Search Results (384)

China’s rapid economic growth since its reform and opening-up has come at the cost of worsening atmospheric pollution. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of PM_2.5 concentrations in Shandong province, a key industrial region, during 2014–2023, using comprehensive air quality monitoring, meteorological observations, and socioeconomic datasets. Through spatial analysis and geodetector methods, we identify that (1) The annual PM_2.5 concentration decreases significantly by 50.9%; spatially, heterogeneity is observed with the western urban agglomeration experiencing more severe pollution, while the eastern coastal urban agglomeration exhibits better air quality. (2) Gravity model analysis shows that the centroids of PM_2.5 pollution undergo distinct migration phases. (3) PM_2.5 levels show a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking in winter at a level 143.7% higher than the summer average. (4) The meteorological driving factors are primarily air temperature (r = 0.511) and wind speed (r = −0.487), while the socioeconomic factors are tertiary industry production (r = −0.971), particulate matter emissions (r = 0.956), and sulfur dioxide emissions (r = 0.938). Concurrently, the combined effect of tertiary industry production and PM emissions account for 99.5% of PM_2.5 variability. Notably, we validate an Environmental Kuznets Curve relationship (R² = 0.805) between economic development and air quality improvement, demonstrating that clean production policy integration can reconcile environmental and economic objectives. These findings provide empirical evidence supporting circular economy strategies for air pollution mitigation in industrializing regions. Full article

This study investigates the relationship between economic growth and environmental performance in selected Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries through the lens of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Due to data availability constraints, our sample includes Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Mauritius, Morocco, and Oman, covering the period 1990–2022. Using annual panel data, we apply panel cointegration techniques alongside Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) estimators, complemented by Granger causality tests, to examine the interaction among GDP per capita, renewable energy consumption, and transport service exports in determining CO₂ emissions per unit of GDP. The empirical findings provide only partial support for the EKC: while the DOLS results confirm an inverted U-shaped income–emissions relationship, the FMOLS estimations contradict it, suggesting a more complex and nonlinear pattern. Beyond testing the EKC, this study contributes two novel dimensions to the literature. First, it shows that renewable energy exerts a statistically significant negative effect on carbon intensity in the long run, despite weak short-run causality, highlighting the delayed but durable environmental benefits of clean energy adoption. Second, it introduces transport service exports as a proxy for structural economic transformation, capturing the role of trade-driven diversification in reducing emissions. By embedding renewable energy deployment and service-based trade dynamics into the EKC framework, the study advances a more policy-relevant and region-specific understanding of the growth–environment nexus in the selected MENA economies. The results underscore the importance of scaling renewable energy, promoting low-carbon service sectors, and aligning trade and environmental policies to ensure that economic growth supports long-term climate objectives. Full article

As the world races toward carbon neutrality, the true test lies not in ambition but in implementation, particularly in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT), where energy demand is accelerating and emissions trajectories remain uncertain. Despite increasing global focus on decarbonization, the MENAT region remains empirically underexplored, with limited and often inconclusive evidence on the environmental impacts of structural factors such as energy intensity, human capital, social globalization, and financial globalization. This study addresses these gaps by integrating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis with the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) framework, employing an empirical strategy using panel data from MENAT countries covering the period from 2000 to 2021. Utilizing a suite of robust panel estimators, our results suggest that there is a U-shaped connection between income and CO₂ emissions, which invalidates the EKC hypothesis. Additionally, energy intensity, human capital, and urbanization are found to increase emissions, whereas technological innovation, social globalization, and financial globalization contribute to CO₂ emissions reduction. The panel heterogeneous causality tests give insights on the inference causality between CO₂ emissions and its drivers. These results highlight the urgent need for MENAT economies to embed renewable energy, low-carbon technologies, and sustainability-focused policies into the core of their development agendas to prevent the intensification of emissions alongside rising income levels. Full article

