Reg. Sci. Environ. Econ., Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2025) – 8 articles

The growing relevance of sustainable practices has driven organizations from various sectors to adapt their activities to current socio-environmental demands. In the construction sector, this demand is even more pronounced due to the high consumption of natural resources and the significant generation of solid waste. However, questions remain about the extent to which companies in this sector understand and incorporate sustainable practices into their routines. This study investigates the level of knowledge and the adoption of sustainable practices by residential building construction companies registered with the Civil Construction Industry Union of Mossoró/RN. A qualitative-quantitative approach was adopted, using questionnaires and photographic records collected during on-site visits. The data reveal an incipient adoption of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) and limited knowledge about ESG principles, highlighting structural and cultural barriers to sustainability in the sector. Nevertheless, isolated initiatives related to waste reduction and the adoption of more efficient practices were observed. The study concludes that strengthening technical training, promoting management systems, and aligning with contemporary demands are relevant strategies to foster sustainability and competitiveness in the construction sector. Full article

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), released from excessive fossil fuel consumption, are major contributors to global warming. Understanding the spatial distribution of CO₂ emissions on a refined scale is crucial for promoting green economic development. Xi’an, a key central city in China, serves as the case study for this research. Using nighttime light data from Black Marble, combined with energy statistics and socio-economic information, this study employed spatial analysis to simulate CO₂ emissions on the district and county levels in Xi’an for the years 2012 and 2022. The results indicated that nighttime light data were significantly correlated with CO₂ emissions (linear function; coefficients of determination: 0.7838 and 0.7941 for 2012 and 2022, respectively). The spatial distribution analysis revealed a clear pattern in CO₂ emissions, with higher emissions concentrated in central urban areas and lower emissions in peripheral regions. Additionally, a comparative analysis of carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity across districts and counties between 2012 and 2022 showed that CO₂ emissions in central urban areas had continued to grow and expand, while emission intensity had declined. These findings suggest that the socio-economic development, policy interventions, and industrial structure in Xi’an influence the spatial distribution of CO₂ emissions. Full article

With the rapid development of China’s economy, resource consumption and environmental pollution have become challenges faced by China in its development process. In order to effectively achieve a balance between economic development and ecological and environmental protection, the Chinese government has successively introduced development strategies for ecological environment construction. However, how to scientifically evaluate the quality of regional ecological environments, analyze related impacts, and promote national ecological and environmental governance has always been difficult to reach consensus and continues to receive attention from the academic community. This paper sorts through research in recent years about regional ecological environment assessments in China in order to summarize the current assessment methods and dimensions of regional ecological environment research in China, as well as the impact of regional ecological environment construction. In terms of evaluation methods, this paper analyzes the applicability and limitations of current mainstream methods. In terms of evaluation dimensions, this paper summarizes the research results from different regional dimensions. In terms of the impact of regional ecological and environmental construction, this paper elaborates on the three aspects of influencing factors, influencing effects and research method analysis. Based on the above analysis, this paper finally proposes that the focus of future research should be on digital analysis and the evaluation of regional ecological and environmental quality, so as to provide more scientific and accurate support for regional ecological and environmental governance. Full article

As the flow of innovation elements breaks through geographical boundaries, patent transfer and the resulting spatial knowledge spillovers have become a crucial pathway for cities to enhance their competitive advantages and foster collaborative innovation. This study crawls technology transfer data through Big Data mining and uses social network analysis to construct an intercity technology transfer network among 286 Chinese cities at the prefecture-level and above between 2000 and 2020. The study explores the influence of technology transfer networks and their spatial spillovers on urban innovation capacity. The results are as follows: (1) Moran’s I results indicate that technology transfer and innovation activities among Chinese cities exhibit significant spatial dependence. (2) The Markov chain analysis reveals that the technology transfer networks among Chinese cities exhibit significant spatial spillovers. (3) Spatial econometric analysis and effect decomposition demonstrate that technology transfer networks exhibit significant spatial dependence and spillover effects. Through the induced spatial knowledge spillovers, technology transfer networks contribute to enhancing the innovation capabilities of neighboring cities. Full article

