Decrease Greenhouse Gas Research Articles

CropBooster‐P: Towards a roadmap for plant research to future‐proof crops in Europe

AbstractThe world needs more than double its current agricultural productivity by 2050 to produce enough food and feed, as well as to provide feedstock for the bioeconomy. These future increases will not only need to be sustainable but without comprommising the nutritional quality, and ideally also need to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration to help mitigate the consequences of global climate change. These challenges could be tackled by developing and integrating new future‐proof crops into our food system. The H2020 CropBooster‐P project sets out plant‐centered breeding approaches guided by a broad socio‐economic and societal support. First, the potential approaches for breeding crops with sustainably increased yields adapted to the future climate of Europe are identified. These crop‐breeding options are subsequently prioritized and their adoption considered by experts across the agri‐food system and the wider public, taking into account environmental, economic and other technical criteria. In this way, a specific research agenda to future‐proof our crops was developed, supported by an eventual implementation plan.

Reviewing the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the fourier-transform infrared spectra of biochars

Abstract Pyrolysis of feedstocks to produce biochar for soil remediation employed to be a convenient method regarding improvement of soil fertility, increasing carbon stability and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Biochar properties and its effect after incorporation into the soils vary depending on the characteristics of feedstocks and pyrolysis process. This paper aims to compare the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the frequency of functional groups in different biochars made from plant feedstocks over the temperature range from 300 °C to 700 °C. An increase in pyrolysis temperature positively affects biochar surface properties until the deformation step in C = O, –COOH, and OH groups and as a result, the surface area of biochar decreases at high temperature (more than 600 °C). The breakdown of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin also occurs at temperatures more than 600 °C. Consequently, the biochar quality is reduced with increasing pyrolysis temperature although such biochar may be suitable for rising the content of stable carbon in the soils. Over the long-term, the stability of biochar can contribute to carbon sequestration, retention of water and ions in the soil.

Inoculum-to-substrate ratio and solid content effects over in natura spent coffee grounds anaerobic digestion

Coffee is the second most traded commodity worldwide, and its production is associated with the generation of a large number of residues, which are underused and disposed of in landfills. Notably, the coffee industry annually generates approximately 6 million tons of industrial spent coffee ground (ISCG) when extracting coffee flavorings to produce soluble coffee. That resource loss scenario has been highlighted in sustainable waste management contexts as an opportunity to improve the coffee circular economy. Despite ISCG bioconversion to methane potentially meets the waste-to-energy purposes of reducing residues disposal in landfills, decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increasing renewable energy sources, data about anaerobic digestion (AD) of ISCG remains quite restricted. That limitation becomes more apparent owing to the lack of data focusing on AD key parameters for ISCG as substrate. This study assessed the influence of inoculum-to-substrate ratio (ISR) and the solid content influences on mesophilic (37 °C) ISCG-AD throughout the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Central Composite Design (CCD). Results revealed that both factors, ISR and solid content, should be kept above a certain threshold of 0.5 and 6.0 gTVS L−1 to ensure experimental reliability, as well as reproductively and above 1.0 and 8.0 gTVS L−1 to avoid underestimation on the MY potential achieved. Concerning ISCG-AD kinetics, the quadratic model optimum condition was at 1.36 and 14.83 gTVS L−1 for ISR and solid content, respectively. This optimum range for ISR and solid content could guide further development of process configurations for mono- and co-digestion of ISCG, avoiding underestimation of the MY potential and extended incubation periods.

Comparison of cryogenic and membrane oxygen production implemented in the Graz cycle

One of the most promising technologies to decrease greenhouse gas emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Oxy-fuel combustion, in which high-purity oxygen mixed with flue gases is used to burn fuels, reduces the complexity of CCS systems. Several methods have been studied for oxygen production to feed the process, where cryogenic air separation is the most mature technology. However, it is a highly energy-intensive method, which motivates the research of other alternatives such as ceramic membranes.In order to compare the performance of both oxygen separation methods, the coupling of an oxygen production cycle based on ceramic membranes with a high-efficient power cycle, the Graz cycle, is studied. This cycle initially operates using cryogenic air separation.The calculations of both cycles are carried out using the simulation software IPSEpro. For the membrane cycle, two cases are identified, whose main difference is the method to reduce the oxygen partial pressure on the permeate side of the membrane: vacuum generation (Case 1) and membrane sweeping (Case 2). Both cases are optimized, considering the thermodynamic conditions of the membrane operation and its effects on the energy consumption of oxygen production. Membrane cases achieve 54.08% and 55.76% of net efficiency for Case 1 and 2, respectively, being 0.61% and 2.30% points higher than the base case. Furthermore, the differences in turbomachine performances and streams variations are discussed, considering the effects of energy integration of membrane cases.