Innovation can balance environmental objectives while enhancing economic efficiency. However, its policy dimension has largely been overlooked. Leveraging financial instruments to promote technological innovation has become a primary policy tool. This study treats China’s pilot policies on technology finance integration as a quasi-natural experiment and constructs a multi-period difference-in-differences model with 5434 panel datapoints from 286 cities between 2005 and 2023. Within the environmental Kuznets curve theoretical framework, we examine the impact of technology finance policies on urban carbon emissions. The findings reveal that these policies significantly curb urban carbon emissions. Heterogeneity analysis shows stronger effects in large, non-resource-dependent eastern cities than in others. Mechanism tests indicate that these policies primarily generate green value through technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, with the latter demonstrating a significantly stronger effect than the former. Our findings regarding the outstanding role of industrial structure upgrading may challenge and reorient the literature’s general focus on green technologies. This study employs economic principles to offer new insights into innovation’s effective balancing of economic growth and sustainability, broadening discussions about the green value of financial policy tools. Full article

This study examines the long-run relationship between carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and key macroeconomic and sectoral drivers in ten ASEAN economies from 1995 to 2023. Employing Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, Prais–Winsten regression, heteroskedastic panel-corrected standard errors, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), and Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) estimators, the analysis accounts for cross-sectional dependence, slope heterogeneity, and endogeneity. Results indicate that GDP exerts a more-than-unitary positive effect on emissions, with a negative GDP-squared term supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve. Agriculture raises emissions through land-use change and high-emission cultivation practices, while tourism shows a negative association likely reflecting territorial accounting effects. Trade openness increases emissions, highlighting the carbon intensity of export structures, whereas foreign direct investment exerts no significant net effect. These results suggest that ASEAN economies must accelerate renewable energy adoption, promote climate-smart agriculture, embed enforceable environmental provisions in trade policy, and implement rigorous sustainability screening for FDI to achieve low-carbon growth trajectories. Full article

This study examines the influence of economic growth, energy consumption, a shadow economy, and foreign direct investment (FDI) on the ecological footprint in ASEAN countries. The analysis covers a panel of nine member states—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—over the period from 1993 to 2017 due to data availability. To ensure robustness, various panel econometric techniques were employed, including cross-sectional dependence, panel unit root, and cointegration tests, as well as estimation methods such as Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, feasible generalized least squares (FGLS), and panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE). The results do not support an inverted U-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) between economic growth and ecological footprint in the ASEAN countries. Moreover, the findings consistently show that energy consumption, the size of the shadow economy, and FDI exert a statistically significant and positive impact on the ecological footprint towards the Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, FGLSs, and PCSE estimators. For policy recommendations, a country’s pursuit of economic growth should be aligned with a higher degree of environmental sustainability by strategically reducing energy consumption, curbing the shadow economy, and managing foreign direct investment responsibly. Full article

This study investigates the impact of key economic variables on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in Ecuador within the broader context of sustainable development. Annual data from 1990 to 2022 are analyzed using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model in first logarithmic differences, estimated via Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The model examines both short- and long-term relationships between CO₂ emissions and three core macroeconomic indicators: gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), GDP per capita, and oil consumption. Descriptive analysis reveals substantial variation in investment and fossil fuel use across the study period. Empirical findings indicate that oil consumption has a positive and statistically significant effect on emissions, while GFCF exhibits a significant negative association in the current period, suggesting the role of cleaner or more efficient investment. Lagged GDP per capita shows a negative effect on emissions, partially supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis. Although renewable energy is discussed in the conceptual framework, it is not included in the current empirical specification—a limitation that will be addressed in future model extensions. The results provide empirical support for directing investments toward low-carbon sectors and accelerating the energy transition, particularly in transport and industry. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” strategy, clarifying the relationship between economic growth and carbon emissions and revealing the differences in green transition pathways among different urban tiers within the metropolitan area is of great significance for promoting regional low-carbon development. Based on panel data of prefecture-level cities in 27 national metropolitan areas in China from 2000 to 2020, this paper employs a two-way fixed effects model and a mediation effect model to test the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis and to evaluate the mediating role of industrial structure advancement. The results show that, at the national level, carbon emissions and economic growth exhibit a significant inverted U-shaped relationship, but the EKC becomes invalid in non-core cities after dividing the sample into core and non-core cities. Industrial structure advancement significantly curbs carbon emissions in core cities, while its effect is insignificant in non-core cities, indicating insufficient structural transformation capacity. The findings suggest that core cities have initially formed a “structure-embedded” emission reduction pathway, whereas non-core cities face a dual challenge of growth and emission reduction. In terms of policy, excessive reliance on the “automatic decoupling of growth” should be avoided, and a differentiated governance system centred on structural transformation capacity should be established, with particular attention to enhancing the green transition capacity of non-core cities so as to promote regionally equitable and coordinated low-carbon development. Full article

