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Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era
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Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 77354

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Kevin W. Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
Interests: logistics and supply chain management; conflict resolution; sustainable operations management; environmental management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhi Liu

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
College of Management Engineering, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, China
Interests: sustainable operation management; closed-loop supply chain; corporate social responsibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xuemei Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Marine Development and College of Economics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Interests: uncertainty prediction and decision-making methods; quantitative economic analysis and modeling; sustainable development of marine economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Global warming caused by excessive carbon emissions has disrupted the Earth’s ecosystem and constantly threatens the living environment of organisms. In response to global climate change, the United Nations reached a series of international conventions, the most important of which was the Paris Agreement after the Kyoto Protocol. In this historical document, countries across the globe recognize their role in climate mitigation and pledge to reduce carbon emissions. For instance, OECD nations have committed to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The Chinese government has also been actively implementing the Paris Agreement, putting forward specific goals and measures for carbon peaking by 2030 and neutrality by 2060 and taking initiatives to fulfil its international obligations of carbon emission reduction. Current pledges of carbon peaking and neutrality around the globe usher in significant opportunities and challenges for sustainable development of society, the economy, and the environment. This Special Issue aims to contribute to this important topic and welcomes theoretical and empirical research that helps understand decision making in sustainable development in the carbon peaking and neutrality era from a wide variety of angles. Specific topics include, but are not limited to: ecological and carbon footprint, green product design and remanufacturing, sustainable development, environmental management, road map of zero-carbon and negative-carbon technologies, sustainable operations and supply chain management, carbon trading and green finance, new energy and renewable energy utilization, and national or regional energy policies.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Kevin W. Li
Dr. Zhi Liu
Dr. Xuemei Li
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2500 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

  • ecological footprint
  • carbon footprint
  • sustainable development
  • environmental decision models
  • green product design
  • carbon neutrality
  • sustainable operations
  • supply chain management
  • carbon monitoring
  • new energy
  • environment policy

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Published Papers (36 papers)

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28 pages, 4612 KiB  
Article
Optimal Decision-Making of Closed-Loop Supply Chains in E-Commerce Platform Considering Sales Cooperations under Environmental Effects and WEEE Regulations
by Manyi Tan, Fei Pei, Li He, Hong Cheng and Shupeng Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(9), 5724; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095724 - 04 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1613
Abstract
Nowadays, to achieve carbon neutrality, e-commerce platforms participate in the sales and recycling of electrical and electronic products in consideration of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations and environmental effects. This study builds a Stackelberg game model for an e-commerce closed-loop supply [...] Read more.
Nowadays, to achieve carbon neutrality, e-commerce platforms participate in the sales and recycling of electrical and electronic products in consideration of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations and environmental effects. This study builds a Stackelberg game model for an e-commerce closed-loop supply chain (ECLSC) under different sales cooperation modes between a manufacturer of electrical and electronic products and an e-commerce platform. Reverse induction is used to obtain the optimal decision-making and profit of the ECLSC under three sales cooperation modes, considering the influence of environmental effects on optimal decision and objective functions. The results show the following: the sales cooperation mode and environmental cost do not affect the WEEE recovery prices of manufacturers and e-commerce platforms, nor do they affect government subsidy standards for dismantling WEEEs; they are, however, positively correlated with environmental benefits. Furthermore, the wholesale and retail prices of electrical and electronic products under different sales cooperation modes are related to sales cooperation modes and environmental costs. Moreover, the processing fees imposed on the manufacturers are related to the environmental costs of the electrical and electronic products; the thresholds of environmental costs of products for government to levy processing fees are different under different sales cooperation modes. Finally, the environmental cost of products required by the government’s levying of processing fees are the lowest under a hybrid model. Generally speaking, under WEEE regulations, governments should levy more processing fees for electrical and electronic products with higher environmental costs. Meanwhile, increased environmental benefits will always increase the profits of supply chain members, but increased environmental costs do not always reduce the profits of supply chain members, and multichannel product sales do not always generate profits for manufacturers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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22 pages, 3315 KiB  
Article
Spatial Association Network Evolution and Variance Decomposition of Economic Sustainability Development Efficiency in China
by Xin Fang and Yun Cao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 2966; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042966 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1125
Abstract
The economy’s sustainable development has become a national strategic deployment in China. Research on the difference between the economic sustainable development efficiency (ESDE) and the spatial network will assist the government with the deployment of sustainable development strategies and the achievement of the [...] Read more.
The economy’s sustainable development has become a national strategic deployment in China. Research on the difference between the economic sustainable development efficiency (ESDE) and the spatial network will assist the government with the deployment of sustainable development strategies and the achievement of the “peak carbon dioxide emissions”. This paper designs the input–output indicator system of sustainable economic development efficiency and builds an unexpected output super-EBM-Malmquist model to measure the ESDE of 30 provinces in China from 2008–2020. According to the ranking of ESDE, the 30 provinces in China are classified into four groups by applying the quartile method, and the difference in the ESDE in different regions and the temporal variation of different provinces are studied by using the Dagum Gini coefficient and Gaussian Kernel density. Moreover, the relationship between ESDE in different provinces is studied based on the revised gravity model and social network analysis method. The connections between provinces with related relations constitute the ESDE network. Results show that (1) the average ESDE in China shows an upward trend, the eastern region is in a leading position, the central and western regions are trying to catch up with the eastern region, and the development of the northeast region is lagging behind. (2) The level of ESDE in different provinces is clearly arranged from high to low, illuminating a distinct pattern. Moreover, provinces with high levels of development are much higher than provinces with low levels of development, presenting a phenomenon of polarization. (3) The regional ESDE development imbalance is prominent, and the ESDE in the eastern region is closely related, while the connection in the western region is lower. (4) Beijing–Tianjin Urban Agglomeration and the Yangtze River Delta have significant spatial spillover effects in the association network, while the northeast, northwest, southwest and central regions have significant spatial benefit relationships. These findings provide important enlightenment for promoting the sustainable and balanced development of China’s economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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21 pages, 3024 KiB  
Article
Analysis on the Spatio-Temporal Evolution Characteristics of the Impact of China’s Digitalization Process on Green Total Factor Productivity
by Junwei Zhao, Yuxiang Zhang, Anhang Chen and Huiqin Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14941; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214941 - 13 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1530
Abstract
Green production is an inevitable choice for China’s high-quality economic development. With the rise of the digital technology revolution, China’s digital transformation may play an integral and important role in increasing green total factor productivity (GTFP). Based on the panel data of 30 [...] Read more.
Green production is an inevitable choice for China’s high-quality economic development. With the rise of the digital technology revolution, China’s digital transformation may play an integral and important role in increasing green total factor productivity (GTFP). Based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2014–2020, the impact of digitization on GTFP was explored using the model of geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR), and the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and development trends of such effects were further explored. The main findings are as follows: (1) China’s digitalization level and GTFP has significant spatial autocorrelation and similar spatial distribution characteristics. (2) Digitalization has a significant positive impact on GTFP, but this impact decreases yearly, and there are noticeable regional differences. Digitalization in the eastern and central regions has a more significant impact on GTFP than in the west. (3) The region where China’s digital development has extensively promoted GTFP has shifted from China’s southern coastal region to the northwest and northeast regions. (4) The time-series fluctuations of the regression coefficients of the digitization level in each province in China also show agglomeration characteristics. That is, the regression coefficients of neighboring provinces have similar time-series fluctuations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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22 pages, 1541 KiB  
Article
Environmental Management from the Point of View of the Energy Intensity of Road Freight Transport and Shocks
by Elżbieta Szaruga and Elżbieta Załoga
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14417; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114417 - 03 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1203
Abstract
The research aimed to identify the directions of rationalization of the energy intensity of road freight transport in the context of the long-term balance of the drifting economy. The study was related to the case of Poland, and its scope spans 8.5 years. [...] Read more.
