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Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability
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Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 9662

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Dan Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Administration, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Interests: urban sustainable development; energy saving and emission reduction; green development; carbon emission performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce a novel Special Issue entitled “Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability” in the journal Sustainability. Environmental economics uses economic theories and tools to compare costs and benefits of different environmental policies, in order to explore the optimal allocation of environmental resources and improve the effectiveness of policies. How to address the conflicts between economic development and emission reduction, between long-term and short-term goals, and between the government and market, are issues that need to be taken on board when formulating environmental policies. Technological innovation and policy innovation are two important aspects to achieve the goal of environmental governance. Technological innovation focuses on the supply of technologies with high efficiency and low cost. Policy innovation stresses a high collaborative process of economy, society and environment.

At present, major developed economies have reached the peak of carbon emissions, and many countries or regions have proposed timetables for achieving carbon neutrality. In this case, what are the differences and transitions in terms of policy tools, policy objectives and policy subjects amongst various countries or regions? How should developing countries optimize the policy combinations at different stages? What successful experience can be learnt or have demonstrational effects?

This Special Issue invites multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary contributions, including, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Globalization and environmental governance;
  • Environmental regulation and environmental performance;
  • Green innovation and low-carbon development;
  • Urban air pollution control;
  • Optimal management of natural resources;
  • Green finance and low-carbon investment.

Dr. Dan Yan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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

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

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

Keywords

  • collaborative governance
  • environmental regulation
  • health loss
  • carbon emission performance
  • digital management