Developing a new water–energy–food‐greenhouse gases nexus tool for sustainable agricultural landscape management

AbstractA new comprehensive water, energy, food, greenhouse gas (WEFG) nexus index was developed to capture the interrelationships between them. A total of 11 indicators were applied to consider the interplay of resources consumption, productivity, economic issues, and carbon emission as one of the most critical issues regarding sustainable agricultural development. The proposed WEFG index was evaluated for crop pattern optimization. The results showed that the WEFG ranged from 0.162 to 0.658, which were calculated respectively for almonds and rice due to their energy consumption and carbon emission levels. The optimal cultivation pattern based on WEFG leads to 11% and 15.8% reductions in water and energy consumption, even with a 2.3% increase in cultivation area. The estimated profit for optimal pattern based on WEFG decreased by 13.67% due to lower cultivation levels of high‐yield crops such as onion and potatoes. However, the optimal cultivation pattern based on the WEFG index has decreased greenhouse gas emissions by 2%, leading to sustainable agricultural management. Therefore, the presented WEFG nexus index can be a practical metric for sustainable planning and management in the agriculture sector.

Hydrologic Restoration Decreases Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shrub Bog Peatlands in Southeastern US

Hydrologic Restoration Decreases Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shrub Bog Peatlands in Southeastern US

Energy consumption and environmental sustainability: What lessons for posterity?

Despite the growing demand for renewable energy due to its environmental friendliness over fossil fuels, several countries continue to rely on fossil fuel consumption. This study examines the effects of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on environmental sustainability. We employed the fixed-effects regression model with Driscoll–Kraay robust standard errors for a global panel of 173 countries over the 1996–2020 period and several results are revealed. First renewable energy consumption improves environmental quality by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The results equally show that non-renewable energy consumption increases greenhouse gas emissions. However, while the environment-friendly effect of renewable energy is higher across developed countries, the environment-degrading effect of non-renewable energy is higher in developing countries. Likewise, while the positive effect of non-renewable energy on environmental pollution is consistent across various geographical regions, the environmental effects of renewable energy are divergent across regions. Finally, we show that natural resource endowments and institutional quality are crucial for environmental sustainability. Consequently, it is imperative for countries to build strong institutions capable of ensuring efficient and sustainable natural resource utilisation, especially renewable energy sources.

Decreased greenhouse gas intensity of winter wheat production under plastic film mulching in semi-arid areas

Greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), the evaluation of GHG emissions per unit yield rather than per unit land area, has recently received much attention. Plastic film mulching (PFM) is one of the major agricultural practices in semi-arid areas, but few studies have synthetically studied the effects of PFM on GHGI, grain yield, soil characteristics, and their potential relationships at different winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growing stages. Here in the semi-arid Chinese Loess Plateau, we simultaneously investigated two cropping systems from 2018 to 2020: PFM with 100 % cover and no film mulching (control). Averaged across two growing seasons, the PFM treatment significantly increased soil temperature, water-filled pore spaces and soil water storage, while sustaining high aboveground biomass (31.9 %) and grain yield (45.5 %). The PFM treatment significantly increased cumulative N2O emissions by 56.2 %, CO2 emissions by 39.7 %, and CH4 uptake by 151.4 % compared to the control treatment. GHGI are on average 14.2 % lower in the PFM treatment than in the control treatment. Moreover, the PFM treatment significantly improved soil enzyme activities (alkaline phosphatase, catalase, invertase, and urease) and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen from grain filling to maturity stage. Altogether, the reductions in GHGI suggest that PFM-induced increases in grain yield could outweigh the adverse impacts on GHG emissions, underscoring the potential to apply PFM for sustainable intensification of crop production in semi-arid areas.