Exploring the relationship between economic development and environmental protection holds substantial theoretical value for the sustainable progress of minority regions. This paper initially analyzes the overarching mechanisms governing economic growth and climate change challenges in industrial decarbonization toward carbon neutrality. Subsequently, it conducts an empirical analysis utilizing historical economic and environmental data from five provinces to investigate the trajectory of economic development and shifts in environmental quality. The objective of this paper is to flatten the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in northwest minority areas, ensuring the continuous enhancement of environmental quality and green transformation in tandem with economic growth, thereby forging a low-pollution pathway for sustainable development. It is observed that an EKC characteristic exists between the economy and the environment in these regions, evolving from discoordination to primary coordination. The environment and economic development in ethnic minority areas of China are progressing slowly, and there is an urgent need for sustainable development reforms. The environment and economic development in ethnic minority areas of China from 2003 to 2022 are progressing slowly, and there is an urgent need for sustainable development reforms. During the economic development process, minimizing environmental pollution should be a fundamental prerequisite, with a focus on industrial ecological advancement, intensifying governmental environmental protection measures, and boosting green technological innovation to strive for a flattening of the EKC and advance a trajectory toward sustainable development. Full article

This study focuses on the impact of China’s digital economy on sustainable modernization from 2011 to 2021, using provincial panel data for empirical analysis. By applying threshold and mediation models, we find that the digital economy promotes modernization through industrial upgrading (with a mediating effect of 38%) and trade openness (coefficient = 0.234). The research reveals “U-shaped” nonlinear threshold effects at specific levels of digital development (2.218), market efficiency (9.212), and technological progress (12.224). Eastern provinces benefit significantly (coefficient ranging from 0.12 to 0.15 ***), while western regions initially experience some inhibition (coefficient = −0.08 *). Industrial digitalization (coefficient = 0.13 ***) and innovation ecosystems (coefficient = 0.09 ***) play crucial roles in driving eco-efficiency and equity, in line with Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 13. Meanwhile, the impacts of infrastructure (coefficient = 0.07) and industrialization (coefficient = 0.085) are delayed. Economic modernization improves (coefficient = 0.37 ***), yet social modernization declines (coefficient = −0.12 *). This study not only enriches economic theory but also extends the environmental Kuznets curve to the digital economy domain. We propose tiered policy recommendations, including the construction of green digital infrastructure, carbon pricing, and rural digital transformation, which are applicable to China and offer valuable references for emerging economies aiming to achieve inclusive low-carbon growth in the digital era. Future research could further explore the differentiated mechanisms of various digital technologies in the modernization process across different regions and how to optimize policy combinations to better balance digital innovation with sustainable development goals. Full article

The depletion of global fish stocks poses a major challenge to sustainable development, particularly in economies where marine resources are critical to livelihoods and food security. In this study, the relationship between economic development and the sustainability of fish stocks is examined using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). We use panel data from 32 economies between 2002 and 2020 and analyze the fish stock status indicator (EPI_FSS) from the Environmental Performance Index, which captures the proportion of national catches from overfished or collapsed stocks. Using a dynamic panel approach and the generalized method of moments (GMM), we investigate how the human development index (HDI) and other socio-economic factors influence changes in the state of fish stocks. Our results show a statistically significant inverted-U-shaped (∩-shaped) relationship between the HDI and the state of fish stocks, suggesting that the deterioration of fish stocks increases at lower levels of development, but improves beyond a certain threshold. In addition, higher levels of foreign direct investment (FDI), education, and research and development (R&D) spending are associated with better outcomes for fish stocks. These results suggest that while early economic growth may put pressure on marine resources, sustained investment in human capital, innovation, and global integration is critical to promoting long-term marine sustainability. Full article

