Environmental Deterioration Research Articles

Nexus of natural resources exploitation, social protection, and sustainable environment: COP27 is a sufficient solution?

A pervasive threat regarding human health, ecological balance, progress, and sustainability marks the current era. Many nations are grappling with the consequences of climate change and global warming caused by excessive carbon emissions from various harmful activities. Consequently, while some nations face resource constraints, they also work hard to keep the environment clean and green to promote sustainable growth. Concerns about the effects of climate change and global warming have recently shifted the focus of national governments and policymakers. Furthermore, these issues take center stage in developed nations due to the scarcity of natural resources, leading to increased carbon emissions. This research uses a panel data set that covers the top 20 developed countries from 2000 to 2021 to examine the relationship between nature's bounty (NAT) and welfare (SP) and carbon emissions (CO2). The next-generation panel assembly root test verified that all indicators were stationarity at the first difference, and the cross-sectional dependence (CSD) mirrored the panel countries' CSD. The second-generation cointegration technique (Wester Lund and Edgerton) was used to find an equation involving the variables. The rigorous check by the Cup-BC test and long-run empirical estimates from the Cup-FM estimation highlighted that technical innovation, social protection, and higher levels of green energy contribute to greater environmental sustainability and lower CO₂ emissions. Environmental quality declines and CO2 emissions rise in developed countries due to population, natural resource availability, and economic complexity index. The study's results may illuminate the reasons for environmental deterioration and propose solutions.

Hydrochemical characterization and health risk assessment of different types of water bodies in Fenghuang Mountain Area, Northeast China.

Groundwater, as an essential resource, holds significant importance for human production and livelihoods. With the deterioration of the water environment, the issue of groundwater quality has become an urgent international concern. This study focused on the Fenghuang Mountain Area (FMA) and collected a total of 41 sets of samples including pore groundwater (PGW), fissure groundwater (FGW), karst groundwater(KGW), and river water(RW). Hydrochemical analysis methods were employed to identify the hydrochemical characteristics and controlling factors. The entropy-weighted water quality index (EWQI) and health risk assessment model were utilized to assess the groundwater quality and nitrate health risk, respectively. The results indicated that the dominant anion and cation in both groundwater and surface water in the FMA were HCO3- and Ca2+, respectively, with the main hydrochemical type being HCO3-Ca. Groundwater and surface water in the FMA were primarily controlled by rock weathering process, with ion concentrations influenced mainly by the dissolution of halite, sylvite, carbonates (calcite and dolomite), silicates, and gypsum, as well as by reverse anion exchange process. PGW was significantly affected by agricultural activities, with NO3- concentration closely related to human activities. The water quality of FGW was relatively good, with Class I and Class II water accounting for the highest proportion, reaching 84.62%. The high-value area of EWQI in PGW was influenced by human activities. The impact of nitrate health risk on children was significantly greater than on adults, with FGW having the lowest health risk and PGW having the highest health risk. The research results can provide important guarantees for the rational development and utilization of water resources in the FMA and the sustainable development of the economy in Northeast China.

International Legal Aspects of the Assessment of Environmental Damage Caused by Military Actions

Military actions not only cause massive human casualties and extensive destruction of homes, infrastructure, and other property, but also a significant environmental damage. It raises the issue of the importance of assessment of environmental damage as a necessary prerequisite for obtaining reparations. The paper analyses international legal documents which relate to the issue of assessment of the amount of environmental damage, as well as relevant decisions of international bodies in this sphere. A conclusion was made about the lack of a uniform approach to the assessment of amount of environmental damage, both in international documents and in international judicial practice. The necessity of the adoption of an international document that would establish the methodology which should be used during environmental damage assessment was proved. This paper should determine components of the environment deterioration of which should be compensated.