The research aimed to identify the directions of rationalization of the energy intensity of road freight transport in the context of the long-term balance of the drifting economy. The study was related to the case of Poland, and its scope spans 8.5 years. The long-term drift of the economy and shocks from the production process of the construction, industry, and processing sectors were taken into account in the research. In addition, the structural shocks were decomposed and validated. Twenty-one statistically significant multidirectional and varying relationships between the energy consumption of road transport and production in the construction, industry, and processing sectors were confirmed, including 7 long-term and 14 immediate relationships. The leakage of shocks in production has been demonstrated in the construction, industry, and processing sectors. The shock from the construction sector lowered the energy consumption of road transport in the long run. The greatest impact of the shock occurred only after 6–12 months and slowly stabilized after approximately 24 months. On the other hand, the shock in production in the industry and processing sectors reduced energy intensity in the short term but increased in the long term. The shocks in the industry and processing sectors transformed relatively quickly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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19 pages, 2521 KiB  
Article
Research on Carbon Emission Efficiency Space Relations and Network Structure of the Yellow River Basin City Cluster
by Haihong Song, Liyuan Gu, Yifan Li, Xin Zhang and Yuan Song
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12235; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912235 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1413
Abstract
The Yellow River Basin serves as China’s primary ecological barrier and economic belt. The achievement of the Yellow River Basin’s “double carbon” objective is crucial to China’s green and low-carbon development. This study examines the spatial link and network structure of city cluster [...] Read more.
The Yellow River Basin serves as China’s primary ecological barrier and economic belt. The achievement of the Yellow River Basin’s “double carbon” objective is crucial to China’s green and low-carbon development. This study examines the spatial link and network structure of city cluster carbon emission efficiency in the Yellow River Basin, as well as the complexity of the network structure. It focuses not only on the density and centrality of the carbon emission efficiency network from the standpoint of city clusters, but also on the excellent cities and concentration of the city cluster ‘s internal carbon emission efficiency network. The results show that: (1) The carbon emission efficiency of the Yellow River Basin has been dramatically improved, and the gap between city clusters is narrowing. However, gradient differentiation characteristics between city clusters show the Matthew effect. (2) The distribution of carbon emission efficiency in the Yellow River Basin is unbalanced, roughly showing a decreasing trend from east to west. Lower-level efficiency cities have played a significant role in the evolution of carbon emissions efficiency space. (3) The strength of the carbon emission efficiency network structure in the Yellow River Basin gradually transitions from weakly correlated dominant to weakly and averagely correlated dominant. Among them, the Shandong Peninsula city cluster has the most significant number of connected nodes in the carbon emission efficiency network. In contrast, the emission efficiency network density of the seven city clusters shows different changing trends. Finally, this study suggests recommendations to improve carbon emission efficiency by adopting differentiated governance measures from the perspective of local adaptation and using positive spatial spillover effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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21 pages, 401 KiB  
Article
Is Education Beneficial to Environmentally Friendly Behaviors? Evidence from CEOs
by Changrong Wang, Lufeng Gou and Xuemei Li
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11391; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811391 - 10 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1592
Abstract
Corporate environmental investment decisions play a crucial role in the protection of the public environment. As the decision-maker and executor, the environmental consciousness and social responsibility of the chief executive officer (CEO) has a long-term impact on the company’s environmental protection strategy, and [...] Read more.
Corporate environmental investment decisions play a crucial role in the protection of the public environment. As the decision-maker and executor, the environmental consciousness and social responsibility of the chief executive officer (CEO) has a long-term impact on the company’s environmental protection strategy, and the CEO’s level of education is a significant factor influencing the CEO’s environmental protection decisions. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which CEO education influences environmental protection investment decisions. A CEO education index is constructed as a proxy for CEO education based on the CEO’s educational background, using a panel sample of Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2019 and providing robust evidence supporting the notioin that firms with highly educated CEOs are likely to engage in environmental protection spending activities. However, the positive relationship between CEO education and corporate environmental protection investment is reduced when the CEO also holds the position of chairman. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive relationship between CEO education and corporate environmental investment behavior is stronger in non-manufacturing and highly monopolistic market competitive industries. Our study contributes to the sustainability literature by providing a new impetus for corporate environmental activities from the perspective of CEO education and sheds light on the impact of the internal and external factors of firms on the investment in environmental protection. It may also help decision makers to decide whether to hire highly educated CEOs and use a dual structure of CEOs in markets with different levels of competition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
21 pages, 3237 KiB  
Article
Low-Carbon Transition Models of High Carbon Supply Chains under the Mixed Carbon Cap-and-Trade and Carbon Tax Policy in the Carbon Neutrality Era
by Liang Shen, Fei Lin and T. C. E. Cheng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811150 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1944
Abstract
To achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the low-carbon transformation (LCT) of high-carbon firms is inevitable. We construct game models of a supply chain with different dominant types under a mixed carbon policy that embraces carbon cap-and-trade and carbon tax. [...] Read more.
To achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the low-carbon transformation (LCT) of high-carbon firms is inevitable. We construct game models of a supply chain with different dominant types under a mixed carbon policy that embraces carbon cap-and-trade and carbon tax. Solving each dominant model, we derive the effective area and optimal threshold of the mixed carbon policy to guide LCT. We find that the selling price, market demand, and profit of the supply chain system are equal in different dominant models due to the mixed carbon policy, but when a company dominates the supply chain, its profit is higher than when it is a subordinate. In addition, the high-carbon manufacturers (HCM) will pursue LCT only when the sum of the carbon tax rates and carbon trading prices is within a certain threshold, and the subordinate HCM are more likely to be driven to pursue LCT. Therefore, the government should adopt a differentiated hybrid carbon policy, setting a high (low) carbon tax rate for the HCM in a dominant (subordinate) position. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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23 pages, 3684 KiB  
Article
Boosting Sustainable Operations with Sustainable Supply Chain Modeling: A Case of Organizational Culture and Normative Commitment
by Sebastjan Lazar, Vojko Potočan, Dorota Klimecka-Tatar and Matevz Obrecht
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11131; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711131 - 05 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2792
Abstract
The importance of sustainability in supply chain management is growing worldwide. It is possible to find reasons for this using various phenomena that negatively affect humanity, e.g., climate change, scarce materials, supply disruptions, and complex fossil fuel dependency. Because of that, is extremely [...] Read more.
