Changes In Environmental Regulations Research Articles

Why Is Pollution from US Manufacturing Declining? The Roles of Environmental Regulation, Productivity, and Trade

Between 1990 and 2008, air pollution emissions from US manufacturing fell by 60 percent despite a substantial increase in manufacturing output. We show that these emissions reductions are primarily driven by within-product changes in emissions intensity rather than changes in output or in the composition of products produced. We then develop and estimate a quantitative model linking trade with the environment to better understand the economic forces driving these changes. Our estimates suggest that the implicit pollution tax that manufacturers face doubled between 1990 and 2008. These changes in environmental regulation, rather than changes in productivity and trade, account for most of the emissions reductions. (JEL F18, H23, L60, Q52, Q53, Q56, Q58)

Assessing the efficiency of China’s environmental regulation on carbon emissions based on Tapio decoupling models and GMM models

This paper takes 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2015 as research samples, using the Tapio decoupling models, differential GMM methods and peak forecasting models to analyze the effect of environmental regulation on carbon emissions, and subdividing the research sample from the regional and temporal dimensions to analyze the effectiveness of environmental regulations in different regions and at different time periods. The analysis results show that, with the advancement of environmental regulation, the dependence of China’s economic growth on fossil energy has experienced a process from weak to strong and weak. There is a significant inverted U-shaped curve relationship between environmental regulation and CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions intensity. As the intensity of environmental regulation changes from weak to strong, the impact effect changes from “green paradox” effect to “back-forced reduction” effect. The effect of environmental regulation in the eastern region is better than that in the central and western regions. However, with the implementation of environmental regulation, the inverted U-shaped curve between environmental regulation and carbon emissions gradually becomes flat. The results of the peak forecast show that China has crossed the peak of CO2 emissions intensity, but has not exceeded the peak of CO2 emissions. By further optimizing environmental regulations, China may reach its CO2 emissions peak by 2030. Overall, China’s environmental regulations at the current stage can effectively curb carbon emissions and achieve the desired goals.

Environmental Regulation and Green Skills: An Empirical Exploration

This paper provides new evidence on the workplace skills most relevant in the transition toward environmentally sustainable economies. Using a novel data-driven methodology, we identify two main sets of green skills, namely, engineering skills for the design and production of technology, and managerial skills for implementing and monitoring environmental organizational practices. Exploiting exogenous geographical variation in regulatory stringency, we also evaluate the effect of environmental regulation on the demand of green skills for a panel of US metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas over the period 2006–14. The main finding is that while these changes in environmental regulation have no impact on overall employment, they create significant, if modest, gaps in the demand for some green skills, especially those related to technical and engineering work tasks.

Optimal Environmental Regulation Intensity of Manufacturing Technology Innovation in View of Pollution Heterogeneity

Based on panel data of 28 manufacturing industries sectors in 2005–2015 years, this paper first estimated the level of 28 manufacturing industries sectors technological progress, and then, using panel threshold technology, calculated the impact of three environmental regulation change rates on technological progress change rate to analyze the relationship between environmental regulations and technology innovation. The results show that: (1) The influence of the change rates of waste gas, wastewater and solid waste’s environmental regulation intensity towards the change rate of production technological progress has two thresholds. Only the proper change rate of environmental regulation intensity can lead to a desired change rate of production technological progress. However, there are differences in the thresholds of the change rates of three kinds of environmental regulation intensities, and the optimal change rates of waste gas, wastewater and waste solid are 15.07%–55.31%, 17.06%–38.02% and 33.12%–47.99%, respectively. (2) In the change rates of waste gas, wastewater and waste solid’s environmental regulation intensity, there are 8, 10 and 3 industries at a reasonable level, respectively, while others industries are below or above the reasonable level and unable to stimulate technical and management innovation in enterprises. Hence, to achieve a win-win situation between environmental protection and production technological progress, different environmental regulation intensities should be planned according to different pollutants in various manufacturing industries.

