Degradation In Countries Research Articles

The Role of Carbon Emissions on Inward Foreign Direct Investment: A Nonlinear Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

An increase in carbon emissions (CO2) may increase inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries since they are seen as pollution havens because of lax environmental regulations (pollution haven hypothesis). Developed countries may also attract FDI since stringent environment regulations in these countries working to reduce emissions might be more attractive to foreign investors concerned with their repute from a green perspective. A rise in CO2 emissions in developed countries therefore deters inward FDI (green haven hypothesis). The existing empirical studies investigate the empirical validity of these hypotheses by focusing on the impacts of environmental policies and regulations on FDI and have yet to produce conclusive results. We examined the effect of CO2 emissions on FDI and provide a more accurate and novel way of investigating the empirical validity of the pollution haven hypothesis against the green haven hypothesis. Specifically, we examined the non-linear effects of CO2 emissions on inward FDI in a sample of 124 countries over the period 1997–2022. The results indicate that CO2 emissions have an inverted-U-shaped relationship with FDI, confirming our hypotheses that higher CO2 emissions in countries with lax environmental standards attract FDI while environmental degradation in countries with stringent environmental standards deter FDI.

Assessing the Impact of ICT, Tourism, Globalization and Urbanization on Environmental Degradation and Economic Growth

This study explores the impact of information and communication technology (ICT), tourism, globalization, and urbanization on the economic growth and environmental degradation of middle-income countries classified as overall, upper and lower-middle-income countries. It uses a micro panel dataset of 65 nations from 2000 to 2021 through a two-step Generalized Method of Moment estimation approach. The results indicate that the influence of ICT on environmental degradation differs across nation groups. Overall countries have a harmful effect, upper-middle countries exhibit a beneficial influence, and lower-middle countries show no significant link. Tourism continually causes environmental deterioration in all sorts of nations, emphasizing the need for eco-friendly tourist initiatives. Globalization has been seen to have a positive correlation with environmental degradation in countries classified as Overall and Upper-middle income, but a negative correlation in Lower-middle-income nations. Urbanization has a favorable influence on environmental deterioration in Overall and Lower-middle-income nations, but it does not have a significant impact in Upper-middle-income countries. These findings underscore the need to tackle the environmental impacts of information and communication technology (ICT), tourism, globalization, and urbanization. To attain a greener and more sustainable future while fostering economic growth, policymakers should prioritize sustainable development, introduce energy-efficient technologies, encourage responsible tourism practices, enforce environmental regulations, and advocate for inclusive urban planning.

Spatial assessment of land sensitivity to degradation across Romania. A quantitative approach based on the modified MEDALUS methodology

Land degradation is a major environmental issue affecting numerous countries worldwide, including certain European states. An in-depth understanding of this complex process’s spatial pattern requires multicriteria approaches such as MEDALUS (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) model, which can be extremely useful in identifying lands that are sensitive to degradation in countries that have yet to be explored in this respect, such as Romania. This paper aims to apply the well-established MEDALUS methodology for the first time in a nationwide analysis of Romania, based on various spatial data used as main indicators and sub-indicators (environmental parameters) considered to be driving forces of land degradation. The study aims to map and statistically assess lands with different degrees of sensitivity to degradation, considering seven main environmental quality indicators, four of which are featured in the original MEDALUS method (Climate Quality Index – CQI, Soil Quality Index – SQI, Vegetation Quality Index – VQI and Management Quality Index – MQI), while three were proposed and added (Water Quality Index – WQI, Geomorphological Quality Index – GQI and Anthropic Quality Index – AQI) in order to capture the particularities of potentially degraded lands in Romania as accurately as possible. The seven quality indicators were processed by considering 24 geographical parameters, 14 of which were featured in the standard MEDALUS method, while 10 parameters were added in order to reflect the specific land degradation conditions in Romania. The final results, analysed using the Land Degradation Sensitivity Index (LDSI), showed that 29% (~68,600 km2) of the country’s total area is critically sensitive to degradation, if considering the most complex LDSI model, assessed based on all biophysical/natural (CQI, SQI, GQI, VQI and WQI) and anthropogenic (MQI and AQI) indicators. If considering the LDSI obtained based only on biophysical indicators (which highlight the natural degradation of lands, not directly influenced by anthropogenic pressures), then only 18% (~42,400 km2) of Romania’s territory is critically susceptible to degradation. Spatially, it was found that extra-Carpathian areas are by far the most heavily threatened by degradation. The results provide a full overview of this process in Romania and can constitute a basic scientific support for implementing current and future policies aimed at fighting the negative ecological and socio-economic effects of this disrupting environmental process.

