliferation of waste solar panels has become problematic. While current research into solar panels has focused on how to improve the efficiency of the production capacity, the dismantling and recycling of end-of-life (EOL) panels are seldom considered, as can be seen, for instance, in the lack of dedicated solar-panel recycling plants. EOL solar-panel recycling can effectively save natural resources and reduce the cost of production. To address the environmental conservation and resource recycling issues posed by the huge amount of waste solar panels regarding environmental conservation and resource recycling, the status of the management and recycling technologies for waste solar panels are systemically reviewed and discussed in this article. This review can provide a quantitative basis to support the recycling of PV panels, and suggests future directions for public policy makers. At present, from the technical aspect, the research on solar panel recovery is facing many problems, and we need to further develop an economically feasible and non-toxic technology. The research on solar photovoltaic panels’ management at the end of life is just beginning in many countries, and there is a need for further improvement and expansion of producer responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecosystem Services (ES) – the direct (e.g., food and natural medicines) and indirect (e.g., cultural diversity and aesthetic values) benefits people obtain from various ecosystems – need to be assessed to aid decision makers and concerned public in creating policies that ensure continuous flow of ES to their beneficiaries (e.g., fisheries, food, income, livelihood, and traditional way of life to fishers and consumers). However, to date, ES assessments in Philippine reefs are mostly concentrated only on fisheries and tourism or on few areas in the Philippines (e.g., Pangasinan and Bohol Marine Triangle). This study fills research gaps by assessing coral reefs across 15 regions in the Philippines by estimating the following: (1) potential reef fisheries and Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) biodiversity values using underwater surveys and literature data, (2) reef fisheries value using Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and literature data, (3) tourism value using Department of Tourism (DOT) and literature data, and (4) Total Economic Value (TEV). The TEV of Philippine reefs' ES amounted to 4 billion US$/yr or 140,000 US$/km 2 /yr. Furthermore, in each region of the Philippines, annual TEV ranged from 100 to 800 million US$, with potential reef fisheries value contributing the most in the TEV, followed by reef fisheries, tourism, and WTP biodiversity values. In addition, the Visayas regions have the highest values of benefits from coral reefs. Although the Philippines is deriving millions to billions of dollars of economic benefits from coral reefs, the observed degradation and temporal decline in coastal ecosystems could lead to a decline in the potential reef fisheries value, subsequently the TEV. The Philippines need to improve accounting and managing the derived benefits from coral reefs to ensure the sustainability and continuous flow of these benefits for present and future Filipino beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superstorm Sandy hit the northeastern United States in October 2012, knocking out power to 10 million people and highlighting energy and critical infrastructure system vulnerabilities in the face of a changing climate. The increased frequency and intensity of such disruptive events is shifting priorities in electricity system planning around the world, including how multiple stakeholders consider linkages between climate vulnerability and energy. This research links smart grid development with adaptation to changing climates and explores how different stakeholders grapple with system vulnerabilities and climate disruptions. To illustrate this, the in-depth case study assesses post-Sandy discourse to compare how electricity sector stakeholder groups in New York, Massachusetts and Vermont associate energy, smart grid, and climate change. To explore how different energy system stakeholders frame the impacts of Superstorm Sandy on energy system planning, we conducted 22 focus groups with a broad range of organizations representing diverse aspects of the electricity system including utilities, regulatory authorities, research and development agencies, regional transmission organizations, academic research institutions, consumer advocacy and environmental organizations across the three states. We used these data to examine post-Sandy discourse about climate mitigation and climate adaptation, routine system management, and the potential value of “smart grid” for future energy system planning. We found that both New York and Massachusetts stakeholders focused more on climate adaptation than climate mitigation, while stakeholders in Vermont focused more on mitigation. In all three states stakeholder discussions of adaptation focused most heavily on system resilience and reliability, whereas discussions of mitigation focused on demand-side management and demand response followed by alternative energy strategies. These results suggest that extreme weather and climate disruptions will differentially shape discourse around smart grid and energy system change and shift the focus among energy system stakeholders on climate adaptation compared to climate mitigation. This research demonstrates variation between political jurisdictions (states) and energy system stakeholders in energy system planning in the face of new challenges related to an uncertain and rapidly changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various “smart grid” technologies can help achieve a region's environmental and climate mitigation goals by facilitating the deployment of renewable energy sources, transportation electrification, energy conservation and load-shifting of electricity use. This study reviews and explores the role of environmental framing in the socio-political acceptance of smart grid technologies by citizens, media, and key stakeholders, using the case study of British Columbia, Canada—a low carbon electricity-based region where smart grid deployment has been mandated as part of climate change legislation. We collected and analyzed data from British Columbia via a survey of Canadian citizens implemented in 2013 (n = 