The relationship between economic progress and environmental quality remains a central focus in global sustainability discourse. This study examines the link between per capita economic growth and CO₂ emissions across 128 countries from 1996 to 2022, controlling for energy consumption, trade volume, and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows. It also evaluates the role of governance quality—measured by regulatory quality and its volatility—while considering the globalization index as a confounding factor influencing CO₂ emissions. We test the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, which suggests that emissions initially rise with income but decline after reaching a certain economic threshold. Our findings confirm the global presence of the EKC. The analysis further shows that trade openness, governance, and globalization significantly influence FDI inflows, with FDI, in turn, reinforcing institutional quality through improved governance and globalization indicators. However, in countries with weaker governance and regulatory frameworks, FDI tends to promote pollution-intensive industrial growth, lending support to aspects of the Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH). We find a significant departure in EKC explained by post-COVID governance and globalization compromises, which induced the environment towards the PHH phenomenon. These results highlight the need for context-specific policy measures that align economic development with environmental constraints. Full article

As a pivotal economic province in China, Jiangsu’s efforts in civil building energy conservation are critical to achieving the national “dual carbon” goals. This paper proposes a hybrid model that integrates wavelet transform, support vector regression (SVR), and extreme learning machine (ELM) to predict the civil building energy consumption of Jiangsu Province. Based on data from statistical yearbooks, the historical energy consumption of civil buildings is calculated. Through a grey relational analysis (GRA), the key factors influencing the civil building energy consumption are identified. The wavelet transform technique is then applied to decompose the energy consumption data into a trend component and a fluctuation component. The SVR model predicts the trend component, while the ELM model captures the fluctuation patterns. The final prediction results are generated by combining these two predictions. The results demonstrate that the hybrid model achieves superior performance with a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of merely 1.37%, outperforming both individual prediction methods and alternative hybrid approaches. Furthermore, we develop three prospective scenarios to analyze civil building energy consumption trends from 2023 to 2030. The analysis reveals that the observed patterns align with the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). These findings provide valuable insights for provincial governments in future policy-making and energy planning. Full article

The rapid expansion of plastic waste trade has intensified environmental pressures, accelerating ecosystem degradation and climate change. We examine the long-term impacts of plastic waste imports and domestic waste production on ecological footprints and greenhouse gas emissions across 20 countries representing 70% of global plastic waste trade and 45% of world GDP. Under the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework, we explore nonlinear interactions among economic growth, urbanization, and sustainability goals. Using a panel simultaneous equations approach, we apply Pedroni, Kao, and Westerlund cointegration tests and Fully Modified and Dynamic OLS estimators to address endogeneity and heterogeneity. Robustness checks include alternative environmental indicators and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test. Results demonstrate a stable long-run equilibrium: plastic waste imports substantially increase ecological footprints and emissions, while progress on sustainable development goals mitigates some damage. The negative GDP squared coefficient supports the EKC hypothesis, indicating that environmental impacts rise initially with growth but decline once income exceeds a threshold. These findings highlight the need for stronger international regulations, enhanced waste management infrastructures, and circular economy strategies. Focused investment in sustainable technologies and global cooperation is essential to lower environmental costs of plastic waste trade. Full article

This study investigates the impacts of financial inclusion, development, and technological innovation on ESG readiness across low-income, lower-middle-income, and upper-middle-income countries from 2004 to 2020. Grounded in an augmented environmental Kuznets curve framework, financial intermediation, and financial literacy theories, the analysis employs a panel data approach. Results from panel and quantile regressions reveal that financial inclusion and financial development positively influence ESG readiness, with stronger effects in less financially developed countries. However, in upper-middle-income countries, excessive credit may increase energy-intensive consumption, moderating sustainability gains. Financial inclusion negatively affects ESG readiness at lower quantiles in low-innovation contexts but enhances it at higher quantiles in high-innovation settings. Financial development consistently supports ESG readiness, which is amplified by technological innovation. Effects are stronger in less financially developed countries, moderated by energy-intensive consumption in upper-middle-income economies. The findings underscore the critical role of technological infrastructure in maximising the sustainability benefits of financial systems, advocating for technology-supported financial inclusion and green financing. This study enriches the sustainable development literature and informs policies for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Full article