Clean Sector Research Articles

Socially Responsible Finance: How to Optimize Impact

Abstract Can a socially responsible fund (SRF) improve social welfare while maximizing assets under management? We consider a two-sector model integrating financial intermediation, emissions’ negative externalities, and investors’ social preferences with regard to value alignment and impact. In scenarios with a high proportion of value-aligned investors, the SRF invests in clean sectors and compels recipients companies to use low-emission suppliers from the polluting sector, which appeals to both investor types. Alternatively, the SRF adopts a dual-fund approach, with one fund targeting clean sectors for value-aligned investors and another focusing on reducing direct emissions in polluting sectors to attract impact investors. (JEL:G11, G23, M14, O44, Q51)

How horizontal transport and turbulent mixing impact aerosol particle and precursor concentrations at a background site in the UAE

Abstract. The optical, physical, and chemical properties of aerosol particles have been previously studied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but there is still a gap in the knowledge of particle sources and in the horizontal and vertical transport of aerosol particles and their precursors in the area. To investigate how aerosol particle and SO2 concentrations at the surface responded to changes in horizontal and vertical transport, we used data from a 1-year measurement campaign at a background site where local sources of SO2 were expected to be minimal. The measurement campaign provided a combination of in situ measurements at the surface and the boundary layer evolution from vertical and horizontal wind profiles measured by a Doppler lidar. The diurnal structure of the boundary layer in the UAE was very similar from day to day, with a deep, well-mixed boundary layer during the day transitioning to a shallow nocturnal layer, with the maximum boundary layer height usually being reached around 14:00 local time. Both SO2 and nucleation-mode aerosol particle concentrations were elevated for surface winds coming from the east or western sectors. We attribute this to oil refineries located on the eastern and western coasts of the UAE. The concentrations of larger cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)-sized particles and their activation fraction did not show any clear dependence on wind direction, but the CCN number concentration showed some dependence on wind speed, with higher concentrations coinciding with the weakest surface winds. Peaks in SO2 concentrations were also observed despite low surface wind speeds and wind directions unfavourable for transport. However, winds aloft were much stronger, with wind speeds of 10 m s−1 at 1 km common at night and wind directions favourable for transport; surface-measured concentrations increased rapidly once these particular layers started to be entrained into the growing boundary layer, even if the surface wind direction was from a clean sector. These conditions also displayed higher nucleation-mode aerosol particle concentrations, i.e. new particle formation events occurring due to the increase in the gaseous precursor.

Impact of environmental regulation on M&As in the manufacturing sector

We test the influence of environmental regulation (ER) on the location decision of cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) for a large sample of countries, sectors, and years using a structural gravity model. Unlike other studies, our results confirm the pollution haven hypothesis according to which more stringent ER makes countries less attractive to foreign investors planning to invest through M&As, compared with domestic investors. Policies that set quantitative limits on emissions have similar discouraging effects on cross-border investment to taxes on emissions. We find no evidence that the impact could be stronger in dirty sectors than in clean sectors. The impact of ER differs depending on country type according to their level of development, reflecting the fact that investments in developed countries and BRICS respond to different motivations. In emerging countries, lax ER could attract significantly more inward M&As. In developed countries, ER has a less discouraging effect.

IS CHINA REALLY A “POLLUTION HAVEN”: HOW FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT SHAPE CARBON EMISSION IN CHINA? EVIDENCE FROM 265 CHINESE PREFECTURE-LEVEL CITIES

This paper explores the applicability of the well-known “Pollution Haven” hypothesis and “Pollution Halo” hypothesis at the city-level in contemporary China. The fixed effect model and the threshold effect model are employed to investigate the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and carbon emission in 265 Chinese prefecture-level cites. Based on the entire sample, the results of fixed effect model support the applicability of “Pollution Haven” hypothesis, while the hypothesis is substantiated primarily in eastern and western China. In contrast, the central part of China does not conform to either hypothesis, suggesting that the emergence of a distinct “Pollution Haven Basin” within the country. Unlike the inverted “U-shaped” curve commonly posited in the existing literature, the threshold effect model unveils a “U-shaped” connection between FDI and carbon emission. Specifically, we find that the turning point is at around $52.93 million, which implies that FDI needs to surpass a certain threshold to actively drive carbon emission in the presence of a “Pollution Haven Engine”. Accordingly, in the context of more in-depth international trade and China’s carbon neutralization commitment, it would be wise for the Chinese local governments to control the FDI scale, and encourage FDI to tilt toward the clean sectors.

