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Theoretical Understanding and Institutional Arrangement of Efficient Use of Natural Resources under Sustainable Development Goals

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Ecology and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 September 2023) | Viewed by 5960

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xin Zhao

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Guest Editor

School of Statistics & Applied Mathematics, Anhui University of Finance & Economics, Bengbu 233030, China
Interests: energy economics; sustainability; environmental management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yuping Shang

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Guest Editor

School of Economics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: economic and environmental performance evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Umer Shahzad

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Guest Editor

School of Statistics & Applied Mathematics, Anhui University of Finance & Economics, Bengbu 233030, China
Interests: energy economics and sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Vincent Charles

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Guest Editor

School of Management, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
Interests: artificial intelligence and machine learning; performance measurement and management (productivity, quality, efficiency, effectiveness); big data science; competitiveness; social progress; doing business; innovation; design thinking

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Summit introduced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlined a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SGDS). In 2017, the UN General Assembly reviewed and adopted the global indicator framework for SDGS. SDGS, as developments that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations, have become among the important goals of global development. In particular, in order to realize SDG, we must organically unify theory with practice and implement the institutional arrangement of the efficient utilization of natural resources.

Throughout history, the public nature of natural resources has meant that human beings obtain natural resources with their labor, meeting the needs of survival and development through the use of resources. Therefore, in the abundance of natural resources, owing to their common nature, human beings seem to have no need to use natural resources sparingly, let alone have use for the concept of efficient use of natural resources. Even though human labor can result in natural resource being used and gradually form the institutional arrangement of private ownership of natural resources. However, human beings do not seem to have eliminated the phenomenon of overuse of and competition for natural resources, but in order to seize natural resources will even adopt cruel means of war. In theory, to establish the institutional arrangement of private ownership of natural resources, their owners will allocate the resource utilization at the same level as the marginal cost and marginal income, determined from the perspective of cost and benefit, to maximize the economic benefits of resource utilization.

This Special Issue will focus on managing and designing a system of natural resource utilization rights in countries around the world. In view of the current practical problems in the utilization of resources, we aim to study the system of intensive and economical utilization of resources, the clean utilization of coal resources and the development of a plan for clean energy under the ongoing energy revolution. Additionally, we aim to establish a scientific basis and practical significance for a natural resource utilization system and management system to realize the rational protection and utilization of natural resources and optimize their allocation, while accelerating the realization of SDG.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Xin Zhao
Dr. Yuping Shang
Dr. Umer Shahzad
Dr. Vincent Charles
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

natural resources
sustainable development goals
efficient utilization
theoretical understanding
institutional arrangement
resource exploitation
environmental protection
efficient use of energy
renewable energy
low-carbon transition

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1116 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Environmental Protection Tax Law on Urban Land Green Use Efficiency in China: The Nonlinear Moderating Effect of Tax Rate Increase

by Cheng Peng, Lu Zhao, Liwen Liu and Jia Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12431; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612431 - 16 Aug 2023

Viewed by 842

Abstract

Due to the basic carrier function of land, the economic and ecological effects of Environmental Protection Tax Law (EPTL) will be reflected in the land use. Therefore, this article investigates the effect of EPTL on land green use efficiency (LGUE). To be specific, based on the panel data of 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2012 to 2020, LGUE is evaluated through a global super efficiency epsilon-based measure (EBM) with unexpected output. Then, the reform of “sewage fee-to-tax” is regarded as a natural experiment to accurately evaluate the effect of EPTL on LGUE. The result that the implementation of EPTL significantly drives LGUE is confirmed. The mechanism tests show that the implementation of EPTL enhances the intensity of green innovation, promotes the optimization of industrial structure, and thereby improves LGUE. Moreover, we find that the moderating effect of tax rate increase is nonlinear and exhibits an inverted U-shape. That is, below a certain value, the tax rate increase will strengthen the EPTL’s ability to improve LGUE. However, after exceeding the value, the tax rate increase will weaken the EPTL’s ability to improve LGUE. Targeted suggestions are proposed for improving the environmental protection tax system and LGUE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Understanding and Institutional Arrangement of Efficient Use of Natural Resources under Sustainable Development Goals)

