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Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Air, Climate Change and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 96176

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fei Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
Interests: regression simulation of multi-media environmental pollution; intelligent management of regional environmental risks; environmental economic assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dingyi Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada
Interests: atmospheric environment; atmospheric remote sensing; atmospheric dynamics; greenhouse effects
Prof. Dr. Hongtao Yi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Interests: policy networks; policy innovation and diffusion; energy policy; environmental policy; sustainable development management and decision-making
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Owing to the rapid increase in economy and fossil fuel consumption, and a lack of systematic emission controls, Asian countries have experienced substantially-elevated concentrations of air pollutants, which, not only degrade regional air quality, but also pose significant impacts on public health and global climate. Severe air pollution in Asia, such as in China, India, and Southeast Asia, has attracted a great deal of attention from the public, scientists and policy makers. Primary pollutants are directly emitted into the atmosphere, while secondary pollutants (such as ozone and secondary particulate matter) are formed in the atmosphere through chemical reactions of gas precursors. Ambient and indoor air pollution may affect public multi-receptors health via multi-exposure pathways. Furthermore, some areas (such as downwind of major urban centers) may not be able to directly control the emissions that provide the greatest contribution to air quality problems. In addition, the major sources of air pollutants may be different from those to public health risk and climate change. Challenged by this phenomenon and its complexity, it is of importance to study the characteristics to clarify the mechanism of migration of air pollutants, to make scientific health risk assessments for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic pollutants in air, and to develop sustainable risk management strategies for air pollutants in Asia.

Thus, this Special Issue is open to articles on the air pollution monitoring, air quality and health risk assessment, and sustainable risk management systems, with a special focus on particulate matter, including ultrafine particles that have special physical and chemical properties, even if toxicological evidence has not yet been fully established in human studies. We welcome papers on Asian pollution monitoring, exposure analysis, epidemiology, toxicology, and risk assessment, focusing specifically on the processes affecting the hazards of ultrafine particles on human health. Research papers, analytical reviews, case studies, conceptual frameworks, and policy-relevant articles are solicited. The Guest Editors will select high-quality research to proceed with blind peer review. Reviewers will be selected from researchers active in the field, whose works are present in international databases.

Prof. Dr. Fei Li
Prof. Dr. Dingyi Wang
Prof. Dr. Hongtao Yi
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

  • air quality
  • ultrafine particles
  • distribution, transportation and transformation
  • enrichment and bioavailability
  • multi-media and multi-pathway exposure
  • epidemiology
  • public health risk
  • climate change
  • source apportionment studies
  • risk-based decisions
  • sustainable risk management

Published Papers (22 papers)

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11 pages, 1563 KiB  
Article
Impact of Air Pollution on Respiratory Diseases in Typical Industrial City in the North China Plain
by Tan Nie, Jiayi Chen, Yang Ji, Ting Lin and Jiangbo Wang
Sustainability 2023, 15(14), 11198; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411198 - 18 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1350
Abstract
Air pollution can lead to the elevated incidence of various respiratory diseases, seriously endangering the health of urban residents. To better comprehend the association between urban air pollution and respiratory disease incidence, this study focused on Xinxiang City, a typical industrial city in [...] Read more.
Air pollution can lead to the elevated incidence of various respiratory diseases, seriously endangering the health of urban residents. To better comprehend the association between urban air pollution and respiratory disease incidence, this study focused on Xinxiang City, a typical industrial city in the North China Plain, as the research object. By analyzing monthly air pollution index concentrations from 2018 to 2021 and confirmed cases of respiratory diseases, and incorporating meteorological factors as reference points, we conducted a correlation analysis between disease data and pollutant concentrations. We then constructed a Poisson regression model to obtain maximum likelihood estimates, which were used to predict the quantitative relationship between the incidence of respiratory diseases and air pollution indicators. The results showed that an increase of 1 μg/m³ in the average mass concentration of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 in ambient air was associated with an elevated incidence of respiratory diseases by 0.2–1.4%, 0.7–1.6%, 3.7–8.2%, and 0.5–2.3%, respectively; meanwhile, a monthly mean mass concentration of CO increased by 1 mg/m³ led to a rise in pulmonary tuberculosis incidence by 2.9%. Additionally, based on health risk data following exposure to air pollution in Xinxiang City, it was confirmed that the impact of respiratory diseases as measured by the air quality composite index was more applicable than the single pollution index. Furthermore, there was a significant association between air pollution and the incidence of respiratory diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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14 pages, 4499 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Ecosystem Service Values of Urban Parks in Improving Air Quality: A Case Study of Wuhan, China
by Qijiao Xie, Yang Yue, Qi Sun, Si Chen, Soo-Beom Lee and Seong Wook Kim
Sustainability 2019, 11(22), 6519; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226519 - 19 Nov 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5649
Abstract
Assessing ecosystem service values of urban parks can promote understanding of urban green space protection and management. In this study, ecosystem services of air quality purification from 40 sample parks with different areas and land cover compositions were assessed based on literature records [...] Read more.