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1942 KiB  
Article
Trend Analysis of the Impact of Ecological Governance on Industrial Structural Upgrading under the Dual Carbon Target
by Siqing You, Chaoyu Zhang, Han Zhao, Hongli Zhou, Zican Li, Jiayi Xu and Yan Meng
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11775; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511775 - 31 Jul 2023
Viewed by 687
Abstract
The Chinese government faces significant challenges in achieving the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (dual carbon targets), particularly in the realms of implementing a low-carbon economy and achieving ecological balance. In order to assist the Chinese government in formulating more effective [...] Read more.
The Chinese government faces significant challenges in achieving the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (dual carbon targets), particularly in the realms of implementing a low-carbon economy and achieving ecological balance. In order to assist the Chinese government in formulating more effective ecological governance policies, this paper focuses on 288 cities in China and proposes a predictive model combining gray forecasting, Backpropagation Neural Network, and threshold effect testing to forecast yearly ecological governance intensity. Under the premise of examining the predictive effect, fixed effects testing and threshold regression analysis were conducted to assess the future intensity of ecological governance. The empirical research results reveal that the increasing intensity of future ecological governance has a promoting effect on China’s upgrading of industrial structure, but this effect gradually diminishes. On the contrary, there is significant potential for optimizing industry’s internal structure. Efforts should be directed towards intensified governance, emphasizing energy-saving and emission reduction in high-carbon industries, and promoting environmentally and economically beneficial models. Our research provides a widely applicable method for studying the trend of research as it pertains to government decision-making effectiveness and valuable insights for governments to make more informed decisions in the pursuit of sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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19 pages, 1758 KiB  
Article
Does Environmental Policy with Veto Power Lead to Heterogeneous Emission? Evidence from China
by Yan Fu, Jiaxing Cao, Xiaohui Wu, Jiale He, Zekun Zhou and Yulin Zhao
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9163; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129163 - 06 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1037
Abstract
Under the high-powered target responsibility system since 2007, with newly added environmental criterion, this study seeks to examine the effectiveness of the target-based performance assessment as an accelerator for local officials to be “greener”. This coercive environmental policy incorporates a stringent “one-vote” veto [...] Read more.
Under the high-powered target responsibility system since 2007, with newly added environmental criterion, this study seeks to examine the effectiveness of the target-based performance assessment as an accelerator for local officials to be “greener”. This coercive environmental policy incorporates a stringent “one-vote” veto criterion for cadre promotion, meaning that officials who exceed emissions standards will not be promoted, no matter how outstanding their other performances are. Based on a panel data of 106 observations of provincial party secretaries from 31 provinces, this study examines how the target assessment intervenes in pollutant emissions through a new career incentive mode in China, and the conclusions are as follows: (1) Usually, provincial officials with higher political promotion incentives are characterized as a younger, lower-position cadre during the pre-stage of term, and tend to take GDP growth goals as a priority while treating environmental targets negatively. (2) Target assessment moderates the relationship between officials’ position and SO2 emission. The use of a one-vote veto in environmental pollution assessments has led to a shift of incentive structure, as political actors prioritize environmental protection as a means of increasing their chances of promotion. (3) The moderating effect of target assessment is heterogeneous, being significant only when officials are below 60 or before the third year of their term. This study sheds light on the previously opaque motivations behind green behaviors among officials, and provides empirical support for China’s transition from a GDP-based assessment system to a green GDP-based promotion model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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21 pages, 505 KiB  
Article
Does Financial Resource Misallocation Inhibit the Improvement of Green Development Efficiency? Evidence from China
by Yaqing Han, Qiangqiang Wang and Yushui Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4466; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054466 - 02 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1478
Abstract
Improving the efficiency of green development is an important means of achieving high-quality development, and the optimal allocation of financial resources is the core factor in promoting green development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China taken from 2005 to [...] Read more.
Improving the efficiency of green development is an important means of achieving high-quality development, and the optimal allocation of financial resources is the core factor in promoting green development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China taken from 2005 to 2021, this paper constructs a financial resource misallocation (FM) index and green development efficiency (GDE) measurement system, empirically examining the impact and transmission path of FM on the GDE from the dual perspectives of financial resource element mismatch and structural mismatch. First, the results show that financial misallocation is the key factor inhibiting the improvement of GDE, and with the improvement of GDE, the inhibitory effect of financial misallocation decreases first and then increases in an inverted V-shaped trend. Second, the inhibitory effect of financial resource structure mismatch on GDE is greater than that of financial resource element mismatch. Moreover, after the degree of financial marketization is distinguished, this inhibitory effect is more evident in the regions with a low degree of financial marketization. Third, through mechanism analysis, we found that FM affects the improvement of GDE by inhibiting financial resource agglomeration through enterprise technological innovation and industrial structure height. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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21 pages, 4919 KiB  
Article
The Promotion Path of Pseudo and Real Human Settlements Environment Coupling Coordination in Resource-Based Cities
by Guozhu Li and Meichen Liu
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3851; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043851 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1464
Abstract
A suitable living environment is the common aspiration of city residents and the inherent requirement of sustainable development. This paper takes 114 resource-based cities in China as the research objects, constructs a pseudo human settlement environment (PSH) system based on network data, and [...] Read more.
A suitable living environment is the common aspiration of city residents and the inherent requirement of sustainable development. This paper takes 114 resource-based cities in China as the research objects, constructs a pseudo human settlement environment (PSH) system based on network data, and constructs a real human settlement environment (RSH) system based on traditional data, measures the coupling coordination degree of the pseudo and real human settlement environment, and uses Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to analyze its improvement path. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The evaluation index of real human settlements in China’s resource-based cities continues to grow, and the evaluation index of pseudo human settlements increases first and then decreases. (2) The coupling coordination degree between the resource-based pseudo city and the real human settlement environment presents an inverted U-shaped change trend, and the overall distribution presents a three-level ladder-like distribution of east-central-west. (3) A single condition has a weak ability to explain the coupling coordination degree of human settlements; the coupling coordination degree of resource-based cities has formed three improvement paths: opening + finance driven model, opening + education + finance driven model, and education + finance driven model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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19 pages, 461 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Scientific and Technological Innovation on High-Quality Economic Development in the Yangtze River Delta Region
by Jianyu Han, Min He, Honglin Xie and Tao Ding
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14346; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114346 - 02 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1605
Abstract
According to the new development pattern, implementing the development strategy driven by scientific and technological innovation (STI) is an important measure for each region to improve the quality of regional economic development. Exploring the effect of STI on the regional high-quality economic development [...] Read more.
According to the new development pattern, implementing the development strategy driven by scientific and technological innovation (STI) is an important measure for each region to improve the quality of regional economic development. Exploring the effect of STI on the regional high-quality economic development (HED) is helpful to break the bottleneck and enhance the momentum of regional economic development. The Yangtze River Delta, located in the east coast of China, is the frontier of STI and economic development. Based on theoretical analysis, this paper uses the entropy method to calculate the STI index of the Yangtze River Delta from 2009 to 2018, and systematically investigates the impact of STI on HED in Yangtze River Delta by using two-way fixed effect, spatial Dubin model, panel threshold model and moderation effect model. The research finds that: First, under the control of other factors, STI has significantly promoted the HED of Yangtze River Delta region, while it also produces a spatial spillover effect. Second, the impact of STI on HED in the Yangtze River Delta has a double threshold effect based on the advanced industrial structure. Third, the analysis of adjustment mechanism shows that the scale of higher education has a positive adjustment effect in the relationship between STI and HED. Fourth, with the further analysis of regional heterogeneity, the economic effect of STI in central cities is significantly greater than that in noncentral cities. These findings provide theory-based direction and policy inspiration for improving the institutional mechanism of STI and accelerating the promotion of HED in Yangtze River Delta region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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14 pages, 307 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Market Integration on Renewable Energy Technology Innovation: Evidence from China
by Xiaohong Liu and Meiwen Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13778; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113778 - 24 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1220
Abstract
China is vigorously building a unified domestic market, with priority given to regional market integration while maintaining a national unified market. Limited research has been conducted on whether market integration affects renewable energy technology innovation (RETI). This paper empirically studies this topic based [...] Read more.
China is vigorously building a unified domestic market, with priority given to regional market integration while maintaining a national unified market. Limited research has been conducted on whether market integration affects renewable energy technology innovation (RETI). This paper empirically studies this topic based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2020 using FMOLS (Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares), DOLS (Dynamic Least Squares method), and FGLS (Feasible Generalized Least Squares). Research results have been verified by robustness tests. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Market integration has an important positive impact on RETI, namely, boosting it. This conclusion remains robust when different indicators of innovation and market segmentation are included. (2) The regional impacts of market integration on RETI are heterogeneous, being the greatest in east China, followed by west China and central China. (3) Market integration affects RETI through energy structure and technological innovation. It can optimize energy structure, improve technological innovation, and thus enhance RETI. Based on the above conclusions, in order to improve RETI in China and expand its contribution to carbon neutrality and carbon peaking, China needs to strengthen the construction of a national unified market and implement differentiated market integration policies in east, central, and west China. Furthermore, it is necessary to give full play to the role of energy structure and technological innovation in market integration by optimizing energy structure and improving technological innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)

