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Energy Consumption Control and Environmental Pollution Treatment in Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 9545

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China
Interests: industrial park environmental governance; carbon emission reduction

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Guest Editor
School of Economics, Qufu Normal University - Rizhao Campus, Rizhao 276826, China
Interests: energy economy; environmental governance

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Guest Editor
Business School, Changshu Institute of Technology, Suzhou 215000, China
Interests: green finance; carbon emission control

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, not only is energy consumption around the world increasing with the development of society, but global issues such as environmental pollution and ecological damage are also becoming more and more serious. For a long time, rapid economic development has been relatively dependent on energy consumption, but this violates the principle of sustainability and causes significant environmental degradation. Safe and reliable energy supply is the guarantee of sustainable development and social stability, and economical, clean and efficient energy utilization is the key to environmental protection and the improvement of human quality of life. Furthermore, excessive energy consumption and environmental damage are irreversible to a certain degree; hence, it is urgent to intervene in energy consumption control and environmental pollution treatment as soon as possible.

As energy availability and environmental quality are critically important for the social lives and sustainable development of human beings, the aim of this Special Issue is to brainstorm effective measures for energy consumption control and environmental pollution treatment which are beneficial to sustainable development.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and review articles are welcome. Authors are encouraged to submit articles including, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Driving factors of energy consumption and carbon emission;
  • Path of carbon emission reduction;
  • Measurement of energy efficiency;
  • Technological innovation and renewable energy;
  • Influencing factors of environmental pollution treatment;
  • Countermeasures of environmental pollution treatment;
  • Assessment of environmental quality;
  • Monitoring of environmental management.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Tao Sun
Dr. Xiuyan Han
Dr. Xiaorui Liu
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

