Environmental Governance Research Articles

Harmonizing Cultural Landscape with Resilience: Climate Adaptation Strategies in the Arno and Hudson River Basins

Climate change increasingly threatens heritage-rich river basins, yet the integration of traditional ecological knowledge into formal environmental governance remains underexplored. This study investigates how historically embedded water management practices in Tuscany’s Arno River and New York’s Hudson River can inform adaptive strategies under conditions of climate uncertainty. Employing a Triangulated mixed-methods approach—including a systematic narrative literature review, variable coding (hydrological dynamics, cultural heritage, governance structures, economic livelihoods, and adaptive knowledge), and effect size analysis—we conducted a comparative assessment to uncover regional challenges, capacities, and implementation dynamics. The findings reveal that while both basins contend with hydrological volatility and fragmented governance, the Arno benefits from legally embedded heritage practices that continue to shape canal-based agriculture and flood mitigation. In contrast, the Hudson showcases strong multi-level stakeholder engagement and ecological restoration, though with less institutional reliance on traditional land stewardship. By integrating codified traditional practices with participatory governance and applying a weighted implementation structure, this study illustrates how resilience planning can be more context-sensitive, operationally feasible, and socially inclusive. Ultimately, this research positions cultural landscapes as active infrastructure for climate adaptation—provided they are institutionally supported and community-endorsed—offering a transferable model for policy innovation in similarly vulnerable riverine systems.

Conflict or collaboration? Top management team faultline, corporate governance and enterprise digital transformation

PurposeAddressing the gap in research on the drivers of enterprise digital transformation (EDT), which often overlooks the role of the top management team (TMT), the study leverages team faultline theory to examine the effects of relationship-related and task-related faultlines within TMTs on EDT. It also explores the moderating roles of corporate governance, specifically internal governance quality and external media attention, in these relationships.Design/methodology/approachUsing an empirical dataset of 21,163 observations from 3,423 listed firms in China between 2008 and 2019.FindingsThe findings reveal that TMT relationship-related faultlines negatively influence EDT, while task-related faultlines positively affect EDT. Moreover, internal governance quality positively moderates the impact of task-related faultlines on EDT, while external media attention positively moderates the impact of relationship-related faultlines on EDT.Originality/valueThe study expands the theoretical framework on TMT faultlines offering deeper insights into how these faultlines shape EDT under varying governance environments.

Understanding Paradigm Shifts and Asynchrony in Environmental Governance: A Mixed-Methods-Study of China’s Sustainable Development Transition

Escalating environmental challenges severely impede global sustainable development, prompting countries worldwide to innovate environmental governance approaches. As the world’s largest developing country, China’s paradigm shifts in environmental governance from “pollution control” to “ecological conservation” embody many inherent complexities. To investigate the evolution and underlying logic of such paradigm shifts, this study introduces a nested asynchrony framework. Employing a mixed-methods approach that integrates qualitative content analysis, Social Network Analysis, and machine learning, this study analyzes China’s environmental planning documents since the 11th Five-Year Plan to clarify the process of the paradigm shifts and their driving mechanisms. The principal conclusions derived from this study are as follows: (1) Environmental planning is uniquely valued as an analytical lens for identifying paradigm shifts in environmental governance. (2) The paradigm shifts in environmental governance are temporally distinct, wherein transformations in value norms precede structural reforms, while shifts in action logic and disciplinary foundations exhibit path-dependent inertia. (3) Inconsistencies within the planning authority framework spanning central and local governments impede the effective allocation and implementation of resources. This study reconstructs the transformation pathway of environmental governance paradigms, validates computational methods in policy analysis, and presents a longitudinal framework for tracking governance evolution. Applicable to other countries or sectors undergoing similar sustainable development transitions, the framework can provide broader utility.

Interfacial modification strategies enhance the non-wettability of bismuth molybdate and its application in solar evaporation and environmental governance

Interfacial modification strategies enhance the non-wettability of bismuth molybdate and its application in solar evaporation and environmental governance

Moderating the influence of social norms on climate change mitigation behavior: The roles of environmental beliefs, government quality, and policy incentives

Moderating the influence of social norms on climate change mitigation behavior: The roles of environmental beliefs, government quality, and policy incentives

Revealing the Key Determinants of Green Purchase Intentions: Insights from an Extended UTAUT2 Model

In this study, we extend the UTAUT2 model to explore the determinants of green purchase intention in Taiwan. By incorporating environmental concern, government support, and green trust, the model highlights how contextual and trust-based factors shape sustainable consumption. Based on 590 valid survey responses, analysis using covariance-based structural equation modeling reveals that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, price value, environmental concern, government support, and green trust all positively influence green purchase intention. Notably, green trust also mediates the relationship between the core UTAUT2 constructs and green purchase intention. In contrast, hedonic motivation and habit show no significant effects, suggesting that sustainable consumption has not become habitual or emotionally driven behavior in Taiwan. These findings emphasize the importance of rational evaluation, social context, and policy support in driving green behavior and offer practical implications for promoting sustainable consumption.