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20 pages, 966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Education and Green Innovation in Green Transition: Advancing the United Nations Agenda on Sustainable Development

by Xiaohua Li, Lina Ma, Salahuddin Khan and Xin Zhao

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12410; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612410 - 15 Aug 2023

Viewed by 2192

Abstract

Educating the masses about the dire consequences of climate change in high-polluting countries is essential to achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development agenda. This study investigates the role of education in environmental sustainability and influencing mechanisms of green innovation and government intervention in China. Using panel data of 31 provinces from 2008 to 2020, our analysis documents the significant impact of education in reducing pollutant emissions. Further, green innovation and government intervention can enhance this impact significantly. Regional heterogeneity tests show a more pronounced effect of education and government intervention in the eastern and western provinces, while the western region is indifferent in this regard. The results are robust to the replacement of core variables and shifting mean values. The likely endogeneity issue is resolved through the system GMM approach, which provides similar estimates as in the baseline regression. The study offers several implications for the government, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, and industrialists. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Understanding and Institutional Arrangement of Efficient Use of Natural Resources under Sustainable Development Goals)

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16 pages, 1090 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial and Heterogeneity Analysis of Environmental Taxes’ Impact on China’s Green Economy Development: A Sustainable Development Perspective

by Minye Rao, László Vasa, Yudan Xu and Pinghua Chen

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9332; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129332 - 9 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1043

Abstract

Environmental taxation is an important tool used by governments to promote resource conservation and environmental protection. Given the current global constraints on resources and increasing environmental degradation, exploring how environmental taxes can effectively stimulate the development of a green economy is of utmost importance. This study utilized panel data from 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China, covering the period from 2006 to 2020. The research findings indicate a spatial correlation between environmental taxes and green economic efficiency in China, with the former significantly promoting the development of the latter. A heterogeneity analysis revealed varying impacts of different taxes on the efficiency of green economic development in different regions. Controlling for variables, the study results demonstrated a negative correlation between industrial structure and green economic efficiency, with a significance level of 1%. Additionally, no correlation was found between pollution control efforts and green economic benefits. The effects of different taxes on regional efficiency varied, and industrial structure exhibited a negative correlation with green economic efficiency. This study recommends strengthening intergovernmental coordination, improving tax policies, optimizing industrial structure, and enhancing the pollution control efficiency of local governments to promote China’s green economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Understanding and Institutional Arrangement of Efficient Use of Natural Resources under Sustainable Development Goals)

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19 pages, 4279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards Inclusive Growth: Perspective of Regional Spatial Correlation Network in China

by Suwan Lu, Guobin Fang and Mingtao Zhao

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5725; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075725 - 24 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1108

Abstract

China’s economic growth has been impressive, but the persistent income inequality poses a threat to its sustainability. To address this issue, we use the complex network analysis method for the first time to explore the structural characteristics of the regional spatial correlation network of inclusive growth (RSCN) of 26 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China from 1999 to 2020. We use exponential random graph models to explore the internal mechanisms and driving factors that shape this network. Our results show that inclusive growth dependencies between regions are widespread and increasing. Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang serve as benchmark regions, while provinces in the middle reach of the Yangtze River play an increasingly important bridging role. The northwestern region mainly acts as a receiving region. Our study identifies transitivity, reciprocity, and high interaction tendency as critical microstructures. Furthermore, we find that infrastructure, digital economy development, financial marketization, fiscal expenditure linkages, and inter-provincial trade linkages are crucial factors in shaping network relationships. Our study provides theoretical support for the development of China’s regional coordinated development strategy and sustainable economic growth policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical Understanding and Institutional Arrangement of Efficient Use of Natural Resources under Sustainable Development Goals)

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