Search Results (181)

Promoting the green transition of the energy structure is crucial for achieving climate mitigation and safeguarding public health. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, this paper takes the New Energy Demonstration City pilot (NEDCP) program as a quasi-natural experiment to empirically examine energy transition’s impact on residents’ health. The results show that the NEDCP program significantly improves residents’ health, with benefits that are almost equal to those of regular physical exercise. This finding remains robust after a series of robustness and endogeneity checks. Mechanism analyses indicate that the NEDCP program promotes the substitution of traditional fossil energy with new energy, improving environmental quality, and thereby enhancing residents’ health. Moreover, rising carbon prices and stricter urban environmental regulation further amplify these health benefits. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the impact of the NEDCP program on residents’ health is more pronounced among vulnerable populations, including smokers and older adults, as well as in resource-dependent, economically underdeveloped, and environmentally underregulated cities, highlighting the NEDCP program’s positive role in advancing health equity across different demographic groups and regions. This study offers valuable insights into how the NEDCP program promotes public health and advances health equity. Full article

The construction of New Energy Demonstration Cities (NEDC) represents a crucial policy initiative in advancing China’s energy transition and serves as an institutional innovation to promote inclusive green growth (IGG) at the urban level. Based on panel data for 278 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021, this study employs a double machine learning model to identify the causal impact of the NEDC on IGG and to further explore the underlying mechanisms. The empirical results show that the policy significantly enhances IGG overall. However, the positive effects are mainly observed in non-resource-based and non-old industrial cities, while the impacts in resource-based and old industrial cities are statistically insignificant. This finding indicates that structural constraints such as the resource curse and Dutch disease remain evident in these regions. Mechanism analysis reveals that the NEDC promotes IGG primarily through technological innovation and employment creation, forming a chained mediating pathway of ‘NEDC → technological innovation → employment creation → IGG.’ This study enriches the literature on the economic effects of energy reform pilot policies and provides empirical evidence and policy insights for achieving IGG goals in both China and other countries. Full article

Mineral resource exploitation poses substantial pressure on regional ecological environments. The Xiaoxing’anling mineral belt—a critical ecological functional area and a major mineral-rich zone in China—exemplifies such environmental vulnerability. Conducting a scientific assessment of ecological changes in mining-affected regions is essential for balancing resource development and environmental protection. Based on the DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) model, this study developed a comprehensive indicator system tailored for evaluating ecological changes in mining areas. Using the Xiaoxing’anling mineral belt in Heilongjiang Province as a case study, we integrated remote sensing, geographic information, statistical yearbooks, and field survey data, and applied an objective weighting method to quantitatively assess ecological changes from 2010 to 2020. The results indicate the following: (1) Ecological evolution exhibits significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, with persistently high ecological pressure in the eastern region leading to continued environmental degradation. (2) Socioeconomic transformation driven by new energy development has weakened the overall development driver, though Yichun City remains a core driver due to its super-large mineral deposits. (3) Ecological impacts demonstrate a spatial spillover effect, extending to urban residential areas, while ecological response measures lag severely and are misaligned with pressure distribution—nature reserves have become high-value response zones rather than the actual mining sites. (4) The comprehensive ecological restoration index is on a downward trend. The measures currently adopted by society to improve the ecology of mining areas, such as using greener mining methods and increasing vegetation coverage, are unable to counteract the adverse effects of previous mining activities. This study identifies passive and lagging responses as the key bottlenecks impeding ecological recovery. We emphasize that future management strategies must shift from passive remediation to proactive intervention, and propose clear spatial and institutional directions for sustainable governance in mining areas. Full article

Cities are at the core of resource consumption and carbon emissions, and against a backdrop of increasingly severe global climate change and resource constraints, they have become crucial in achieving an ecological civilization through sustainable development models. Using data from 293 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2023 as a research sample, this study empirically examines the impacts of new energy demonstration city construction on energy utilization efficiency, with the aim of providing insights to guide urban sustainable development. Our findings are as follows: firstly, the construction of new energy demonstration cities can effectively enhance energy utilization efficiency. Secondly, digital economy policies and environmental regulations can positively moderate the impact of new energy demonstration city construction on energy utilization efficiency. Thirdly, the construction of new energy demonstration cities can significantly improve energy utilization efficiency through technological innovation and industrial optimization. Full article