Assessing ecosystem service values of urban parks can promote understanding of urban green space protection and management. In this study, ecosystem services of air quality purification from 40 sample parks with different areas and land cover compositions were assessed based on literature records and high-resolution images. Six typical ecological benefits of CO2 sequestration, O2 generation, air temperature amelioration, SO2 removal, NOx removal, and dust interception were estimated. The results showed similar proportions of different ecosystem service values to total. The ecological services of CO2 sequestration and O2 generation contributed the majority of total ecosystem service value, with percentages ranging from 69.34% to 73.76% and from 20.52% to 21.71%, respectively. There was very wide variation of ecosystem service values among urban parks. Multivariate regression between ecosystem service values and spatial characteristics of urban parks revealed that park areas of forest and water played a vital role in service value. For a given park, the total service value could be increased by up to 600% if the park was redesigned with consideration of land cover composition. This study provides sound scientific information for urban planners and greening designers to optimize urban park layout. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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17 pages, 1052 KiB  
Article
Energy Taxes, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Energy Consumption and Economic Consequences: A Comparative Study of Nordic and G7 Countries
by Pinglin He, Lu Chen, Xiaonan Zou, Shufeng Li, Huayu Shen and Jianhui Jian
Sustainability 2019, 11(21), 6100; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216100 - 02 Nov 2019
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4778
Abstract
Based on a panel ARDL (AutoRegressive Distributed Lag) model, this paper investigates the environmental and economic consequences of energy tax levied in the four Nordic countries and the G7 countries from 1994 to 2016. Based on the double dividend theory of environmental tax, [...] Read more.
Based on a panel ARDL (AutoRegressive Distributed Lag) model, this paper investigates the environmental and economic consequences of energy tax levied in the four Nordic countries and the G7 countries from 1994 to 2016. Based on the double dividend theory of environmental tax, this paper investigates five variables: energy tax, energy consumption per unit of GDP, income tax, profit tax and capital gains tax, carbon dioxide intensity and fossil fuel burning ratio. A panel ARDL model is established to empirically test the relationship between energy tax and other variables. Experiments show that both the four Nordic countries and the G7 countries have found the existence of green dividends in the long run: the green dividends of the four Nordic countries are reflected in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, while those of the G7 countries are reflected in the reduction of fossil fuel use. In terms of blue dividends, the implementation of energy tax in the four Nordic countries can not only reduce distorted taxes in the short term, but also promote economic growth and adjust tax structure in the long term. For the G7 countries, blue dividends are not reflected in the long term. The model used in this paper is a panel ARDL model, which is more suitable for the study of multiple countries, multiple variables and long-term cycles. This model has been seldomly used in previous studies. The application of the panel ARDL model in this paper is not only more scientific and applicable, but also more innovative, which makes up for the shortcomings of previous studies. The research object of this paper selects the energy tax, which is an important part of the environmental tax system, and strives to provide a reference for the implementation of environmental taxation priorities and effects through empirical research. This paper may also serve as a reference for other countries to establish and improve environmental tax. As the first environmental tax law in China, the Environmental Protection Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China was formally implemented on 1 January 2018. This paper chooses G7 countries and Nordic countries as the research objects. As these are important economies in the world, their environmental tax implementation is more perfected and has strong representativeness. This study can provide some experience for the continuous improvement of China’s environmental tax law. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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15 pages, 3630 KiB  
Article
Improving the Professional Level of Managers Through Individualized Recommendation to Enhance the Quality of Air Pollutant Management in China
by Xia Xiao, Hanwen Qin, Huijuan Fu and Chengde Zhang
Sustainability 2019, 11(21), 6094; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216094 - 01 Nov 2019
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2150
Abstract
With the rapid development of the economy, and fossil fuel consumption lacking systematic emission controls, China has experienced substantially elevated concentrations of air pollutants, which not only degrades regional air quality but also poses significant impacts on public health. However, faced with the [...] Read more.
With the rapid development of the economy, and fossil fuel consumption lacking systematic emission controls, China has experienced substantially elevated concentrations of air pollutants, which not only degrades regional air quality but also poses significant impacts on public health. However, faced with the demand for a large number of experts in air pollution protection, people with real expertise for air pollutant management are difficult to find. Therefore, individualized recommendation is an effective and sustainable method for enhancing the professional level of managers and is good for improving the quality of air pollutant management. Thus, this paper initially proposes a novel framework to recommend strengths in air pollutant management. This framework comprises four stages: data preprocessing is the first stage; then, after constructing ability classifications and ability assessment strategies, activity experiences are transformed into corresponding ability values; next, a multilayer perceptron deep neural network (MLP-DNN) is used to predict potential types according to their ability values; finally, a hybrid system is constructed to recommend suitable and sustainable potential managers for air pollutant management. The experiments indicate that the proposed method can assess the full picture of people’s strengths, which can recommend suggestions for building a scientific and rational specialties recommendation system for governments and schools. This method can have significant effects on pollutant emission reduction by enhancing the professional level of managers with regard to air pollutant management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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26 pages, 6897 KiB  
Article
Scenario Analysis on Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions Reduction Potential in Building Heating Sector at Community Level
by Chuan Tian, Guohui Feng, Shuai Li and Fuqiang Xu
Sustainability 2019, 11(19), 5392; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195392 - 29 Sep 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2971
Abstract
Energy consumption and carbon emissions of building heating are increasing rapidly. Taking Liaobin coastal economic zone as an example, two scenarios are built to analyze the potential of energy consumption and CO2 emissions reduction from the aspects of laws, regulations, policies and [...] Read more.
