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• Dentification of the water intensive industry—pulp and paper industry (PPI) at the firm level. • The partial static equilibrium model was applied to explore the economic effects. • Environmental regulation shows positive impacts on multiple indicators. Whether environmental regulation has negative impact on the economic performances of manufacturers in the real world cannot be concluded without reliable policy evaluations. The regional policy experimentation on raising the wastewater discharge standard in the pulp and paper industry in Shandong Province, China in the early 2000′s has been considered a success and has provided lessons for the crafting and strengthening of water pollution regulation for the whole country at a later stage. There has been, however, long lack of rigorous study that comprehensively evaluates the environmental and economic consequences of the policy experiment. The question about whether cleaner water came at a substantial economic cost remained unanswered. This may hinder cumulative policy learning and development. In this article, we adopt plant-level economic and environmental statistics and a difference-in-differences design to examine the economic effect of the Shandong wastewater policy in the 2000′s. Our results revealed that on average the environmental regulation enhanced the economic performances of pulp and paper plants. The regulation had positive effects on total output, total assets, and total profit, and it did not cause a statistically significant decline in employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The park-level integrated energy system characterized by electricity heat cooling storage is regarded as a viable solution to energy and environmental crises due to its cleanliness and high efficiency. However, decision-makers encounter challenges in picking the optimum construction scheme. The paper introduces the matter element extension into the investment decision-making of the park-level integrated energy system. To begin, the paper analyzes the composition of the evaluation index system from the basic composition of the park-level integrated energy system, and establishes a standard system for comprehensive performance analysis, including economic, environmental, energy, security, and intelligence. Second, the subjective weight is calculated using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, the objective weight is calculated using the entropy weight. The matter element extension is used to evaluate the alternatives' performance. Finally, an industrial park in Jiangsu Province of China is selected as a case to verify. The results show that good comprehensive performance can be obtained by using photovoltaic, wind turbines, electric energy storage, ice storage, and heat pumps. The decision-making results will not be affected by the change in subjective and objective weight and the change in index weight within 20 %, but changes in matter-element classification would. • Intelligent performance criterion is introduced. • The evaluation system includes economy, environment, energy, security, intelligence. • A decision-making framework for the park-level integrated energy system is established. • A variety of sensitivity analyses were performed. • Using renewable energy and energy storage can obtain good comprehensive performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) is a mandatory institutional change to promote low-carbon energy transformation and renewable energy development. Its successful implementation requires the scientific design of relevant incentive mechanisms and rules. To make up for the defects in the current RPS mechanism design and the problems exposed in the Tradable Green Certificate (TGC) market, this paper takes China as an example and uses the system dynamics method to study the supply side incentives. The results show that: (1) Scientific setting the relevant system parameters of RPS (such as quota, benchmark price and penalty) and promoting the electricity market reform will effectively stimulate the power generation and investment on the supply side, and improve manufacturers' profit. (2) Higher quotas and lower benchmark prices can increase the manufacturers' power generation, profit and investment, and stimulate the supply side to conduct TGC transactions. However, when the penalty is set at different multiples of the benchmark price, the incentive effect on supply side power generation, investment and profit differ. (3) Marketed on-grid prices can significantly stimulate the supply side and promote renewable energy development. This paper can provide reference for the design of RPS incentive mechanism and institutional parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An evolutionary game model is developed to explore the application of deposit-return system(DRS) in the recovery of waste PV modules. • DRS can restrict the photovoltaic power plant recycling behavior and improve the recovery rate. • DRS is effective when the deposit amount is higher than a certain condition. • The present value of the deposit amount returned shall not be higher than the present value of the deposit amount originally collected. China's PV module scrapping tide will arrive in 2025, but the recycling market has not been regulated, and the recycling rate and reuse rate of waste PV modules are low. From the perspective of self-interest, photovoltaic power stations tend to abandon and illegally dump waste PV modules in informal channels that do not meet environmental protection standards. This seriously hinders the recycling of scrapped photovoltaic modules. In order to restrict the photovoltaic power plant recycling behavior and improve the recovery rate, this paper explores the application of recovery deposit-return system(DRS) in the recovery of s