Screening of microscopic fungi isolated from charcoal and wooden samples for Protease production

Proteases, otherwise called proteinases or proteolytic chemicals, have a place with a gathering of hydrolases. Microorganisms are the most well-known wellsprings of business chemicals because of their physiological and biochemical properties. Fungus from charcoal and wooden sample were secluded by sequential weakening agar plate method. The fungal disengages were to begin with evaluation of their capacity to create protease based on zone of clearance on skimmed milk agar plate. The segregates that gave excessive positive consequences in screening were identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium species, Mucor recemossus, Penicillin citrium with the aid of inspecting the morphology and Lacto - phenol cotton blue (LPCB) staining procedure. Among those disconnects, Aspergillus fumigatus which constrained from charcoal floor, exhibited the maximum noteworthy protease movement confirming the use of the clean sector across the colony that is brooded at room temperature at a pH of round 7 for a hundred and twenty hours at 28 ˚C. Three fungal disengages chosen by beginning tests were exposed to extracellular protease creation in protease creation medium. The outcomes showed that three fungi could be utilized in the creation of protease compounds and in the upscale for modern creation.

The role of greenfield investment and investment freedom on environmental quality: testing the EKC hypothesis for EU countries

ABSTRACT Foreign investments, viewed as a matter of social responsibility, can improve environmental quality in the host country. In addition, although foreign investors promote economic development because they prefer countries where environmental policies are not stringent, they may increase environmental degradation by transferring dirty industries to host countries. However, in EU countries, environmental policies are strictly implemented, and incentives are offered to increase investments in clean sectors. In this context, there is a widespread opinion that greenfield investments will be environmentally friendly thanks to environmental regulations in EU countries. Despite this, no study has been found that analyzes these views empirically. In this study, the effect of greenfield investment and investment freedom on environmental quality in EU countries for the period 2003–2022 is investigated with panel cointegration and long-run estimators within the framework of the EKC hypothesis. According to the results of the study, while greenfield investment increases environmental quality in Italy and Romania, investment freedom increases environmental quality in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Italy and Spain. The EU should set a standard in order to attract environmentally friendly foreign investments, taking into account its strategic location and infrastructure.

Short-term impact of climate change on labor market in China: Quantitative spatial analysis based on an oligopsony model

Assessing the impact of climate change on the economy is an important issue for designing climate policy. By constructing an oligopsony model to depict the incompleteness of the labor market and using the quantitative spatial model analysis method, we quantitatively estimated the short-term impact of climate change on the labor market in China. Then, to control climate change, the optimal climate change governance intensities (CCGI) of multi-governments satisfying CD preferences and Stackelberg game are designed and solved. The results show that climate change leads to a decrease in wages and labor supply in labor market equilibrium and a loss of market aggregate income and labor scale. Climate change has led to a shift in labor from the agricultural and dirty sectors to the clean sector. The regional labor distribution is also being “disrupted” due to climate change. Moreover, declining migration costs and increased subsidies help to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. The optimal CCGI of the central government is higher than that of the provincial government. The optimal CCGI is higher in the eastern provinces than in the central and western regions. Implementing CCGI would mitigate the negative climate change shocks to the labor market in China and increase welfare. The conclusions of this paper provide strong support for preventing climate change risks and actively participating in global climate change governance.

Numerical study on the Re effects on the tip flow structures of transonic fan under inlet distortion

Compared to conventional Pylon-mounted engines, a 5-15% reduction in aircraft fuel consumption is possible with the use of Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) propulsion system. However, this type of propulsion system uses a fan that has to operate under continuous inlet distortion and over a wide range of altitude within the flight envelope, which forces researchers to consider the Re effects on the BLI distorted fan stall. For typical spike-type stall, tip leakage flow (TLF) contributes crucially to its generation. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the Re effects on the tip unsteady flow structures under the circumferential distorted inflow near the stall point. In this study, a full-annulus 3D steady/unsteady CFD calculation has been employed to calculate the performance of the NASA 67 transonic fan stage with a 60-deg circumferential distortion at different Re. The results show that the Re effects change the location of peak amplitude of blade tip unsteady flow, without altering the frequency properties. For the further study of the Re effects on the tip unsteady flow, time series analyses of detailed flow structure features and tip leakage vortex (TLV) evolution are performed. At low Re, the angle between the TLF and the axis increases from 77 to 81 deg by comparing the shock structure at 0.99 span, and the secondary flow is enhanced with a marked tendency of blade leading edge spillage. The results indicate that TLV has greater size and strength for low Re condition, and the TLV is more pronounced in the distortion sector than it in the clean sector. Further analysis reveals that the change of shock structure affects the periodic variation in rotor differential pressure on the both surfaces, enhancing the circumferential momentum of TLF near the leading edge, which is the major contributor for changing the vortex structure and causing the stall advance in low Re condition.

