Ecological Harm Research Articles

Thematic representations of economy and environment in Nigerian newspapers’ reports of pipeline vandalism

ABSTRACT Nigeria’s heavy reliance on oil for national survival, the frequency of pipeline vandalism and the attendant losses make the subject of vandalism attractive to newspapers. Reports on this subject become media sites of deep struggle to separate national economy from the ecosystem relationships. Relying on insights from van Dijk’s Theory of Thematic Structure and Stibbe’s notions of salience and erasure, the study examined the reportage of pipeline vandalism and the attendant losses, with a view to exploring how economy and environment are thematically projected. Twenty reports from four newspapers published between 2015 and 2019 were purposively sampled. The thematic projections showed that, while economic loss is foregrounded using the discourse strategies of number game and topicalisation, environmental loss is erased at different levels using the discourse strategies of euphemisation and generalisation. This suggests that there is subtle interest in economic growth to the detriment of the ecological systems which sustain the economy and humanity. Unless there is a deliberate effort to clearly highlight the ecological harm occasioned by pipeline vandalism, the effects of pipeline vandalism may not be obvious to citizens and curtailing the menace may not be prioritised.

Herbicidal fungal strain isolated from soil in Xinjiang, China.

Weeds pose significant challenges by causing agricultural losses and ecological harm. Over the past decades, many weed species have developed high resistance to chemical herbicides, underscoring the urgent need for new biological herbicide alternatives. In this study, we isolated and screened herbicidal fungi from soil samples in Xinjiang with unique conditions of extreme arid. Notably, we discovered the T. purpureogenus strain Tapu14C02, which shows promising potential as a myco-herbicide. Both its conidia and fermentation broth exhibit broad-spectrum effectiveness against weeds. This research highlights the potential of fungal resources for sustainable agriculture.

Historical Foundations of Green Developmental Policies: Divergent Trajectories in United States and France

ABSTRACTIn recent years, many countries have adopted biodiversity offset policies to internalize the ecological impacts of land developments. Although national policies share the general principle of equalizing ecological harm with gain, there is substantial variation across programs regarding the institutional forms governing offsetting. In this paper, we compare biodiversity governance in the United States and France to reflect more broadly on the factors shaping divergent trajectories of green developmental policies. Both countries have some form of biodiversity offsetting in place, but the major fault line of difference is the more extensive use of market‐based instruments (MBI) in the United States. Using a historical lens, we argue that one important reason for this variation lies in the different legal‐institutional definitions of biodiversity. A narrower definition in the United States focused on individual species, versus a broader definition in France focused on ecosystems, has facilitated a more standardized biodiversity governance arrangement in the United States. Leveraging this standardization, biodiversity markets have expanded in the United States while similar efforts to institutionalize market mechanisms have struggled in France. The comparison allows us to draw insights into the challenges in greening economic development, particularly in showing how historical scientific, legal, and institutional structures condition policy outcomes.

Passage efficiency through fishways of species of the family Cyprinidae and their management implications for fragmented rivers

The contemporary management of fragmented river systems is in a trade-off between the societal benefits of instream barriers (e.g. hydropower, flood risk management) and the ecological harms of their adverse impacts on fish populations. The consequent fragmentation can be mitigated through fishway construction, with mitigation performance measured using species-specific passage rates and efficiencies. There is, however, a bias in passage efficiency studies towards diadromous fishes and, although fish of the Cyprinidae family play a significant role in the fish assemblages of rivers worldwide, their passage efficiencies are poorly understood. Here, systematic review and meta-analyses assessed the passage efficiencies of cyprinid fishes through fishways that have been measured using telemetry methods. Passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry was the most common evaluation method of passage efficiency due to their high read rates and relatively low costs versus alternative telemetry methods. These methods revealed cyprinid passage efficiencies were highest through vertical slot fishways and lowest through nature-like constructions, with overall passage rates comparing favourably to anadromous salmonid fishes. Fish were most active during spring and summer, with passage and associated movements often related to spawning. Passage rates of non-native fishes were also higher than for native fishes. Despite the growing acknowledgment of how fishways influence potamodromous fish dispersal and distribution in rivers, passage data remain scarce, preventing managers and policy-makers from making informed decisions on optimal passage solutions for multiple fish species in highly fragmented rivers.