Energy consumption and carbon emissions of building heating are increasing rapidly. Taking Liaobin coastal economic zone as an example, two scenarios are built to analyze the potential of energy consumption and CO2 emissions reduction from the aspects of laws, regulations, policies and planning. The baseline scenario refers to the traditional way of energy planning and the community energy planning scenario seeks to apply community energy planning within the zone. Energy consumption and CO2 emission are forecast in two scenarios with the driving factors including GDP growth, changes in population size, energy structure adjustment, energy technology progress, and increase of energy efficiency. To improve accuracy of future GDP and population data prediction, an ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model) (1,1,1) model is introduced into GDP prediction and a logistics model is introduced into population prediction. Results show that compared with the baseline scenario, energy consumption levels in the community energy planning scenario are reduced by 140% and CO2 emission levels are reduced by 45%; the short-term and long-term driving factors are analyzed. Policy implications are given for energy conservation and environmental protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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16 pages, 708 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Energy Consumption, Economic Growth and Financial Development on CO2 Emissions in China: A VECM Approach
by Jianhui Jian, Xiaojie Fan, Pinglin He, Hao Xiong and Huayu Shen
Sustainability 2019, 11(18), 4850; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184850 - 05 Sep 2019
Cited by 84 | Viewed by 5998
Abstract
As one of the largest energy consumers and the greatest emitter of CO2 in the world, China now confronts the dual challenge of reducing energy use while continuing to foster economic growth. To overcome this issue, there is a need of comprehensive [...] Read more.
As one of the largest energy consumers and the greatest emitter of CO2 in the world, China now confronts the dual challenge of reducing energy use while continuing to foster economic growth. To overcome this issue, there is a need of comprehensive economic, financial, and energy policy reforms to promote sustainable development. The objective of this paper is to examine the effects of economic growth, financial development and energy consumption on carbon dioxide emission (CO2) in China from 1982 to 2017. The study applies Johansen cointegration test and vector error correction model (VECM) to investigate the long-term equilibrium and short-term causality relationship among the four variables. The causality is also checked by using the innovative accounting approach (IAA). The empirical results show the long-term cointegration relationship between them. Evidence shows that a unidirectional Granger causality running from energy consumption to financial development. Financial development and energy consumption have a statistically significant positive impact on CO2 emissions. In the long run, economic growth can curb CO2 emissions. Hence, financial innovation should be encouraged in the country to meet the demand of sustainable development. Nevertheless, optimizing energy structure and increasing the efficiency of energy utilization can never be left out from the process of development. We add light to policy makers with the construction of carbon trading to effectively address greenhouse effects in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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32 pages, 643 KiB  
Article
Can Environmental Tax Policy Really Help to Reduce Pollutant Emissions? An Empirical Study of a Panel ARDL Model Based on OECD Countries and China
by Pinglin He, Jing Ning, Zhongfu Yu, Hao Xiong, Huayu Shen and Hui Jin
Sustainability 2019, 11(16), 4384; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164384 - 13 Aug 2019
Cited by 53 | Viewed by 7664
Abstract
Under the background that environmental tax has increasingly become the main means of environmental governance in various countries, it is particularly important to study the effect of environmental tax on reducing pollutants and then put forward suggestions for building a scientific and rational [...] Read more.
Under the background that environmental tax has increasingly become the main means of environmental governance in various countries, it is particularly important to study the effect of environmental tax on reducing pollutants and then put forward suggestions for building a scientific and rational environmental tax system. The novelty of this paper is the investigation of the pollutant emission reduction effects of environmental taxes in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and Chinese provinces at the same time, and further comparison of the pollutant emission reduction effects of environmental taxes in OECD and China under different environmental tax collection scales, industrial added value levels, and economic development conditions based on Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag Modelling Approach (ARDL). The data are derived from environmental taxes and pollutants of OECD countries from 1994 to 2016 and Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2016. The results show that from the overall regression results, environmental taxes really help to reduce pollutant emissions, both in OECD countries and China. From the grouping regression results, the OECD countries and Chinese inland provinces with small-scale or medium-level of environmental tax revenue and higher level of economic growth all show better emission reduction effects, while OECD countries with low industrial added value and Chinese inland provinces with high industrial added value have more significant effects on pollutant emission reduction via environmental taxes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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16 pages, 1930 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Spatiotemporal Air Quality Response to Meteorological Parameters: A National-Scale Analysis in China
by Zhi Qiao, Feng Wu, Xinliang Xu, Jin Yang and Luo Liu
Sustainability 2019, 11(14), 3957; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143957 - 21 Jul 2019
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 2882
Abstract
The air quality over China exhibits seasonal and regional variation, resulting from heterogeneity in industrialization, and is highly affected by variability in meteorological conditions. We performed the first national-scale exploration of the relationship between the Air Pollution Index (API) and multiple meteorological parameters [...] Read more.