The viability of ultra low temperature waste heat recovery using organic Rankine cycle in dual loop data center applications

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising technology for waste heat recovery in data centers due to its low-cost production of electricity, which can be used elsewhere in the data center. In this paper, an analysis is presented which assesses the effectiveness of ORC systems in repurposing data center waste heat energy from both thermodynamic and economic points of view. The starting point for the analysis is the development of a steady-state thermodynamic model for an ORC system consisting of an evaporator, expander, condenser, pump, and superheater. The model includes both first and second law analyses and is verified against existing data. The effect of evaporator temperature and working fluid type (dry, wet, and isotropic) on the efficiency of the system is examined. The ORC thermodynamic model is then integrated into a full server cooling system model. The efficiency of this system is determined for different operating fluids and thermodynamic conditions. Finally, a first-order economic analysis is performed using the results of thermal analysis and the information for price, installation and maintenance cost, provided by an ORC manufacturer. This work is unique in that the use of ORC in extremely low temperature applications has previously been considered to be of questionable benefit due to its low efficiency. This work highlights that there are clear benefits to be gained in ultra-low temperature applications, and is one of the first examples of ORC benefits in data center designs.For data center operating conditions, R134a and R245fa are identified as the optimum selections for the server coolant and ORC working fluid, respectively, but other environmentally friendly options are considered in the case that a data center operator is forced to swap out a fluid due to changes in environmental regulations. This gives data center operators greater insight into the performance of the system in the face of possible constraints. The analysis also considers the use of superheaters to increase the temperature at which the waste heat is recovered. This is often considered to be beneficial in waste heat recovery systems. However, the results show that while increasing the temperature at which the waste heat is recovered improves ORC system performance, the addition of superheaters in either the ORC loop or the server cooling loop results in an overall performance decrease due to the additional power required for their operation. A payback period of between 4–8 years for the use of ORC in data center environments is estimated.

Measures, Drivers and Effects of Green Employment: Evidence from US Local Labor Markets, 2006-2014

This paper explores the nature and the key empirical regularities of green employment in US local labor markets between 2006 and 2014. We construct a new measure of green employment based on the task content of occupations. Descriptive analysis reveals the following: 1. the share of green employment oscillates between 2 and 3 percent, and its trend is strongly pro-cyclical; 2. green jobs yield a 4 percent wage premium; 3. despite moderate catching-up across areas, green jobs remain more geographically concentrated than similar non-green jobs; and 4. the top green areas are mostly high-tech. As regards the drivers, changes in environmental regulation are a secondary force compared to the local endowment of green knowledge and resilience in the face of the great recession. To assess the impact of moving to greener activities, we estimate that one additional green job is associated with 4.2 (2.4 in the crisis period) new jobs in non-tradable activities in the local economies.

Location choice of FDI firms and environmental regulation reforms in China

By examining the data on 13,663 newly established FDI firms and the environmental regulation reforms between 2000 and 2010, this paper studies whether foreign investors in China exhibit pollution haven behavior. Our analyses indicate that fewer FDI firms locate in provinces with more stringent environmental regulations (i.e., with higher pollution levy rates). Consistent results are found when we examine the individual firm’s location choice decision. We further find that firms’ location patterns respond to the changes in environmental regulations. In particular, their pollution haven behavior becomes more significant when the changes bring greater inter-provincial differences in environmental stringency.

Measures, Drivers and Effects of Green Employment: Evidence from US Local Labor Markets, 2006-2014

This paper explores the nature and the key empirical regularities of green employment in US local labor markets between 2006 and 2014. We construct a new measure of green employment based on the task content of occupations. Descriptive analysis reveals the following: 1. the share of green employment oscillates between 2 and 3 percent, and its trend is strongly pro-cyclical; 2. green jobs yield a 4 percent wage premium; 3. despite moderate catching-up across areas, green jobs remain more geographically concentrated than similar non-green jobs; and 4. the top green areas are mostly high-tech. As regards the drivers, changes in environmental regulation are a secondary force compared to the local endowment of green knowledge and resilience in the face of the great recession. To assess the impact of moving to greener activities, we estimate that one additional green job is associated with 4.2 (2.4 in the crisis period) new jobs in non-tradable activities in the local economies.

Why is Pollution from U.S. Manufacturing Declining? The Roles of Environmental Regulation, Productivity, and Trade

Between 1990 and 2008, air pollution emissions from U.S. manufacturing fell by 60 percent despite a substantial increase in manufacturing output. We show that these emissions reductions are primarily driven by within-product changes in emissions intensity rather than changes in output or in the composition of products produced. We then develop and estimate a quantitative model linking trade with the environment to better understand the economic forces driving these changes. Our estimates suggest that the implicit pollution tax that manufacturers face doubled between 1990 and 2008. These changes in environmental regulation, rather than changes in productivity and trade, account for most of the emissions reductions.