In-situ Profiling of Environmental Hazardous Sulfamethoxazole in Aquatic and Artificial Saliva samples Using Perovskite Structured Bismuth Ferrite Incorporated Halloysite Nanotubes

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a widely used antibiotic, poses significant environmental and health risks due to its persistence and mobility in water systems, potentially leading to antibiotic resistance and ecological harm. Herein, we developed an electrochemical sensor based on Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3)/Halloysite Nanotube (BFO/HNT) composite for sensitive and selective SMX detection. The BFO/HNT composite was synthesized via a hydrothermal method and comprehensively characterized using EDS mapping, HRTEM, XRD, FT-IR, and XPS analysis. The BFO/HNT composite enhances the sensor’s performance due to its unique properties, such as increased electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and efficient electron transfer capability. The B-cation (Fe) in the BiFeO3 matrix plays a crucial role in boosting the electrochemical response by facilitating redox reactions. In addition, the HNTs provide a high surface area and excellent adsorption capabilities, which improve the sensor’s sensitivity by facilitating better interaction with SMX molecules. As the results, the prepared sensor demonstrates an impressive linear detection range of 0.01 to 2 µM and 22 to 122 µM, with a detection limit as low as 0.017 µM. Practical applications were validated by detecting SMX in tap water and artificial saliva, achieving high recovery rates of 98.87 % and 99.11 %.

Tracking aquatic non-native macroinvertebrate species in Germany using long-term data

Biological invasions pose a global challenge, threatening both biodiversity and human well-being. Projections suggest that as invasions increase, the financial costs associated with management and the ecological harm they cause will also escalate. Here, we examined whether long-term biomonitoring strategies were adequate to identify and track benthic aquatic non-native macroinvertebrate species by using the German subset (151 time series; 129 of which reported non-native species) of the currently most comprehensive European long-term dataset of 1816 macroinvertebrate community time series from 22 European countries. The detection of aquatic non-native species was directly linked to the availability of long-term sites and thus, monitoring effort, having identified the spatio-temporal occurrence of 32 non-native species. The available long-term monitoring site data were mostly concentrated in the western part of Germany, predominantly covering the Rhine River and its tributaries. The spatially biased network of long-term monitoring sites, therefore, naturally skews the detection and reporting of aquatic non-native species toward this area and underestimates Eastern and Southern regions, impeding the comprehension of invasion dynamics. However, based on the available data, we found that the absolute number of non-native species increased and the proportion of non-native species relative to native species decreased over time. This indicates complex ecological interactions between native and non-native species and underlines the value of long-term data for investigating invasion dynamics. Considering the value of comprehensive monitoring networks, a spatially biased network delays the application of management and mitigation plans, possibly worsening the ecological and economic effects of biological invasions in Germany. The results provided here indicate the disadvantages of biased datasets, but simultaneously underline the enormous potential of a dense network of long-term monitoring. Our results also highlight the urgent need to increase and diversify long-term biomonitoring efforts throughout Germany to cover the main freshwater resources and their connections where the introduction risk of non-native species is the highest. Centrally collating such data would provide a profound basis for the monitoring of spreading aquatic non-native species and could serve the implementation of national biosecurity efforts.

Morphological Enrichment and Environmental Factors Correlation of Heavy Metals in Dominant Plants in Typical Manganese Ore Areas in Guizhou, China.

Bioavailable heavy metal and their efficient phytoremediation in mining areas have major implications for environmental and human health. In this study, we investigated 12 dominant plants in a typical Mn ore area of Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China, to determine the heavy metal contents, morphologies, and environmental factors affecting Mn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cr in the plant parts and rhizosphere soil. The bioavailabilities and degrees of metals were evaluated using the ratios of the secondary to primary phase distributions and potential ecological risk indices. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, positive matrix factorisation modelling, and redundancy analysis were used to trace the origins and correlations among the metals. The results indicate that the bioavailabilities were the highest for Mn and Cd in the study area, and all of the target heavy metals had bioavailabilities above the moderate ecological harm level. Statistical modelling indicates that there are four main pollution sources: mining, smelting, processing operations, and atmospheric deposition. The dominant plants had high heavy metal enrichments, bioconcentration factors, and translocation factors for Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Zn. The redundancy analysis indicates that soil total N, total P, and pH affect metal absorption and distributions in Compositae and non-Compositae plants in low-N, low-P, and slightly alkaline mining environments. This study provides a feasible basis for the screening of heavy metal enrichment plants and the improvement of remediation technology in manganese ore area under the extreme environment of poor nutrition.