The importance of sustainability in supply chain management is growing worldwide. It is possible to find reasons for this using various phenomena that negatively affect humanity, e.g., climate change, scarce materials, supply disruptions, and complex fossil fuel dependency. Because of that, is extremely important to constantly look for new ways to systematically increase sustainability in enterprises and their logistics and supply chain processes by considering different stakeholders and influential factors. Therefore, this paper explores how different types of organizational culture and normative commitment impact sustainability and each other in business logistics and supply chains and develops a conceptual model to manage this challenge. Gaining new insights is valuable especially for managers to obtain better information on how to improve sustainability not just by integrating green technologies but mainly by changing culture, attitude, and perception in their enterprises. The research is focused on employees from global logistics or related branches in micro, small, medium, and large enterprises with the primary activity mostly related to manufacturing, transport, and storage. The findings are based on the questionnaire which was sent directly to 1576 employees from 528 enterprises. A total of 516 employees from enterprises that are mostly located in 34 countries responded to requests for participation. The results reveal statistically significant positive and negative impacts, e.g., clan culture has a positive statistically significant impact on the sustainable development of supply chains. Most of the connections to the eighth Sustainable Development Goal by the United Nations (decent work and economic growth) were also found, which was the enterprise’s highest priority with a share of 52.99%. A contribution to the theory development is gained using the developed model that considers both positive and negative statistically significant impacts studied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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15 pages, 371 KiB  
Article
Green Paradox or Forced Emission Reduction—The Dual Effects of Environmental Regulation on Carbon Emissions
by Kedong Yin, Lu Liu and Haolei Gu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 11058; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711058 - 03 Sep 2022
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 3473
Abstract
In response to global climate change, China made a commitment about carbon emissions at the UN General Assembly. It will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. To help China successfully meet its carbon emissions targets this study [...] Read more.
In response to global climate change, China made a commitment about carbon emissions at the UN General Assembly. It will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. To help China successfully meet its carbon emissions targets this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on carbon emissions from a different perspective. Using panel data from 30 provinces in China as samples, this paper discusses the direct and indirect effect of environmental regulation on carbon emissions and explains the indirect process through four transmission paths: energy consumption structure, industrial structure, technological innovation, and foreign direct investment (FDI). The empirical results show that the direct effect of environmental regulation on carbon emissions presents an inverted U-shaped curve, it means that when the intensity level of environmental regulation is low, it mainly shows the green paradox effect, and with the continuous tightening of environmental laws, it turns into a forced emission reduction on carbon emissions. In addition, we found that under the constraint of environmental regulation conditions, the coal-based energy consumption is still the leading cause of carbon emissions; environmental regulations have contributed to the upgrading of industrial structure and technological advance, which indirectly play a positive role in carbon emission reduction. However, environmental regulation restrains the spillover effect and capital accumulation effect of FDI, which brings a specific degree of hindrance to technological progress and economic development, and is not conducive to carbon emission reduction. Therefore, we have made the following recommendations: China should make reasonable use of environmental policies to regulate carbon emissions according to the situation of each region, optimize the energy structure and increase the proportion of clean energy use, and improve the technology level of related industries to reduce carbon emissions by innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
21 pages, 716 KiB  
Article
Optimal Carbon Abatement Strategy for Manufacturers under Cap-and-Trade
by Qiangfei Chai, Yiming Li, Zhongdong Xiao and Kee-hung Lai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10987; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710987 - 02 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1434
Abstract
Carbon emission abatement is very important for manufacturers regulated by environmental policies. However, choosing an optimal carbon abatement strategy is difficult for many firms. This paper attempts to explore the appropriate carbon abatement strategy for firms that are regulated by cap-and-trade. Specifically, by [...] Read more.
Carbon emission abatement is very important for manufacturers regulated by environmental policies. However, choosing an optimal carbon abatement strategy is difficult for many firms. This paper attempts to explore the appropriate carbon abatement strategy for firms that are regulated by cap-and-trade. Specifically, by bringing remanufacturing into consideration, this paper examines a manufacturer that has four alternative carbon abatement strategies: (1) do nothing, (2) invest in carbon abatement, (3) engage in remanufacturing, or (4) become involved in investment and remanufacturing together. The models of these four strategies are first developed in a monopolistic operating environment. The results show that among the four carbon abatement strategies, although the fourth strategy has the highest costs, it generates the largest profits for the manufacturer, passes the greatest benefits along to consumers, and has the best environmental performance. Next, this study is extended to a competitive environment. The results show that the optimal strategy in the monopolistic environment no longer maximizes profits, and decision guidance is offered for the manufacturer operating under such an environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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28 pages, 3783 KiB  
Article
Manufacturer’s Encroachment and Carbon Emission Reduction Decisions Considering Cap-and-Trade Regulation and Consumers’ Low-Carbon Preference
by Fan Ding, Zhangping Lu, Mengfan Jin and Licheng Sun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10407; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610407 - 21 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1448
Abstract
Carbon emission reduction and achieving carbon neutrality has become an inevitable trend in the sustainable development era. We investigate the manufacturer’s encroachment and carbon emission reduction decisions considering government cap-and-trade regulations and consumers’ low-carbon preference. The equilibrium decisions for the four scenarios are [...] Read more.
Carbon emission reduction and achieving carbon neutrality has become an inevitable trend in the sustainable development era. We investigate the manufacturer’s encroachment and carbon emission reduction decisions considering government cap-and-trade regulations and consumers’ low-carbon preference. The equilibrium decisions for the four scenarios are analytically obtained and compared based using the Stackelberg game. A comparison with and without cap-and-trade regulation under two encroachment decisions regarding member’s profits and carbon emission reduction levels are conducted. It is shown that the encroachment decision is always advantageous for the manufacturer if the government decides not to implement cap-and-trade regulation, and the retailer always loses profit. Moreover, if the carbon quota is sufficient, cap-and-trade regulation benefits the manufacturer. Otherwise, the manufacturer’s encroachment decision depends on the appropriate initial unit amount of carbon emission and unit carbon price. The retailer’s profit may not always be hurt by the manufacturer’s encroachment with cap-and-trade regulation; unless the unit carbon price exceeds a certain threshold, a higher consumer’s low-carbon preference in the encroachment scenario reduces more carbon emissions than in the no-encroachment scenario for the manufacturer. Further, the rising platform commission rate causes the platform profit to increase first and then decrease; the platform profit will slightly decrease if both products become more substitutes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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18 pages, 1087 KiB  
Article
Impact of Green Innovation Efficiency on Carbon Peak: Carbon Neutralization under Environmental Governance Constraints
by Meng Guo and Shukai Cai
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10245; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610245 - 18 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1662
Abstract
Under environmental governance constraints, in order to explore the quantitative contribution of green innovation efficiency to carbon peak and carbon neutralization at the urban level, this paper uses the unexpected Super-SBM model to measure the green innovation efficiency of each prefecture-level city based [...] Read more.
Under environmental governance constraints, in order to explore the quantitative contribution of green innovation efficiency to carbon peak and carbon neutralization at the urban level, this paper uses the unexpected Super-SBM model to measure the green innovation efficiency of each prefecture-level city based on the panel data of 40 prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze River Delta from 2010 to 2019. Furthermore, the panel fixed effect model is constructed, and the two-stage least squares estimation method is used for empirical research. It is found that green innovation efficiency can significantly reduce carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta, promote carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta to reach an early peak, and achieve the long-term goal of carbon neutrality as soon as possible. This conclusion is still stable after solving the endogenous problem and the influence of outliers. The results of regional heterogeneity analysis show that green innovation efficiency has remarkable effects on carbon emission reduction in Anhui and Zhejiang Provinces, and the emission reduction effect in Zhejiang Province is greater than that in Anhui Province. In addition, there exists obvious heterogeneity between different quantiles for the impact of green innovation efficiency on carbon emissions, showing an “inverted U” shape, and its intensity in the context of medium carbon emissions is greater than that of low carbon and high carbon emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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16 pages, 1060 KiB  
Article
The Agricultural Green Production following the Technological Progress: Evidence from China
by Shuxing Xiao, Zuxin He, Weikun Zhang and Xiaoming Qin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169876 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 1822
Abstract
This study performs the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and threshold model to analyze the efficiency of agricultural green production following technological progress from 1998 through 2019. The SDM supports a nonlinear contribution of technological progress spillover to agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP), [...] Read more.