2930), a media analysis of newspaper articles from 2007 to 2012, and interviews with key stakeholders in 2013. We find that overall citizen acceptance of one smart grid technology (smart meters) is relatively low in British Columbia, but acceptance doubles when the survey explicitly describes smart meters according to positive frames, namely environmental benefits without installation costs or mandatory enrolment. In contrast, we find that media and key stakeholders in British Columbia focus more on economic frames of smart grid deployment (e.g. reducing electricity costs) than environmental frames (e.g. climate abatement). Further, we find that news media mention smart grid risks 50% more frequently than benefits. By comparing these different aspects of socio-political acceptance, we suggest that key stakeholders seeking to deploy smart grid technology could better stimulate citizen support in certain jurisdictions by more actively using positive, pro-environmental frames and by better engaging with citizens earlier in the technology and policy design and deployment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The article explores the moments wherein participatory approaches in climate change adaptation (CCA) policies contribute to reinforcing, rather than transforming, the underlying causes of vulnerability. Using the case of food insecure households in the district of Humla in northwestern Nepal, the study demonstrates that the same social and power relations that are driving local vulnerability dynamics, such as caste, gender, and access to social and political networks, also play important roles in shaping the impact of CCA policies. By tracing Nepal’s CCA programs, starting with the local level, through district to international-national level dynamics, the study adds insights into the barriers to exclusion that embed power relations all the way through the chain of policy development. The purpose is to better understand how CCA can perpetuate rather than alleviate the conditions that create differential vulnerability patterns at village level. It raises questions about how whether CCA programs are an adequate response to increasing vulnerability for some of the world’s most marginalized people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Meeting global climate change mitigation goals requires the participation of developing countries in abatement programs to encourage low-carbon development pathways. Incentivizing developing countries to participate in climate change mitigation often requires a mechanism for developed countries to finance projects in poorer countries. While several funding institutions have been established, African country participation has been low. In this analysis, we conduct interviews with climate change policy stakeholders from across the continent and find a general consensus that a lack of institutional capacity has limited the participation of African countries in existing climate change mitigation programs. To confirm this qualitative observation, we use data from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank to examine the correlation between country-year measures of institutional capacity and the number of projects implemented by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and find that better institutional quality is associated with more GEF projects implemented in a country-year. We propose to address the lack of institutional capacity with the creation of regional institution, or Climate Change Mitigation Institution (CCMI), that specializes in building local capacity by leveraging external capacity as well as facilitates the integration of African countries into global climate change mitigation efforts by improving capacity, strengthening research and development, forming partnerships, and coordinating the disbursement of financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of China’s port industry has caused numerous problems, among which the most significant is environmental pollution. A major goal for government and port enterprises alike is the achievement of both effective environmental protection and operational efficiency. Therefore, environmental factors should be considered when evaluating port efficiency. However, most of the available data envelopment analysis (DEA) models that have been used in previous studies enable each decision-making unit (DMU) to choose its favorite weight-combination with a rather careless approach. This may have caused some DMUs with very good economic indexes but very poor environmental indexes to be evaluated as fully efficient. This paper proposes a non-radial DEA preference model, based on the assumption of variable returns to scale (VRS) and the Directional Distance Function (DDF). The proposed model has been used to evaluate and analyze the efficiency of Chinese-listed port enterprises. The efficiency results showed the average efficiency to be low for all ports when environmental factors are considered. The regression results show that port assets, berth quantity, and the geographical location can significantly impact the environmental performance of Chinese port enterprises. This study also classified all ports into four categories, based on throughput and efficiency. Recommendations for the implementation for improvements of different environmental policies have been made for the individual ports in each category based on the actual situation of each port. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High levels of observed city involvement in energy and climate initiatives indicate that free-riding has been much less of a barrier to local climate protection efforts than suggested by theories of collective action. This study investigates why local governments have adopted various energy and climate change policy instruments despite the non-excludability of climate benefits. This paper advances theories of institutional collective action (ICA) and policy diffusion by testing ICA based hypotheses that local officials are able to overcome collective action problems to the extent that the costs of these initiatives are minimized through policy network interactions, the extent to which climate action produces localized benefits or compliments local environmental, development or growth management efforts, and the extent to which energy and climate protection efforts generate selective benefits to elected and appointed local government officials