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Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition
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Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 10035

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shuai Zhong

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Guest Editor
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: environmental and resource economics; green and sustainable development policy; regional low-carbon transition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ayman Elshkaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Interests: industrial ecology; dynamic material flow analysis; integrated assessment modelling; sustainable resources management; sustainability of emerging technologies; material–energy–water–climate nexus
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: regional economy; industrial economy; resource and environment policy evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qiushi Qu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Economic department, Hebei GEO University, Shijiangzhuang 050030, China
Interests: environmental economy; resource and environmental policy analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A global consensus has been reached on the need to achieve sustainable development, as was emphasized through the recent adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Recent advances in environmental economics have developed alongside deep ambitions for achieving sustainability and optimality. Sustainability policy underpins efforts to improve the relationship between sustained growth and environmental protection; however, addressing the complex dynamics and non-linear relationships between human activities, environmental changes, and sustainability capacity is pivotal for policy design and requires the appropriate tools. This Special Issue aims to highlight contributions focusing on the systematic analysis of environmental issues, with significant emphasis on sustainable development that reduces policy gaps. Integrated modeling for environmental assessment and policy simulation is expected to improve understanding of the mechanisms of sustainable economic effectiveness, regarding multi-scale, multi-region, multi-sector, multi-agent, and multi-resource factors. Consequently, there is significant interest in the circular economy as a way of overcoming current production and consumption patterns and attaining a more balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Various models and methods complement each other, with bottom-up, top-down and/or mixed perspectives, such as input–output models, general equilibrium and partial equilibrium models, agent-based models, and system dynamics models. Footprint and life cycle assessments and material flow analyses are also encouraged to target clear and specific scientific questions.

Case studies on special areas with fragile ecological environments, such as the Tibetan Plateau, are also welcomed to explore paths toward sustainable development with multi-objective optimization strategies, including regional coordination, low-carbon production, the energy transition, new energy development, green technology progress, and so forth. In addition, the effective development and utilization of biomass energy can provide a great deal of clean energy, which is significant for improving regional ecological environment quality and promoting healthy regional development. Strengthening research on the coupling mechanisms linking biomass energy utilization with optimal allocation across different regions can help derive comprehensive strategies aiming to alleviate the dual pressures of energy and environment and is, therefore, urgently needed. Moreover, the construction of national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) is an important means of balancing economic development and environmental protection. The Nature Conservancy’s Global Terrestrial Ecoregional Zoning Program has been widely accepted and provides guidance for global and regional ecological conservation that determines geographic priorities that encompass biodiversity, environmental and sociopolitical conditions by setting reasonable and flexible ecological boundaries. The construction of NKEFZs is a necessary step toward achieving sustainable development and promoting the construction of an ecological civilization.

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

  • Environmental modeling and sustainability policy simulation;
  • Sustainable development paths with multi-objective optimization strategies;
  • Integrated environmental assessment for sustainability and optimality;
  • Environmental assessment, protection, and livelihood improvement;
  • Resource nexuses, efficiency, and carrying capacity toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
  • Regional industrial development with improvements pertaining to the circular economy;
  • Coupling mechanisms linking biomass energy utilization with optimal resource allocation;
  • Green and sustainable development in areas with a fragile ecological environment, such as the Tibetan Plateau;
  • Protection, sustainability, and transformation of ecological functional zones.

We are grateful for the support from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP), Grant No. 2019QZKK1003; the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. XDA19040102; and the Forum for Distinguished Young Scholars in Resource and Environmental Management held by the Resource Economics Committee, China Society of Nature Resources (http://www.csnr.org.cn/index.html).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shuai Zhong
Prof. Dr. Ayman Elshkaki
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Yan
Dr. Qiushi Qu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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

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

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

Keywords

  • sustainability policy
  • environmental assessment
  • resource efficiency
  • circular economy
  • biomass energy utilization
  • ecological functional zones
  • modeling
  • simulation
  • optimization