The air quality over China exhibits seasonal and regional variation, resulting from heterogeneity in industrialization, and is highly affected by variability in meteorological conditions. We performed the first national-scale exploration of the relationship between the Air Pollution Index (API) and multiple meteorological parameters in China, using partial correlation and hierarchical cluster analyses. Relative humidity, wind speed, and temperature were the dominant factors influencing air quality year-round, due to their significant effects on pollutant dispersion and/or transformation of pollutants. The response of the API to single or multiple meteorological factors varied among cities and seasons, and a regional clustering of response mechanisms was observed, particularly in winter. Clear north–south differentiation was detected in the mechanisms of API response to relative humidity and wind speed. These findings provide insight into the spatiotemporal variation in air quality sensitivity to meteorological conditions, which will be useful for implementing regional air pollution control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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15 pages, 443 KiB  
Article
A Complex Network Method in Criticality Evaluation of Air Quality Standards
by Yongchang Wei, Lei Chen, Yu Qi, Can Wang, Fei Li, Haorong Wang and Fangyu Chen
Sustainability 2019, 11(14), 3920; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143920 - 18 Jul 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1972
Abstract
In recent years, poor air quality has brought serious threats to public health and sustainable development. The air quality standard is an effective prerequisite to ensure the quality of the air. The citation relationships between air quality standards at a certain time point, [...] Read more.
In recent years, poor air quality has brought serious threats to public health and sustainable development. The air quality standard is an effective prerequisite to ensure the quality of the air. The citation relationships between air quality standards at a certain time point, which reflect technological development and knowledge transition, form a complex network. In this study, an integrated multi-criteria decision making method is proposed to measure the criticality of standards based on a dynamic citation network model. In particular, the Entropy Weight (EW) method is used to set the weights of each node measurement to avoid subjectiveness, while the TOPSIS method is employed to measure the criticality for each air quality standard. A case study based on the data of 444 of China’s national air quality standards reveals that the complex network method facilitates the identification of critical standards effectively. In addition, we found that there exist some structural problems in China’s air quality standard system: the connectivity between standards is insufficient; critical standards are lacking; and the critical standards change over time following the issue of national policies. Finally, policy suggestions are recommended on strengthening inter-standard citation, attaching importance to the revision of critical standards, and the dynamics of critical standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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21 pages, 1007 KiB  
Article
Does Environmental Tax Affect Energy Efficiency? An Empirical Study of Energy Efficiency in OECD Countries Based on DEA and Logit Model
by Pinglin He, Yulong Sun, Huayu Shen, Jianhui Jian and Zhongfu Yu
Sustainability 2019, 11(14), 3792; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143792 - 11 Jul 2019
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 4605
Abstract
OECD countries are the largest energy consuming economies in the world, improving energy efficiency and reducing pollution emissions is one of the important goals of the environmental tax policies of OECD countries. Based on the total factor energy efficiency index, this paper establishes [...] Read more.
OECD countries are the largest energy consuming economies in the world, improving energy efficiency and reducing pollution emissions is one of the important goals of the environmental tax policies of OECD countries. Based on the total factor energy efficiency index, this paper establishes an epsilon based measure-data envelopment analysis (EBM-DEA) model to measure the energy efficiency levels of 32 OECD countries during 1995–2016 when undesired outputs are included and not included. The effect of environmental factors on energy efficiency evaluation is compared by efficiency analysis and projection value analysis. On this basis, a Panel Logit model was established to empirically examine the impact of energy taxes on energy efficiency in 32 OECD countries. This paper finds that undesired output has a large impact on the energy efficiency level of OECD countries. Measuring energy efficiency levels without considering undesired outputs tends to lead to overestimation of the energy efficiency level of environmentally friendly countries and underestimate the energy efficiency level of countries that value environmental protection. The collection of energy tax has an important impact on energy consumption efficiency. Without considering the unexpected output, the energy tax has a significant impact on improving the efficiency of coal energy consumption. When considering the unexpected output, the energy tax has a significant impact on improving the efficiency of oil energy consumption. Regardless of the expected output or not, the energy tax has a positive effect on improving the efficiency of natural gas energy consumption. The experimental results also show that the energy structure and energy price have a negative impact on energy efficiency, while the progress of environmental protection technology and industrial structure have a positive impact on energy efficiency. Energy taxes have a “double dividend”. This paper argues that when evaluating a country’s energy efficiency, it should consider the undesired output factors of environmental constraints; governments should pay attention to the role of energy taxes in improving energy efficiency, improve the energy tax system, optimize industrial structure upgrades, stabilize energy prices and support the development of environmental technologies and improve energy efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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20 pages, 260 KiB  
Article
External Pressure, Corporate Governance, and Voluntary Carbon Disclosure: Evidence from China
by Pinglin He, Huayu Shen, Ying Zhang and Jing Ren
Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2901; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102901 - 22 May 2019
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4665
Abstract
This paper uses manually collected data of carbon information disclosure for listed companies, from 2009 to 2015 in China, to measure corporate carbon information disclosure, and it explores the impact of external pressure and internal governance on carbon information disclosure through text analysis [...] Read more.