A Study on Green IT Adoption

Green IT adoption is a plausible attempt for organizations to tackle the current environmental problem. The objective of this study is to examine the leading factors of Green IT adoption decisions. More specifically, we are interesting the issue of whether government support playing a key factor on determining Green IT adoption in developing countries. Based upon a survey of 64 organizations in Taiwan, the results indicated that environmental compliance (i.e., responding to the environmental regulation changes and citizenships), instead of economic consideration, was the driving force for organizations to adopt Green IT. Furthermore, government support, indeed, played an important role for leading organizations to pursuit their social responsibilities. Technological resources and governance toward green IT were also important factors for organizations to be ready to exercise their social responsibilities.

Accumulation, Structural Change and External Balances in a World with Internationally Traded Environmental Assets

AbstractEnvironmental literature has largely neglected macroeconomic considerations, especially open economy and asset market ones. This paper develops a small country framework that seeks to address these issues. Medium‐ and long‐run aspects are explored using standard trade and portfolio balance models, modified to incorporate trade in claims on non‐renewable resources (environmental assets). In the medium run, changes in environmental regulations, saving behavior and other variables affect the current account, investment and composition of output. In the long run, both the sectoral intensity of environment use and the structure of the economy are affected, as are the capital stock and the global distribution of claims on resources.

On the interplay between environmental reporting and management accounting change

This paper investigates how environmental reporting (ER) and environment-related management accounting (EMA) practices may interact in the process of responding to disturbances of the natural environment (e.g., changes in environmental regulation, green consumerism, societal pressures for environmentally-responsible conduct). Based on data gathered in four Belgian case companies, we find that the emergence of an interplay between ER and EMA practices is related to the change pathways followed by these disturbances. Moreover, the strength of the environmental disturbances, top management commitment and the presence of an environmental champion are important contingent factors in understanding the development of a recursive relationship. Finally, the findings illustrate that an interplay between ER and EMA practices has the potential to foster or stifle organizational greening.

Temporal trend of pesticide concentrations in the Chikugo River (Japan) with changes in environmental regulation and field infrastructure

Contamination of pesticides, which are applied to rice paddy fields, in river water has been a major problem in Japan for decades. A prolonged water holding period after pesticide application in paddy fields is expected to reduce the concentration of rice pesticides in river water. Therefore, a long monitoring campaign was conducted from 2004 to 2010 to measure the concentrations of pesticides in water samples collected from several points along the Chikugo River (Japan) including tributaries and the main stream to see if there was any reduction in the level of pesticide contamination after the extension of the water holding period (from 3–4 days to 7 days) was introduced in 2007 by the new water management regulation. No significant difference (p>0.05) was found in pesticide concentrations between the periods before and after 2007 in all monitoring points, except in one tributary where the pesticide concentrations after 2007 were even higher than that of the previous period. A detailed study in one of the tributaries also revealed that the renovated infrastructure did not reduce the pesticide concentrations in the drainage canals. Neither the introduction of the new regulation nor the improved infrastructure had any significant effect on reducing the contamination of pesticides in water of the Chikugo River. It is probably because most farmers did not properly implement the new requirement of holding paddy water within the field for 7 days after the application of pesticides. Only tightening the regulation would not be sufficient and more actions should be taken to enforce/provide extension support for the new water management regulation in order to reduce the level of residual pesticides in river water in Japan.

Enhancement of economic and ecological sustainability through integrated management of coal and electricity in north China

Abstract System planning of energy resources management is an effective way for supporting socio-economic development and enhancing eco-environmental sustainability. In this study, an inexact coupled coal and power management model with ecological restoration and pollutants mitigation was developed to analyze the impacts of growing coal use and electricity production on eco-environmental quality by integrating a complete set of ecological and environmental constraints. The model can not only effectively handle the uncertainties and complexities of the coupled coal and power management systems, but can also facilitate a dynamic analysis of capacity expansion, facility installation, energy resource inventory, coal blending and environmental regulation changes within a multi-period and multi-option context. The developed model was applied to a long-term coupled coal and power management system planning problem to support the regional eco-environmental sustainability in north China. The interval solutions associated with different risk levels of the constraint violations were obtained, which could be used to formulate decision alternative options. The results generated could also aid decision makers in identifying desirable strategies under various social-economic, environmental and system-reliability constraints with the highest system reliability and the lowest system cost and ecological environment impact. In addition, the tradeoffs between system costs and constraint-violation risks could also be tackled.