The emergence of energy communities in the energy transition world could be beneficial for sustainable development, particularly in ancient town centers. The interaction between energy groups, renewable energy sources, and electric vehicles in Italy’s historic cities is the primary concern of this work. It examines the potential for these interconnected components to collaborate to revitalize Italian historical sites and ensure their sustainable management. This study focuses on the overall potential of energy communities to boost democracy and energy security, and decrease negative environmental impacts. It is studied by analyzing rules and regulation along with new technologies and changes in society and economy that are affecting the energy sector. This paper focuses on approaches to the application of renewable energy resources and examines electric mobility and its role in realizing ecologically sustainable transportation in cities. It also demonstrates the needs to occur with infrastructures, use rates and policies that must be implemented to get a person to drive electric cars around historic districts. This improves the management’s capacity to implement an easy transition to low carbon because, related to energy production and consumption, techniques of comprehensive planning should be adopted. Full article

The transition from Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) systems to Beyond 5G (B5G) and Sixth Generation (6G) networks requires innovative architectures capable of supporting ultra-high data rates, sub-millisecond latency, and massive connection densities in dense urban environments. This paper proposes a comprehensive design methodology for a mini-cluster architecture operating in sub-THz (0.1–0.3 THz) and THz (0.3–3 THz) frequency bands. The proposed framework aims to enhance existing 5G infrastructure while enabling B5G/6G capabilities, with a particular focus on hotspot coverage and mission-critical applications in dense urban environments. The architecture integrates mini Base Stations (mBS), Distributed Edge Computing Units (DECUs), and Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRS) for coverage enhancement and blockage mitigation. Detailed link budget analysis, coverage and capacity planning, and propagation modeling tailored to complex urban morphologies are performed for representative case study cities, Quito and Guayaquil (Ecuador). Simulation results demonstrate up to 100 Gbps peak data rates, sub 100 μs latency, and tenfold energy efficiency gains over conventional 5G deployments. Additionally, the proposed framework highlights the growing importance of THz communications in the 5G evolution towards B5G and 6G systems, where ultra-dense, low-latency, and energy-efficient mini-cluster deployments play a key role in enabling next-generation connectivity for critical and immersive services. Beyond the studied cities, the proposed framework can be generalized to other metropolitan areas facing similar propagation and capacity challenges, providing a scalable pathway for early-stage sub-THz/THz deployments in B5G/6G networks. Full article

Integrating renewable energy into heritage buildings poses technical, aesthetic, and regulatory challenges, especially in Andean cities with a rich historical legacy, such as Cuenca, Ecuador. This study addresses the design and implementation of a prototype for handcrafted photovoltaic roof tiles that comply with the conservation regulations of the Historic Center. The proposed solution is sustainable, visually unobtrusive, and suitable for heritage urban environments. A technical assessment was conducted for 23 educational institutions located in the Historic Center to evaluate the structural suitability of their roofs for solar panel installation. Based on this assessment, a photovoltaic roof tile prototype was developed using accessible materials, such as terracotta-tinted acrylic, and evaluated in terms of energy efficiency, architectural integration, and regulatory compliance. As a result, 12 buildings were found to be structurally suitable for system installation, of which 11 had sufficient roof space to meet their daytime energy demands. The prototype proved to be functional, replicable, aesthetically harmonious with the heritage setting, and fully compliant with current municipal regulations. The School of Law at the Catholic University of Cuenca was selected as a demonstration site due to its technical suitability and heritage significance. Thus, handcrafted photovoltaic roof tiles emerge as an innovative and viable solution for incorporating solar energy into protected urban settings, offering environmental, technical, and social benefits. Lastly, this study outlines future research pathways aimed at developing new materials, advancing energy storage strategies, and exploring community perceptions in heritage environments. Full article