This study performs the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and threshold model to analyze the efficiency of agricultural green production following technological progress from 1998 through 2019. The SDM supports a nonlinear contribution of technological progress spillover to agricultural green total factor productivity (GTFP), exacerbated by upgrading agricultural structure. Moreover, the threshold model confirms that technological progress has a single threshold effect on agricultural GTFP with the rationalization of the agrarian system as a threshold variable; meanwhile, the contribution of technological progress to agricultural GTFP is less than that of agricultural total factor productivity. Out of the expanded application of dissipative structure theory in agricultural GTFP systems innovatively, this study reveals the urgency to strengthen the innovation of independent technology, lower the threshold for introducing technology, and optimize the agrarian structure in the long-term sustainable agriculture for the economies that are undergoing a similar development stage as China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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23 pages, 746 KiB  
Article
Optimal Decisions in a Multi-Party Closed-Loop Supply Chain Considering Green Marketing and Carbon Tax Policy
by Shan Lyu, Yuyu Chen and Lei Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9244; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159244 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1764
Abstract
Global warming and e-waste pollution are two major environmental pollution issues that have attracted widespread attention. The government has adopted various measures to reduce carbon emissions from businesses and to make manufacturers responsible for recycling e-waste. In the face of external pressures, more [...] Read more.
Global warming and e-waste pollution are two major environmental pollution issues that have attracted widespread attention. The government has adopted various measures to reduce carbon emissions from businesses and to make manufacturers responsible for recycling e-waste. In the face of external pressures, more and more companies are implementing sustainable closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) management to reduce environmental pollution and achieve sustainable development. Therefore, it is essential to study the operational decisions of CLSC enterprises. This paper considers a sustainable CLSC consisting of two competing manufacturers and a dominant retailer. The government imposes a carbon tax on the retailer, and two manufacturers collect used products directly from their customers. We separately examine whether implementing green marketing by the retailer and the collaboration between the two manufacturers can improve their profits. By building decentralized CLSC mathematical models and applying game theory methods, we obtain that green marketing can increase profits for all CLSC members and improve return rates. The collaboration may yield higher total profits for two manufacturers than a decentralized solution, while the retailer’s profits may be lost under certain conditions. Finally, we perform several numerical analyses to find the relationship between unit carbon emission tax and social welfare and gain some managerial insights. The study gives key factors that CLSC companies should consider when making decisions to help them achieve sustainability and provides recommendations for the government to set a reasonable unit carbon tax. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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27 pages, 4945 KiB  
Article
Supply Chain Coordination under Carbon Emission Tax Regulation Considering Greening Technology Investment
by Zhimin Wei and Yun Huang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9232; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159232 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1527
Abstract
In this paper, we firstly derive the optimal strategies, including greening technology investment, production volume and order quantity decisions with stochastic demand, for the emissions-dependent supply chain composed of one manufacturer and one retailer. Then, an advance purchase discount (APD) contract and an [...] Read more.
In this paper, we firstly derive the optimal strategies, including greening technology investment, production volume and order quantity decisions with stochastic demand, for the emissions-dependent supply chain composed of one manufacturer and one retailer. Then, an advance purchase discount (APD) contract and an option contract are applied to coordinate the supply chain. Moreover, an innovative prepayment-based option (PBO) contract is designed based on an APD contract and an option contract. We discuss the cash flow, the inventory risk allocation and the impacts of carbon emission tax under each contract. It is found that considering improving cash flow, preselling (or option selling) as a means of supporting the manufacturer with sufficient cash flow will help expand production and invest in greening technology. From the perspective of avoiding inventory risk, the APD contract benefits the manufacturer while the option contract benefits the retailer. However, the PBO contract generates intermediate allocations of inventory risk between manufacturer and retailer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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24 pages, 2084 KiB  
Article
Application of Grey Lotka-Volterra Model in Water-Economy-Industry-Technology Innovation System in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region
by Xiaorui Guo, Lifeng Wu and Meng Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 8969; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19158969 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1733
Abstract
With the proposal of China’s high-quality development strategy, how to promote regional stability and coordinated development based on a deep understanding of the main contradictions and changes in China’s society has become the focus of research. High-quality development is a brand-new coordinated development [...] Read more.
With the proposal of China’s high-quality development strategy, how to promote regional stability and coordinated development based on a deep understanding of the main contradictions and changes in China’s society has become the focus of research. High-quality development is a brand-new coordinated development concept, which aims to optimize the economic structure, transform the development model, enhance the development momentum, and take innovation as the primary driving force. How to promote the coordinated development of this region has become a hot issue considered by scholars. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is the capital economic circle of China, and the purpose of this study is to promote the coordinated and stable development of the region. On this premise, this paper firstly adopts the composite Grey Lotka-Volterra (GLV) model and Fractional GM(1,1) (FGM(1,1)) model to research Water Resources system-Economic System-Industrial System-Technology Innovation System in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Secondly, by analyzing the research data, it is found that the relationship between the system is very complex, and the stability calculation results are all below 0. Then, the analysis of the research results shows that there is no obvious coordination among the three regions, and they have not yet reached a state of mutual promotion and stable and coordinated development. Finally, four suggestions are put forward for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. This can not only provide direction for the future development of the region but also have reference significance for the development of other regions. Further, accelerate the coordination and unity of all factors of production in China and promote China’s development at a deeper and higher level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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16 pages, 838 KiB  
Article
Club Convergence of Economies’ Per Capita Carbon Emissions: Evidence from Countries That Proposed Carbon Neutrality
by Zhaofu Yang, Yongna Yuan and Yu Tan
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8336; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148336 - 08 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1368
Abstract
To achieve the long-term goals outlined in the Paris Agreement that address climate change, many countries have committed to carbon neutrality targets. The study of the characteristics and emissions trends of these economies is essential for the realistic formulation of accurate corresponding carbon [...] Read more.
To achieve the long-term goals outlined in the Paris Agreement that address climate change, many countries have committed to carbon neutrality targets. The study of the characteristics and emissions trends of these economies is essential for the realistic formulation of accurate corresponding carbon neutral policies. In this study, we investigate the convergence characteristics of per capita carbon emissions (PCCEs) in 121 countries with carbon neutrality targets from 1990 to 2019 using a nonlinear time-varying factor model-based club convergence analysis, followed by an ordered logit model to explore the mechanism of convergence club formation. The results reveal three relevant findings. (1) Three convergence clubs for the PCCEs of countries with proposed carbon neutrality targets were evident, and the PCCEs of different convergence clubs converged in multiple steady-state levels along differing transition paths. (2) After the Kyoto Protocol came into effect, some developed countries were moved to the club with lower emissions levels, whereas some developing countries displayed elevated emissions, converging with the higher-level club. (3) It was shown that countries with higher initial emissions, energy intensity, industrial structure, and economic development levels are more likely to converge with higher-PCCEs clubs, whereas countries with higher urbanization levels are more likely to converge in clubs with lower PCCEs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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26 pages, 2716 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Legal Recycling Constraints and Carbon Trading Mechanisms on Decision Making in Closed-Loop Supply Chain
by Yuyan Wang, Tingting Yu and Rui Zhou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7400; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127400 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1892
Abstract
To investigate how legal constraints on the recycling rate of used products and carbon trading mechanisms affect the profits and other decisions of supply chain system members, this paper develops and solves a two-cycle game model in which the manufacturer dominates while the [...] Read more.