Corrigendum to “Seizing a venue linking opportunity: China’s strategy to advance its sea cucumber interests in global environmental governance” [Mar. Policy 169 (2024) 106345

Corrigendum to “Seizing a venue linking opportunity: China’s strategy to advance its sea cucumber interests in global environmental governance” [Mar. Policy 169 (2024) 106345

Combined effect of heatwaves and residential greenness on the risk of stroke among Chinese adults: A national cohort study.

Combined effect of heatwaves and residential greenness on the risk of stroke among Chinese adults: A national cohort study.

Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution.

Advancements in understanding emission characteristics, data-driven olfactory-chemical measurements, and health impacts of the emerging odor pollution.

Navigating climate threats in forestry across five European regions: Stakeholder's adaptive management and policy strategies to resilience.

Navigating climate threats in forestry across five European regions: Stakeholder's adaptive management and policy strategies to resilience.

How do international donors influence regional environmental governance? The case of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty

How do international donors influence regional environmental governance? The case of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty

Towards eco-efficiency of OECD countries: How does environmental governance restrain the destructive ecological effect of the excess use of natural resources?

Towards eco-efficiency of OECD countries: How does environmental governance restrain the destructive ecological effect of the excess use of natural resources?

Policy effectiveness evaluation of rural environmental sanitation governance in China: based on the PMC index model

BackgroundRural environmental sanitation governance is of vital importance for improving rural living standards and narrowing urban-rural gaps in China. However, the effectiveness of existing policies remains suboptimal due to structural design flaws, highlighting the need for systematic evaluation to address these issues.MethodsThis study integrates the “Policy Modeling Consistency (PMC-Index)” with text-mining technology to quantitatively assess 24 local policies from 7 Chinese cities, with 7 representative samples selected via stratified sampling. The evaluation framework comprises 9 primary variables and 37 subvariables, systematically analyzing the integrity of policy texts through a structured approach.ResultsThe findings reveal an average PMC index of 6.03 across the policies. Specifically, 1 policy is rated “excellent”, 4 “good”, and 2 “unsatisfactory”. Key deficiencies are identified in X1 (Policy Nature), X2 (Policy Timeliness), X5 (Policy Targets), and X7 (Policy Functions), indicating challenges such as insufficient feedback mechanisms, lack of mid-term planning, and limited stakeholder inclusivity.ConclusionThis study conducts a quantitative evaluation of rural environmental sanitation governance policies in 7 Chinese cities. Although the overall content design of these policies is basically reasonable, obvious deficiencies exist. To enhance policy effectiveness, it is necessary to construct a holistic framework integrating dynamic adjustment mechanisms and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Exploring the driving mechanisms behind the formation of agricultural science and technology innovation clusters: a case study of Lanling County, China

This study examines the mechanisms underlying the formation and development of agricultural science and technology innovation clusters, using Lanling County in China as a representative case. It addresses how localized innovation strategies contribute to rural industrial transformation within the broader context of national agricultural modernization. Employing a qualitative case study approach, the research integrates field observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The analytical framework is informed by industrial cluster theory and the regional innovation systems perspective. The study identifies and examines the interactive dynamics among four major drivers: natural and socioeconomic resource endowments, market demand, policy support, and technological innovation. The findings reveal that the emergence and consolidation of the Lanling vegetable innovation cluster is the outcome of synergetic interactions between endogenous innovation capabilities and exogenous enabling conditions. Strategic interventions—such as the construction of intelligent greenhouses, the expansion of specialized production bases, cooperative organization development, and the implementation of quality control systems—have collectively advanced the region's agricultural upgrading. The study contributes to theoretical discourse by extending cluster theory to the agricultural sector and illustrating the applicability of regional innovation systems in rural contexts. Practically, it offers policy-relevant pathways including the enhancement of technological service networks, market responsiveness, environmental governance, and enterprise collaboration. The research provides replicable insights for other regions seeking to promote sustainable agricultural transformation through innovation-driven development.

Sustainability Effects of Free Trade Zones: Evidence from Water Pollution in China

Under the collaborative framework of sustainable development and environmental pollution control in China, there is an urgent need to break the governance dilemma of traditional environmental regulations and explore innovative paths for sustainability. This paper empirically tests the direct impact, spatial spillover effects, and mechanisms of free trade zones (FTZs) in China in reducing water pollution. Using a spatial Durbin model (SDM) combined with the staggered difference-in-differences (STA-DID) method on a dataset of 266 Chinese cities encompassing eastern, central, and western regions with diverse economic and environmental baselines from 2003 to 2023, the study finds that FTZs significantly reduce local water pollution by 9.17 million tons of untreated sewage discharge (β = −916.6, p < 0.01), with a spatial spillover effect that decreases pollution in surrounding cities by 12.33 million tons (β = −1232.9, p < 0.01). Upgrading industrial structure, accelerating technological innovation, and strengthening government environmental governance constitute the core mediating channels. This study provides theoretical support for institutional innovation in environmental governance and empirical evidence to address the trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection in China, contributing to the understanding of how context-specific institutional innovations can advance regional sustainability, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Automated compliance verification for AI models in enterprise Cloud MLOps Pipelines