This paper uses manually collected data of carbon information disclosure for listed companies, from 2009 to 2015 in China, to measure corporate carbon information disclosure, and it explores the impact of external pressure and internal governance on carbon information disclosure through text analysis and a hierarchy analysis process. The results show that, firstly, the greater the external pressure is, the higher the level of carbon information disclosure will be; that is, when listed companies are state-owned enterprises or in heavy pollution industries, the level of carbon information disclosure is higher. Secondly, the higher the level of corporate governance is, the higher the level of carbon information disclosure will be; that is, when the board of directors is larger, the proportion of independent directors is higher, and the chairman and general manager positions are differentiated, the level of carbon information disclosure is higher. Furthermore, when listed companies are state-owned and in heavy pollution industries, the level of carbon information disclosure is higher; when the chairman and general manager are in the same position (lower governance level), the positive impact of government pressure on carbon disclosure is less significant, the positive impact of external pressure on carbon disclosure is less significant, and the positive interactive impact of government pressure and external pressure on carbon disclosure is less significant. The conclusions of this paper are still robust after Heckman two-stage regression, propensity score matching (PSM) analysis, sub-sample regression, and double clustering analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
10 pages, 2521 KiB  
Article
Assisted Deposition of PM2.5 from Indoor Air by Ornamental Potted Plants
by Yanxiao Cao, Fei Li, Yanan Wang, Yu Yu, Zhibiao Wang, Xiaolei Liu and Ke Ding
Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2546; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11092546 - 02 May 2019
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6005
Abstract
This study clarifies whether vegetation can promote the decrease of indoor PM2.5 concentration. The indoor PM2.5 concentration in two periods of 2013 in Wuhan city was simulated by cigarette burning in a series of sealed chambers. Six common indoor potted plants [...] Read more.
This study clarifies whether vegetation can promote the decrease of indoor PM2.5 concentration. The indoor PM2.5 concentration in two periods of 2013 in Wuhan city was simulated by cigarette burning in a series of sealed chambers. Six common indoor potted plants were selected as samples to investigate the effect of plants on PM2.5 decline. The effects of potted plants on PM2.5 decline were analyzed from three aspects: plant species, leaf characteristics and relative humidity. The results show that the presence of potted plants accelerated the decline of PM2.5. The additional removal rates (excluding gravity sedimentation of PM2.5 itself) for Aloe vera and Epipremnum aureum were 5.2% and 30% respectively, when the initial PM2.5 concentration was around 200 μg/m3. The corresponding values were 0% and 17.2%, respectively, when the initial PM2.5 was around 300 μg/m3. Epipremnum aureum was the optimum potted plant for PM2.5 sedimentation, due to its rough and groove leaf surface, highest LAI (leaf area index, 2.27), and strong humidifying capacity (i.e., can promote chamber humidity to 65% in 30–60 minutes.). Actual indoor studies have also confirmed that a certain amount of Epipremnum aureum can promote the decrease of indoor PM2.5. This paper provides insights on reducing the concentration of fine particulate matter by indoor greening efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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13 pages, 1701 KiB  
Article
Multilevel Environmental Governance: Vertical and Horizontal Influences in Local Policy Networks
by Hongtao Yi, Chen Huang, Tao Chen, Xiaolin Xu and Weixing Liu
Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082390 - 22 Apr 2019
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4602
Abstract
In the context of multilevel governance, collaboration among governmental and non-governmental entities across different levels of government is increasingly popular in China’s environmental governance. Policy actors are engaged in two types of collaboration with other local governments: horizontal and vertical collaboration. Policy actors [...] Read more.
In the context of multilevel governance, collaboration among governmental and non-governmental entities across different levels of government is increasingly popular in China’s environmental governance. Policy actors are engaged in two types of collaboration with other local governments: horizontal and vertical collaboration. Policy actors participate in horizontal collaboration when they work with entities at the same level, and in vertical collaboration when working with governments at different levels. This study examines multilevel environmental governance in China by studying how the decisions of policy actors to participate in local water governance networks are influenced by vertical pressures from higher level government and horizontal influences from other policy actors at the same level. We approach the research questions in the empirical context of local water governance in Dongguan city of Guangdong Province. With survey data collected from 31 municipal departments, 32 town governments, nine water-related private businesses and five NGOs, we tested the hypotheses with Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions. The results indicate that vertical pressure and horizontal brokerage are both drivers for participation in the local water governance network. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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21 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Provincial Carbon Emissions Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors in China
by Shi Wang, Hua Wang, Li Zhang and Jun Dang
Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2355; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082355 - 19 Apr 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3103
Abstract
We calculated provincial carbon emissions efficiency and related influencing factors in China with the purpose of providing a reference for other developing countries to develop a green economy. Using panel data covering the period from 2004–2016 from 30 provinces in China, we calculated [...] Read more.