who advance their career interests depending on the existing configurations of political system institutions. Analysis of adoptions of the Climate Protection Agreements by Florida Cities indicates larger cities are more likely to adopt climate agreement, while district elections decrease the likelihood of climate policy adoption. Moreover, economic development rather than growth management or environmental problem situation is linked to climate initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combat significant pollution problems, a number of local governments in China have utilized performance management to improve cadres’ accountability on environmental issues. Despite the extensive literature on public sector performance management, attention to environmental performance management has been relatively scant. Taking Shenzhen – one of China’s most densely populated, affluent, and rapidly growing cities – as a case study, this article describes and analyzes the evolution of the local environmental performance management system from 2007 to 2015. A series of external and internal factors are identified as determinants of policy evolution, including cadres’ individual decision-making, higher-level policies, intra-governmental interactions (horizontally and vertically), the relative salience of environmental issues, and strategies in policy experimentation. The multiplicity of factors further complicates the already complex process of performance measurement by setting it in a complex political context, which can distort the efficacy and objectives of the system, resulting in an unpredictable and compromised policy tool. Improving government environmental performance management involves reducing complexity by reforming aspects of the political context, allowing for a more serious, open, and transparent decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, a system for specific consideration of radiological environmental protection has been applied in a major license application in Sweden. In 2011 the Swedish Nuclear Fuel & Waste Management Co. (SKB) submitted a license application for construction of a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel at the Forsmark site. The license application is supported by a post-closure safety assessment, which in accordance with regulatory requirements includes an assessment of environmental consequences. SKB's environmental risk assessment uses the freely available ERICA Tool. Environmental media activity concentrations needed as input to the tool are calculated by means of complex biosphere modelling based on site-specific information gathered from site investigations, as well as from supporting modelling studies and projections of future biosphere conditions in response to climate change and land rise due to glacial rebound. SKB's application is currently being reviewed by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM). In addition to a traditional document review with an aim to determine whether SKB's models are relevant, correctly implemented and adequately parametrized, SSM has performed independent modelling in order to gain confidence in the robustness of SKB's assessment. Thus, SSM has used alternative stylized reference biosphere models to calculate environmental activity concentrations for use in subsequent exposure calculations. Secondly, an alternative dose model (RESRAD-BIOTA) is used to calculate doses to biota that are compared with SKB's calculations with the ERICA tool. SSM's experience from this review is that existing tools for environmental dose assessment are possible to use in order to show compliance with Swedish legislation. However, care is needed when site representative species are assessed with the aim to contrast them to generic reference organism. The alternative modelling of environmental concentrations resulted in much lower concentrations compared to SKB's results. However, SSM judges that SKB's in this part conservative approach is relevant for a screening assessment. SSM also concludes that there are big differences in dose rates calculated to different organisms depending on which tool that is used, although not systematically higher for either of them. Finally, independent regulatory modelling has proven valuable for SSM's review in gaining understanding and confidence in SKB's assessment presented in the license application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has experienced serious environmental problems along with rapid economic development in recent years. Industrial production is the fundamental cause of Chinese environmental problems, while production is mainly managed and governed by local industrial Parks. Currently, Chinese industrial parks have just begun to think about sustainable development, and the demonstrative parks are designated as eco-industrial parks (EIPs); however, the EIPs' development strategies and targets are still vague and lack scientific guidance. Therefore, an optimal decision making approach can support EIPs to address environment problems and achieve regional economic development. This study provides an integrated approach to assess the multiple impacts of EIP development strategies and propose optimization planning by using a case study in Wuhu EIP. The initially constructed decision-making model systemically integrates the dynamic model of the Environment-Economic-Energy (3Es) system and an input-output model; then, the model is established and simulated using a linear optimization method. An optimal development strategy can be put forward by analysing scenarios for the Wuhu EIP. Based on the findings of this study, there are several substantial opportunities to further relieve energy pressure, improve the environment, and support socioeconomic activities, such as promotion of clean production and subsidies for technological improvements and changing the industrial structure. Additionally, adopting total environmental quantity constraints rather than intensity constraints is an urgent need in EIP planning. This study provides an applicable and feasible decision-making basis for the development of sustainable industrial parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The size and number of firms in a region represent key characteristics of that regional economic ecosystem, but few studies have linked such characteristics with the stringency of local environmental regulation. In this study, we discuss the