Inequities in the green transition: anti-mining protests in the European periphery

Supposed green technological fixes to the climate crisis necessitate the mining of raw materials such as lithium en masse, spurring the proliferation of mining globally and the associated social and ecological harms. Major economies are engaged in a resource race for critical raw materials that are indispensable inputs for electric vehicles and digital technologies in the green transition and fourth industrial revolution (Kalantzakos, 2020; Kalantzakos et al, 2023). As this race materialises, so too has resistance and contestation on the proposed mining sites. This article engages with the critical literature on ecologically unequal exchanges (Hornborg, 1998; 2014; 2016) and extractivism (Acosta, 2013) to explore protracted civil society resistance to two lithium mining projects in rural and agrarian regions of Serbia and Portugal. The European Union is pursuing a dual agenda of decarbonising personal use transport and resource autonomy in an increasingly shifting geopolitical order; in turn a massive effort for onshoring mining activities is underway in Europe. The author argues that recent policy enactments by the European Union for onshore mining produces ecological and social harms in rural and agrarian areas and is illustrative of an unequal ecological and economic exchange. Agrarian and subsistence livelihoods are affected in pursuit of green technological solutions, highlighting the contradictory character of the green transition under capitalism and ultimately advocates for a degrowth position.

Environmental economics of green recovery in mineral extraction: Balancing production and conservation

This study examines data from 1995 to 2021 using self-regressive distribution lag modeling to uncover how mineral wealth utilization influences sustainable development in select Central Asian countries. Our findings highlight a critical challenge: increased mineral asset mining significantly hampers the region's ecological growth, both immediately and over time, due to its detrimental environmental impacts. However, there is a beacon of hope: a 1% increase in hydropower output can elevate the sustainability score by 0.19% in the long term and 0.10% in the short term, showcasing the transformative potential of renewable energy. On the flip side, escalating carbon dioxide emissions pose a serious threat, stalling green financial development through ecological harm and higher healthcare costs. Furthermore, urbanization slightly diminishes the long-term sustainability score by 0.06%. This gives a clear confirmation of the necessity of Central Asian countries to embrace the renovation of the state's vectors for conformism towards the idea of ecological sustainability. The necessary legislative measures, the development of renewable power sources, making natural resources trading more effective and integrating eco-friendly finance to support green projects will help the region chart its course toward a sustainable and prosperous development.

Oil and Grease Pollution in the West Coast of Sabah and Water Quality Index for the Conservation of Marine Biota

Oil and grease (O&G) concentrations were determined on the West Coast of Sabah to identify pollution hotspots and to understand the extent of the issue. Triplicate seawater samples were collected at twenty-five stations during the northeast (November 2020 to February 2021) and southwest (July 2021 to September 2021) monsoons. QGIS software was used to create a map model, and water quality indexes were used to provide information on the status of the marine ecosystem and marine biota preservation. O&G concentrations were significantly higher (p<0.05) in certain areas of the West Coast of Sabah, ranging from 0.05±0.03 mg/L to 39.34±1.01 mg/L. According to the Malaysian Marine Water Quality Standards, O&G concentrations in the study area were categorized into Class 3, which is directly exposed to the discharge of effluent from anthropogenic activities. Hence, ecosystems in these areas were susceptible to some degree of deterioration. This suggests a potential source of pollution that requires further investigation and remediation efforts. However, the Water Quality Index revealed that the study areas were classified into moderate, acceptable, and medium status, which were still within the acceptable limit for the conservation of marine biota. The findings underscore the need for continued research and proactive measures to minimize O&G pollution and protect ecosystems in the study area. With increased awareness of oil spills, this favorable trend is projected to endure through effective management methods and effective actions to prevent O&G pollution along the West Coast of Sabah. Oil and grease pollution have the potential to endure in the environment for extended periods, ranging from years to even decades, resulting in enduring ecological harm, and hindering the restoration of ecological systems.

Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan/Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Temperature-Sensitive Hydrogel Containing Inorganic Salts for Forest Fire Suppression.

