This study examines how the Environmental Protection Tax (EPT) influences water pollution control among major polluting firms in China. Using a triple difference (DDD) approach on A-share firm data from 2009–2022, we find that the EPT significantly reduces firms’ pollutant discharges, with the strongest effect appearing in the second year after implementation. We develop an institutionally grounded framework that connects managerial responses and political incentives, revealing two main channels – improved corporate management and strengthened political promotion incentives. The effects are concentrated in non–state-owned, large, and competitive firms with lower ownership–control separation. This study contributes by developing a dual-mechanism framework that links political incentives and corporate governance, revealing how fiscal environmental instruments shape firm behavior and sustain policy effectiveness under state capitalism, thereby advancing environmental taxation research from efficiency evaluation to institutional mechanisms.

Water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) requires widespread household participation to achieve resilient urban water systems. Yet, surveys on de facto and intended uptake of WSUD measures are limited in developing countries. This article determines uptake and predictors of rainwater harvesting, permeable paving and greywater reuse systems across different settlement types in the Gauteng city region of South Africa. Data were collected as part of an applied water demand management study, in which uptake was conceptualised as a form of conservation using an integrated model of household water consumption. Current and intended uptake of especially rainwater harvesting was noticeable among water-saving suburban households with tertiary education, but less so among township households. Predictors of conservation intention otherwise explained intended uptake to a limited extent. Three directions for more systematic research were identified to help integrate a growing, but as yet fragmented, body of research on both the nature and facilitation of uptake.

Private open spaces in urban environments hold significant potential for enhancing biodiversity and fostering human-nature interactions. Despite their importance, studies have largely focused on public spaces, neglecting private yards in communal residential areas. This study investigates the biodiversity potential of shared residential yards, specifically examining wild plant species, to provide planning guidelines for effective management and spatial design. Using a novel method, the research characterized city lots and buildings into six typologies, encompassing all residential areas in Givatayim, Israel. In spring 2022, plant surveys were conducted in 56 randomly selected lots, alongside measurements of open area size, proximity to green public spaces, and maintenance levels. Our findings indicate that larger open spaces and lower maintenance positively influence wild species richness and diversity. Moreover, they highlight the potential of minimally maintained shared residential yards to substantially enhance urban biodiversity. Yet, this potential conflicts with contemporary urban development trends that favor highly maintained spaces, underscoring the need for urban planning and management policies to reconcile ecological objectives with prevailing design preferences. This study underscores the ecological value of shared residential yards and their importance in urban biodiversity planning and management policies.

The importance of public engagement in mobilizing the green transition, especially at the individual level, is calling for creative participatory methodologies. It has prompted a curiosity for how 3D materials and especially the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) method, can contribute to citizens’ engagement in municipal climate transitions. This paper furthers the current understandings of LSP in the context of the green transition through a one-time workshop during Rebild Municipality’s Climate Week in Denmark, a corresponding survey and follow-up interviews with participants. The results show how LSP brings citizens into transformative dialogues and can contribute to social cohesion as a foundation for the green transition more so than it generates concrete actions. The paper reflects the design, and output of the workshop and indicates that redeeming the potential of LSP requires fit-for-purpose design, insights into relevant arenas and an investment from participants to obtain the desired outcomes. This indicates a further need for participatory methodologies to incorporate more material dimensions.

This study examines the effects of farmers’ participation in short food supply chains on the ecological efficiency of cash crop cultivation. The analysis draws upon data collected from 1099 farmers located in China’s primary kiwifruit-producing regions. First, ecological efficiency scores for small-scale farmers are estimated using stochastic frontier analysis. Second, to address selectivity bias arising from observable and unobservable factors, multinomial endogenous switching regression models are employed. The empirical analysis shows that participation in short food supply chains significantly enhances the ecological efficiency of farmers’ cash crop cultivation. Compared to relying solely on direct sales channels, the integration of middlemen with direct sales more effectively promotes improvements in farmers’ ecological efficiency.

Fauna-sensitive road design (FSRD) seeks to reduce the ecological impacts of transport infrastructure, yet its application in Australia remains inconsistent and context-dependent. This study examines how FSRD is shaped by policy and institutional settings in Queensland and Victoria, combining Institutional Grammar Tool (IGT) analysis of key guidance documents with interviews from 22 practitioners. Results revealed a strong reliance on non-binding language, with guidance framed as recommendations rather than enforceable requirements. Practitioners identified barriers including unclear legislation, poor data access, fragmented responsibilities, and limited influence during early project design. Suggested improvements focused on clearer specifications, stronger legislative mandates, improved interagency coordination, and national standardisation. The findings highlight that FSRD is as much a governance challenge as a technical one. This study provides a timely baseline for assessing reforms such as Queensland’s 2024 Fauna Sensitive Transport Infrastructure Delivery (FSTID) Manual and underscores the need to further embed ecological priorities into infrastructure planning.

We test the “double dividend” hypothesis across four environmental tax types (total, energy, pollution, transport) and heterogeneous economic and institutional settings in 71 developing countries (1994–2020). Using a stacked identification strategy–system GMM, difference-in-differences with generalized propensity scores, and instrumental-variable three-stage SUR with leave-one-out regional diffusion and Bartik-style instruments – we estimate both total and mediated (via CO2) effects on real GDP. We find that environmental taxes reduce emissions across settings, with larger effects under stronger institutions. Transport taxes are comparatively pro-growth, while energy and pollution taxes are more distortionary; revenue recycling from less-distortionary taxes can offset income losses from others. Our results highlight that realizing a double dividend is conditional on tax design and institutional capacity, underscoring the value of tailoring tax mixes and investing in governance to support both environmental and economic goals.

In attempting to address environmental degradation through participatory processes, planners need to be cognisant of societies becoming more ethnically diverse. This poses challenges to both engage with recent migrants, and to provide education and opportunities for involvement in host governance systems. Here, freshwater values of concern to ethnic Chinese in Aotearoa New Zealand are explored, along with involvement in participatory freshwater management processes. Results from surveys (n = 151), and interviews with public officials and prominent ethnic Chinese (n = 10), showed that values centred strongly on drinking water quality. While there was clear support for involvement in planning; very few had previously engaged due to a range of surmountable barriers. Given ∼30% population were born overseas, planners should expand engagement methods to facilitate the participation of diverse ethnicities. Such an approach would help to build relationships between local government and diverse publics that may aid collaborative responses to environmental change.

The widespread use of single-use plastic tableware (SUPT) poses environmental and health risks, highlighting the need for effective interventions to reduce consumption and mitigate plastic pollution. This study examines interventions to raise awareness of SUPT health and environmental impacts using a theoretical mathematical model informed by behavioral insights from a US survey and grounded in the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Consumer decision-making was simulated within four distinct theoretical social network structures (7,000 individuals each) under different intervention scenarios to evaluate their impact. An evolutionary process tracked behavioral changes over time within the social network. The findings highlight the crucial role of awareness-raising interventions in reducing SUPT consumption, with health-focused interventions being the most effective. However, their impact varies by network structure, shaping how awareness spreads and influences behavior. These results underscore the need for tailored strategies to maximize, support policy and plan to reduce plastic pollution and promote sustainable consumption.