Environmental Protection Sectors Research Articles

Inorganic Fe-O and Fe-S oxidoreductases: paradigms for prebiotic chemistry and the evolution of enzymatic activity in biology.

Oxidoreductases play crucial roles in electron transfer during biological redox reactions. These reactions are not exclusive to protein-based biocatalysts; nano-size (<100nm), fine-grained inorganic colloids, such as iron oxides and sulfides, also participate. These nanocolloids exhibit intrinsic redox activity and possess direct electron transfer capacities comparable to their biological counterparts. The unique metal ion architecture of these nanocolloids, including electron configurations, coordination environment, electron conductivity, and the ability to promote spontaneous electron hopping, contributes to their transfer capabilities. Nano-size inorganic colloids are believed to be among the earliest 'oxidoreductases' to have 'evolved' on early Earth, playing critical roles in biological systems. Representing a distinct type of biocatalysts alongside metalloproteins, these nanoparticles offer an early alternative to protein-based oxidoreductase activity. While the roles of inorganic nano-sized catalysts in current Earth ecosystems are intuitively significant, they remain poorly understood and underestimated. Their contribution to chemical reactions and biogeochemical cycles likely helped shape and maintain the balance of our planet's ecosystems. However, their potential applications in biomedical, agricultural, and environmental protection sectors have not been fully explored or exploited. This review examines the structure, properties, and mechanisms of such catalysts from a material's evolutionary standpoint, aiming to raise awareness of their potential to provide innovative solutions to some of Earth's sustainability challenges.

A multi‐level analysis of individual green entrepreneurial orientation: Evidence from Taiwan's environmental protection sectors

AbstractGreen entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) plays a pivotal role in reconciling economic growth with environmental sustainability. This research focuses on the individual green entrepreneurial orientation (IGEO) of mid‐level managers. In particular, it aims to explore how individual, environmental, and organizational factors foster IGEO. The data were collected from a total of 102 small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as 510 mid‐level managers operating within Taiwan's environmental protection sector. Subsequently, the gathered data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) techniques. The study found that green opportunity identification and entrepreneurial motivation notably influence various aspects of IGEO. In addition, elements like a green institutional environment, corporate green resources, and corporate environmental policies significantly boost IGEO. However, no significant links were found between a green institutional environment and green innovativeness or between corporate environmental policies and green proactiveness. This study provides a valuable contribution to GEO research, specifically focusing on SMEs and environmentally sustainable initiatives within developing economies.

Towards sustainable green mobility in the future of Saudi Arabia cities: Implication for reducing carbon emissions and increasing renewable energy capacity

Green Mobility emerged as a practical approach for promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable transportation in cities. This study is carried out with the main aim of finding the advantages and viability of Green Mobility in the future cities of Saudi Arabia. The quantitative research methodology is used to obtain credible data on the benefits of implementing green mobility through the perspective of government officials dealing with environmental issues. A validated questionnaire was administered to respondents working in the environmental protection sector. All analysis was carried out by using SPSS version 20. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated. The inferential statistics were obtained using the regression and Pearson correlation tests. Findings have shown a significant connection between Green Mobility and its environmental benefits that enhance the quality of life in Saudi Arabia. Green Mobility is associated with the incremental investment, time-saving, reduction of traffic congestion, climate protection, improving health benefits, air quality betterment and diversification of energy supply. Overall, this study's findings have emphasized the need for an integrated and clear policy designed within a national framework.

Statistical evaluation of the impact of expenditures in the environmental protection sector on the volumes of pollutant emissions in Ukraine

Most emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere result from human activities, including industrial production, energy generation, agriculture, transportation, etc. This disrupts the natural balance, causing global warming, climate change, deterioration of air quality, and other negative consequences that affect living organisms and ecosystems on Earth. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and mitigate their negative impact on the environment and human health. Many countries are implementing environmental measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, such as the use of renewable energy, improvement of energy efficiency, and development of low-carbon technologies, as well as installing filters and treatment facilities in industrial enterprises, using catalysts and other devices to reduce emissions from vehicles, etc. Environmental protection and the reduction of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere is a pressing issue that requires significant financial resources and a long-term strategy. Expenditures on environmental protection, including current expenses and capital investments, play an essential role in preserving the environment and ensuring sustainable economic development. Their impact on reducing pollutant emissions can be evaluated using statistical analysis tools. Data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine for the period 2006-2020 were used. Linear correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationship between current expenses and capital investments in the environmental protection sector and the volumes of pollutant emissions. The research results can help make effective decisions in the field of environmental protection and planning for the future. Keywords: analysis, pollutant emissions, current expenditures, capital investments, correlation coefficient, environmental protection sector.