To investigate how legal constraints on the recycling rate of used products and carbon trading mechanisms affect the profits and other decisions of supply chain system members, this paper develops and solves a two-cycle game model in which the manufacturer dominates while the retailer takes a secondary position; the manufacturer produces only non-low-carbon new products in the first cycle and both new and low-carbon remanufactured products in the second cycle. Simultaneously, the effects of parameters such as recovery rate, unit carbon trading price, and carbon emission reduction factor on the decision making of members of the supply chain system are also discussed. Finally, the conclusions are verified by numerical analysis: (1) When carbon reduction is low, the manufacturer will choose the highest recycling rate to obtain the highest profit, and when carbon reduction is high, manufacturers tend to choose not to recycle when the minimum recycling rate bound by law harms the interests of manufacturers. (2) Under the implementation of the carbon trading mechanism, the unit carbon trading price affects the profits of the members of the supply chain system depending on the size of the carbon emission reduction, and the two are negatively correlated at lower carbon emission reductions and positively correlated at higher carbon emission reductions. (3) From the perspective of supply chain system members’ interests, legal constraints and the existence of carbon trading mechanisms are not always conducive to increasing the margins of members of the supply chain system, both relevant to the size of carbon emission reductions. (4) From the perspective of environmental benefits, supply chain members do not need to pay economic costs in all cases to contribute to environmental benefits, and the existence of minimum recycling rate constraints and carbon trading mechanisms are conducive to achieving carbon reduction targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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18 pages, 2601 KiB  
Article
A Heterogeneity Study of Carbon Emissions Driving Factors in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, China, Based on PGTWR Model
by Ting Lou, Jianhui Ma, Yu Liu, Lei Yu, Zhaopeng Guo and Yan He
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6644; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116644 - 29 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1660
Abstract
The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region is an important economic growth pole in China and achieving carbon emission reduction in the region is of great practical significance. Studying the heterogeneity of the influencing factors of carbon emission in this region contributes to formulating targeted regional carbon [...] Read more.
The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region is an important economic growth pole in China and achieving carbon emission reduction in the region is of great practical significance. Studying the heterogeneity of the influencing factors of carbon emission in this region contributes to formulating targeted regional carbon emission reduction policies. Therefore, this paper adopted thirteen cities as individuals of cross-section and conducted spatial and temporal heterogeneity analysis of the influencing factors of converted carbon emissions in the region with panel data from 2013 to 2018 based on the PGTWR model. From a space-time perspective, the regression coefficient of each influencing factor in this region has obvious heterogeneity, which is mainly reflected in the time dimension. In the study period, the impact of industrial structure, the level of urbanization, energy intensity, and the level of economic growth on carbon emission showed a decline curve, while the impact of the level of opening up and the size of population was on the rise, indicating that more attention should be paid to the latter two factors for the time to come. In terms of space, the differences in the influence of industrial structure and energy intensity on carbon emission vary significantly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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16 pages, 1600 KiB  
Article
Impact of Carbon Tax and Subsidy Policies on Original Equipment Manufacturers and Remanufacturing Companies from the Perspective of Carbon Emissions
by Shuiying Zhao, Yi Xu, Conghu Liu and Fangfang Wei
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6252; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106252 - 20 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1979
Abstract
To analyze the impact of government carbon tax and subsidy policies on the manufac turing industry in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This paper constructs a game model based on two government policies: a “carbon tax” policy for the original [...] Read more.
To analyze the impact of government carbon tax and subsidy policies on the manufac turing industry in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This paper constructs a game model based on two government policies: a “carbon tax” policy for the original product and a “subsidy” policy for the remanufactured product, taking the original product and the remanufactured product as the objects. The policy game model is used to study the impact of carbon taxes, government subsidies, and carbon emissions on product quality, sales, and corporate profits. The results show that under the carbon tax and government subsidy policies, the price of remanufactured products will decrease, the quality will increase, sales will improve, and remanufacturers’ profits will increase; these outcomes are conducive to the development of remanufacturing enterprises. Meanwhile, the price of original products will increase, quality will decrease, sales will decline, and original equipment manufacturers will have to develop and adopt low-carbon technologies to achieve sustainable development. This paper provides decision support for the formulation of government carbon emission policy, and theories and methods for the sustainable development of the manufacturing industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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21 pages, 1535 KiB  
Article
Stakeholder Engagement Behavior(s) in Sustainable Brownfield Regeneration: A Network Embeddedness Perspective
by Hongli Lin, Yuming Zhu, Jiahe Zhou, Bingxu Mu and Caihong Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(10), 6029; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19106029 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1642
Abstract
Brownfield regeneration (BR) is an important initiative for sustainable land development and the promotion of carbon neutrality. Insufficient stakeholder engagement is one of the main obstacles to the progress of BR. The relationship network formed through continuous interaction among stakeholders ensures the exchange [...] Read more.
Brownfield regeneration (BR) is an important initiative for sustainable land development and the promotion of carbon neutrality. Insufficient stakeholder engagement is one of the main obstacles to the progress of BR. The relationship network formed through continuous interaction among stakeholders ensures the exchange and transfer of information resources. Different structural features of the relationship network may lead to differences in the engagement level of stakeholders. Therefore, based on network embeddedness theory, this study conducts an empirical analysis to explore the impact of the relationship network structure on engagement behavior, for the purpose of increasing the stakeholder engagement level. A theoretical model is developed, in which network centrality, behavioral willingness and involvement climate are selected as the dependent variables of engagement behavior. Using an effective sample of 245 stakeholders involved in BR from ten cities in China, we find that stakeholder network centrality positively affects engagement behavior. There is also a positive relationship between network centrality and behavioral willingness. The behavioral willingness plays an intermediary role between network centrality and engagement behavior, and the involvement climate has a moderating role between behavioral willingness and engagement behavior. Additionally, various strategies can be adopted to promote the engagement level of stakeholders. The findings are useful in establishing a benchmarking framework for BR stakeholder engagement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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20 pages, 3216 KiB  
Article
Regional Differences and Convergence of Inter-Provincial Green Total Factor Productivity in China under Technological Heterogeneity
by Chong Huang, Kedong Yin, Hongbo Guo and Benshuo Yang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5688; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095688 - 07 May 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1746
Abstract
Green development is an effective way to reconcile the main contradictions between resources, environment, and regional development. Green total factor productivity (GTFP) is an important index to measure green development; an undesirable output-oriented SBM-DEA model and GML model can be used to calculate [...] Read more.
Green development is an effective way to reconcile the main contradictions between resources, environment, and regional development. Green total factor productivity (GTFP) is an important index to measure green development; an undesirable output-oriented SBM-DEA model and GML model can be used to calculate GTFP. China’s 30 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) are divided into three groups: eastern, central, and western. The common frontier function and group frontier function are established, respectively, to deeply explore the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics and center of gravity shift of inter-provincial green total factor productivity (GTFP) in China, and test the convergence under group frontier, to compare the convergence problems under different regions. This study aims to point out the differences in economic growth in different regions of China, foster regional coordination and orderly progress, promote China’s green development process, and improve the high-quality economic development level. According to the results, the efficiency of green development is more reasonable under the frontier groups. The average TGR in the eastern region was 0.993, indicating that it reached 99.3% of the meta-frontier green development efficiency technology. The inter-provincial GTFP in China gradually increased, with an average value of 1.043, which means China’s green development and ecological civilization construction have achieved remarkable results and the three regions showed significant differences. Judging from the shift path of the spatial center of gravity, the spatial distribution pattern of inter-provincial GTFP in China tends to be concentrated and stable as a whole. Moreover, σ convergence only exists in the western region, while absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence exist in eastern, central, and western regions, indicating that the GTFP of different regions will converge to their stable states over time. The results provide a basis for improving the efficiency of institutional allocation of environmental resources, implementing regional differentiated environmental regulation policies, and increasing the value creation of factor resources, which is of great significance for realizing the high-quality economic development in which resources, environment, and economy are coordinated in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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21 pages, 2002 KiB  
Article
Implications of a Carbon Tax Mechanism in Remanufacturing Outsourcing on Carbon Neutrality
by Jie Deng, Xuwei Luo and Mengsi Hu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5520; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095520 - 02 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1415
Abstract
Many governments have imposed methods such as a carbon tax that aim to even out the negative effects of carbon emissions. The taxes levied on different agents lead to different make–buy decisions for production structures and different environmental outcomes. Some original equipment manufacturers [...] Read more.