Dual eco-friendly application of silica fume and scoria in cement-based materials through the enhancement of microbially-induced carbonate precipitation

The partial replacement of cement or natural aggregates with industrial wastes and using microbially-induced carbonate precipitation to heal cracks are two developing methods to make more sustainable concrete. In this study, a combination of these two methods was used for the first time: Partial replacement of cement with silica fume to economically create a more favorable pH for bacterial activity and substituting natural sands partially with scoria aggregates as a novel carrier and protector for bacterial spores against the harsh and alkaline conditions of cement mortar. Preliminary investigations identified scoria as a suitable carrier since the activity of immobilized cells did not decrease considerably. Thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed that spores immobilized in scoria are capable of precipitating calcium carbonate. Different mortar mixtures were made with and without scoria immobilized healing agents and silica fume. In the absence of silica fume, adding biological healing agents to mortar mixture enhanced flexural and compressive strengths by 13% and 10%, respectively, and by 18% and 15% in the silica fume amended mortars. Healing agents lowered sorptivity coefficients by 49% when samples lacked silica fume and 63% when specimens included it. The presence of silica fume resulted in a more favorable pH environment for bacterial activity and increased precipitation of calcium carbonate, as confirmed by the scanning electron microscope. Replacing a part of cement with silica fume -as an industrial byproduct- has multiple ecological benefits: protecting the environment via waste reuse, reducing demand for energy and natural resources, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering cement manufacturing costs, and finally improving the performance of microbial carbonate precipitation leads to the production of more sustainable concrete.

Climate Smart Agriculture for Food Security, Adaptation, and Migration: A Review

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach that transforms the agri-food system and mitigates climate change. They connect the use of farming techniques in order to increase food productivity, Climate resilient practice, and decrease greenhouse gases. The main aim of this review is to demonstrate the typical interrelationship between climate and agriculture and get knowledge regarding this. In addition, focus on traditional agriculture along with its mitigating measures for climate agriculture. They approach collective development practices through the efforts of individuals in order to manage agriculture and the food system under climate change. Therefore, there is an increasing need for a strategic plan to balance agriculture and the food system.

Assessment of the Potential for Decreasing Greenhouse Gas Emission in Burning Fuels in Boilers at Thermal-Power Plants (TPP) and Boiler Houses

Assessment of the Potential for Decreasing Greenhouse Gas Emission in Burning Fuels in Boilers at Thermal-Power Plants (TPP) and Boiler Houses

Life cycle assessment of tunnel structures: Assessment of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method using a case study

One important measure to combat progressing climate change is compliance with and under no circumstances to exceed the decreasing greenhouse gas budget. Every economic sector must strive to make its ecological contribution to achieve this objective. The construction sector is largely responsible for these negative environmental burdens. Although tunnels are considered to have extensive energy and material consumptions the literature has failed to present their environmental impacts. Aimed at this knowledge gap, the objective of this study is to present the life cycle assessment (LCA) of a tunnel construction project situated in Bulgaria. The study analyzes the impacts of the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) using the case study “Modernization of Railway Section Elin Pelin-Kostenets – Lot 3”. Moreover, by applying dominance and sensitivity analyses, the environmental drivers and optimization potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are identified. The results show that steel, shotcrete, and concrete, contribute the most to the global warming potential indicator and are responsible for 85% of this. Furthermore, the life cycle stages for the production of materials and components have a share close to 85 % of the total global warming potential. These findings may help future tunnelling construction projects to improve the environmental performance and thus to combat the alarming development of climate change.

The effect of flue gas contaminants on electrochemical reduction of CO2 to methyl formate in a dual methanol/water electrolysis system