Sea2Cloud: From Biogenic Emission Fluxes to Cloud Properties in the Southwest Pacific

Abstract The goal of the Sea2Cloud project is to study the interplay between surface ocean biogeochemical and physical properties, fluxes to the atmosphere, and ultimately their impact on cloud formation under minimal direct anthropogenic influence. Here we present an interdisciplinary approach, combining atmospheric physics and chemistry with marine biogeochemistry, during a voyage between 41° and 47°S in March 2020. In parallel to ambient measurements of atmospheric composition and seawater biogeochemical properties, we describe semicontrolled experiments to characterize nascent sea spray properties and nucleation from gas-phase biogenic emissions. The experimental framework for studying the impact of the predicted evolution of ozone concentration in the Southern Hemisphere is also detailed. After describing the experimental strategy, we present the oceanic and meteorological context including provisional results on atmospheric thermodynamics, composition, and flux measurements. In situ measurements and flux studies were carried out on different biological communities by sampling surface seawater from subantarctic, subtropical, and frontal water masses. Air–Sea-Interface Tanks (ASIT) were used to quantify biogenic emissions of trace gases under realistic environmental conditions, with nucleation observed in association with biogenic seawater emissions. Sea spray continuously generated produced sea spray fluxes of 34% of organic matter by mass, of which 4% particles had fluorescent properties, and which size distribution resembled the one found in clean sectors of the Southern Ocean. The goal of Sea2Cloud is to generate realistic parameterizations of emission flux dependences of trace gases and nucleation precursors, sea spray, cloud condensation nuclei, and ice nuclei using seawater biogeochemistry, for implementation in regional atmospheric models.

The role of organizational innovation in the development of green innovations in Spanish firms

An exploration of the links between organizational and green innovation has been the subject of an impressive quantity of literature during recent years. In this study, the ability of firms to refine their organizational practices in accordance with external developments has been considered, particularly in the context of the introduction of updated environmental regulations and advanced technologies, with the aim of surviving and competing globally. In this study, it was postulated that organizational innovation was one of the main drivers of green innovation at the level of the firm. Hence, the intention here was to study whether green innovation was affected when businesses adapted their environmental strategies in alignment with organizational structures. Moreover, the paper aimed to explore whether there was any major disproportion in green innovation between firms in dirty and in clean sectors. To address these main points, a two-step regression using the generalized method of moments (GMM) was run on data relating to organizational innovation factors and green innovation constructs at the level of the firm, this information being drawn from the Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) database. These panel data, based on the Community Innovation Surveys (CIS) framework, were used to detect innovations in Spanish firms by investigating long-term relationships between variables to control for nonobservable heterogeneity. The principal findings confirm that the organizational innovation variables studied did promote green innovation and that the dirty sector firms were more likely to undertake green innovations than those in the cleaner sectors.

Management Model Based on 5s and Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) to Improve the Level of Service in the Cleaning Sector

In Peru, the cleaning sector has played an important role in recent days, allowing its continuous development. However, non-delivery of materials, whether due to quantity, delay or damage, is one of the most recurring problems in the sector. Therefore, the management in the storage of materials, to later distribute them to the units, plays an important role in the classification and collection of materials, the transfer without the need for reprocessing, optimizing the picking time, maintaining the durability of the material without damage and ensuring the care of the workers in the area. This study analyzes a warehouse of a cleaning company, which has problems in meeting the delivery time of materials due to the time it takes to pick them. The main causes are damaged materials due to incorrect picking, the delay in locating the material generated by the lack of knowledge of the materials, the disorder that occurs in the area, the lack of cleanliness in the area, and the inefficient distribution of the materials. which are located in different parts.

Gender, Class, and Ethnicity: Perspectives of White Portuguese and Black African Women on Labor Dynamics in the Cleaning Sector

This study focuses on cleaning services in Lisbon, Portugal, to understand the dynamics of operating in this feminine context, mostly employing women of African origin. From a qualitative and intersectional perspective, the study encompasses 17 semi-structured individual interviews with women working in these services, nine of African origin (Black) and eight of Portuguese origin (White) between 29 and 66 years of age. The thematic analysis returned five themes portraying the specificities associated with women carrying out their activities in a context of low social status, particularly for Black women. Although we verified some of the negative consequences associated with tokenism, the intersections of gender, class, and race/ethnicity generated dynamics that also contradict this phenomenon.