Many governments have imposed methods such as a carbon tax that aim to even out the negative effects of carbon emissions. The taxes levied on different agents lead to different make–buy decisions for production structures and different environmental outcomes. Some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) outsource remanufacturing to independent remanufacturers (IRs). Thus, a question arises: What are the implications of carbon taxes levied on different agents on remanufacturing outsourcing decisions? To answer this question, we developed two models: (1) acting as common brand owners, OEMs can be taxed for both new and remanufactured products, or (2) acting as different emitters for production and remanufacturing, OEMs are taxed for new products; however, all carbon taxes related to remanufacturing are levied on IRs. Our analysis reveals that, regarding economic performance, firms should undertake a carbon emission tax on their own initiative because this allows the taxpayer to choose more units for its preferred products and leaves its rivals at a huge disadvantage. Moreover, regarding environmental sustainability, carbon emission taxes indeed lead to mitigating the effects of carbon emissions per unit; however, environmental agencies should also pay attention to reducing the total carbon emissions by limiting the volume effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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21 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
Green Recycling Supplier Selection of Shared Bicycles: Interval-Valued Pythagorean Fuzzy Hybrid Weighted Methods Based on Self-Confidence Level
by Yan Pan, Yanzhe Li, Shouzhen Zeng, Junfang Hu and Kifayat Ullah
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5024; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095024 - 20 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1603
Abstract
In the face of practical problems such as the increasing demand for shared bicycles and the number of faulty vehicles which are hard to handle and repair in time, shared bicycles operators tend to outsource recycling services to suppliers. To solve the problem [...] Read more.
In the face of practical problems such as the increasing demand for shared bicycles and the number of faulty vehicles which are hard to handle and repair in time, shared bicycles operators tend to outsource recycling services to suppliers. To solve the problem of recycling supplier selection, this paper constructs a novel evaluation index system involving the three traditional dimensions and introduces an interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy (IVPF) hybrid weighted decision-making model based on the self-confidence level. Subsequently, the self-confidence IVPF hybrid weighted average geometric operator and self-confidence IVPF ordered hybrid weighted average geometric operator are proposed by integrating the self-confidence level of experts, the superiority of the weighted and geometric average rules. The significant merit of the developed operators is that they can incorporate the self-confidence level of the expert as well as effectively combine the characteristics of the weighted and geometric average mechanism. A multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) framework is then constructed by using the proposed aggregation approach. Finally, on the basis of the established evaluation index system, a case concerning the green recycling supplier selection of shared bicycles is applied to display the superiority and practicability of the presented method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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27 pages, 12776 KiB  
Article
Incentive Mechanisms for Carbon Emission Abatement Considering Consumers’ Low-Carbon Awareness under Cap-and-Trade Regulation
by Kelei Xue, Guohua Sun and Tongtong Yao
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4104; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074104 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2291
Abstract
In the era of sustainable development, reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality are gradually becoming a consensus for our society. This study explores firms’ incentive mechanisms for carbon emission abatement in a two-echelon supply chain under cap-and-trade regulation, where consumers exhibit low-carbon [...] Read more.
In the era of sustainable development, reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality are gradually becoming a consensus for our society. This study explores firms’ incentive mechanisms for carbon emission abatement in a two-echelon supply chain under cap-and-trade regulation, where consumers exhibit low-carbon awareness. To boost the manufacturer’s motivation for abatement, the retailer can provide four incentive strategies, i.e., price-only (PO), cost-sharing (CS), revenue-sharing (RS), and both (cost and revenue) sharing (BS). The equilibrium decisions under the four incentive strategies are obtained by establishing and solving game models. A two-part tariff contract is also proposed to coordinate the low-carbon supply chain. Finally, through comparisons and analyses, we find that: (1) Consumers’ high low-carbon awareness can boost the manufacturer’s incentive for carbon emission abatement (CEA), thus increasing supply chain members’ profits. (2) It is more effective for the retailer to share its revenue to incentivize the manufacturer for abatement than to bear the investment cost of CEA. Thus, Strategy RS is better than Strategy CS and equivalent to Strategy BS. (3) The manufacturer and retailer have consistent incentive strategy preference under cap-and-trade regulation. Both firms prefer the incentive strategy with a higher cooperation level. (4) The incentive strategy with a higher cooperation level can also bring higher eco-social welfare under certain conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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24 pages, 2821 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Evaluation of Waste Separation Management Policies in the Yangtze River Delta Based on the PMC Index Model
by Fang Liu and Zhi Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 3815; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073815 - 23 Mar 2022
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3604
Abstract
Numerous policies have been formulated and implemented to strengthen waste separation management activities in many countries. Waste separation management policies (WSMPs) must be evaluated as the precondition for reducing deviations from policy implementation and improving waste separation performance. Based on text mining technology [...] Read more.
Numerous policies have been formulated and implemented to strengthen waste separation management activities in many countries. Waste separation management policies (WSMPs) must be evaluated as the precondition for reducing deviations from policy implementation and improving waste separation performance. Based on text mining technology and the construction of a policy modeling consistency (PMC) index model, we conducted a quantitative evaluation of 22 WSMPs issued by central governmental departments and provinces in the Yangtze River Delta, China from 2013 to 2021 and analyzed their optimization paths. The results suggest that the PMC index of the selected WSMPs has an upward trend. The average PMC index of 22 WSMPs was 6.906, indicating good quality in the policy texts. The PMC index identified seven, nine, five, and one of the policies as being perfect, excellent, good, and acceptable, respectively. The characteristics of WSMPs were further illustrated through PMC surface charts. Based on this, optimization paths for WSMPs with lower PMC indexes are proposed, which indicate that existing WSMPs have great potential for optimization in terms of harsher constraint regulations, context-appropriate incentives, and cultivation of market participants. Finally, this study provides a beneficial reference for similar cities or countries to improve their performance in the management of waste separation and environmental protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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25 pages, 1807 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Supply Chain Competition on Firms’ Carbon Emission Reduction and Social Welfare under Cap-and-Trade Regulation
by Kelei Xue and Guohua Sun
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063226 - 09 Mar 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2744
Abstract
In the carbon neutrality era, firms are facing increasingly intense environmental pressure and market competition. This paper considers two competitive supply chains with consumers’ low-carbon preference under the cap-and-trade regulation, each of which consists of one manufacturer and one retailer. Considering competition or [...] Read more.