CO 2 electroreduction to value-added products has promise as a scalable technique for mitigating climate change, but CO 2 purification requirements raise the overall process cost. Direct reduction of flue gas is thus an attractive approach, but the sensitivity of the catalyst activity to flue gas contaminants and increased hydrogen evolution with diluted CO 2 have been major challenges. Herein, flue gas electroreduction in a methyl formate synthesis route has been investigated on a Pb-catalyzed electrode in acidic methanol catholyte with an aqueous anolyte for promotion of a sustainable water oxidation half-reaction. Contaminant concentrations of 50 ppm SO 2 and NO each had a minimal effect on the product faradaic efficiencies, whereas 4% O 2 led to a notable improvement in partial current density for methyl formate attributed to the improved durability of the catalyst surface oxide. Decreased CO 2 concentration showed a corresponding decline in current density attributed to CO 2 mass transfer limitations. • Study of the effects of flue gas contaminants and CO 2 concentration • Pb-catalyzed methyl formate production from CO 2 and methanol • High-performance tolerance to SO 2 and NO impurities • Improved performance with dilute O 2 Increasing atmospheric CO 2 is contributing to anthropogenic climate change. Industrial utilization of CO 2 can add economic value to this waste product and provide a route to decreased greenhouse gas emissions. Direct electroreduction of post-combustion flue gas would bypass expensive and energy-intensive carbon capture technologies and improve the overall economics of the process. However, the contaminants in flue gas and the lower partial pressure of CO 2 can deleteriously affect the electrolyzer performance. Herein, the influence of flue gas components and combined simulated flue gas feedstock on the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 in a methyl formate synthesis route has been investigated on a Pb-catalyzed cathode in acidic methanol in conjunction with water at the anode for a sustainable reaction. The results show promise for a viable route to produce a chemical not reported in aqueous CO 2 electroreduction directly from the output of a fossil fuel utility or similar industrial process. The feasibility of electrochemical reduction of waste carbon dioxide from industrial flue gas was investigated in an uncommon methanol/water dual electrolyte approach targeting a methyl formate product. The work demonstrates a pathway to produce a chemical not formed in aqueous CO 2 reduction that is largely compatible with direct operation from flue gas.

Innovative integrated solar powered polygeneration system for green Hydrogen, Oxygen, electricity and heat production

Multi-generation systems powered by renewable solar energy have proven to be cutting-edge solutions for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. This paper proposes a novel electricity, heat, and green hydrogen poly-generation system. The innovative design consists of solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors with organic Rankine cycle (ORC), proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Using an Engineering Equations Solver (EES), a thermodynamic (energy, exergy) and economic evaluation of the proposed plant is carried out. Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used to estimate the optimal results for the proposed system. The objective functions are energy efficiency, cost rate, and net output power. The results show that the proposed system operates with an exergy efficiency of 16.24%, a cost rate of 4.48 $/hr, and a net electrical power of 33.32 kW under the optimal conditions, based on the TOPSIS (a technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution) decision-making process. This study also provides a numerical examination of the new suggested renewable multi-generation system for different climate zones (hot desert climate, cold semi-desert climate, Marine West Coast Climate, and temperate oceanic climate). The results also reveal that the most critical monthly net electrical power generated by PVT collectors in Tehran, Dubai, Paris, and London regions is 9300 kWh, 8666 kWh, 7050 kWh, and 7040 kWh, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum monthly hydrogen produced for the areas above is 62 kg, 75 kg, 17 kg, and 14 kg. Moreover, the Sankey diagram indicates that the solar photovoltaic thermal collectors system has the highest irreversibility.

Rural electrification using renewable energy resources and its environmental impact assessment.

Integrating a group of generation units and loads into a microgrid improves power supply sustainability, decreases greenhouse gas emissions, and lowers generating costs. However, this integration necessitates the development of an improved energy management system. The microgrid distributes electricity among energy resources to optimize either the generating cost or the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, or both at the same time. The low-cost energy supply requires a precise cost model for each energy component. This article aims to develop the generation cost model that incorporates renewable energy to lower the total operating cost and curb greenhouse gas emissions. The suggested optimization problem deals with the low-cost energy solution for the rural area of India. The proposed system used particle swarm optimization, a global optimization strategy, in the study. Minimum cost and emission scenarios are objective issues while operating with tolerable emissions, and costs are multi-objective of the present study. The outcomes of the scenarios are used to provide viable optimized solutions to multi-objective problems using the optimization technique. Finally, a battery bank's potential to compensate for generation shortages while minimizing emissions is being studied. The study is performed on a microgrid comprising photovoltaic PV, diesel generator, battery, wind turbine, and an Indian rural scenario load profile. The finding suggested that the optimal configuration has a total net cost of operation is $59,195.61. The per-unit cost of energy is 0.20 $/kWh with a saving of [Formula: see text] emission is 5994kg/year. This modular feasibility analysis demonstrates that utilizing a hybrid energy system to power the planning is cost-effective. This research is anticipated to aid rural communities and other stakeholders in making well-informed decisions throughout the planning stages of similar initiatives.