effects of local firm scale on environmental regulation and its mechanism, and the optimal strategic choices theoretically and empirically for environmental regulation in regions with different firm scale. We find that when government capacity is insufficient, regional environmental regulation will be relatively more stringent when dealing with fewer but larger firms because of the government scale effect. When government capacity is sufficient, firm size has no influence on environmental regulation. Our results are robust and offer insights for government decision makers to improve local environmental regulation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most conservation actions are part of public policies: they are financed through taxes and are part of policy packages. Consequently, conservation practitioners often have to face challenges to the legitimacy of their actions and expenses. But what is a legitimate conservation policy? This article develops a philosophically qualified answer and explores its application to concrete conservation situations. This approach is anchored in a “performative” interpretation of the philosophy of Rawls, Habermas and other deliberative democracy theorists. The performative approach emphasizes the primacy of practice and the elusiveness of purportedly definitive, purely theoretical definitions of legitimacy. As an application of this approach, a legitimate conservation policy is provisionally defined as one such that: (i) the defenders of the policy have justified it, as a matter of fact; (ii) even if it is not attacked, they are ready to argue to justify it; and (iii) if it is actually attacked, they enact this readiness. A specification of this three-fold criterion is then introduced, by analysing a series of real-life conservation actions or policies. This analysis unveils four widespread mechanisms (opaque procedures, closed circles of experts, denials of knowledge gaps and concealments of ethical debates) leading to illegitimate conservation policies. Identifying these mechanisms and their links with the provisional definition of legitimacy makes it possible to foster the legitimacy of conservation actions and policies. Finally, concrete practical implications for conservation researchers and practitioners are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel three-stage RACR was proposed to improve the performance of ACR. • The R134a/R23/R14 RACR system performed better than the ACR system. • The influence of the refrigerant ratio on RACR performance was investigated. • Different hydrocarbons were provided as alternatives to R134a and R23. • R600/R170/R14 performed the optimum performance in the RACR system. Auto-cascade refrigeration (ACR) systems are widely used at low temperatures. The selection and ratio optimization of zeotropic refrigerants in ACR systems have an important impact on system performance and environmental protection. This study proposes a three-stage regenerator-enhanced auto-cascade refrigeration (RACR) system. Under certain working conditions, the theoretical performances of the three-stage R134a/R23/R14 ACR and RACR systems were compared, and the influence of the refrigerant mixture ratio on the RACR system performance was explored. The system performances of replacing R134a and R23 with different hydrocarbons were compared under different working conditions. The results demonstrated that RACR performed better than ACR alone. A reasonable adjustment to the mixed refrigerant ratio improved the energy efficiency of the RACR system. Water-cooling conditions for the RACR system were suggested, under which the coefficient of performance, thermodynamic perfectness, and exergy efficiency of R600/R170/R14 were 13.8 %, 12.4 %, and 8.4 % higher than those of R600/R23/R14, respectively. The environmental policy, safety requirements, and energy efficiency were considered to obtain −100 °C, R600/R170/R14 with mass fractions of 0.24/0.12/0.64 was the best choice in a water-cooled RACR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated techniques allow calculating the impact of individual pollutants forced on the environment and human health. It is quite difficult to manage and legalize the individual pollutant. Despite various efforts made so far for the effective environmental management, there exists a big challenge for implementing the policy and legislation to meet required standard for safe environment and health. Therefore, recently the integrated management of both medium based (water and air) pollutants has been conceptualized. Hence, this study focuses to compare the current practices of levy enforcement system to the integrated pollutants management system based on the real force of pollutants to the environment and human health. Total environmental performance score (EPS) with highest penalty is found to be 9,873,809,093 (46.59%) for facility categories with Code 51 (Coal Mining), the topmost rank with highest score among total facilities. Eleven industrial categories out of 88 have similar EPS with traditional practices while rest 77 have a dissimilar score. Thirty-three industrial categories rank higher in current levy enforcement than EPS penalty and 44 industrial categories have higher levy than EPS penalty. The existing compliance of legal charge based on simple sum of pollution (SSP) by volume rather than their degree of impact on environment is not scientific. Merely the volume cannot sufficiently reflect the real impact of pollutants. Thus, the enforcement should be amended as per the EPS penalty of pollutants. Hence, this study recommends for the revision of existing policy of legal levy system (LLS) based on IEPS penalty to regulate the equitable enforcement system for the pollutants as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine whether and how word choice can affect individual perceptions about a proposed Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) program when objective outcomes are similar. From a traditional economic perspective, this type of manipulation would be considered unlikely to affect perceptions and behaviour, especially in the presence of pecuniary incentives and repeated decisions among sophisticated agents. From a behaviourally informed perspective, however, psychological and political theories of wording argue that word choice can have a significant impact on economic behaviour. To substantiate this discussion, we conduct a survey