In the carbon neutrality era, firms are facing increasingly intense environmental pressure and market competition. This paper considers two competitive supply chains with consumers’ low-carbon preference under the cap-and-trade regulation, each of which consists of one manufacturer and one retailer. Considering competition or integration in vertical and horizontal directions, four different supply chain structures are modeled. By applying a game-theoretical approach, the equilibrium pricing, carbon emission reduction (CER) level, profit, and social welfare are obtained. Through comparison and analysis, the economic and environmental impacts of supply chain competition are explored. The results show that (1) the carbon quota acts as a kind of financial subsidy and brings direct economic profit to the supply chain, which cannot be used to incentivize the firm to invest in CER technology; (2) the HCVI strategy can bring the highest CER level, the most market demand, and social welfare among the four strategies; (3) for the enterprise and the government, it is recommended to take measures and enact policies to strengthen the vertical integration and horizontal competition between supply chains. Our study can guide firms on how to cope with increasingly fierce industry competition and environmental pressure by adjusting their operational decisions and supply chain structure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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27 pages, 6149 KiB  
Article
Decision-Making and the Contract of the Complementary Product Supply Chain Considering Consumers’ Environmental Awareness and Government Green Subsidies
by Lingzhi Shao and Qianwen Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 3100; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053100 - 06 Mar 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2106
Abstract
The environmental awareness of consumers and enterprises has gradually increased, and green production and green consumption have become the main theme of social economy. On the other hand, the complementary product market has become an important source of competitive advantage for enterprises. Considering [...] Read more.
The environmental awareness of consumers and enterprises has gradually increased, and green production and green consumption have become the main theme of social economy. On the other hand, the complementary product market has become an important source of competitive advantage for enterprises. Considering a complementary product supply chain, and taking account of the consumers’ environmental awareness and the green subsidies provided by the government, this paper examines members’ decisions in relation to four contract models based on game theory. By solving the model, it is shown that the government’s green subsidy plan improves the green degree of subsidized products and complementary products. Furthermore, compared to wholesale price contracts, revenue-sharing and cost-sharing contracts motivate manufacturers to improve the greenness of subsidized products, and they achieve a Pareto improvement for the whole supply chain and its members, when the contract parameters are appropriate. Numerical experiments also reveal that both the greenness of the complementary products and the profit for members increase with the green innovation spillover effect as a result of the complementary products and the scale of green consumers with environmental awareness in the market. This study provides good guidance for decision-making concerning the complementary product supply chain, and further contributes to environmental protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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20 pages, 5390 KiB  
Article
Optimal Subsidy Support for the Provision of Elderly Care Services in China Based on the Evolutionary Game Analysis
by Qiang Mu, Peng Guo and Ding Wang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2800; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052800 - 28 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1874
Abstract
Public–private partnership is a type of cooperation that has been widely employed to alleviate contradictions between supply and demand in the elderly care industry in China. Based on evolutionary game theory, this paper mainly analyzes the effects of static subsidy and dynamic subsidy [...] Read more.
Public–private partnership is a type of cooperation that has been widely employed to alleviate contradictions between supply and demand in the elderly care industry in China. Based on evolutionary game theory, this paper mainly analyzes the effects of static subsidy and dynamic subsidy to private sectors and consumers on the evolution of the decision process for private investors, consumers, and government in the three-dimension system. The simulation results show that without active supervision, a higher subsidy to private sectors will not promote the provision of high-quality services when the cost saving is large. Furthermore, there exists a threshold value of the difference between the two types of subsidies such that elderly people will be encouraged to choose institutional care if the value exceeds the threshold. We also find that dynamic subsidy policy works more efficiently in promoting the provision of home-based care services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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24 pages, 1612 KiB  
Article
Coordination Decisions for a Low-Carbon Supply Chain Considering Risk Aversion under Carbon Quota Policy
by Hao Zou, Jin Qin and Xiaofeng Long
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(5), 2656; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052656 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1980
Abstract
To mitigate climate change, the governments of various countries have formulated and implemented corresponding low-carbon emission reduction policies. Meanwhile, consumers’ awareness of the necessity of environmental protection is gradually improving, and more consumers pay attention to the environmental attributes of products, which all [...] Read more.
To mitigate climate change, the governments of various countries have formulated and implemented corresponding low-carbon emission reduction policies. Meanwhile, consumers’ awareness of the necessity of environmental protection is gradually improving, and more consumers pay attention to the environmental attributes of products, which all encourages enterprises to have great power to implement low carbon technology. As rational decision makers, members tend to show the characteristics of risk aversion. How to meet the needs of consumers and reduce their own risks has become a key point of low-carbon supply chain management. Considering carbon quota policy, in this paper, the optimal pricing decision-making process of a supply chain system is discussed under risk-neutral and risk-avoidance decision-making scenarios by game theory, and a cost-sharing contract is used to coordinate the decision-making process of a supply chain system. By analyzing the influence of the risk aversion coefficient on the optimal strategies of participants, we find that when the manufacturer has the risk aversion characteristic, the risk aversion coefficient will further reduce the carbon emission rate, the wholesale price of the product and the manufacturer’s profit but increase the product order quantity and the retailer’s profit. In addition, if consumers have a high preference for low-carbon products, the manufacturer’s risk-aversion coefficient will lead to a lower selling price than in the centralized decision-making situation, and the profit of the supply chain system will also be further reduced. When the cost-sharing contract is adopted for coordination, the Pareto improvement of supply chain members’ profits can be achieved when the parameters of the cost-sharing contract are appropriate, regardless of the manufacturer’s risk-neutral decision or risk-aversion decision. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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17 pages, 1662 KiB  
Article
The Carbon Emission Assessment of a Building with Different Prefabrication Rates in the Construction Stage
by Qingye Han, Junjie Chang, Guiwen Liu and Heng Zhang
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(4), 2366; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042366 - 18 Feb 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3469
Abstract
The utilization of prefabricated components is taken as a potential way to reduce carbon emissions from the construction industry, and the prefabrication rate may be a factor that influences the mitigation efficiency. This study develops an assessment method to compare carbon emissions of [...] Read more.
The utilization of prefabricated components is taken as a potential way to reduce carbon emissions from the construction industry, and the prefabrication rate may be a factor that influences the mitigation efficiency. This study develops an assessment method to compare carbon emissions of a building in the construction stage when it is built with multiple different prefabrication rates. Firstly, two carbon sources (building materials and machineries) and three construction sub-phases (production of materials and components, transportation, and on-site construction) are determined to clarify the calculation boundary. Then, a carbon emission measurement model for prefabricated buildings in the construction stage is developed by using a process-based method. A dormitory building in Chongqing, China, is selected to conduct a case study to show the application of the provided model. The result shows that the carbon emission of prefabricated buildings is higher compared to that of traditional cast-in situ buildings. Moreover, the emission of prefabricated buildings decreased slightly with the increase in the prefabrication rate. A detailed discussion is followed to investigate the reason why the carbon emission does not decrease with the utilization of prefabricated units. Based on the discussion, some suggestions are given to improve the carbon emission reduction efficiency of prefabrication techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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25 pages, 3034 KiB  
Article
Extended Warranty Strategy and Its Environment Impact of Remanufactured Supply Chain
by Xuemei Zhang, Jiawei Hu, Suqin Sun and Guohu Qi
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1526; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031526 - 28 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2473
Abstract
To reduce environmental pollution, the government has issued relevant laws and regulations, and more and more enterprises engage in remanufacturing and recycling used products. Trade old for new and trade old for remanufactured have become marketing means to promote product recycling. The extended [...] Read more.