Assessment of dehumidification performance of non-corrosive desiccant in hybrid liquid desiccant-vapour compression system

ABSTRACT Air-conditioning (AC) systems, which operate on traditional vapor compression refrigeration (VCR) systems, consume a substantial proportion of the world’s electricity consumed by the building industry. In the scope of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industries have focused on finding alternatives to electrically operated VCR systems. A combination of a liquid desiccant dehumidification system (LDDS) with a VCR system has been recommended as a superior substitute in warm and moist climates. The focus of this research article is to design and fabricate a small-scale 5 kW hybrid LDDS system by integrating the distinct technologies mentioned above. Additionally, data collected on the vapor pressure of potassium formate (KCOOH) at various solution concentrations and temperatures is being collected to assist in encouraging research and determine the optimal concentration range. In this study, experimental analysis and comparison of dehumidification performance was conducted between two desiccants by analyzing the effects of input variables ( m a , T d , and ω s ) on the output response ( Δ ω , Q d e h , and C O P h ). The results showed that the solution with a 69.92% KCOOH concentration had nearly the same vapor pressure as a solution with a 35% LiCl concentration. Moreover, it was revealed that the lowest values of m a and T d and the highest value of ω s yield maximum values of the output responses. At the same combination of input variables, the KCOOH desiccant has a much higher hybrid system coefficient of performance than the LiCl desiccant.

Four pathways towards carbon neutrality by controlling net greenhouse gas emissions in Chinese cropland

Decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing soil carbon (C) sequestration in cropland are necessary to achieve carbon neutrality at national scale. However, feasible pathways to mitigate net GHG emissions in Chinese cropland while ensuring food security remain poorly defined. Here, we establish a comprehensive assessment framework and propose four mitigation pathways. In the baseline scenario, GHG emissions are projected to be 439.9–443.5 Tg CO2e after 2030. Through simultaneously implementing the four pathways of recycling organic waste, improving nitrogen (N) use efficiency, optimizing water management and strictly controlling N input/surplus, cropland GHG emissions are projected to decline from 433.5 Tg CO2e in 2020 to 389.7 Tg CO2e (-11.4%) in 2030 and 338.3 Tg CO2e (-23.7%) in 2060. The accumulated quantity of soil C sequestered would increase by 33.9% from 2021 to 2060. Considering both GHG emission reduction and increment of soil C stocks, the net GHG reduction rate would be 37.4% and 41.2% in 2030 and 2060, respectively. These pathways help transition crop production to a low-carbon and high-efficiency pattern while maintaining or increasing crop yield. As the first attempt, our study provides a scientific reference for approaches to accelerate GHG mitigation and soil C sequestration in Chinese cropland. This type of integrated assessment has potential to support policy-making in developing countries aimed at finding an equitable balance between crop production and environmental benefits.

A factorial interval chance-constrained diet model for dairy farms under climate change: A case study for the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada

A large amount of greenhouse gases is emitted from the dairy industry in Canada. Actions must be taken to achieve Canada's environmental goals of decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. Dietary management plays an important role in reducing such emission in dairy cattle production for current and future climate change conditions. In this study, a factorial interval chance-constrained diet model has been developed for Saskatchewan's dairy cow farms to control emissions by incorporating factorial analysis, interval linear programming, and chance-constrained programming. Multiple uncertainties (e.g., the price of the milk, the price of the feed, and the disease of animals) have been considered in this model. The chance-constrained programming method, which is effective to tackle uncertainties, has been first integrated in the animal nutrition optimization model. This model can provide the schemes of feed selection for diet formulation under trade-offs between farm profit and environmental impact. In addition, it could facilitate decision-makers to identify interactive relationships among various nutrient levels and manage methane emissions and nitrogen excretion from dairy cattle in dairy farms under various risks. Results show that canola meal, rolled barley grain, soybean meal, and whey would be contained in all optimized diets; the forage proportion would have the most significant effect on methane emissions; factors of forage and crude protein would have negative effects on methane emissions, while the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) would have a positive effect on methane emissions. Results indicate that reducing the number of cows is still an important strategy to mitigate carbon emissions under the condition of meeting the growing milk demand. Overall, this model could manipulate the formula of different types of dairy cattle to maximise the benefits of farm and alleviate its negative environmental impact. • A FICC diet model has been developed for the Province of Saskatchewan. • Uncertainties and complexities existed in the dairy farm diet have been considered. • Various diet schemes of dairy farms have been obtained under different risk levels. • Increasing the milk production in dairy cattle could reduce greenhouse gas emissions .