The adoption of robust fiscal policies is a critical pathway for China to control pollution, promote green development, and advance ecological civilization. This study examines the “Comprehensive Demonstration City of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Fiscal Policy” pilot project as a quasi-natural experiment. Employing the Slack-Based Measure Directional Distance Function (SBM-DDF) model and a multi-period Difference-in-Difference (DID) approach, we assess the impact of the energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policy (ECERFP) on urban green total factor productivity (UGTFP). The results indicate that ECERFP significantly enhances UGTFP. This finding remains robust across multiple tests, including parallel trends, placebo tests, and the Goodman–Bacon decomposition. Mechanism analysis indicates that ECERFP enhances UGTFP mainly through technological innovation and improved energy efficiency. However, its effectiveness varies by geographical location, resource endowment, and city size. While ECERFP can promote urban energy conservation and end-of-pipe pollution control, it also carries the potential risk of inducing a “pollution haven” effect. To maximize the fiscal policy’s leverage and the resource allocation effects, a comprehensive strategy is required—one that advances energy efficiency, stimulates technological innovation, tailors energy conservation measures to local conditions, and nurtures the development of new productive forces to support sustainable urban growth. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” strategy, achieving synergy between pollution reduction and carbon mitigation is crucial for the sustainable development of coastal cities. However, existing studies frequently emphasize single-carbon reduction measures whilst neglecting to acknowledge the cross-sectoral synergistic effects. This study takes the Haishu District of Ningbo in Zhejiang Province as a case study and quantitatively assesses the effectiveness of synergistic governance strategies across four key pathways: photovoltaic power generation, carbon sequestration by green land, new energy transportation, and waste incineration for power generation. The results demonstrate that multi-sectoral coordinated management significantly enhances overall emission reduction efficiency, with the photovoltaic and waste-to-energy pathways showing the highest carbon reduction potential. This study establishes a multi-pathway framework for evaluating the synergistic effects of pollution and carbon reduction. It also provides scientific support for decision-making regarding the transition to a low-carbon economy in coastal cities, and proposes a replicable evaluation methodology that can be used to implement dual carbon strategies in other coastal regions. Full article

Global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality increasingly rely on institutional green policy that reshape corporate environmental behavior. This study examines whether green policy improves corporate environmental performance (EP). Using panel data of the A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2022, we exploit the rollout of pilot cities as a quasi-natural experiment and apply a difference-in-differences (DID) framework, supplemented by double machine learning (DML) and robustness tests. The results show that the New Energy Demonstration City (NEDC) policy notably increases EP, with stronger effects for state-owned enterprises, large firms, and regulated industries. Mechanism analysis indicates that artificial intelligence innovation capacity and the stringency of regional environmental regulation amplify the policy’s effectiveness, revealing a “innovation–regulation” dual mechanism. By focusing on integrated EP rather than single outcomes, this paper extends the literature on green policy instruments. It demonstrates that structural policies combining fiscal incentives and regulatory constraints can correct market failures and foster long-term green transition. Beyond China, the findings provide insights for other developing economies where market-based instruments alone may be insufficient to trigger low-carbon transformation. Full article

This study investigates the application and transformation potential of smart city concepts along Zhongyang Road in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. By introducing evaluation mechanisms such as the Smart City Maturity Index (SCMI) and the Composite Key Performance Indicator (CKPI), the research systematically analyzes the effectiveness of implementations across areas including transportation, energy, governance, and citizen engagement. Furthermore, Formula (1) is applied to assess the improvement in average delay time after the integration of smart technologies, while Formula (2) quantifies the annual energy savings achieved by replacing conventional streetlights with solar-powered ones, demonstrating tangible energy-saving and carbon-reduction benefits. The findings indicate that cross-sector collaboration and technological integration can significantly enhance urban operational efficiency and sustainability, providing valuable insights for the development of other new towns. Full article