We calculated provincial carbon emissions efficiency and related influencing factors in China with the purpose of providing a reference for other developing countries to develop a green economy. Using panel data covering the period from 2004–2016 from 30 provinces in China, we calculated the carbon emission performance (CEP) and the technology gap ratio of carbon emission (TGR) with the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method and the meta-frontier model separately to analyze provincial carbon emissions efficiency in China. No matter which indicator was employed, we found that distinct differences exist in the eastern, the central, and the western regions of China, and the eastern region has the highest carbon emission performance, followed by the central and the western regions. Then, the panel data Tobit regression model was employed to analyze the influencing factors of carbon emissions efficiency, and we found that scale economy, industrial structure, degree of opening up, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy intensity, government interference, ownership structure, and capital-labor ratio have different impacts on the carbon emission efficiency in different regions of China, which indicates different policies should be implemented in different regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
15 pages, 2192 KiB  
Article
The Concentrations and Removal Effects of PM10 and PM2.5 on a Wetland in Beijing
by Chunyi Li, Yilan Huang, Huanhuan Guo, Gaojie Wu, Yifei Wang, Wei Li and Lijuan Cui
Sustainability 2019, 11(5), 1312; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051312 - 02 Mar 2019
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3389
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) is an essential source of atmospheric pollution in metropolitan areas since it has adverse effects on human health. However, previous research suggested wetlands can remove particulate matter from the atmosphere to land surfaces. This study was conducted in the Hanshiqiao [...] Read more.
Particulate matter (PM) is an essential source of atmospheric pollution in metropolitan areas since it has adverse effects on human health. However, previous research suggested wetlands can remove particulate matter from the atmosphere to land surfaces. This study was conducted in the Hanshiqiao Wetland National Nature Reserve in Beijing during 2016. The concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 on a wetland and bare land in the park, as well as metrological data, were collected during the whole year. Based on the observed data, removal efficiency of each land use type was calculated by empirical models and the relationships between concentrations and metrological factors were also analyzed. The results indicated that: (1) In general, the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations on the bare land surface were higher than those on the wetland surface, in both of which the highest value appeared at night and evening, while the lowest value appeared near noon. In terms of season, the average concentration of PM10 was higher in winter (wetland: 137.48 μg·m−3; bare land: 164.75 μg·m−3) and spring (wetland: 205.18 μg·m−3; bare land: 244.85 μg·m−3) in general. The concentration of PM2.5 on the wetland surface showed the same pattern, while that on the bare land surface was higher in spring and summer. (2) Concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were significantly correlated with the relative humidity (p < 0.01) and inversely correlated with wind speed (p < 0.05). The relationship between PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and temperature was more complicated—it showed a significantly negative correlation (p < 0.01) between them in winter and spring, however, the correlation was insignificant in autumn. In summer, only the correlation between PM10 concentration and temperature on the wetland surface was significant (p < 0.01). (3) The dry removal efficiency of PM10 was greater than that of PM2.5. The dry removal efficiencies of PM10 and PM2.5 followed the order of spring > winter > autumn > summer on the wetland. This study seeks to provide practical measures to improve air quality and facilitate sustainable development in Beijing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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24 pages, 1152 KiB  
Article
Do Urban Subway Openings Reduce PM2.5 Concentrations? Evidence from China
by Hongyou Lu, Yunchan Zhu, Yu Qi and Jinliang Yu
Sustainability 2018, 10(11), 4147; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10114147 - 11 Nov 2018
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6838
Abstract
With the fast-growing consumption of automobiles in China, vehicle fumes appear to be one of the major contributors to PM2.5 (fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) emissions. As a type of green transportation, Chinese urban subway transit has [...] Read more.
With the fast-growing consumption of automobiles in China, vehicle fumes appear to be one of the major contributors to PM2.5 (fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less) emissions. As a type of green transportation, Chinese urban subway transit has developed rapidly in recent years. This paper estimates the effect of urban subway openings on PM2.5 concentrations in Chinese cities. Using daily air quality data for 29 Chinese cities from 2013 to 2018, and using regression discontinuity design, we find that new subway openings reduce PM2.5 concentrations by an average of 18 μg/m3. The potential mechanism for this emission reduction is due to the offset in on-road transportation, and the use of cleaner energy. Also, central heating in winter, population scale, and city tier play crucial roles in the emission-reducing effect of subway openings. A series of robustness tests are conducted to support the fundamental empirical results. Targeted policy implications, such as optimizing the planning of urban subway construction and road network, fostering awareness of green travel, and promoting the innovation of emission-reducing technologies, are suggested for sustainable development in Chinese cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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21 pages, 6198 KiB  
Article
Are Green Walls Better Options than Green Roofs for Mitigating PM10 Pollution? CFD Simulations in Urban Street Canyons
by Hongqiao Qin, Bo Hong and Runsheng Jiang
Sustainability 2018, 10(8), 2833; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082833 - 09 Aug 2018
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 5667
Abstract
To examine the effect of green roofs (GRs) and green walls (GWs) on coarse particle (PM10) dispersion in urban street canyons, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was conducted with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model and a revised generalized drift flux [...] Read more.