Effective forest fire suppression remains a critical challenge, necessitating innovative solutions. Temperature-sensitive hydrogels represent a promising avenue in this endeavor. Traditional firefighting methods often struggle to address forest fires efficiently while mitigating ecological harm and optimizing resource utilization. In this study, a novel intelligent temperature-sensitive hydrogel was prepared specially for forest fire extinguishment. Utilizing a one-pot synthesis approach, this material demonstrates exceptional fluidity at ambient temperatures, facilitating convenient application and transport. Upon exposure to elevated temperatures, it undergoes a phase transition to form a solid, barrier-like structure essential for containing forest fires. The incorporation of environmentally friendly phosphorus salts into the chitosan/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose gel system enhances the formation of temperature-sensitive hydrogels, thereby enhancing their structural integrity and firefighting efficacy. Morphological and thermal stability analyses elucidate the outstanding performance, with the hydrogel forming a dense carbonized layer that acts as a robust barrier against the spread of forest fires. Additionally, comprehensive evaluations employing rheological tests, cone calorimeter tests, a swelling test, and infrared thermography reveal the multifaceted roles of temperature-sensitive hydrogels in forest fire prevention and suppression strategies.

Defending and Defining Environmental Responsibilities for the Health Research Sector

Six planetary boundaries have already been exceeded, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, and land-system change. The health research sector contributes to the environmental crisis we are facing, though to a lesser extent than healthcare or agriculture sectors. It could take steps to reduce its environmental impact but generally has not done so, even as the planetary emergency worsens. So far, the normative case for why the health research sector should rectify that failure has not been made. This paper argues strong philosophical grounds, derived from theories of health and social justice, exist to support the claim that the sector has a duty to avoid or minimise causing or contributing to ecological harms that threaten human health or worsen health inequity. The paper next develops ideas about the duty’s content, explaining why it should entail more than reducing carbon emissions, and considers what limits might be placed on the duty.

Environmental Horror and White Extinction

A literalist ecological approach to performance studies rematerializes theatre beyond a racist anthropocentricity of metaphorical representation and proposes a path to intersectional environmental justice. Escaped Alone (2016) by Caryl Churchill presents a horrifically accurate report of ecological harm. The Evening (2016) by Richard Maxwell and the New York City Players imagines an extinction of whiteness. Both productions propose new understandings of ecology through reconfiguring the theatrical conditions of representation.

Impact of biological fungicides on the formation and functioning of symbiotic system soybean–Bradyrhizobium japonicum

Background. In order to reduce the negative impact of mineral fertilizers and pesticides on agroecosystems, environmentally friendly plant protection systems are increasingly being utilized in soybean cultivation technologies. These systems aim to provide essential nutrients to plants while minimizing ecological harm. Materials and Methods. In vegetative studies, the processes of formation and functioning of symbiotic systems in soybeans with active strains of nodulating bacteria Bradyrhizobium japonicum (РC07, PC09, B78, B144) were investigated under the influence of pre-sowing seed treatment with the biofungicides Mycosan-N and Phytocide-r. Microbiological, physiological, statistical methods, and gas chromatography were employed in the research. Results. The impact of biological fungicides on the nodulation activity of nodule bacteria has been identified. It was determined that with comprehensive treatment of soybean seeds with B. japonicum РC07 and Mycosan-N, the mass of nodules formed on the roots exceeded that of the control plants by 7‒22 %, and under the influence of Phytocide-r, the mass was lower by 6‒20 % throughout the vegetation period. With the combined application of B. japonicum PC09 and Mycosan-N, a decrease in the number of root nodules by 8‒25 % and a reduction in their mass by 18‒35 % was observed throughout the vegetation period. Under the influence of Phytocide-r, with the inoculation of rhizobia strain PC09, the number of nodules was lower compared to the control plants only in the full flowering stage. At the same time, the reduction in their mass was 6‒20 % throughout the entire observation period. A stimulating effect of both biofungicides on the formation of the symbiotic apparatus involving strains B. japonicum B78 and B144 has been identified. With the combined application of B. japonicum РC07 and Phytocide-r, nitrogenase activity of symbiotic systems decreased by 7 % only in the stage of three true leaves compared to plants whose seeds were treated only with rhizobia. The nitrogenase activity of symbiotic systems formed with the participation of B. japonicum B78 and under the influence of Mycosan-N increased by 28 %, 15 %, and 12 % in the stages of three true leaves, budding, and full flowering, respectively. The action of Phytocide-r, with the inoculation by the nodule bacteria B78, resulted in an increase in nitrogenase activity by 14 % only in the budding stage. Under the comprehensive treatment of soybean seeds with involved biofungicides and B. japonicum B144, an increase in the intensity of N2 assimilation was noted by 29‒34 % in the stage of three true leaves and by 10‒16 % in the budding stage. Conclusions. The application of a scientifically justified selection of rhizobial strains and biological plant protection agents for pre-sowing treatment of soybean seeds will enable a more complete realization of their nitrogen-fixing potential and phytoprotective effects.