experiment that tests the impact of the words ‘payment’ and ‘compensation’ on favorability ratings of a proposed PES program. These preliminary findings suggest that the words used to describe public policies can be influential non-pecuniary interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China has experienced rapid economic development and thousands of people escaped from poverty. However, this high-speed development has also led to increased pressure on the environment. Although the Chinese government has focused on solving environmental problems for the past few decades, it appears to have had little effect. Environmental performance evaluation (EPE) is a quantifiable environmental management tool that can evaluate environmental protection effects and provide guidance to improve government efficiency. We use EPE to evaluate China’s environmental performance at the provincial level between 2006 and 2011. In this study, the theme framework and driver force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework models are used to build the composite index (CI) for environmental performance. This index includes 39 indicators in four categories that were selected based on data that can be acquired from China’s Statistical Bureau. The results indicate that the environmental performance index (EPI) of 30 provincial administrative regions (PARs) from 2006 to 2011 ranges from 44.12 (Shanxi, 2006) to 80.87 (Beijing, 2010), from poor to good, respectively. To help develop more effective policies to improve China’s regional environmental performance, cluster analysis (CLA) is applied to divide the 30 PARs into 3 sub-regions. Recommendations for improving the environmental performance of different sub-regions are made to help guide the Chinese government to adjust environmental governance approaches to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of protected areas (PAs) has steadily increased in the past 20 years, but their effectiveness to meet conservation targets is consistently questioned. Most conservation impact evaluations of protected areas assume that formal designations, like that of IUCN categories, reflect site-specific conservation rules, but this is not always true. In this paper we illustrate how conservation rules could be empirically assessed by use of content analysis combined with optimal scaling. This flexible methodology allows us to quantitatively assess strictness levels for use in conservation impact evaluations. The strictness measures could also indicate whether conservation rules are consistently applied in the different IUCN categories thereby providing guidance for future assignment of PAs to the IUCN protected area management categories. We illustrate how policy indicators based on conservation rules could be developed in two contrasting mountain protected area networks in Norway and in British Columbia (BC), including a total of 48 PAs in Norway and 51 in BC. Conservation rules for recreational use, motorized access and resource use were quantitatively assessed, thus providing a measure of how strictly PAs regulate the different human activities. Our results show that the main differences in strictness are between the two countries, followed by the contrast between national parks and provincial parks in BC. Overall, Norway has a more liberal conservation policy than BC and older national parks in BC have a much stricter conservation policy than most of the other PAs in this study. Overarching conservation objectives did not reflect the level of strictness (the conservation rules) that guide the daily management of individual PAs. This applies to both countries. We recommend to empirically investigate site-specific conservation rules to include de facto management of human activities in conservation policy impact evaluations. The methodology is also useful for monitoring downgrading of the protected area status, which is a result of authorizing human activities that are not consistent with conservation objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People in several countries are overwhelmed with green tips in order to encourage them protecting the environment. The effectiveness of these tips, however, highly depends on the context and the person targeted by the tips. In particular, we contend that some green tips may do more harm than good when individuals have cognitive and behavioral biases. Without purporting to be exhaustive, we explain some of these biases and mechanisms by which green tips may lead to a net environmental degradation. We also emphasize that it is possible to complement green tips with debiasing strategies to guarantee their performance. We present some of these strategies, notably the foot-in-the-door technique, commitment strategies, the strategic use of small changes and individuals' pursuit of identity. Finally, several policy implications are developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving sustainable management of phosphorus (P) is crucial for both global food security and global environmental protection. In order to formulate informed policy measures to overcome existing barriers of achieving sustainable P management, there is need for a sound understanding of the nature and magnitude of P flow through various systems at different geographical and temporal scales. So far, there is a limited understanding on the nature and magnitude of P flow over multiple years at the regional scale. In this study, we have developed a novel substance flow analysis (SFA) model in the MATLAB/Simulink® software platform that can be effectively utilized to analyse the nature and magnitude of multi-year P flow at the regional scale. The model is inclusive of all P flows and storage relating to all key systems, subsystems, processes or components, and the associated interactions of P flow required to represent a typical P flow system at the regional scale. In an annual time step, this model can analyse P flow and storage over as many as years required at a time, and therefore, can indicate the trends and changes in P flow and storage over many years, which is not offered by the existing regional scale SFA models of P. The model is flexible enough to allow any modification or the inclusion of any degree of complexity, and therefore, can be utilized for analysing P flow in any region around the world. The application of the model in the case of Gippsland region, Australia has revealed that the