Other

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9 pages, 963 KiB  
Case Report
Redefining Food Sources: Exploring the Disconnect between Goat Farming and Its Perceived Sustainability—A Case Study in Chitima, Mozambique
by Martín del Valle M, Roberto Hernández, Lisa Boden and José Luis Riveros
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11071; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411071 - 15 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1264
Abstract
The objective of this study was to analyze the disconnect between goat farming and its perception as a food source and determine if this is related to the way farmers value goats. We conducted a questionnaire of 1 open and 15 closed questions [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to analyze the disconnect between goat farming and its perception as a food source and determine if this is related to the way farmers value goats. We conducted a questionnaire of 1 open and 15 closed questions among (n = 23) goat producers in Bairro Boroma, Province of Tete, Mozambique, and six in-depth interviews with stakeholders of the local goat meat trading chain. The results show that goats have an economic value more than a nutritional value, meaning they preferred trading them instead of allocating them for their own consumption. Conformation and size characteristics were more relevant when buying/selling an animal. All goat producers sold live animals in their household’s backyard, at an average price of USD 19.3 ± 4.6/per animal with an average weight of 20.23 ± 3.41 kg. Finally, goat producers preferred to increase their number of goats rather than cattle due to the ease of husbandry, amount of meat obtained from the carcass and reduced risk of meat spoilage post-slaughter because of their smaller size. The latter is essential within an environment lacking access to drinkable water and electric energy to support cold chain management in meat storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development Trends in Environmental Economics, Environmental Policy and Regional Sustainability)
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