Response of Microbial Communities to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material-Contaminated Sediments: A Microcosm-Based Study.

There is a growing need to understand the potential ecological impacts of contaminants in offshore oil and gas infrastructure, especially if that infrastructure is to be left in situ as a decommissioning option. Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is one type of contaminant found in solid deposits on internal surfaces of infrastructure that poses potential ecological harm if released into the marine environment. Microbes are important components of marine sediment ecosystems because they provide ecosystem services, yet the impacts of NORM contamination to these communities are not well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the response of benthic microbial communities to NORM-contaminated scale, collected from an offshore oil and gas system, via controlled laboratory microcosm studies. Changes to microbial communities in natural sediment and sediments spiked with NORM at radium-226 activity concentrations ranging from 9.5 to 59.8 Bq/kg (in partial equilibria with progeny) over 7 and 28 days were investigated using high-throughput sequencing of environmental DNA extracted from experimental sediments. There were no significant differences in microbial community composition between control and scale-spiked sediments over 7 and 28 days. However, we observed a greater presence of Firmicutes in the scale-mixed treatment and Chloroflexi in the scale-surface treatments after 28 days. This could suggest selection for species with contaminant tolerance or potential resilience to radiation and metal toxicity. Further research is needed to explore microbial tolerance mechanisms and their potential as indicators of effects of radionuclide-contaminated sediments. The present study demonstrated that microcosm studies can provide valuable insights about the potential impacts of contamination from oil and gas infrastructure to sediment microbial communities. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1648-1661. © 2024 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Intermodal travel planning and decision support integrated with transportation and energy systems

The fast urbanization in China makes it all the more important to find sustainable solutions that are both comprehensive and energy-efficient. Because of its important role in lowering logistical expenses and pollutant emissions, intermodal transport is generally seen as an effective method of coordinating transportation operations, helping to address the growing economic and environmental issues. Considering the characteristics of a growing city, this article lays out a multi-criteria method for selecting which new initiatives for China's public transportation system should be prioritized. “Electric municipality bus,” “light rail system,” and “modernization to the current fleet and optimization” are the three enhancement initiatives that are outlined. Using transportation-related economic, social, and environmental sub-criteria, this research applies TOPSIS, an analytic hierarchy method and fuzzy approach for order preference by resemblance to ideal circumstance application, to prioritize transportation projects. The study aims to improve city life in Chongqing, China, by identifying the most environmentally friendly development projects. Applying the analytical hierarchy method (AHP), the relative importance of several sustainability criteria was established for use in making strategic decisions. The alternative projects for the given city have been ranked using the fuzzy TOPSIS approach. However, the investigated results show the supportive response of hybrid to environmental sustainability and vice versa for non-hybrid vehicles. However, the energy consumption in public transport remains a leading hurdle in sustainability across the three modes of transport: taxis, rail transit and buses. Finally, computer trains in public transport also surprisingly deal with environmental sustainability to keep the current & forthcoming generation from ecological harm. However, theoretical and empirical policy suggestions have been proposed to become clean & green shortly.

Fate, source apportionment and fractionation of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soil around a densely populated, semiarid urban center of India: baseline study and ecological risk assessment.