To reduce environmental pollution, the government has issued relevant laws and regulations, and more and more enterprises engage in remanufacturing and recycling used products. Trade old for new and trade old for remanufactured have become marketing means to promote product recycling. The extended warranty service is used to promote the recycling of waste products. To design an optimal extended warranty service strategy and analyze its environment impact in a remanufactured supply chain, game theory is used to model the competitive relationship between a manufacturer and an E-commerce platform. Considering whether the E-commerce platform provides extended warranty service, four models are constructed, and the extended warranty service strategy and its environment impact can be analyzed. The results show that, when the level of substitutability between remanufactured and new products meets a certain rage, new or remanufactured products with extended warranty service strategy can increase the demand for new or remanufactured products, respectively. In the four models, the changing trends of manufacturer’s profit, E-commerce platform’s profit and supply chain’s profit, consumer surplus, environmental impact and social welfare are the same, but only the thresholds are different. From the perspectives of supply chain member, supply chain system, consumer, environment and society, the new and remanufactured products with extended warranty service strategy is the best choice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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18 pages, 8957 KiB  
Article
Can the Carbon Emissions Trading System Improve the Green Total Factor Productivity of the Pilot Cities?—A Spatial Difference-in-Differences Econometric Analysis in China
by Dawei Huang and Gang Chen
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1209; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031209 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 4877
Abstract
The carbon emission trading system (CETS) is an important market-oriented policy tool for the Chinese government to solve the problem of high emissions and achieve the growth of green total factor productivity (GTFP). This study makes up for the neglect of the spatial [...] Read more.
The carbon emission trading system (CETS) is an important market-oriented policy tool for the Chinese government to solve the problem of high emissions and achieve the growth of green total factor productivity (GTFP). This study makes up for the neglect of the spatial effect of CETS policy in previous studies and adopts the spatial difference-in-differences (DID) Durbin model (SDID-SDM) method of two-way fixed effects to scientifically identify the direct and spatial effects influencing the mechanisms and heterogeneity of CETS on urban GTFP based on the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2004 to 2017. It found that China’s CETS significantly improved the GTFP of pilot cities but produced a negative spatial siphon effect that restricted the growth of GTFP in surrounding cities. Benchmark results are robust under the placebo test, the propensity score matching SDID (PSM-SDID) test, and the difference-in difference-in-differences (DDD) test. The mechanism analysis shows that the CETS effect is mainly realized by improving energy efficiency, promoting low-carbon innovation, adjusting the industrial structure, and enhancing financial agglomeration. In addition, we find that policy effects are better in cities with high marketization, strong monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) capabilities, high coal endowment, and high financial endowment. Overall, China’s CETS policy achieves the goal of enhancing GTFP but needs to pay attention to the spatial siphon effect. In addition, our estimation strategy can serve as a scientific reference for similar studies in other developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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18 pages, 1008 KiB  
Article
Remanufacturing Marketing Decisions in the Presence of Retailing Platforms in the Carbon Neutrality Era
by Xiaojiao Qiao, Xiukun Zhao and Jinhui Zou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010384 - 30 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
Background: In response to the specific goals of carbon peaking and neutrality, remanufacture is becoming increasingly popular. With the marketplace being more and more adopted, an independent remanufacturer (IR) could sell its products via either the reselling model or the marketplace model. In [...] Read more.
Background: In response to the specific goals of carbon peaking and neutrality, remanufacture is becoming increasingly popular. With the marketplace being more and more adopted, an independent remanufacturer (IR) could sell its products via either the reselling model or the marketplace model. In order to contribute more to carbon neutrality, we investigate the optimal marketing decision for remanufacturing. We construct two models namely reselling model and the marketplace model, and further explore the effects of each marketing model on the decisions and profits of both the IR and the platform firm. Methods: We examine a platform firm that sells new products and an IR that sells remanufactured products under two marketing models based on game theory: (1) a reselling model in which the IR sells remanufactured products to the platform firm; then the platform firm resells to consumers; (2) a marketplace model in which the IR sells remanufactured products to consumers through the platform. Results: Our results show that aiming at carbon neutrality, the IR would be induced by the marketplace model to undertake remanufacturing operations and remanufacture products as many as it could still meet the market demand. Meanwhile, the marketplace model encourages the IR to rethink its work and manufacture more products under certain conditions. Furthermore, both the platform firm and the IR prefer the marketplace model to the reselling model within a Pareto zone. In addition, we find that both the platform firm and the IR could benefit from the marketplace model when they take carbon neutrality under consideration. Conclusions: This study provides managerial insight from two aspects. Remanufactures could decide their marketing model via thorough consideration of market competition, commission rate, and production cost. The government could do more to protect the marketplace environment in order to stimulate the internal vitality of the platform in the achievement march of carbon neutrality purpose. That is, this study will provide good guidance for sustainable development decision-making of remanufacturing marketing platforms, and further contributes to the achievement of the carbon neutrality goal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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27 pages, 5116 KiB  
Article
Waste Electrical and Electronic Fund Policy: Current Status and Evaluation of Implementation in China
by Xiao-Shan Yang, Xiao-Xue Zheng, Tian-Yu Zhang, Ying Du and Fengru Long
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(24), 12945; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182412945 - 08 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2562
Abstract
With the accelerated iteration of global electronic and electrical product updates, the demand for electronic and electrical products presents a new trend in which the life cycle of electronic and electrical products is shortened. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) products pose a [...] Read more.
With the accelerated iteration of global electronic and electrical product updates, the demand for electronic and electrical products presents a new trend in which the life cycle of electronic and electrical products is shortened. Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) products pose a great threat to the global ecological environment, and solving this problem is urgent. Therefore, governments around the world have formulated funding policies for WEEE products, which has led to continuous improvements in such policies. Along these lines, we adopt the circular economy concept, extended producer responsibility theory and life cycle assessment method to comparatively analyse and compare the different fund operation modes in China, Germany, Japan and The Netherlands. In addition, based on the data related to fund policy implementation, we point out the problems in the development of the WEEE industry in China. The analysis results show that although China is the largest WEEE market, it is still in the initial stage and lags behind Western countries in efficiency and cost management. Then, taking as an example ‘Go Green’, an O2O classified recycling platform launched in 2005, this paper performs an extended analysis of the “Internet +” recycling model, which was proposed as a WEEE fund operation solution in China. Finally, we discuss the economic impact of this study on the future implementation and valuation of WEEE fund policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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Review

Jump to: Research

14 pages, 923 KiB  
Review
Whole-Process Risk Management of Soil Amendments for Remediation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural Soil—A Review
by Hanlin Feng and Jiemin Cheng
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1869; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031869 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
Reducing the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in soils by adding exogenous materials is a technology for remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals. Unlike industrial sites, the use of such techniques in agricultural soils requires consideration of not only reducing the mobility [...] Read more.
Reducing the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in soils by adding exogenous materials is a technology for remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals. Unlike industrial sites, the use of such techniques in agricultural soils requires consideration of not only reducing the mobility of heavy metals but also avoiding adverse effects on soil fertility and the growth of plants. Due to the uncertainty of the stability of amendments applied to agricultural soil, the application of amendments in farmland soil is controversial. This article reviewed the field studies in which amendments were used to immobilize heavy metals, and identified the potential environmental impacts of all aspects of soil amendment usage, including production and processing, transportation, storage, application to soil, long-term stability, and plant absorption. Results of the study indicated that after identifying the environmental risks of the whole process of the application of improvers in agricultural fields, it is necessary to classify the risks according to their characteristics, and design differentiated risk control measures for the safe application of this type of technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decision Models for Sustainable Development in the Carbon Neutrality Era)
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