This study examines the causal impact of China’s New Energy Demonstration City construction policy on corporate energy consumption. The results demonstrate that this policy effectively reduces corporate energy consumption. The policy significantly decreases the consumption of coal, natural gas, and diesel. Although the policy significantly reduces energy consumption in both local state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-SOEs, its effect does not show statistically significant variation across different types of controlling shareholders. The energy-saving effect is particularly pronounced in the following industries: Manufacturing, Electricity, Heat, Gas, and Water Production & Supply, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Information Technology Services, Leasing & Business Services, and Water Conservancy, Environment, and Public Infrastructure Management. The policy operates through multiple channels: internal mechanisms including direct innovation effect, accelerated green M&As effect as well as digital empowerment effect, and external moderators including marketization level and green finance environment. The findings yield important insights for scholars, policymakers and corporate stakeholders. Full article

The transformation of the transportation sector is critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). As the world’s largest auto market, China has implemented various policies to promote sustainable transportation, particularly through the adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs), thereby increasing the share of renewables in energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. Among these policies, the NEV driving restrictions exemption (NEV-DRE) policy has emerged as a key non-financial incentive to stimulate NEV demand. This study focuses on how the NEV-DRE policy affects the demand side of NEVs in the transportation sector. Employing a difference-in-differences design on a comprehensive dataset of vehicle transactions across 82 prefecture-level pilot cities from 2011 to 2019, this study provides robust causal evidence that the NEV-DRE policy significantly increases NEV sales. Furthermore, this study finds that this growth in demand is primarily driven by an increased consumer preference for domestic pure electric sedans. The policy proves more effective in cities with general driving restrictions, purchasing restrictions, and greater environmental awareness. Our findings demonstrate how innovative traffic management measures can be transformed into effective industrial policy tools, accelerating the adoption of renewable energy in the transportation sector. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers in China and elsewhere on how to design non-financial incentives to promote sustainable transportation, thereby promoting sustainable energy transitions and contributing to the achievement of SDG 7. Full article

The world is facing increasingly severe environmental challenges, making the development of new energy a crucial trend for the future. The corporate value of new energy enterprises plays a vital role in their sustainable growth. Current environmental regulations predominantly rely on punitive measures, with limited use of incentive-based policies. This study examines China’s New Energy Demonstration City (NEDC) policy, employing panel data from listed new energy firms (2010–2023) and a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to quantify incentive-based policies effects. The results demonstrate that the NEDC policy significantly enhances the corporate value of new energy enterprises, the findings are robust to multiple tests. The policy’s impact exhibits notable heterogeneity: state-owned enterprises (SOEs), large firms and firms in regions with stringent environmental regulations benefit more. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy alleviates financing constraints and encourages green transformation, thereby boosting corporate value. This study provides empirical evidence supporting incentive-based environmental policies. Full article

This study investigates the climatic dynamics of Odesa, Ukraine, by integrating over 200 years of archival meteorological records with recent observations from the Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station and advanced machine learning techniques. The results reveal a distinct warming trend since 1985, with average annual temperatures projected by a CNN–LSTM model to rise by more than 6–7 °C above the mid-20th-century baseline by 2029, indicating an exceptionally rapid regional climatic shift. Spatial analysis of the July 2024 heatwave demonstrated pronounced thermal gradients, with the strongest overheating observed inland and the moderating influence of the Black Sea reducing temperature extremes in coastal areas. Precipitation analysis (1985–2024) showed an overall statistically insignificant increase; however, the summer months exhibited drying tendencies, a trend reinforced by model forecasts. Solar radiation dynamics (2012–2024) highlighted significant local variability shaped primarily by atmospheric conditions rather than solar activity, with notable monthly increases in October, November, and February. The novelty of this research lies in combining long-term datasets with deep learning methods to produce localized climate scenarios for Odesa, offering new insights into the city’s transition toward extreme warming, shifting precipitation patterns, and evolving solar energy potential. The findings have direct implications for environmental modeling, energy efficiency, and the development of climate change adaptation strategies in urbanized coastal regions. Full article