Late Devonian felsic magmatism in southern New Brunswick and its association with a large igneous province that may have contributed to the Frasnian-Famennian extinction

Felsic rocks of the Piskahegan Group and coeval plutons form a major part of a Late Paleozoic epicontinental caldera in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada. The caldera forms an elliptical structure with a length of ∼34 km and a width of ∼13 km. It hosts a significant polymetallic deposit of tin, molybdenum, indium and bismuth associated with mid-sequence granitic intrusions. The caldera formed in the aftermath of the late Early to Middle Devonian Acadian Orogeny during the opening of the late Paleozoic Maritimes Basin in the Northern Appalachian Belt. Its surrounding successions are largely composed of bimodal igneous rocks that were derived from two distinct sources: upper mantle-derived mafic magma and lower crust-derived felsic magma. The rocks that marked the beginning of volcanic activity in the caldera are no younger than 374.2 ± 2 Ma, whereas the uppermost dated volcanic unit in the complex yielded an age of 364.6 ± 0.7 Ma. The latter is conformably overlain by a succession of red beds and undated basalts that also overlie penecontemporaneous felsic volcanic rocks adjacent to the caldera. The post-orogenic felsic rocks are fractionated, peraluminous A-2 type rocks with silica contents ranging from ∼70 to ∼79 wt% along with high K2O contents and ɛNd(t) ranging from −0.10 to +1.05. They were generated by the melting of lower crustal basement rocks linked to a lithospheric plate that was metasomatized during the Neoproterozoic. Based on available geochemical, geophysical and structural data on Late Paleozoic rocks of southeastern Canada, the melting may have been triggered by the injection of profuse mafic magma that eventually formed a thick underplating at the base of the crust in association with heat derived from an underlying mantle plume and conveyed by transtensional structures. Basal rocks of the Piskahegan Group (the Intracaldera Sequence) and penecontemporaneous volcanic rocks in Nova Scotia are interpreted as small erosional remnants of a Large Igneous Province (LIP) based on the extensive exposure of large coeval plutons throughout southeastern Canada. The new geochronological data suggests that profuse late Frasnian magmatism in this LIP could have contributed to the environmental deterioration that led to a significant extinction at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (the Kellwasser Event).

Asymmetric impact of energy consumption & financial development on environment using ARDL approach: Case of ASEAN countries

Current research explores the adverse impact of energy consumption and economic development in the ASEAN region. The choice of the region stems from the fact that the human development index of the region ranges widely from 0.93 of Singapore to that of Myanmar, which is 0.58. besides that, the region's Ecological Footprint is increasing with time. Another aspect of the region stems from the fact that, on average, the region has had an ecological deficit since the 1970s. This research examines the origins of environmental degradation in South Asia by analyzing the lopsided impact of urbanization and economic expansion on economic growth and energy use. This study applies the non-linear autoregressive distributive lag (NARDL) method to examine the asymmetry that results from both the positive and negative disruptions of financial development and energy consumption, using an annual dataset spanning 1980 to 2021. According to the NARDL model's findings, both positive and negative shocks in energy consumption significantly contribute to increasing environmental degradation over the long run and decreasing the density of CO2 emissions in the short run. While several factors can cause short-term changes in CO2 emissions, only an adverse shift in financial development can have a lasting and major effect on global emissions. In addition, the ARDL model's findings suggest that less environmental deterioration occurs due to economic progress, but CO2 emissions increase due to rising energy consumption. This article argues that governments should try to achieve high economic success through energy consumption and economic growth that is less taxing on the environment.

Analysis of municipal solid waste as a source of energy production using fuzzy decision system

One of the major causes of global environmental deterioration is the enormous amount of municipal solid waste generated as a result of increasing industrialization and expanding populations. Managing the limited land resources of metropolitan areas and the growing volumes of waste generated as a result of development has become increasingly challenging for decision makers. Anaerobic digestion, gasification, pyrolysis, and incineration are among methods that help to derive energy from the various types of municipal wastes. Using these processes, waste is converted into energy, which is then used to produce power. It reduces the burden on landfills and helps in the fight against pollution in the environment. This article proposes the optimal municipal waste that can be used to derive energy using fuzzy multiple criteria decision making. This area of operational research focuses on achieving the best outcomes in intricate situations with a variety of indicators, competing goals, and requirements. This tool is gaining popularity in the sector of energy extraction because it allows decision makers to make judgments while considering all criteria and objectives at the same time. Finally, sensitive and comparative study is provided to determine the sturdiness of the proposed system.