  • sustainable development
  • energy consumption
  • energy saving
  • renewable energy
  • carbon emission
  • environmental pollution treatment
  • environmental quality
  • environmental management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 683 KiB  
Article
SO2 Emissions Reduction Effect of China’s Pollution Levy Standard Adjustment: A Short-Term and Long-Term Analysis
by Xiaofeng Lv, Zongfang Wang and Wei Zhou
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2916; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072916 - 31 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1104
Abstract
As one key environmental regulation measure, China’s pollution levy policy has been widely discussed; however, existing research has solely concentrated on the emissions reduction effect of pollution levy policies in the short term but has ignored long-term effectiveness, which may cause research bias. [...] Read more.
As one key environmental regulation measure, China’s pollution levy policy has been widely discussed; however, existing research has solely concentrated on the emissions reduction effect of pollution levy policies in the short term but has ignored long-term effectiveness, which may cause research bias. Thus, taking pollution levy standard adjustments as the core independent variable, this study builds firm-level pollution data and proves that the pollution levy policy is effective both in the short and long term. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the emissions reduction effect is achieved mainly by decreasing production and increasing the removal of sulfur dioxide (SO2). In addition, it is uncovered that the emissions reduction effect is mainly a result of two processes—the first is the greater use of clean energy and higher energy efficiency that can cause a decrease in the production of SO2, and the second is the utilization efficiency of waste gas treatment facilities, which can increase the removal of SO2. Full article
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19 pages, 3608 KiB  
Article
Unveiling the Spatial-Temporal Characteristics and Driving Factors of Greenhouse Gases and Atmospheric Pollutants Emissions of Energy Consumption in Shandong Province, China
by Guangyang He, Wei Jiang, Weidong Gao and Chang Lu
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031304 - 3 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1653
Abstract
As the largest energy-consuming province in China, Shandong faces the dual task of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and atmospheric pollution control. Based on the latest activity data and updated emission factors, this study establishes a high-resolution emission inventory (5 km × 5 km) [...] Read more.
As the largest energy-consuming province in China, Shandong faces the dual task of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and atmospheric pollution control. Based on the latest activity data and updated emission factors, this study establishes a high-resolution emission inventory (5 km × 5 km) for GHGs and main atmospheric pollutants from the energy consumption sectors of Shandong Province from 2010 to 2021, quantifies the relationship between social economic factors and GHGs and atmospheric pollutants emissions using the expanded stochastic environmental impact assessment (STIRPAT) model, and forecasts the future emission trend with the help of the scenario analysis method. Results indicate that the electricity and transportation sectors are the main contributors to all pollutants. Spatially, the high value of pollutants is mainly concentrated in the urban agglomerations of central and eastern Shandong. Up to 72% of GHGs and 50% of air pollution emissions are attributed to the top 10% of emission grids. Emission peaks occur mainly in summer and winter due to straw burning, increased utilization of temperature-controlled facilities, and expansion of plant capacity. Population, energy consumption, the proportion of secondary industry, and energy consumption intensity are the most significant influencing factors for pollutant emissions. Scenario analysis results indicate Shandong province can reach its carbon peak in 2027 without sacrificing population growth or economic progress. Full article
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16 pages, 470 KiB  
Article
The Effect of FDI on Environmental Degradation in Romania: Testing the Pollution Haven Hypothesis
by Alexandru Chiriluș and Adrian Costea
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10733; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310733 - 7 Jul 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2354
Abstract
The study examines the relationship between CO2 emissions, trade openness, GDP growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Romania. The research aims to provide empirical evidence for either the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) or the pollution halo effect (PHE). The pollution haven [...] Read more.
The study examines the relationship between CO2 emissions, trade openness, GDP growth and foreign direct investment (FDI) in Romania. The research aims to provide empirical evidence for either the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) or the pollution halo effect (PHE). The pollution haven hypothesis suggests that countries with weaker environmental regulations and lower environmental quality are more attractive to FDI, while the pollution halo effect posits that countries with high levels of environmental protection and quality can generate positive spillover effects for FDI. The findings suggest a significant relationship between CO2 emissions, GDP growth and FDI inflows, with GDP growth having a greater effect on FDI than CO2 emissions. GDP growth has a causal effect on CO2 emissions, while CO2 emissions have a causal effect on FDI. These findings have important policy implications, as they highlight the interplay between economic growth, environmental degradation, and foreign investment. Policies aimed at reducing emissions must be comprehensive and coordinated in order to achieve significant emissions reductions and strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Full article
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19 pages, 3986 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Strategy Selection in Third-Party Governance of Rural Environmental Pollution
by Qianwen Wu, Qiangqiang Wang and Yongwu Dai
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8746; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118746 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1256
Abstract
In the context of increasingly prominent rural environmental problems, the third-party pollution governance model has become an important initiative for the comprehensive governance of rural environmental problems in China. However, the current third-party governance initiatives continue to suffer from governance failures caused by [...] Read more.
In the context of increasingly prominent rural environmental problems, the third-party pollution governance model has become an important initiative for the comprehensive governance of rural environmental problems in China. However, the current third-party governance initiatives continue to suffer from governance failures caused by unclear responsibility sharing and opportunistic behavior. To analyze the reasons behind the behavioral choices of the various stakeholders involved in rural environmental third-party governance and to provide policy insights for formulating more reasonable rural environmental third-party governance solutions, a game model was constructed between local governments and third-party governance institutions. Specifically, the model examined the different evolutionary game strategies that appear between local governments and third-party governance institutions in different institutional design contexts when responsibility disputes arise in third-party governance. These disputes involve the re-governing of pollution control responsibility, which can be borne either by the local governments or the party causing the damage. The results shown are as follows: It is crucial to define the boundaries of re-governance responsibility in the third-party governance of rural environmental pollution. When local governments bear the primary responsibility for governance, regardless of whether they provide regulatory oversight, third-party governance institutions tend to adopt a passive approach. In such cases, the third-party governance market fails to effectively fulfill its role in governance. By reconstructing the third-party governance market model and dividing the main responsibility for pollution governance among the damaging parties, it is possible to achieve active governance by third-party governance institutions without the need for regulation by local governments. Full article
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12 pages, 797 KiB  
Article
How Engagement in the Industry-Education Integration Promotes One’s Attitudes toward Energy Efficiency. Evidence from Chinese University Students
by Yuqian Li, Xiaoguang Zhou, Yaqi Pan and Wenli He
Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15890; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315890 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2180
Abstract
In recent years, China has initiated cooperation between schools and enterprises in practical education. Accordingly, scholars have explored how universities and students benefit from this program. This article aims to investigate how students’ engagement in industry-education integration internships will influence their attitudes and [...] Read more.
In recent years, China has initiated cooperation between schools and enterprises in practical education. Accordingly, scholars have explored how universities and students benefit from this program. This article aims to investigate how students’ engagement in industry-education integration internships will influence their attitudes and behaviors in their daily lives. To examine our hypotheses, we distributed our questionnaires to 201 university students in China. Correlation analysis, regression analysis, and bootstrap method were adopted to analyze the data. The results show that students’ engagement in the internship of environmental protection enterprises will influence their purchase intention of energy-efficient products via their environmental concerns. Moreover, students’ social value moderates the relationship between environmental concern and purchase intention of energy-efficient products and the indirect relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Full article
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