Ensuring that AI models used in business intelligence systems comply with regulations represents a critical governance challenge as rapid development cycles enabled by MLOps on cloud platforms accelerate model deployment. Manual verification processes prove slow, error-prone, and unscalable in this environment. This article explores techniques and frameworks for automating compliance verification directly within cloud-based MLOps pipelines, investigating the integration of automated checks for fairness, explainability, privacy protection, and robustness testing. The integration of these verification capabilities as mandatory gates in the CI/CD pipeline transforms compliance from a periodic manual activity to an integral part of the development workflow. A reference architecture is proposed that leverages cloud-native services to enforce compliance checks, addressing the challenges of defining quantifiable metrics for complex regulations while enhancing the speed, reliability, and auditability of AI model governance in enterprise cloud environments. The proposed implementation demonstrates how organizations can balance regulatory adherence with innovation velocity, enabling responsible AI deployment at scale.

Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) and firm value: Study on IDX ESG Leader Index emitters

In the last decade, investments that consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors have become a priority for companies oriented towards long-term sustainability. This awareness drives the integration of ESG policies into business operations aimed at expanding markets and increasing profitability. This study aims to measure the impact of ESG on company value, focusing on issuers included in the IDX ESG Leaders listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the period 2020-2023 as the research sample. ESG is measured with three indicators, namely Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance. The Firm value is measured using Tobin's and employs control variables such as company size (LOGTA), the ratio of capital expenditure to assets (CAPEX/ASSETS), profitability (ROA), and leverage (LEVERAGE). Descriptive analysis and regression methods with a Fixed Effect Model approach, using Stata. The research results show that the ESG pillar of IDX ESG Leaders has a significant negative impact on company value due to several factors such as high investment costs and the implementation of ESG in environmentally friendly technology, social programs, and governance reforms in the short term. And the tendency of investors from developing countries to focus more on short-term financial results. The results of this study can be utilized by stakeholders to pay more attention to the effectiveness of ESG implementation in order to enhance the company's value

The Influence of Green Banking and ESG Practices on Financial Performance

The purpose of this study is to examine how Indonesian state-owned banks' profitability was affected by green banking and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activities between 2021 and 2023. While ESG represents a dedication to environmental, social, and governance factors, green banking refers to ecologically friendly banking practices. This work employs panel data regression analysis on a sample using a quantitative methodology of five state-owned banks selected through purposive sampling, resulting in 30 observations from annual reports, sustainability reports, and Financial Services Authority data. The results show that green banking significantly increases bank profitability, while ESG practices separately do not have a significant impact. However, the integration of green banking and ESG simultaneously has a positive and significant effect on profitability. This finding implies that state-owned banks need to adopt a holistic sustainability strategy to optimize long-term financial performance. This integration not only supports financial stability but also strengthens the bank's contribution to sustainable development, in line with global goals for a better environment and responsible governance.

Convergence or Divergence: Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Islamic Economic Principle

This study investigates the convergence and divergence between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Islamic economic principles, with a focus on their shared priorities and areas of tension. The primary objective is to analyze how the ethical and operational frameworks of Islamic economics align with the global SDG agenda, particularly in the domains of poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability, and social justice. A case study methodology was employed, incorporating qualitative thematic analysis using NVivo software alongside theoretical comparative analysis to provide a comprehensive perspective. The findings reveal substantial alignment in ethical foundations, exemplified by the emphasis on equitable wealth distribution through instruments such as zakat and waqf, which correspond to SDG Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities). However, notable divergences emerge, particularly regarding gender equality (Goal 5) and environmental governance frameworks (Goal 13). Key challenges identified include regulatory constraints, varying cultural interpretations, and a lack of empirical data on the impact of Islamic finance in advancing SDG targets. The study concludes that while Islamic economic principles offer significant potential for supporting SDG implementation, their scalability and effectiveness require strategic partnerships, contextual adaptation, and the development of robust data frameworks. Policy recommendations include fostering interfaith and policy dialogues, strengthening institutional capacities, and integrating Islamic financial instruments into national development strategies.

Decolonizing Environmental Politics: Relationality and Cosmopraxis in the Sundarbans Region, Bangladesh

ABSTRACTThe paper seeks to bridge the gap between environmental policy formulation and actual practices of the Sundarbans region in Bangladesh through a metatheoretical intervention within a decolonial framework. Ontologically, it foregrounds relationality and examines the implication of such ontological position. Epistemologically, the paper advocates standpoint epistemologies. With an effort to decolonize environmental governance, the paper specifically focusses on the epistemic erasures of traditional resource users in the Sundarbans. It engages with the ways in which specific communities engage with the mangrove forest ecosystem. Methodologically, the paper borrows the framework of Hybrid/Plural Climate Studies and Cosmopraxis. Cosmopraxis has the potential of countering epistemic erasures done by modernity and colonization of the lifeworld. Empirically, the paper examines the case of select communities in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh where their reciprocal and relational engagement with the nature goes beyond spirituality and shows an implicit presence of cosmopraxis.