model generates essential information about the nature and magnitude of P flow at the regional scale which can be utilized for making improved management decisions towards attaining P sustainability. A systematic reliability check on the findings of model application also indicates that the model produces reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concern in relation to creating environmental protection policies is increasing, particularly with regard to the reuse of waste for power generation. In this context, biodiesel production from waste cooking oils could play an important role. Biodiesel is a biofuel that can be produced from saturated fatty raw material discarded by restaurants, such as oils and fats used for cooking processes. This paper describes a biodiesel production plant installed at Pinheira Beach in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil and aims to discuss the environmental, social and economic impacts by analyzing the biodiesel production by life cycle assessment (LCA), relationship with the emission of greenhouse gases. The plant is run by an association and is aimed at promoting the recycling of waste cooking oil from restaurants and residences in the area and, at the same time, enables the continuity of artisanal fisheries in the region. The transesterification production process was used to convert waste cooking oils into biodiesel using basic catalysis in the presence of methanol. A batch system with the capacity to produce 200 L of biodiesel per day was adopted. The data obtained for the biodiesel produced at the plant were 879.2 kg m −3 density, 495.74 mg kg −1 water content, 94.38% ester content, and 1.5 mg.kg −1 sodium plus potassium. Related to the Life Cycle Assessment the results demonstrate that the category that most contributes to the emissions generated in biodiesel production process is the collection stage with 92.10% contribution, presenting a significant difference to the productions stage which contributed 7.9%. The plant provides environmental, social and economic gains for the community, for instance, increased income for the associates and fishermen, environmental education in schools, and cooking oil recycling opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual growth of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico is largely attributed to agricultural nutrient loadings that originate from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). To effectively target conservation efforts throughout the entire MARB in order to reduce Gulf hypoxia, strategies to rank areas according to their impact on both agricultural production and ecosystem services are extremely important. In this paper, we utilize an Environmental Performance Index (EPI) to rank regions within the MARB according to their environmental performance, that is, their ability to produce agricultural outputs while minimizing nutrient loadings to the Gulf of Mexico. We compare our index rankings to previously used rankings of delivered yields alone and find the spatial distribution of rankings changes considerably when accounting for agricultural productivity. For example, the Corn Belt regions of central Iowa and northern Illinois no longer make up the lowest performing regions of the MARB after accounting for their high levels of agricultural production. Instead, regions along the Missouri river including central Missouri, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota as well as areas near the Ohio river including southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and southern Ohio now count among the lowest performing regions using the EPI ranking scheme. We suggest that incorporation of economic production value into large-scale prioritization of agricultural conservation within the MARB is essential to effectively reduce Gulf hypoxia while maintaining food security from efficient farm production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Ecosystem services” is a phrase with many meanings, yet very few studies have primarily focused on comparing different definitions of the term. Ecosystem services are now generally used in identifying an appropriately wide range of environmental variables for policy and management as well as better understanding the benefits provided by those aspects of the environment. A review of the dominant definitions of ecosystem services reveals the term is comprehensive in its scope and requires further specification for most purposes. Analysis further reveals that there are four main categories of conceptual definitions. The paper concludes that ecosystem services can be identified at various points along the spectrum of nature-human interaction depending on which specific definition is chosen and that the term was not created to identify a novel set of environmental objects or processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial ecology is presented in the literature as both a policy tool and an academic theory. This paper discusses a voluntary certification scheme adopted by the regional government of Tuscany (Italy) as a policy tool to disseminate the concepts of industrial ecology. The approval of a regional regulation represents the first adoption in European environmental and industrial policies of a voluntary tool aimed at stimulating the creation and dissemination of eco-industrial parks. This new certification method is analysed by focusing on the prevention of pollution. The criteria required to obtain the qualification, and the roles and responsibilities of all the actors involved are outlined. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the certification scheme are highlighted and the Italian standard compared with the national standard issued in China by the State Environmental Protection Administration. The findings contribute to the discussion of policy measures aimed at disseminating the concepts of Industrial Ecology including a tool based on voluntary co-operation and third-party certifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have environmental legislation to protecting natural resources on private property. In Brazil, the Brazilian Forestry Code determines specific areas to maintain with natural vegetation cover, known as areas of permanent preservation (APP). Currently, there are few studies that relate topographic variables on APP. In this context, we sought to evaluate the influence of relief on the conservation of areas of permanent preservation (APP) in the areas surrounding Caparaó National Park, Brazil. By using the chi-squared statistical test, we verified that the presence of forest cover is closely associated with altitude. The classes of APP in better conservation status are slopes in addition to hilltops and mountains, whereas APP streams and springs are among the areas most affected by human activities. The most deforested areas are located at altitudes below 1100.00 m and on slopes less than 45°. All orientations of the sides were significant for APP conservation status, with the southern, southeastern, and southwestern sides showing the lower degrees of impact. The methodology can be adjusted to environmental legislation to other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution problems in China are related to imperfect legislation and potential integration problems among legislation, plans, and policies from the perspective of legislation, planning, and policy-making. Recent English-language articles focus on revision of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law of China. The purpose of this study is to make the overall system for prevention and control of air pollution in China understood by a broader audience by providing an overview of the pertinent legislation, plans, and policies, since such a review has not been presented so far. At the beginning of this article, we clarify the key definitions of legislation, plan, and policy and establish a preliminary analytical framework for evaluating the integration of legislation, plans, and policies. Then we present a variety of pieces of legislation at national, local, and international levels, including the Constitution, national laws, national administrative regulations and departmental rules, and local regulations and rules that were selected because of their direct and close relation to the prevention and control of air pollution, especially particulate matter. We divide the history of legislation since 1956 into four phases: preceding (1956–1978), beginning (1979–1999), development (2000–2013), and improvement (since 2014), putting emphases on changes in legislation in each phase. We also describe the 12th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, the 12th Five-Year Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in Key Regions, the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, and a series of policies on energy conservation, emission reduction, and energy use. We then comment on challenges of defects within the legislation framework and integration problems among legislation, plans, and policies. Finally, we put forward some improvement measures to address the challenges: (1) stipulating special provisions for prevention and control of motor vehicle pollution, (2) empowering local environmental protection bureaus to enforce the air-pollutant-emission permit system, (3) improving the feasibility of the air-pollutant-emission trading system, (4) clarifying government responsibility and intensifying penalties, and (5) integrating relations among legislation, plans, and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maintenance of High Nature Value (HNV) farming is a priority for reaching the target of halting biodiversity loss in the European Union by 2020. Nevertheless, since the introduction of the HNV farming concept in the early 1990s and the first call for HNV farmland indicators in 2000, farmland biodiversity has continued to decline in many parts of Europe. The main processes behind this decline are agricultural intensification and abandonment. Past and current agricultural subsidies and conservation measures have mainly failed to safeguard HNV farmland and the respective farming systems. In this paper, we revise current approaches for localizing and characterizing HNV farming, identify shortcomings and describe the next generation of HNV farming indicators; show how HNV farming is related to existing concepts aimed at biodiversity conservation; and provide an overview of EU policy instruments that could help preserve HNV farming. We finish by outlining which steps should be taken so that HNV farming remains a part of our modern agricultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan is a nation densely concentrated with industrial properties, causing a high level of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, poor air quality and environmental pollution in Taiwan are severe societal problems. Although Taiwan has formulated severe environmental protection-related penalties, the excessive use of energy and high level of pollution remain a persisting environmental problem in Taiwan. Because communities are collective groups beneficial for the promotion of local policies, several subsidy policies for environmental quality improvement are currently promoted through community development in Taiwan. These policies consider factors such as Taiwan’s long-day geographical environment and the increase in idle agricultural land after the process of economic transition. To explore the effectiveness of promoting these policies, this study applied the Delphi method and fuzzy logic theory to establish a quantified effectiveness assessment model. In addition, we determined that communities that encourage the participation of its residents and factors such as proenvironment, solar power, and plain afforestation enhanced the overall environmental protection of the community and reduced the emission of CO 2 . Furthermore, the core problems that hinder the improvement of current policies were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Delayed biodiversity responses to environmental forcing mean that rates of contemporary biodiversity changes are underestimated, yet these delays are rarely addressed in conservation policies. Here, we identify mechanisms that lead to such time lags, discuss shifting human perceptions, and propose how these phenomena should be addressed in biodiversity management and science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address ongoing biodiversity losses, the use of incentive-based nature protection policies is increasingly recommended. In the present paper, we examine how action and result-oriented agricultural policy measures affect the species protection initiatives of real agricultural managers. To do so, we use a computer-based economic experiment involving a multi-period individual business simulation