Subsidized, decent, and durable housing is a persistent issue for South Africa’s urban areas. Social housing is one of the most important instruments for addressing the situation, yet structural barriers such as land prices, bureaucracy, and governance pose a challenge to forward momentum. This study provides a qualitative examination of social housing in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg on the basis of three dimensions: effectiveness of governance, land accessibility, and practice of sustainability. It is evident that land acquisition is still a great hindrance due to private stakeholder opposition, complex rezoning processes, and speculative ownership of land. Institutional systems within the three cities are characterized by poor intergovernmental coordination, a lack of transparency in land disposition, and lengthy project approval. Johannesburg has seen extensive transit-oriented development, while Cape Town is more advanced in sustainability initiatives, albeit with a resource constraint, and Durban’s human-scale housing types suffer from finance and technical capacity challenges. This study underscores the need for interlinked policy changes to bridge the inefficiencies in governance, facilitate land accessibility, and enhance the incentives of sustainability. An across-the-board data-driven process involving government authorities, private builders, and civil society stakeholders is indispensable in advocating effective and sustainable urban housing strategies for South Africa. Full article

This study examines how research and development (R&D) expenditures, temperature fluctuations, and rainfall variability influenced wheat productivity in China, India, and Pakistan from 1996 to 2018. Drawing on data from FAOSTAT, the Pakistan Economic Survey, and World Development Indicators, we employ Pooled Mean Group (PMG) and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models to explore short- and long-run dynamics. Our findings indicate that R&D investments do not exert a significant short-run effect but play a pivotal role in boosting wheat yields over the long run. Specifically, a 1% increase in R&D expenditure correlates with a 10% rise in wheat productivity across the three countries, although the returns vary—6% in China, 17% in India, and 12% in Pakistan—due in part to differences in innovation adoption and infrastructure. Additionally, a 1% temperature rise is associated with a 4% decrease in long-run yield, while variability in rainfall disrupts sowing schedules and reduces water availability during critical growth stages, further constraining productivity. These findings underscore that while climate factors pose significant risks to wheat yields, sustained investments in agricultural R&D and improved resource management are essential for enhancing food security in South Asia. Full article

The close association between policy deployment in ecotourism demonstration areas and low-carbon tourism makes it imperative to explore whether such policies can effectively curb carbon emissions in the tourism sector. This study utilizes an evolutionary game model to theoretically analyze the mechanisms of stakeholders’ strategic tendencies following policy deployment in ecotourism. Empirically, using panel data from 276 prefecture-level cities across China from 2010 to 2019, the establishment of ecotourism demonstration areas was treated as a “quasi-natural experiment”. A multi-period difference-in-differences model was employed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of the policy on tourism carbon emissions and its underlying pathways in the establishment of ecological tourism demonstration zones. The theoretical mechanism reveals that, after the deployment of ecotourism demonstration area policies, local governments, tourism enterprises, and tourists tend to choose low-carbon strategic behaviors. Empirical analysis reveals that ecotourism demonstration areas effectively curb carbon emissions in the tourism industry. The inhibitory effect of the policy exhibits regional heterogeneity, with a significant impact on carbon emission reduction in eastern cities. The policy exerts its inhibitory effects on tourism carbon emissions through increased ecological tourism investment by local governments and self-scaling cointegration by tourism enterprises. Full article

Good solutions for sustainable development promote social, ecological, and economic aspects in synergistic ways. Wind energy projects have a large potential to achieve this, if their locations are carefully selected. On the contrary, placing wind turbines inside forest areas with high biodiversity, cultural significance, and recreational use generates conflicts between different dimensions of sustainability, and between supporters and opponents of such projects. The resulting green-versus-green dilemma involves a conflict between idealism and pragmatism, as incorporated in literature by the personalities of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Sustainable solutions require both aspects as well as realism. Forest areas have crucial climate benefits ranging from the absorption of CO₂ and other emissions, providing shade and cooling during heatwaves to the storage of humidity and water. Climate change is not solely a problem of rising temperature. It also involves changes in humidity and precipitation, and the related problems of desertification and deforestation. Accordingly, a strategy of deforestation for hosting wind farms seems questionable. Instead, constructing wind turbines with energy storage capacities on deserted ground and using their economic and energetic gains for a subsequent afforestation of the surrounding land would achieve synergetic sustainability benefits for biodiversity, human wellbeing, and the climate. Full article