Optimized Ridge–Furrow Ratio to Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Winter Wheat Yield in Dry Semi-Humid Areas

The plastic-mulched ridge–furrow rainwater harvesting (RF) system has been widely adopted worldwide due to its visible economic benefits. However, few and inconclusive studies have focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In addition, it is still unknown whether different coverage ratios under RF have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Here, we evaluate the effects of various coverage ratios on the soil hydrothermal characteristics, global warming potential (GWP), greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), and yield productivity in dry semi-humid areas. A control (FP, conventional flat planting without mulching) and three different ridge–furrow ratios (40:40 (RF40), 40:60 (RF60), and 40:80 (RF80)) were tested in 2017–2019. Compared with FP, RF increased the soil temperature and promoted soil moisture in the furrows during the vegetative growth period. However, the soil temperature of the furrows slightly increased with furrow width, whereas the soil moisture obviously decreased under the three RF practices. In a wet year (2017–2018), FP significantly increased the winter wheat yield (43.6%) compared with RF, while the opposite was the case in a normal year (2018–2019). Among the three RF treatments, RF40 and RF80 significantly increased the yield by 13.9% and 17.2%, respectively, compared with RF60. Compared with FP, all of the RF treatments increased the flux of N2O and CO2 emissions but reduced CH4 absorption. Compared with FP, RF with ridge–furrow ratios of 40:40 cm, 40:60 cm, and 40:80 cm increased the GWP by 99.6%, 53.4%, and 31.3%, respectively, and increased the GHGI by 55.8%, 45.3%, and 0.7%, respectively. Therefore, conventional flat planting in wet years and a ridge–furrow ratio of 40:71 cm in normal years can reduce GHG emissions, sustaining crop productivity, and promote the sustainable development of agriculture and the environment.

Cleaner Technology and Natural Resource Management: An Environmental Sustainability Perspective from China

In economies, cleaner technology, increased demand for renewable energy, and more efficient use of natural resources contribute to meeting environmental sustainability targets. The Chinese economy is no exception in its attempts to conserve economic and natural resources via collaborative efforts to embrace cleaner technology, green energy sources, and resource conservation management to preserve resources for future generations. This research examines the influence of cleaner technologies, green energy sources, and natural resource management on reducing greenhouse gas emissions using quarterly data for the Chinese economy from 2000Q1 to 2020Q4. The findings demonstrate that increasing demand for green energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions, hence substantiating the premise of ‘green is clean’ energy development. Additionally, optimum resource usage enhances environmental quality, corroborating the ‘resource cleaner blessing’ hypothesis. The positive link between inward foreign direct investment and greenhouse gas emissions substantiates the ‘pollution haven’ concept, according to which inward foreign direct investment uses unsustainable technology in manufacturing processes, hence degrading air quality indicators. Inadequate access to clean cooking technology and increased population density has a detrimental effect on the country’s environmental sustainability agenda, which must be corrected via sustainable regulations. The causality estimates show the feedback relationship between renewable energy demand (and economic growth) and cleaner technology, between economic growth and green energy (and inbound foreign direct investment), and between population density and economic growth (and green energy). The Impulse Response function estimates suggested that economic growth and population density would likely increase GHG emissions. In contrast, cleaner technology, green energy demand, natural resource management, and inbound foreign direct investment would likely decrease greenhouse gas emissions for the next ten-year time period. The sustainability of the environment and natural resources in China is bolstered by developing cleaner technologies, a greater reliance on renewable energy sources, and better management of natural resources.