Environmental deterioration, renewable energy, natural resource rents, and schooling in Türkiye: Does the degree of energy transition matter for environmental quality?

Within the literature on energy and environmental economics, it is generally acknowledged that renewable energy can improve environmental quality; however, certain papers suggest that an optimal level of the usage of renewable energy sources may exist. Consequently, the utilization of renewable energy sources can result in environmental degradation up to a certain threshold. Then, environmental quality can be enhanced through the continued application of renewables. This indicates that the link between renewable energy and environmental devastation is inverted U-shaped.This paper presents empirical evidence concerning this possible association between renewable energy and environmental destruction in Türkiye, a country where fossil energy predominates in the energy mix. Additionally, the paper investigates the environmental influences of natural resource rents and schooling. This study utilizes annual data from 1971 to 2020 and implements time series methodologies that rely on the Fourier approximation. The paper thus accounts for an undetermined quantity of structural breaks. The results suggest that an inverted U-shaped link occurs between renewable energy and environmental destruction, signifying renewable energy initially contributes to a diminution in environmental quality before subsequently improving it. Additionally, environmental quality is positively associated with natural resource rents and negatively associated with schooling, according to the findings. Furthermore, the findings reveal that schooling worsens the combined effect of renewable energy on environmental degradation. These conclusions are discussed in the paper.

Biodiversity offsetting destroys wildlife

Biodiversity offsetting is a net‐outcome policy by which metrics are used to quantify the loss of wildlife and habitat due to development (generally building for housing, industrial purposes or infrastructure). An equivalent or greater quantity of biodiversity is supposedly created, protected or restored elsewhere. The literature on the merit of biodiversity offsetting is equivocal, largely because the policy is prescriptive in favour of development but overlooks the conflict between development and environmental deterioration (much as in other policy within the ambit of ‘sustainable development'). The unadmitted contradiction can be seen relatively easily by appreciating that the site scale and wider scales are largely discrete. Even if biodiversity net gain really were achieved in going from site to site, the wider prejudice of development would still be the overriding influence in the observed (wide‐scale) decline of wildlife. By facilitating ever more human environmental impact, biodiversity offsetting does the opposite of what it purports to do; it destroys wildlife.

Exploring the Impact of Lead on Health and Strategies to Prevent the Adverse Consequences

Lead is one of the ten chemicals of major public health concern, and has been linked to environmental degradation and significant deterioration of human health. Multiple age-group-specific harmful effects in children, pregnant women, and adults have been reported secondary to lead exposure. Even though lead-associated adverse effects have been recognized in different parts of the world, the key barrier is the least priority assigned to it by public health officials worldwide. To conclude, owing to both short- and long-term effects of lead in different age groups, it is high time that global policymakers should prioritize lead poisoning and take appropriate measures to effectively deal with the public health menace of lead.

The Egyptian Toad (Bufo regularis Reuss) as bioindicator to environmental deterioration with heavy metal in El-Behera governorate

The Egyptian Toad (Bufo regularis Reuss) as bioindicator to environmental deterioration with heavy metal in El-Behera governorate

Pollution acceleration before braking: Evidence of environmental deterioration from the anticipated steel restriction policy in China

This research employs China’s steel restriction policy as a backdrop to investigate environmental policies’ unintended and counterproductive effects. Using high-resolution satellite-derived data and panel Difference-in-Differences regression, we found that the air pollution concentration in cities implementing the steel restriction policy is 5.688 μg/m3 higher than in control group cities. Additionally, the growth rate of air pollution in these cities is 6.577% faster. This quantitative evidence substantiates the backfire effect of the anticipation of environmental policy, where the delay between a policy’s announcement and its enforcement leads to a short-term surge in pollution levels. For China and other emerging economies, the development of a thorough and deliberate intergovernmental cooperation strategy is critical when formulating environmental policies. It involves synchronizing the efforts of different government levels in applying pollution controls and diminishing the interval of potential intense pollution in the pre-implementation phase.