To examine the effect of green roofs (GRs) and green walls (GWs) on coarse particle (PM10) dispersion in urban street canyons, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was conducted with a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) model and a revised generalized drift flux model. Simulations were performed with different aspect ratios (H/W = 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0), greenery coverage areas (S = 300, 600, and 900 m2), and leaf area densities (LADs = 1.0, 3.5, 6.0 m2/m3). Results indicate that: (1) GRs and GWs all had the reduction ability of PM10 at the pedestrian level; (2) Averaged concentrations of PM10 in GWs and GRs varied little as LAD changed in H/W = 0.5 and 1.0. When H/W = 2.0, the aerodynamic effects of GRs increased since airflow was enhanced within street canyons, resulting in the increasing concentrations in GRs compared with non-greening scenarios; (3) Given equal greenery coverage area and aspect ratio, GWs are more effective in reducing street-canyon PM10, and the averaged concentrations declined with increasing LADs and greenery coverage areas, especially the H/W; (4) At the pedestrian level, the reduction ratio of GRs is greater than that of GWs with the maximum value of 17.1% for H/W = 0.5. However, where H/W = 1.0 and 2.0, the concentrations within GWs are lower than GRs, with maximum reduction ratios of 29.3% and 43.8%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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16 pages, 4288 KiB  
Article
Study on Air Pollution and Control Investment from the Perspective of the Environmental Theory Model: A Case Study in China, 2005–2014
by Peng Su, Degen Lin and Chen Qian
Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2181; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072181 - 26 Jun 2018
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5029
Abstract
China has been suffering from serious air pollution for years due to rapid industrialization. However, the relationship between China’s air pollution and pollution control schemes remains understudied in the Chinese air pollution literature. Using the Environmental Theory Model, this paper studies the relationship [...] Read more.
China has been suffering from serious air pollution for years due to rapid industrialization. However, the relationship between China’s air pollution and pollution control schemes remains understudied in the Chinese air pollution literature. Using the Environmental Theory Model, this paper studies the relationship between air pollution and control investment in China for the period 2005–2014 and applies the inverse distance weighted interpolation (IDW) and Pearson correlation methods. As a result, this paper puts forward some policy suggestions for the governance of air pollution in China. The results are as follows: (1) The Pearson correlation coefficient between China’s air pollution index (API) and control investment is 0.466 (p < 0.01). This shows that the phenomenon of ‘Treatment after Pollution’ still exists in China’s economy; (2) there is an inverted U-shaped relationship that is in accordance with the environmental Kuznets curve between China’s air pollution control investment and air pollution; (3) the high-effectiveness of governmental air pollution control is reflected in the 2013–2014 period, where the API of year 2014 decreased by 10.45 from 2013. This shows a one-year lag between exposure to air pollution and the start of control investment. Future research is warranted to concentrate on establishing a model of the relationship between air pollution and control investment or an air pollution risk assessment based on the proportional hazards model (COX) model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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14 pages, 4924 KiB  
Article
Public Value of Enforcing the PM2.5 Concentration Reduction Policy in South Korean Urban Areas
by Ju-Hee Kim, Hyo-Jin Kim and Seung-Hoon Yoo
Sustainability 2018, 10(4), 1144; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041144 - 11 Apr 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3169
Abstract
As the number of cars and the electricity produced from coal-fired generation has been increasing, PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter, has become a serious problem in South Korean urban areas. This is especially notable, given that the PM [...] Read more.
As the number of cars and the electricity produced from coal-fired generation has been increasing, PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 μm in diameter, has become a serious problem in South Korean urban areas. This is especially notable, given that the PM2.5 warning was issued 89 times during 2016. Because of this, the South Korean government is seeking to enforce a policy of reducing the number of PM2.5 warnings by half using various policy instruments from now until 2022. This article tries to obtain information about the public value of the enforcement. For this purpose, household willingness to pay (WTP) for the enforcement is investigated, applying the contingent valuation (CV) approach. A survey of 1000 households was carried out in South Korean urban areas. The data on the WTP were gathered using a dichotomous choice question and analyzed employing the spike model. The mean WTP estimate is obtained as KRW 5591 (USD 4.97) per household per year, which is statistically significant. The total public value expanded to the population amounts to KRW 98.9 billion (USD 87.8 million) per year. The information can be utilized in policy-making and decision-making about the reduction of the PM2.5 concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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4191 KiB  
Article
Wet Deposition of Trace Metals at a Typical Urban Site in Southwestern China: Fluxes, Sources and Contributions to Aquatic Environments
by Liuyi Zhang, Min Gao, Jian Cui, Fumo Yang, Huanbo Wang, Chuan Fu and Yimin Huang
Sustainability 2018, 10(1), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10010069 - 29 Dec 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4389
Abstract
In this study, we quantified the atmospheric wet deposition (AWD) of 13 trace metals (TMs) and estimated their potential effects on the surface water of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. Precipitation was collected in Wanzhou in southwestern China from March 2015 to [...] Read more.