Effect of Foreign Direct Investment on Energy consumption: Does Institutional Quality matter? Evidence from Cote d'Ivoire

This paper examines the role played by institutional quality in the relationship between foreign direct investment and energy consumption in Côte d'Ivoire. Using data from the World Bank and International Country Risk Guid over the period 1984-2014 and the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) methods, we account for the joint effects of institutional quality and foreign direct investment on energy consumption. The results reveal that a high level of democracy attenuates the negative effects of FDI flows on energy consumption. This result shows that improving and strengthening democratic institutions has a positive influence on energy efficiency incentive policies by changing the composition of FDI towards clean technology sectors, such as the service sector.

Can resource policy adjustments effectively curb regional “resource curse” ? new evidences from the “energy golden triangle area” of China

When resource endowment supports regional economic growth, it also induces regional “resource curse”. However, few studies have fully considered the impact of resource policy adjustments on avoiding the “resource curse” in energy concentration area. In this paper, we appraise the impacts on regional “resource curse” in the “Energy Golden Triangle area” of China by resource policy adjustment by an improved dynamic CGE model with cleaning sector and non-cleaning sector. Meanwhile, coal resource tax reform is adopted to be as a representative resource and environment policy adjustment. The results show that: 1) coal resource tax reform has a significant inhibitory effect in the total outputs. 2) coal resource tax reform has a positive influence on GDP and crowds out energy resources from the non-clean sector to clean sector. 3) Local taxation in the “Energy Golden Triangle area” of China has increased greatly by reform.4) Coal resource tax reform has curbed the regional “resource curse” in the “Energy Golden Triangle area” of China to a certain extent,but a huge regional difference exists. 5) Coal resource tax reform can effectively suppress energy consumption and reduce emissions of major pollutants in the “Energy Golden Triangle area” of China.

Seasonal Trends of Aerosol Hygroscopicity and Mixing State in Clean Marine and Polluted Continental Air Masses Over the Northeast Atlantic

AbstractFive years of nearly continuous measurements of aerosol hygroscopicity by a Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (HTDMA) at Mace Head research station are presented, making it the longest aerosol hygroscopicity data set in marine environment and Northeast Atlantic region in particular. The main goal of this work was to examine seasonal patterns of aerosol hygroscopicity and mixing state in a variety of air masses. The entire data set was categorized into clean marine and polluted continental sectors to reveal contrasting physicochemical features. Distinct seasonal patterns were revealed where hygroscopicity of the clean sector aerosol was significantly higher than that of the polluted sector aerosol. The median growth factors (GF) of clean and polluted sectors were 1.67 and 1.31, respectively. Clean sector aerosol median GF reached the lowest values in summer and the highest in winter pointing at an impact of marine biological activity and wind speed driven sea spray production to aerosol hygroscopicity. Conversely, polluted sector aerosol reached the highest median GF of all sizes in summer due to the decrease of anthropogenic emission, enhanced photochemical aging, and secondary inorganic aerosol formation. Wintertime aerosols in both sectors were largely externally mixed, while summertime aerosols were relatively internally mixed. A distinct subset of near‐hydrophobic Aitken mode particles smaller than 50 nm in diameter was observed in the wintertime clean sector which most likely originated in the clean marine atmosphere based on the evolution of air mass back trajectory clustering.

Volatility Connectedness between Clean Energy Firms and Crude Oil in the COVID-19 Era

The work investigates the volatility connectedness between oil price and clean energy firms over the period 2011–2020 (including the COVID-19 outbreak). Using the volatility spillover models, and dynamic conditional correlation, we are able to identify the volatility spillover effect between these financial markets and its implications for portfolio diversification. The results indicate a significant change in both static and dynamic volatility connectedness around the COVID-19 outbreak. For instance, total connectedness index changes from 21.36% (pre-COVID-19) to 61.23% (COVID-19). This finding shows the strong effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on these financial markets. Furthermore, we show how the WTI oil from the volatility transmitter (before the outbreak of the pandemic) becomes a risk receiver after the start of the global pandemic COVID-19. Our findings indicate that recent pandemic intensified volatility spillovers, supporting the financial contagion effects. Finally, we determine the optimal hedge ratios and portfolio weights. The estimates provided suggest the need for active portfolio management, taking into account the distinct characteristics of each sector and thus, the firm. For example, the optimal weight analysis shows how the clean sector has become important in optimal diversification strategies. Our results can be used for portfolio decisions and regulatory policymaking, particularly in the current context of high uncertainty.