China's green energy growth: Economic policies, environmental economics, and strategies for resilience in the global economy

China has become a major global power due to its rapid economic growth, which is being driven by resource-intensive industries but at a considerable environmental cost. This study investigates the intricate relationships that exist between China's mining regulations, resource utilization, and environmentally friendly policies, as well as the overall impacts of these relationships on economic growth. The research uses a rigorous regression analysis approach and data from the Ministry of National Resources and the China Statistical Yearbook from 1986 to 2022. Integrating a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) enables an investigation of the relationships among debt levels, GDP, and natural financing. Wald test estimates also reveal exact Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) relationships. The results indicate that while China's economy has significantly benefited from mineral-intensive sectors, green measures are urgently needed to slow environmental deterioration. The focus should be redirected toward encouraging sustainable and ongoing development. These results highlight the critical role that green projects play in fostering economic growth. How China strikes a careful balance between its goals for ecological sustainability and economic growth is crucial for both China and the rest of the world in an era characterized by worries about climate change and resource shortages. The objective of this study is to analyze the complex relationship among China's mining regulations, resource utilization, and environmental policies. It will evaluate the effects of these factors on economic growth, with a particular focus on the necessity of adopting sustainable development practices in the face of environmental challenges and economic expansion. The study's goal is to examine the intricate relationships between China's resource use, environmental policies, and mining restrictions. It focuses on the importance of sustainable development methods in the face of environmental issues and economic growth. This research highlights the essential relationship between environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development, and policymakers, businesses, and environmental activists can all benefit from it.

Heavy metal toxicity and its human health assessment: A preliminary study from the Perumal Lake sediments, Tamil Nadu, India

The current investigation manifests the heavy metal toxicity and its human health assessment to appraise the environmental deterioration of the sediments within the Perumal Lake, Tamil Nadu, India. Five surface samples were collected from the Perumal Lake in 2023, which undergoes the selective perception of the granulometric analysis, implying supremacy of the clay content and limited sand and silt contents. The organic matter indicates the higher input of waste disposal, and the CaCO3 illustrates the existence of shell fragments in the lake environments. Noteworthy results of the heavy metal concentration as arranged in the devaluation order as Zn > Cu > Fe > Cr > Ni > Mn > Pb > Co > Cd. Followed by the heavy metal concentration, the environmental contamination indices such as Igeo denote that except for Cd metal, other heavy metals indicate moderate to extreme pollution status. The Enrichment Factor (Ef) illustrates Fe, Co, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb, highlighting no metal enrichment. In contrast, Mn and Cr reveal low metal enrichments, and the Cf reveals all the heavy metals, which argues for low to high contamination ranges. The Cd and the mCd are categorized as very high, and PERI underscores the low-risk category. The Hazard Index (HI) of the non-carcinogenic category and carcinogenic demonstrates that children and adults are primarily at risk of ingestion. At the same time, the dermal pathway indicates low jeopardy to children and adults and no risk to humans. The Heavy Metal Toxicity Load (HMTL) poses the sample location three registers a significant accumulation of toxic contagion proposed to remove from the sediments. Realm of heavy metal toxicity and its human health assessment underscores for researchers in environmental quality determination, and the strategies discussed such as phytoremediation, in-situ capping, and biotechnological techniques, may be helpful in evaluation and implement remediation methods of pollution in aquatic environments.

A Discursive Concern on Pollution in Kathmandu Valley and Its Consequences

I find this dialogue meaningful here. A gentleman: Hello sir, what are the three remarkable things you find in Nepal? Tourist: Oh! I find that every man is a doctor; every man is a politician; and Kathmandu is a big toilet. (Source: Personal talk) “Kathmandu is a big toilet”. What a joke! What a satire! Is Kathmandu so? Interesting! This paper explores the discursive concern about pollution in Kathmandu, the study area, and its consequences. The previous mayors of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) solved this problem partially. The city dwellers could not have breathed fresh air for about two decades despite several attempts by environmentalists and awareness articles written by national and international writers. The findings of the study show that Kathmandu is one of the dirtiest cities in the world and there is a possibility of lung cancer, respiratory problems, and many more. These adverse impacts of pollution are beyond prediction. This metropolitan city now has a new young energetic Mayor, Balendra Shah. The Kathmanduites have woven a big dream over him. I think he will come up with good new plans to address the discursive concern on the pollution problem. There are limited scholarly research papers published on this issue. The study sheds light on, “When will the day of crystal clean Kathmandu come?” and attempts to make the KMC people commit to strictly monitoring waste management. Pollution means the natural environment deterioration: air pollution, water pollution, land pollution, light pollution and noise pollution. This paper focuses on the strict implementation of strict rules to curb the pollution crisis. This provision mitigates the pollution problem so that people breathe fresh air and enhance the environmental literature. The mixed methods of cause and effect, document analysis and qualitative research were used in the study.