Cluster versus Firm-specific Factors in the Development of Dynamic Capabilities in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Ireland: A Study of Responses to Changes in Environmental Protection Regulations

Hilliard R. and Jacobson D. Cluster versus firm specific-factors in the development of dynamic capabilities in the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland: a study of responses to changes in environmental protection regulations, Regional Studies. This paper uses the evolutionary economic theory of the firm to examine the response of pharmaceutical manufacturing firms to changes in environmental regulations. Quantitative indicators of firms' learning and problem-solving are developed using data reported to the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These are used to look at differences in capability between firms that are part of a pharmaceutical agglomeration and firms that are stand-alone. Analysis shows that spatial proximity may be a factor in firms' ability to implement both cleaner technology and the mandated managerial processes, but that the strength of problem-solving routines is also associated with firm-specific capabilities. Hilliard R. et Jacobson D. Les facteurs spécifiques aux grappes par rapport à celles qui remontent aux entreprises quant au développement des capacités dynamiques de l'industrie pharmaceutique en Irlande: une étude des réponses à la modification à la réglementation pour la protection de l'environnement, Regional Studies. Cet article emploie la théorie économique évolutionniste de l'entreprise afin d'examiner la réponse des entreprises industrielles pharmaceutiques à la modification à la réglementation en faveur de la protection de l'environnement. A partir des données transmises à la Irish Environmental Protection Agency (l'EPA; à savoir, la commission pour la protection de l'Environnement en Irlande), on développe des indicateurs quantitatifs de l'apprentissage et de l'aptitude à resoudre les problèmes des entreprises. On s'en sert afin d'examiner les différences de la capacité des entreprises qui font partie d'une agglomération pharmaceutique par rapport aux entreprises autonomes. L'analyse montre que la proximité géographique pourrait s'avérer un facteur clé dans la capacité de mettre en oeuvre à la fois une technologie plus propre et des systèmes de gestion autorisés, mais que la solidité de l'aptitude à résoudre les problèmes se rapporte également aux capacités spécifiques aux entreprises. Grappe Géographie économique évolutionniste Réglementation pour la protection de l'environnement Capacité dynamique Industrie pharmaceutique Hilliard R. und Jacobson D. Cluster- und firmenspezifische Faktoren bei der Entwicklung dynamischer Fähigkeiten in der Pharmaindustrie von Irland: eine Untersuchung der Reaktion auf Veränderungen in den Umweltschutzvorschriften, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird mit Hilfe der evolutionären Wirtschaftstheorie der Firma die Reaktion von Pharmaunternehmen auf Veränderungen in der Umweltgesetzgebung untersucht. Anhand von Daten, die der irischen Umweltschutzbehörde gemeldet wurden, werden quantitative Indikatoren für die Lernprozesse und Problemlösungen der Unternehmen entwickelt. Mit Hilfe dieser Indikatoren werden die Unterschiede zwischen den Fähigkeiten von Firmen, die zu einer pharmazeutischen Agglomeration gehören, und den Fähigkeiten von selbstständigen Firmen untersucht. Aus der Analyse geht hervor, dass eine räumliche Nähe für die Fähigkeit von Firmen zur Umsetzung von umweltverträglicherer Technik und den vorgeschriebenen Verwaltungsprozessen eine Rolle spielen kann, wobei aber auch die Stärke der Problemlösungsroutinen für die firmenspezifischen Fähigkeiten von Bedeutung ist. Cluster Evolutionäre Wirtschaftsgeografie Umweltgesetzgebung Dynamische Fähigkeiten Pharmaindustrie Hilliard R. y Jacobson D. Factores específicos de aglomeraciones y empresas en el desarrollo de las capacidades dinámicas en la industria farmacéutica de Irlanda: un estudio sobre la reacción ante los cambios en las normas de protección del medio ambiente, Regional Studies. En este artículo examinamos la respuesta de los laboratorios farmacéuticos a los cambios en las regulaciones medioambientales mediante la teoría económica evolutiva de la empresa. Desarrollamos indicadores cuantitativos sobre el aprendizaje y la solución de problemas por parte de las empresas utilizando datos informados a la Agencia Irlandesa de Protección del Medio Ambiente (EPA). Se utilizan para analizar las diferencias en la capacidad entre las empresas que forman parte de una aglomeración farmacéutica y las empresas que son independientes. El análisis muestra que la proximidad espacial podría ser un factor para la capacidad de las empresas de aplicar tecnología más limpia y los procesos administrativos obligatorios pero la fuerza de las rutinas para solucionar problemas también está asociada a las capacidades de cada empresa. Aglomeración Geografía económica evolutiva Regulación medioambiental Capacidad dinámica Industria farmacéutica

Developing environmental legislation to promote recycling of industrial by-products – An endless story?