waste PV modules, constructs an evolutionary game model between PV power stations and government, and simulates it with actual data. The results are as follows: (1) DRS is effective when the deposit amount is higher than a certain condition. It can not only restrict the behavior of PV power plant from the angle of interests, but also enhance the government's credibility and bring economic benefits. (2) The present value of the deposit amount returned shall not be higher than the present value of the deposit amount originally collected, otherwise it shall become invalid. In addition, this paper calculates the minimum value of the recycling deposit, analyzes the factors affecting the recycling choice of power stations, and puts forward policy suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and equitable allocation scheme for renewable portfolio standard (RPS) quota is of great significance to renewable energy (RE) development and the improvement of the electricity trade market. This study establishes a quota allocation model based on the lowest cost of RE generation to determine the RPS targets (LC-RPS) of 30 Chinese provinces. Subsequently, an index system based on energy consumption, RE resource endowment, historical responsibility, and transmission facilities is constructed to determine the RPS targets (IN-RPS). Finally, the two scenarios mentioned above are compared with the RPS target allocation scenario published by the Chinese government (GM-RPS) and with the NO-RPS scenario. The results show that: Compared with those of GM-RPS and IN-RPS, the power generation cost associated with the LC-RPS is reduced by 8.5% and 49.4%, respectively, and the unit power generation cost is reduced by 9.4 and 39.7 RMB/MWh, respectively; the fairness of the LC-RPS is marginally worse than that of the other three scenarios, but the fairness of the power generation cost is still relative average, thereby demonstrating distribution fairness. This paper appeals to the Chinese government for the perfection of a national renewable energy certificates (REC) trade market and offering additional REC for solar generation. •Least-cost quota (LC-RPS) and index system allocation schemes are proposed. •The renewable energy (RE) generation capacity of 30 Chinese provinces is determined. •The power generation cost of the LC-RPS is reduced compared with other schemes. •The LC-RPS scheme is more efficient and meets national RPS targets. •The generation resources are diversified with the improvement of the national REC trade market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The current Chinese Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) for DEHP (8 μg/L) in China does not provide adequate protection for D. magna populations. • Whereas 8 µg/L DEHP reduced D. magna populations by 27 %, DnOP caused a 37 % decline over the same exposure period. • DEHP, DIOP and DnOP can cause D. magna populations to collapse at environmental relevant concentrations. • To protect aquatic organisms, environmental management and toxicological studies should pay attention to DnOP. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used phthalate and is ubiquitous in surface water. Based on its well-established toxicological profile, many countries and regions have adopted specific environmental quality standard (EQS) for DEHP. In China, the EQS value for DEHP is 8 μg/L. However, information on isomers structurally similar to DEHP is limited. Among the isomers of DEHP, di-isooctyl phthalate (DIOP) and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP) have received limited attention. The goal of this paper was to study effects and toxic potencies of DEHP, DIOP, and DnOP to individuals and predict effects on populations of female Daphnia magna (cladoceran crustacea) in media containing environmentally relevant concentrations of single PAEs for three consecutive generations (21 days for every generation). Exposure to all three PAEs resulted in reduced survival and reproduction and cause collapse of populations at the highest concentrations. DnOP was the most potent for causing adverse effects followed by DIOP, while DEHP was the least potent. 8 μg DnOP/L were found to reduce the population size by 37 % in the F 2 generation. These findings demonstrate that PAE isomers other than DEHP can cause adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Official promotion assessment standards are an important factor affecting the environmental governance of local governments. The study of the Chinese government adding the evaluation of ecological civilization to the official promotion assessment standards is of great significance to promote China's environmental pollution control and eco-environmental protection. Therefore, it is necessary to explore diversified ways of environmental governance from the perspective of improving the assessment standards for official promotion. Based on this background, this paper uses a variety of econometric models to compare the impact of traditional assessment standards and new assessment standards, including environmental factors on environmental quality. The results show that: (1) Different from the negative environmental impact brought by traditional assessment, when the official promotion assessment standards change, that is, when it is included in the environmental assessment, the official promotion incentive can actively promote the improvement of regional environmental quality, and this result has a more significant effect on the improvement of environmental quality in economically underdeveloped areas and vulnerable areas. (2) The mechanism test shows that the change of assessment standards will force officials to improve environmental quality by improving regional productivity. (3) the promotion of environmental supervision, represented by the development of information