game. Our results indicate that action-oriented measures do not have any impacts on farmers' initiatives to protect species. In contrast to action-oriented policy measures, result-oriented measures with identical profit effect significantly increase these initiatives. Although risk-averse farmers are less willing to participate in result-oriented measures than non-risk-averse farmers, in general, risk aversion does not influence farmers' species protection initiatives. Furthermore, the species protection initiatives are influenced by the opportunity costs of species protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ecuadorian proposal to keep 846 million barrels of crude oil in the Yasuní National Park underground—for the purposes of avoiding CO 2 emissions and to protect both the biological diversity and the indigenous peoples in isolation who inhabit this area of the Amazon—is evaluated from a “multi-criteria” analysis. The main purpose of the paper is to compare this policy option with other alternatives across different values. An analytical framework is used that recognises the inherent complexity of a problem of this nature, in which the financial values are indeed relevant for policy, but other values are also relevant: the economic (in a broad sense), social, environmental, cultural and political. The results confirm that from a financial standpoint, extracting the oil is preferable, but by incorporating the non-monetary values into the multi-criteria decision process, one can plausibly defend the Yasuní-ITT Initiative as the most desirable policy option. Indeed, the social and environmental benefits (or “criteria”) signalling an economic transition towards a model based on renewable sources of energy, along with the protection of critical environmental and social capital, make up for the financial gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross Compliance (CC) is a mechanism for encouraging farmers to fulfill certain environmental conditions in return for governmental support payments. Introduced to United States (US) and European Union (EU) agricultural policy from the 80s onwards, upcoming new US (Farm Bill 2012) and EU (Common Agricultural Policy after 2013) policies will include CC. Cross Compliance is seen (i) as a policy for enforcing environmental objectives or (ii) as a way to organize and reward agricultural public good production. In recent years, the instrument's effectiveness and efficiency have been criticized. To validate the deviating understandings, we drew back on an economic institutionalist perspective. We found that regarding EU CC as payment for public goods does not generally align with the existing German property rights distribution. In both the EU and US, CC standards above those contained regulatory law have characteristics of a payment for public goods but create severe problems. We conclude that CC, even if useful for triggering and broadening environmental protection efforts, may cause several long-term problems. Therefore, the rights structure should be clearly communicated, law enforcement function should be temporary, the instrument should be included in an overall concept, and payments should be better linked to the environmental output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Green growth, a-growth, post-growth and degrowth are prominent concepts on the role of economic growth for achieving environmental sustainability. In this article, we investigate the attitudes of environmental protection specialists towards these concepts by conducting a survey with employees of the German Environment Agency (UBA). We develop three measures of attitudes towards the concepts: An implicit position based on responses to statements related to the debate on economic growth and the environment, a position choice based on choosing one concept without referring to its name and an explicit position based on choosing a concept with reference to its name. The analysis leads to four major results. (1) Environmental protection specialists predominantly express a preference for growth-critical concepts (a-growth/post-growth and degrowth) as compared to green growth. (2) A-growth/post-growth is the most favoured concept. (3) The results are stable for all three attitude-measures. (4) Specialists with more knowledge on the concepts are even more likely to prefer growth-critical concepts. Our results further support previous empirical findings that a large share of people and, in particular, specialists are in favour of growth-critical concepts, making policy-options towards such concepts more feasible. [Display omitted] • Environmental protection experts favour growth-critical concepts over green growth. • The most favoured concepts are a-growth and post-growth. • Experts with more knowledge on the topic tend to prefer growth-critical concepts. • Expert opinions support environmental policies beyond growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fake controversies have influenced policy making on health and environmental issues for decades, resulting in major implementation setbacks worldwide. As a case study, in this paper we examine fake controversies produced by a small group of active Brazilian researchers that have seriously impacted environmental conservation, particularly in issues related to deforestation and climate change. Based on the literature, we develop a typology of strategies deployed in fake controversies, which include manufacturing uncertainty, misusing scientific credentials, and disregarding scientific literature. Afterwards, we examine the influence of this group of contrarians at the National Congress. We then analyze the fake controversies promoted by these contrarians and argue that, to properly understand them, we need to consider a strategy so far overlooked in the literature: the manufacture of "pseudo-facts", namely, affirmations at odds with the established literature but that strives to appear as scientific facts. Unlike other contexts, in which contrarians have mainly sought to cast doubt on consensual issues by arguing that there are still considerable uncertainties surrounding them, in Brazil pseudo-facts on deforestation have been produced and published outside the peer-reviewed literature. We conclude the study with recommendations on how to oppose fake scientific controversies that threaten environmental conservation in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]