This study is on the outskirts of the rapidly growing city of Jaipur, located in the semiarid region of India and gateway to the 'Great Indian Thar' desert, and focused on potentially toxic elements (PTE) pollution in the farmlands around the city. Concentrations of PTE, along with associated soil parameters such as pH, available nitrogen, organic carbon, phosphorus, and potassium, were estimated in agricultural soil samples near an industrial region on the outskirts of the capital city of the largest state of India. The PTE concentrations in the soil were in the following order: Mn > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cu > Cd. Soil pollution indices, such as the geochemical accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and ecological risk index (ERI), indicated that the soil was moderately to highly polluted. The result of BCR extraction techniques showed Cd is found mainly in the exchangeable and residual fractions, Pb, Mn were found in the reducible as well as residual fractions, while other PTE were mostly bound to residual fraction. All other PTEs are primarily found in the residual fraction, tightly linked with the silicate lattice of soil minerals. Multivariate analysis and the Pearson correlation matrix indicate a common source apportionment for Pb and Cd. Cd, and Pb concentrations in agricultural soil indicate ecological harm that warrants immediate attention and policy-level intervention.

Flower Extract–Polyvinyl Alcohol‐Based Biocomposites for Sustainable Food Packaging Applications

The proliferation of single‐use plastics has led to widespread pollution and ecological harm, prompting a concerted effort to develop sustainable alternatives. Among them, biocomposite plastic films have emerged as a promising solution for food packing applications. Herein, the preparation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biocomposite films incorporating Clitoria ternatea (CT) flower extracts is reported. The obtained films are subjected to various analytical techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis reveals the intense peak of hydrogen bonding at 3321 cm−1 in the composite film. CT‐PVA films possess less opacity and UV light‐blocking capabilities. The PVA‐CT films are examined for water absorption, UV barrier, soil degradability, and water‐soluble properties, greater propensity to dissolve in water during the water absorption test is noticed. Enzymatic oxidation followed by hydrolysis of functional groups enhances the soil degradation rate in biocomposite films. Further, the colorimetric study of CT‐PVA solution at different pH shows colored CT–PVA films. From the results and observations, the CT‐PVA biocomposite film (8 mL) proves to be a promising candidate for utilization in the food industry as a packaging material.

Natural resources as a double-edged sword towards ecological quality: Can environmental regulations and green human capital rectify the adverse impacts?

Natural resources are the backbone of any economy and the bedrock of ecological health. However, the relentless exploitation of these resources has given rise to ecological degradation. This threatens ecosystem stability, presenting the urgent need to balance natural resource utilization with ecological integrity. Environmental regulations and green human capital are pivotal in striking this balance and progressing towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this study explores how natural resources impact ecological quality in Ghana from 1990 to 2019 within the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework, considering the role of environmental regulations and green human capital. The study employs the novel dynamic ARDL simulation method, presenting insights that diverge from patterns noted in previous studies. The study's findings reveal that natural resources intensify ecological quality in the short term but degrade ecological quality over the long term. Environmental regulation reduces ecological harm, while green human capital negatively impacts ecological quality. Environmental regulation and green human capital undesirably and beneficially impact how natural resources relate to ecological quality, with the undesirable effects occurring in the short term and the beneficial effects emerging over the long term. Further, a U-shaped relationship is observed between economic growth and ecological pollution in the short term, which transforms into an inverted U-shaped relationship in the long term, thus validating the EKC hypothesis in Ghana. The study concludes by recommending the implementation and enforcement of environmental regulations as a pathway toward achieving ecological quality and SDGs, particularly SDG 13, SDG 12, and SDG 7.

Evaluating renewable energy consumption efficiency and impact factors in Asia-pacific economic cooperation countries: A new approach of DEA with undesirable output model

Balancing economic growth with environmental protection is a global priority. Both developed and developing nations face the challenge of optimizing renewable energy use to achieve sustainable development while minimizing ecological harm. This study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, incorporating undesirable output, to assess the efficiency of renewable energy consumption across 21 member countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) from 2011 to 2020. The main variables include foreign direct investment, total energy consumption, total renewable energy capacity as inputs, and gross domestic product growth and greenhouse gas emissions as desired outputs. Results reveal varying levels of renewable energy consumption efficiency, with Brunei, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong exhibiting the highest efficiency, while Russia, China, and Vietnam demonstrate the lowest. Notably, developed nations display greater efficiency in utilizing renewable energy compared to their developing counterparts. Moreover, optimizing foreign direct investment, renewable energy consumption, and total renewable energy capacity can enhance overall energy efficiency. By leveraging empirical evidence and estimation techniques, the study provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, emphasizing the pivotal role of financial development and green finance initiatives in promoting sustainable energy development across APEC member countries.