HBsAg Frequency in Porters Applying to Public Health Laboratory

Hepatitis B virus infections are one of the major health problems of the world. Mainly parenterally transmitted HBV can be found in blood but less frequently in body fluids such as saliva, semen, sweat, and tears, and transmission may occur percutaneously. For this reason, it is important to investigate HBsAg in carrier screenings for public health. In this study, HBsAg frequency microparticle ELISA (Vitros 3600, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics) in serum samples taken to the Ministry of Health Afyonkarahisar Public Health Laboratory for porter screening of sector employees such as food, cleaning and tourism between September 2011 and March 2012. It was researched by method. Samples with a positive reaction were verified by running the same kit a second time. Results and data were evaluated retrospectively. A total of 1961 porteurs, 311 (15.8%) women, aged between 18-65, were included in the study, 1096 of the porter was food (56.0%), 312 was tourism It was determined that he worked in the cleaning (4.0%) sector and 470 (24.0%) of them were new recruits. HBsAg positivity was found in 39 (1.9%) carriers, five of whom were women. It was determined that 32 (82.0%) of the HBsAg positive porter were working in the food sector, 4 (10.3%) were working in the cleaning sector, and 3 (7.7%) were new recruits. Most epidemiological studies on hepatitis B in our country show that intra-family or intra-community horizontal transmission of HBV in childhood and adolescence is at the forefront. In addition to parenteral applications, body fluids such as saliva, sweat and tears are also prominent in community horizontal transmission. For this reason, it is important to check HBsAg in carrier screenings in terms of public health.

Measurement and convergence of carbon productivity across Shanghai’s manufacturing sectors

Purpose Increasing carbon productivity is an effective way to reduce carbon emissions, while boosting economic prosperity. For appropriate formulating and enforcement of energy saving and carbon emissions reduction policies in various sectors, it is of great significance to investigate the evolution characteristics and convergence modes of carbon productivity across the manufacturing sectors. Design/methodology/approach Using slack-based measure directional distance function (SBM-DDF) and global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) productivity index, this paper measures the carbon productivities of 29 manufacturing subsectors in Shanghai, China, from 2001 to 2016 under the total factor framework. Furthermore, based on the convergence theories, it empirically examines the convergence of carbon productivity across these manufacturing sectors. Findings The measurement results suggest that the carbon productivities of the manufacturing sectors in Shanghai show an increasing tendency on the whole, and technical efficiency instead of technological change makes a main contribution to the increase. It is found that there is no obvious σ convergence across the manufacturing sectors in Shanghai, but there exist both absolute ß convergence and conditional ß convergence. Moreover, there is heterogeneity in convergence characteristics between the clean sectors and polluting sectors. The findings also show that firm size and industry structure have significant positive impacts on the growth of carbon productivities of the manufacturing sectors, whereas the impacts of capital deepening and energy consumption structure are significantly negative. Originality/value This paper measures the carbon productivities of the manufacturing subsectors by applying SBM-DDF and GML index, so as to improve the accuracy. It provides an insight into the convergence of carbon productivity across the manufacturing sectors.

Reduction of work accidents through the implementation of containers for solid waste collection

The activity of waste collection is fundamental for preserving human health and the environment. As the world population increases, so does the waste production, consequently leading to a higher number of professionals involved in the collection activity. The objective of this study was to identify the main causes of accidents in urban waste collection and to verify if the implementation of containers would reduce the number of accidents in the sector. The causes were identified by analyzing accidents in two waste-collection companies for 4 years. Company A had 3,859 employees with 756 registered accident cases, while company B had 2020 workers with 189 cases. In total, it was analyzed 945 accident cases from urban waste collection. One municipality from company A which implemented the highest number of containers was studied thoroughly to verify if the implementation of containers reduces the number of accidents. The analysis shows that the household collection had the highest accident rate, with 65.61%. Sharp materials and falls were the leading causes of accidents, representing 53% in the company A and 62% in the company B. After containers implementation, the number of accidents caused by sharp materials and falls decreased from 37 without the container in 2014, to 18 with the container in 2015, and 11 with the container in 2016. It was concluded that the implementation of containers improves occupational safety and health during the urban cleaning process. Further studies should be conducted in order to improve the working conditions in the urban cleaning sector.

Directed technical change and environmental quality

We propose a directed technical change model with two sectors, clean and dirty, to analyze the impact of the degree of substitutability between sectors and the degree of scale effects on the environmental quality. The technological knowledge is biased towards the clean sector; i.e., the environmental quality is improved whenever the elasticity of substitution between inputs in both sectors increases and, along with that, the economy: (i) is rich in renewable capital, (ii) has higher relative supply of clean labor under scale effects, and (iii) enjoys higher relative R&D productivity in the clean sector. The improvement in the environmental quality benefits the welfare. Moreover, the growth rate is higher in the presence of scale effects.