Systematic coupling and multistage interactive response of the urban land use efficiency and ecological environment quality

Rapid urbanization and industrialization have greatly contributed to boosting regional economic growth and mitigating the problem of poverty, but blind expansion of cities and towns has not only caused the inefficient use of urban land resources but also caused the deterioration in the urban ecological environment. Within the current context of emphasizing high-quality development, achieving synergy between the efficient use of urban land and ecological environmental protection is an urgent task for promoting new urbanization construction. In this study, cities in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (URYR) were adopted as the research object, a theoretical analysis framework for the urban land use efficiency (ULUE) and ecological environment quality (EEQ) was established, the ULUE was measured by using the Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model, the coupling coordination and interactive corresponding response relationship between the ULUE and EEQ were analyzed, and the influencing factors of the coupling coordination between these two systems were explored by using the random forest model. The following conclusions can be obtained: in 2020, compared with those in 2006, both the ULUE and EEQ were improved, and the two systems exhibited interactions and significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) between the ULUE and EEQ could facilitate maintaining the original state, and the transfer of the CCD exhibited a significant spatial correlation with the state of neighbouring cities. The effect of the ULUE on the EEQ indicated nonlinear characteristics, while the effect of the EEQ on the ULUE was manifested as inhibition initially and then promotion. The random forest regression results showed that the population density, landscape agglomeration and connectivity, market conditions, government intervention, and industrial institutions are the key influencing factors of the CCD. Finally, this study provides policy implications for innovative urban land use modelling, environmental regulation, and industrial transformation and upgrading.

Exploring the influencing factors of environmental deterioration: evidence from China employing ARDL–VECM method with structural breaks

PurposeThe environmental deterioration has become one of the most economically consequential and charged topics. Numerous scholars have examined the driving factors failing to consider the structural breaks. This study aims to explore sustainability using the per capita ecological footprints (EF) as an indicator of environmental adversities and controlling the resources rent [(natural resources (NR)], labor capital (LC), urbanization (UR) and per capita economic growth [gross domestic product (GDP)] of China.Design/methodology/approachThrough the analysis of the long- and short-run effects with an autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL), structural break based on BP test and Granger causality test based on vector error correction model (VECM), empirical evidence is provided for the policies formulation of sustainable development.FindingsThe long-run equilibrium between the EF and GDP, NR, UR and LC is proved. In the long run, an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) relationship existed, but China is still in the rising stage of the curve; there is a positive relationship between the EF and NR, indicating a resource curse; the UR is also unsustainable. The LC is the most favorable factor for sustainable development. In the short term, only the lagged GDP has an inhibitory effect on the EF. Besides, all explanatory variables are Granger causes of the EF.Originality/valueA novel attempt is made to examine the long-term equilibrium and short-term dynamics under the prerequisites that the structural break points with its time and frequencies were examined by BP test and ARDL and VECM framework and the validity of the EKC hypothesis is tested.

Mapping the Landscape of Green Studies: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends and Future Directions in Underdeveloped Countries

The primary source of environmental deterioration is the economy’s rapid growth and global behaviour consumer demand and behaviour patterns. As more people become aware of how important it is to preserve the environment, consumers are beginning to show a clear preference for green items. This study aims to highlight the key themes and strengths of green studies in underdeveloped countries and provide recommendations for future research. This study looks at a sample of 162 papers from the Scopus database using a bibliometric approach to uncover green studies research activity between 2011 and 2022. This study identifies the most important sources and authors based on their citations, publications and prominence within the network. Further, it also looks at current issues, identifies literature limitations and offers further investigation directions. Although international research is in this field, there must be more cross-national cooperation between writers from developed and underdeveloped nations.