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 4176 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Carbon Emission Reduction Path in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region Based on System Dynamics
by Xuelian Zhu, Jianan Che, Xiaogeng Niu, Nannan Cao and Guofeng Zhang
Sustainability 2025, 17(4), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041364 - 7 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1102
Abstract
The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region serves as a pivotal engine for China’s economic development and a gathering area for energy consumption and carbon emissions. Its early achievement of carbon peak is of great significance for promoting high-quality development and regional coordinated development. This study [...] Read more.
The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region serves as a pivotal engine for China’s economic development and a gathering area for energy consumption and carbon emissions. Its early achievement of carbon peak is of great significance for promoting high-quality development and regional coordinated development. This study constructs a system dynamics model encompassing four primary subsystems, economy, energy, population, and environment, based on an in-depth analysis of the current situation and main characteristics of carbon emissions in the BTH region from 2010 to 2022. We explored the carbon emission reduction effects under different scenarios by simulating a baseline scenario, an industrial structure optimization scenario, an energy structure optimization scenario, an environmental protection scenario, and a coordinated development scenario. The results indicate the following: (1) From 2020 to 2030, carbon emissions from energy consumption in the BTH region is predicted to exhibit a fluctuating downward trend under all five scenarios, with the most rapid decline observed under the coordinated development scenario. (2) Under the single-variable regulation, Beijing achieves the best carbon emission reduction effect under the environmental protection scenario, while Tianjin and Hebei exhibit superior performance under the energy structure optimization scenario. (3) All three regions demonstrate optimal emission reductions under the coordinated development scenario. Finally, this study discusses the carbon emission reduction paths for Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, and provides targeted suggestions for their implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 313 KiB  
Article
Industrial Co-Agglomeration and Urban Green Total Factor Productivity: Multidimensional Mechanism and Spatial Effect
by Hongxia Xu and Ning Xu
Sustainability 2024, 16(21), 9415; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219415 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1350
Abstract
The impact of industrial co-agglomeration (ICA) on green total factor productivity (GTFP) has garnered considerable academic attention. However, there remains a gap in research systematically investigating how ICA affects China’s GTFP within the framework of green development, specifically by analyzing transmission mechanisms, regulatory [...] Read more.
The impact of industrial co-agglomeration (ICA) on green total factor productivity (GTFP) has garnered considerable academic attention. However, there remains a gap in research systematically investigating how ICA affects China’s GTFP within the framework of green development, specifically by analyzing transmission mechanisms, regulatory mechanisms, and spatial spillover effects. To address this gap, this study utilizes panel data from 283 Chinese cities, spanning the years 2006 to 2020, and conducts both theoretical and empirical analyses to examine ICA’s influence on GTFP through these three mechanisms. Our findings indicate that ICA significantly enhances GTFP by alleviating the mismatch of capital and energy factors but does not improve GTFP by addressing labor mismatches. Furthermore, when the intensity of local government competition exceeds a threshold of 14.3825, the positive impact of ICA diminishes, whereas an environmental regulation intensity above 0.4381 strengthens ICA’s positive effect on GTFP. ICA was found to substantially increase local GTFP and generate positive spatial spillover effects on surrounding cities within a 100 km radius. Co-agglomeration of both high-end and low-end producer services with manufacturing boosts local GTFP, while co-agglomeration of low-end producer services with manufacturing also enhances GTFP in adjacent cities. In megacities, ICA positively influences both local and nearby GTFP, whereas in large cities, ICA tends to suppress GTFP in neighboring areas. Additionally, with the exception of the Middle Yangtze River and Pearl River Delta city clusters, ICA in urban clusters enhances local GTFP; ICA in the Middle Yangtze River cluster promotes GTFP in neighboring areas, whereas ICA in the Chengdu–Chongqing cluster inhibits neighboring GTFP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition)
27 pages, 1436 KiB  
Article
New Quality Productivity and Industrial Structure in China: The Moderating Effect of Environmental Regulation
by Changhua Shao, Han Dong and Yuan Gao
Sustainability 2024, 16(16), 6796; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16166796 - 8 Aug 2024
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6854
Abstract
To explore the connotation and development level of China’s new quality productivity, this paper constructs an index system based on innovation, greenness, and productivity. This system is used to describe the development level of China’s new quality productivity. Using relevant data from 30 [...] Read more.
To explore the connotation and development level of China’s new quality productivity, this paper constructs an index system based on innovation, greenness, and productivity. This system is used to describe the development level of China’s new quality productivity. Using relevant data from 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2011 to 2021, the entropy weight-TOPSIS method was employed to measure the index system. The development level of new quality productivity in China and its four major economic regions was analyzed through the three dimensions of the index system. Additionally, this paper examines the impact of new quality productivity on China’s industrial restructuring and integrates environmental regulation to elucidate the interaction mechanisms among these factors. An econometric regression model is further constructed to verify the effect of new quality productivity on industrial structural change and to examine the moderating role of environmental regulation. The results of this study show that there is a regional imbalance in the level of development of new quality production in China, with the level of development of new quality productivity in the eastern region being significantly higher than that in the central, western, and northeastern regions. However, on the whole, the new quality productivity of the four major regions has been in a state of continuous improvement during the period under investigation, and the spatial gap has been constantly decreasing. The benchmark regression coefficients, sys-GMM regression coefficients, and diff-GMM regression coefficients for new quality productivity and industrial rationalization are −0.6228, −0.1121, and −0.0439, respectively, and they are negatively correlated. The regression coefficients of the sys-GMM and diff-GMM of the interaction terms of environmental regulation and new quality productivity are −0.0051 and −0.0045, and there is a negative moderating effect of environmental regulation between new quality productivity and industrial structure rationalization. The benchmark regression coefficient, the sys-GMM regression coefficient, and the diff-GMM regression coefficient of new quality productivity and industrial upgrading are 2.5179, 0.7525, and 0.3572, respectively, and there is a positive correlation between the two. The regression coefficients of sys-GMM and diff-GMM for the interaction terms of environmental regulation and new quality productivity are 0.0380 and −0.0167, and there is a positive moderating effect of environmental regulation between new quality productivity and industrial structure upgrading. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition)
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