In this study, we quantified the atmospheric wet deposition (AWD) of 13 trace metals (TMs) and estimated their potential effects on the surface water of the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. Precipitation was collected in Wanzhou in southwestern China from March 2015 to February 2016. The concentrations and fluxes of the 13 TMs were in the ranges of 0.16–9.44 µg L−1 and 0.18–10.22 mg m−2 yr−1, respectively, in the order Al > Zn > Fe > Ba > Pb > Mn > Ti > Cd > Cu > As > V > Ni ≈ Cr. Using principal component analysis, it was found that Al, Ba, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were mainly derived from a mixture of soil and road dust, As, Cd, Cr, Pb and Ti primarily originated from the local industries, and Ni and V were related to diesel and gasoline combustion, including both vehicle exhaust emissions and ship emissions from the nearby Yangtze River. The estimated TM inputs to the Three Gorges Reservoir were 11.1, 11.0, 5.7, 5.3, 4.5, 2.7, 2.5, 1.5, 1.0, 0.7, 0.5, 0.2, and 0.2 t yr−1 for Al, Zn, Fe, Ba, Pb, Mn, Ti, Cd, Cu, As, V, Ni and Cr, respectively. The AWD TM fluxes in Wanzhou were lower than those in metropolises and their inputs were limited for surface water of the Three Gorges Reservoir. However, Cd was strongly enriched in precipitation and rainstorms greatly increased the surface water concentrations of Cd and Pb. Therefore, the behavior of Cd and Pb in southwestern mountain areas of China, including emission, transport, transformation, and their ecological effects, should be given more attention in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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9024 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Particulate Pollution (PM2.5 and PM10) and Their Spacescale-Dependent Relationships with Meteorological Elements in China
by Xiaodong Li, Xuwu Chen, Xingzhong Yuan, Guangming Zeng, Tomás León, Jie Liang, Gaojie Chen and Xinliang Yuan
Sustainability 2017, 9(12), 2330; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122330 - 14 Dec 2017
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 6648
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) pollution in China has an obvious characteristic of spatial distribution. It is well known that intensive anthropogenic activities, such as fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, have great influence on the spatial distribution of PM pollution. However, the spacescale-dependent relationships [...] Read more.
Particulate matter (PM) pollution in China has an obvious characteristic of spatial distribution. It is well known that intensive anthropogenic activities, such as fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, have great influence on the spatial distribution of PM pollution. However, the spacescale-dependent relationships between PM concentrations and weather conditions remain unclear. Here, we investigated the characteristics of two types of particulate pollution, including PM2.5 and PM10, and their spatial relationships with meteorological elements in 173 cities throughout China from March 2014 to February 2015. Results: (1) High PM2.5 concentrations were distinctly located southeast of the Hu Line, and high PM10 concentrations were distinctly situated north of the Yangtze River; (2) Spacescale-dependent relationships were found between PM pollution and meteorological elements. The influence of temperature had similar inverted V-shaped characteristics, namely, there was serious PM pollution when temperature was about 15 °C, and there was slight PM pollution when temperature was less or more than 15 °C. Annual precipitation, wind speed, and relative humidity were negatively correlated with PM, while annual atmospheric pressure was positively correlated with PM; (3) The ideal meteorological regions were identified according to the quantified spatial relationships between PM and meteorological elements, which could be defined by a combination of the following conditions: (a) temperature <10 °C or >21 °C; (b) precipitation >1500 mm; (c) atmospheric pressure <900 hPa; (d) wind speed >3 m/s; and (e) relative humidity >65%, where air pollutants can easily be scavenged. The success of this research provides a meteorological explanation to the spatial distribution characteristics of PM pollution in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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2 pages, 552 KiB  
Erratum
Erratum: Cao, Y., et al. Assisted Deposition of PM2.5 from Indoor Air by Ornamental Potted Plants. Sustainability 2019, 11, 2546
by Yanxiao Cao, Fei Li, Yanan Wang, Yu Yu, Zhibiao Wang, Xiaolei Liu and Ke Ding
Sustainability 2020, 12(1), 229; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010229 - 26 Dec 2019
Viewed by 1527
Abstract
The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Characteristics, Health Risk Assessment and Sustainable Management of Air Pollutants in Asia)
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