Spatio-temporal evolution mechanism and dynamic simulation of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the Yangtze River economic Belt in China

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus inputs are the main causes of aquatic environmental deterioration. Accurately quantifying and dynamically assessing the regional nitrogen and phosphorus pollution emission (NPPE) loads and influencing factors is crucial for local authorities to implement and formulate refined pollution reduction management strategies. In this study, we constructed a methodological framework for evaluating the spatio-temporal evolution mechanism and dynamic simulation of NPPE. We investigated the spatio-temporal evolution mechanism and influencing factors of NPPE in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) of China through the pollution load accounting model, spatial correlation analysis model, geographical detector model, back propagation neural network model, and trend analysis model. The results show that the NPPE inputs in the YREB exhibit a general trend of first rising and then falling, with uneven development among various cities in each province. Nonpoint sources are the largest source of land-based NPPE. Overall, positive spatial clustering of NPPE is observed in the cities of the YREB, and there is a certain enhancement in clustering. The GDP of the primary industry and cultivated area are important human activity factors affecting the spatial distribution of NPPE, with economic factors exerting the greatest influence on the NPPE. In the future, the change in NPPE in the YREB at the provincial level is slight, while the nitrogen pollution emissions at the municipal level will develop towards a polarization trend. Most cities in the middle and lower reaches of the YREB in 2035 will exhibit medium to high emissions. This study provides a scientific basis for the control of regional NPPE, and it is necessary to strengthen cooperation and coordination among cities in the future, jointly improve the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution tracing and control management system, and achieve regional sustainable development.

Role of Worry and Attitude in Determining Pro Environment Behaviour in Young Indians

The relation between ever increasing population and consumption habits with accelerated deterioration of environment is well established. Lifestyle and consumption patterns impact environment in a direct and indirect way by putting demands on production process. With climate change becoming critical in recent years, studying environment attitudes and behaviours has become important. Addressing environmental crisis at local or global level also call for studying fundamental attitudes and emotions that shape pro-environment behaviour. The goal of this paper is to study the (1) impact of environmental concern and worry on pro-environment behaviour and to (2) evaluate differences on the basis of education and gender. Based on the sample of 190 young individuals, measures of environmental concern, worry and PEB will be used to find the correlation, regression and group differences.

Effect of Crop Establishment Methods and Precision Nutrient Management on Growth, Yield Attributes and Yield of Rice under Rice-wheat System

Rice-wheat system is the major contributor in food security of India. The significance of the system is well addressed by time to time but, excessive use of resources, stagnation in yield, environment deterioration including erosion and nutrient mining are the greater challenge it possess. To address the issue a study was carried out at Banaras Hindu University's Agricultural Research Farm in Varanasi during the Kharif and Rabi seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively. The experiment plotted in a split plot statistical design with three replications and four crop establishment methods: CE1: Conventional till rice (puddled transplanted)-Conventional till wheat, CE2: Conventional till direct seeded rice (DSR)-Conventional till wheat, CE3: Conventional till DSR-Zero-till wheat (rice residue retained), and CE4: Zero-till DSR-Zero-till wheat (residue retention in rice and wheat) crop establishment method among the main plot treatments and Rice-Wheat Crop Manager (RWCM)-based nutrient recommendation among the sub plot treatments. CE4 treatment among main plot and N3 among nutrient management practices produced higher values of plant height and number of tillers at 30, 60, 90 days after sowing and at harvest, as well as yield attributes i.e. maximum number of panicles m2 and grains per panicle, than the other treatments. The same treatments also resulted in increased rice grain yield. There was approximately 12 % higher grain yield under CE4 over CE1 and 8 % higher grain yield in N3 over N1 was recorded. These results might be due to better nutrient availability, better organic carbon which leads to improved microbial activity, and better moisture availability under these treatments. It may be concluded that conservation agriculture-based crop establishment i.e. CE4: Zero-till DSR-Zero-till wheat (residue retention in rice and wheat) and RWCM-based nutrient application, may be favourable for improved growth, yield attributes and yield in the rice crop under the region of eastern Uttar Pradesh.