Approaches to quantifying carbon emissions from degradation in pan‐tropic forests—Implications for effective REDD monitoring

AbstractSpecial attention is needed to quantify emissions from human‐induced degradation in forest lands because these data are more uncertain and less comprehensive than deforestation data in target countries in the United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme. This study illustrates a Residual Trends (RESTREND) technique with a new baseline that isolates the human influence from natural climatic fluctuations to estimate emissions from forest degradation in countries across the tropics. Based on the recommended Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change methodology and framework, we found a pattern of high carbon density of 183 t C/ha in degraded areas, which was on average 1.5 times that of deforestation areas. Further analysis revealed that the initial value of carbon stock in degraded areas was about 5.45 Pg C during 2002–2012. We found that 17% of countries displayed values more than 100% of those from deforestation under the low degradation emission scenario, whereas 23% of countries displayed values less than 10% under the high degradation emission scenario. Thus, at a national level, with such an approach REDD could be further optimized and REDD targets could be achieved in an effective way.

Deforestation and forest degradation in Papua New Guinea

• The Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has played a prominent part in recent negotiations for “rainforest nations” to be compensated for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation or forest degradation (DFD). • A new report “The State of the Forests of Papua New Guinea” claims that rates of DFD in PNG are much higher than have previously reported. It suggests more than half of PNG’s remaining forests will have disappeared or be damaged beyond recovery by 2021. • We argue that this claim is incorrect. The report overestimates the area of intact primary forest in 1972 and the impact of traditional land use practices on forest cover. Much of what the RSLUP report considers as deforestation is part of a cycle of traditional clearance for farming, fallow and regrowth that has been occurring for hundreds of years. • The assumption that areas impacted by harvesting or shifting cultivation will inevitably degrade and become non-forest is also not supported by observation of cutover forest in PNG. A considerable proportion of cutover forest areas will recover carbon stocks after harvesting. • It is argued that traditional land use practices and forest recovery processes need to be considered in assessing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation in countries with complex land use histories such as PNG.

Does higher economic and financial development lead to environmental degradation: Evidence from BRIC countries

A vast number of studies addressed the environmental degradation and economic development but not financial development. Moreover, as argued by Stern [2004. The rise and fall of the environmental Kuznets curve. World Development 32, 1419–1439] they present important econometric weaknesses. Using standard reduced-form modeling approach and controlling for country-specific unobserved heterogeneity, we investigate the linkage between not only economic development and environmental quality but also the financial development. Panel data over period 1992–2004 is used. We find that both economic and financial development are determinants of the environmental quality in BRIC economies. We show that higher degree of economic and financial development decreases the environmental degradation. Our analysis suggests that financial liberalization and openness are essential factors for the CO 2 reduction. The adoption of policies directed to financial openness and liberalization to attract higher levels of R&D-related foreign direct investment might reduce the environmental degradation in countries under consideration. In addition, the robustness check trough the inclusion of US and Japan does not alter our main findings.

Conservation in Our Changing World

Conservation must be set in a context in which it is recognized that:(i) Overall human impact on The Biosphere is the product of the number of people on Earth multiplied by the average impact per person. Both of these factors are continuing to increase although there is already compelling evidence that the present level of impact is exceeding the carrying capacity of the planet.(ii) The ability of the Earth's natural systems to tolerate different types of impacts varies from place to place. Not surprisingly it is in the world's tropical and arid regions, where rapid population-growth often coincides with ecological systems which are less able than most others elsewhere to tolerate intensive utilization, that many of the world's most intractable ecological problems are found.(iii) All countries must endeavour to minimize population growth and reduce the environmental impact per person until the overall global impact is reduced to a level at which all peoples can expect to be able to have a comparable but ecologically sustainable level of impact.(iv) Achieving sustainable levels of impact will require an unprecedented degree of international cooperation. This will involve at its core due recognition that ecologically sustainable development can best be achieved in conjunction with continued economic and social development. It will also require due recognition of how new, ecologically sustainable, technologies will often be the key to ensuring that such continued development is indeed ecologically sustainable.(v) There is at present insufficient recognition in the industrialized, i.e. ‘developed’, countries that their failure to pay ecologically realistic prices makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for commodity producers to follow ecologically sustainable practices. The consequence is land degradation in countries that are dependent on commodity exports, and a diminished or degraded global environment overall.(vi) There is a strong case for preserving Antarctica from development because of its importance in influencing global weather and climate, and because of its ecological fragility and biological uniqueness. To preserve it as a wilderness will be an important test of international resolve to manage such resources as are still accessible in the rest of the world in an ecologically sustainable manner.