In Finland during the last few decades, mineral industrial residues (by-products) have been used in earthworks, but only to a limited extent relative to their total volume. The most important barrier to efficient recycling of by-products has been the need for a site-specific environmental permit, since the permit process tends to be time-consuming and laborious. In 2000 a working group was set up to prepare national legislation, i.e., a Government decree, in order to promote the use of by-products in earth construction. The aim was to exempt certain residues from the environmental permit obligation. At the first stage, the working group determined specific decision criteria for the selection of the by-products to be included. For the selected residues, the acceptable construction applications and material-specific environmental standards were defined. Various difficulties were encountered during the preparation of the decree. These were mainly caused by the lack of data and by some ongoing changes in environmental regulations. Furthermore, the draft decree received several critical and partly contradictory comments and proposals for amendments. This resulted in considerable delay in implementation.

High temperature corrosion resistance of candidate nickel-based weld overlay alloys in a low NO x environment

Changes in environmental regulations have led many fossil fuel-fired boiler operators to alter their combustion practices (low NO x burning), thereby lowering plant emissions. This change has led to unacceptable wastage of carbon and low alloy steel waterwall tubes and expensive shutdowns due to severe corrosion. One favored solution is to weld overlay a more corrosion resistant alloy on top of existing tubes. Two nickel-based alloys developed for such applications were tested alongside the commercially available alloy 622 in a simulated low NO x environment. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) examination of the weld overlays and corrosion scales demonstrated that microsegregation of molybdenum occurred in one of the candidate alloys and alloy 622. This microsegregation had a detrimental effect on the corrosion resistance of these alloys. The candidate alloy with higher chromium concentration, low nominal molybdenum concentration, and corresponding minimum molybdenum segregation, exhibited the best corrosion resistance of the examined alloys.

Dynamic simulation model of a coal thermoelectric plant with a flue gas desulphurisation system

In this paper a Dynamic Simulation Model has been used to present the likely responses of the electricity industries’ latest perturbations such as: changes in environmental regulations, international fuel market evolution, restriction on fuel supply and increase on fuel prices, liberalisation of the European Electricity Market, and the results of applying energy policies and official tools such as taxes and emission allowances. The case under study refers to the Teruel Power Plant, built after the 1970s oil crisis to ensure national electricity supply; burning domestically produced coal in order to ensure local mining activity. The Teruel Power Plant has made relevant investments in order to meet emission limits, such as a Flue Gas Desulphurisation Plant. The economic viability of the power stations has to be analysed after environmental costs have been internalised. A system is defined that studies the coal-firing Electric Power Plant selling energy to the free electricity market, whenever the generation cost is competitive. A Dynamic Simulation Model would appear to be an accurate tool to optimise power station management within different frameworks.

Changes in environmental regulation and reporting: The case of the petroleum industry from 1989 to 1998

We present a detailed description of changes in environmental disclosures by petroleum companies from 1989 to 1998, a period of significant promulgation of environmental reporting regulations. We extend prior research by (a) examining a richer, more comprehensive set of environmental data, (b) reporting the dollar amounts disclosed, (c) describing the availability of those disclosures in annual reports and Forms 10K, and (d) documenting the change in environmental reporting patterns and amounts over 1989–1998. This description provides a broad basis for the development of hypotheses for future research, and makes it clear that data used in extant research on environmental disclosures is only a small subset of reported data.

Environmental and Land Use Regulation in Nonrenewable Resource Industries: Implications from the Wyoming Checkerboard

<i>This paper examines how the oil and gas industry responds to changes in environmental and land use regulations pertaining to drilling by examining differences in regulatory practices on federal and private land. A simulation model for Wyoming is used to estimate losses of oil and gas output over the next 60 years because of higher drilling costs found on federal property. The present value of these losses comes to about $800 million. Also, this case study is of interest because it shows that future production is more sensitive to changes in environmental regulations that apply to drilling than to changes in severance taxes levied on production.</i> (JEL Q24, Q32)