technology, helps strengthen the positive effect of the transformation of official assessment standards on the environment. However, it is unstable. This paper provides a useful reference for improving official promotion assessment standards, exploring diversified ways of environmental governance, and clarifying the effectiveness of the Chinese government's ecological environment reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, countries have actively promoted green economic transformation. Formulating reasonable and effective environmental regulation policies is an important way to realize this transformation. Based on a policy of raising standard sewage charges in China, this paper selects the panel data of 30 provinces from 2000 to 2018 and adopts the multi-time Differences-in-Differences (DID) method to empirically examine the effect of raising environmental costs on industrial green total factor productivity (GTFP). This paper finds that industrial GTFP is significantly increased by raising standard sewage charges. The conclusion is still valid after alleviating the endogenous problem and conducting robustness tests. The policy gives a boost to industrial GTFP in Eastern and Western regions, but not significantly in Central regions, according to the heterogeneity test. Further analyses of its transmission process reveal that raising environmental costs can promote industrial green growth, mostly via technological and structural effect. As a result, if all provinces can optimize and upgrade their industrial structures and improve their levels of technological innovation when faced with increasingly strict environmental regulations, they will be able to better change the model of economic growth and realize green industrial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In 2015, almost 25% of China's lakes were polluted to the point of being unfit for any purpose. In the same year, China introduced plans to upgrade hundreds of existing and planned wastewater treatment plants to China's highest standard for wastewater discharge. The goal of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, it aims to help policy makers in China understand the impact of China's new wastewater standard on energy use. Secondly, it aims to provide policy makers with suggestions to increase the environmental benefit gained from reducing wastewater contaminant discharge. The most recent data from around 5000 wastewater treatment plants in China are used to estimate the extra electricity required to upgrade a plant from China's commonly used Class 1B municipal wastewater discharge standard to the highest discharge standard, Class 1A. Results show that implementing Class 1A instead of Class 1B tends to use 2%–36% more electricity. This result was used to estimate the overall increase in electricity used over five years by the Chinese wastewater sector due to the introduction of the new policy, an increase that was estimated to be 3–63% of annual electricity used for wastewater treatment. The environmental benefit and electricity cost of three scenarios aimed at reducing wastewater contaminant discharge were compared. Results showed that the benefit-to-cost ratio of implementing stricter standards is greatly improved (by over seven times) when wastewater is not discharged into the environment but instead reused to replace freshwater for purposes that can be met with Class 1A standard. This result has implications for policy makers seeking to increase energy use efficiency, minimise water wastage and reduce environmental pollution within cities. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • China's new wastewater standards are highly likely to increase electricity use. • The highest standard tends to use 2–36% more electricity than the second highest. • Results are based on a decade of data for thousands of treatment plants in China. • Benefit of strict treatment can be increased over 7 times by wastewater reuse. • Collecting and treating untreated wastewater has greatest benefit-to-cost ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three types of PCMs suitable for agricultural system are summarized. • The integration of PCMs into agricultural cold chain logistics are summarized. • Agricultural cold chain logistics system future development offers some insights. The agricultural cold-chain logistics system is significant for agricultural product preservation and reducing losses. Moreover, it meaningfully promotes the income of farmers and rural revitalization in China, to a certain extent. The energy-storage technology as an emerging distributed solution has been attracting increasing attention over recent years. However, because of the low performance of energy-storage materials and lack of integration methods, many agricultural products rot during transportation. The current challenge resides in how the agricultural cold-chain logistics system can meet the requirements of stable and efficient continuous operation and reduce rot during the transportation of agricultural products. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider improving the performance of energy-storage materials and achieve their more-efficient integration into the entire agricultural cold-chain logistics system. Future trends in the agricultural cold-chain logistics system involve the high performance and low carbon footprint of energy-storage materials, which are key to meeting environmental standards and changing market demands. Advances in renewable energy technologies and energy-storage solutions have significantly accelerated the industrialisation of this system. The agricultural cold-chain logistics system will become the main force in promoting rural revitalisation in the future, which is a necessary condition for narrowing the development gap between China and other developed countries in this context. Therefore, this paper reviews the properties of the energy-storage materials that are suitable for the agricultural cold-chain logistics system and how to integrate these materials into that system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allocating initial water rights in a river basin is not only a significant problem but also an essential research topic. It plays a crucial role in promoting the construction of a system of water rights and water-saving society as well as alleviating the contradiction between water supply and demand. Thus, the effective initial allocation of water rights has theoretical and practical significance for enhancing water rights management in China. First, this paper analyzes the impact of the strictest water resources management system on the establishment of the main criteria in the initial water rights allocation index system of a basin, including social, economic and environmental benefit criteria. Then, a new fuzzy comparison-based method, namely the fuzzy best-worst method (FBWM), is proposed to determine the weights of criteria and a procedure for group decision-making by FBWM is put forward. Finally, a case study about the initial water rights allocation in the Huaihe River Basin is illustrated to show how the developed FBWM works for real-world applications. Sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis with the existing methods are also provided to show the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improvement of rural human settlements is an important task in the Rural Revitalisation strategy in China. Determining the quality and spatial distribution of rural human settlements and making strategies according to local conditions are conductive to the construction of beautiful rural in China. On the basis of existing theories and research on rural human settlements, this paper constructs a theoretical analysis framework of rural human settlements that focuses on infrastructure, public services, quality of life, living standards and environmental health. Entropy method and cluster analysis are used to analyse the quality of rural human settlements and to divide regions among 31 provinces in China. The main conclusions are as follows: (i) China can be divided into four quadrants. Regions with high qualities are mainly concentrated in the first quadrant. The second and third quadrants score the lowest. The quality of rural human settlements in sub-dimensions shows disequilibrium and the quality of life is low compared with other four dimensions. (ii) The 31 provinces can be divided into five categories: demonstration regions, regions with potentials for development, regions with weak points, regions of satisfying basic needs, and backward regions. (iii) Rural human settlements is a large complex system, whose quality is closely related to the conditions of regional development. Long-term follow-up investigation should be the focus of future research. Findings provide scientific guidance for the optimization and improvement mechanism of rural human settlements and rural revitalisation. • The theoretical analysis framework of people-oriented is constructed to highlight the core position of human. • Hu Line and Bole-Taipei Line were used to analyze the spatial distribution of quality of rural human settlements. • China can be divided into five regional types according to the quality characteristics of rural human settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation is the main force to drive China's intensive pollution industries (IPIs) into sustainable development. Improving green innovation efficiency (GIE) is an effective way to reach this goal. The correct approach to measuring IPIs' GIE and its influencing factors is a hot issue. Based on the panel data of China's 21 subdivided industries of IPIs over the period from 2011 to 2015, this paper applies the Super-Slack-Based Measurement (Super-SBM) and Tobit model to analyse IPIs' GIE and its influencing factors, respectively. The results show that IPIs' overall efficiency fluctuates around 0.67 in the first 4 years and increases to 0.776 in 2015, failing to be DEA-efficient; there are obvious gaps in GIE between the 21 industries, and the ferrous metal smelting and calendering industry has the weakest GIE. The regression results show that, government R&D support and environmental regulation have inverted U-shaped and U-shaped relationship with IPIs' GIE, respectively. Foreign market demand and market competition have significant positive and negative impacts on GIE, respectively, but the impact of market openness is not significant. The results suggest that (1) Chinese government should increase R&D support for IPIs, especially for those with low GIE, and strengthen supervision of the use of government R&D funds to avoid the crowding-out effect, (2) strengthen the intensity of environmental supervision and enforcement of environmental regulation policies, (3) improve environmental protection standards and preferential policies for exportation at the same time, (4) promote industrial restructuring and improve the mechanism of resource and benefit sharing to promote the flow of innovative resources and diffusion of innovative achievements. • Supplementing the evaluation indexes of GIE to reflect the requirements of recycling, low-carbon development, cleanness. • The GIE of IPIs has been improved from 0.67 to 0.776 during 2011–2015, but still fail to be DEA-efficient. • GIE of different industries varies greatly, and the ferrous metal smelting and calendaring industry's GIE is the weakest. • Government R&D support and environmental regulation have inverted U–shaped and U-shaped relationship with GIE, respectively. • Foreign market demand and market competition have significant positive and negative impacts on GIE, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]