A dataset of water transparency of Sanya River based on Sentinel-2 data during 2019–2021

As one of the most important water quality parameters on the radar screen of environmental protection sectors, water transparency reveals the turbidity degree of water and plays an important role in the primary productivity of water body and water ecosystem. As an independent island water system, Hainan Province has abundant surface inland water resources and plentiful river runoff. However, due to the influence of dry and wet monsoons and topography, the aquatic systems are characterized by uneven spatial and temporal distribution, and there are few studies on the water quality of inland water bodies on Hainan Island. In this study, we took Sanya River in Sanya, Hainan Province as the study area, and used the QAAv6-based semi-analytic model to retrieve the water transparency of Sanya River in time series from 2019 to 2021 based on the GEE cloud computing platform and the massive Sentinel-2 surface reflectance data stored in Google Cloud. With regard to the extraction of dynamic water area from Sanya River, we adopted the algorithm combining the normalized water body index NDWI with OTUS automatic threshold segmentation to extract the small river water. The data are stored in GeoTiff raster format, and the pixel transparency value and coordinate information are stored at the same time for easy reading and analysis by relevant GIS software. The inversion of long time series transparency based on the GEE cloud database is highly efficient. The dataset can serve as valuable scientific evidence for the water quality monitoring, water pollution control, and aquatic ecological protection of Sanya River.

A Call for Digital Transformation in the Marine Environmental Protection Sector: A case for marine plastic litter pollution monitoring

A Call for Digital Transformation in the Marine Environmental Protection Sector: A case for marine plastic litter pollution monitoring

Linkage Analysis between Finance and Environmental Protection Sectors in China: An Approach to Evaluating Green Finance.

Given the growing awareness of sustainable development, the environmental protection industry has attracted much attention. Green finance has developed rapidly in policymaking and practices. This study provides a framework for evaluating green finance via linkage analysis based on input–output theory. Measurements on industrial linkages are calculated in China in two provinces from 2002 to 2018, which study the relationship between finance and environmental protection sectors. The results show that the environmental protection sector (EPS) in China has gradually developed from a sector with weak backward and strong forward linkages to a sector with strong backward and weak forward linkages from 2002 to 2015; however, in 2017 and 2018, the EPS returned to a sector with weak backward and strong forward linkages. At the provincial level, the EPS used to be a key sector with strong backward and forward linkages. The connection between the finance sector and the EPS rose first, then declined in the country and the Zhejiang province; Guangdong had a similar evolution in the former period, but it had a rising trend in the latest year. The findings provide insights for further promoting the support from the finance sector to the environmental protection activities.

Income Differentiation as a Factor of Unsustainability in Forestry

Environmental policy is a set of objectives put in place for the protection of natural resources including water, air, soil, food, and other renewable resources. In addition, it has a considerable impact on the labor market and the income of employees in the environmental and forestry sectors. Environmental policy both directly and indirectly creates new jobs, the so-called green jobs. These jobs are designed to be long-term and sustainable, working towards both environmental and socio-economic stability. The aim of the research was to determine if there was a difference in income between the forestry and the environmental policy sectors. The primary objective of this paper was to propose ideas and instruments for strengthening the income of employees in both sectors to the creators of the new State Environmental Policy. This objective was met through appropriate research methods, including the field survey technique. In terms of statistics, we used descriptive characteristics and tested the hypothesis using a T-test. The data from 70 respondents were collected from January 2019 to December 2019. Half of the respondents were from the forestry sector, and the other half worked in environmental protection. Their total income was compared by using two selective T-tests, and the results showed a strong discrepancy. The analysis indicated that the average incomes in forestry are significantly lower than incomes in the environmental protection sector (in the Czech Republic). The statistically higher income of environmental workers reflects that the State Environmental Policy is effective, which improves the position of employees in the labor market. The forestry sector deserves similar concentrated state assistance, and therefore we recommend that the new State Environmental Policy in the Czech Republic also addresses the problem of low income in forestry.

Water-Related Payment Schemes for Forest Ecosystem Services in Selected Southeast European (SEE) Countries

This paper examines the level of payment for ecosystem services (PES) concept implementation in the financing of water-related forest ecosystem services (ES) in the Republic of Croatia, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&amp;H), the Republic of Slovenia, and the Republic of Serbia. The focus is on water-related forest ES recognised by the millennium ecosystem assessment (MEA). For the purpose of this paper, the term pure PES describes schemes that comply to all five conditions set by Wunder definition and term PES like for those schemes that miss some of those conditions. In the first step, the most important legislative documents related to forests, water, and environmental protection were selected. The second consists of a content analysis; focusing on the definition of ES; the definition of fees or payments; the establishment of ‘forest funds’, ‘water funds’, or ‘environmental funds’; and the way these funds were spent. Here we looked at the flow of funding into the forestry sector recognising forest management as the main water-related forest ES provider. Research revealed existence of well-established payments schemes in forestry in Croatia for almost 30 years and in FB&amp;H for some 20 years which were assessed as closest to pure PES. In Serbia and Slovenia, there were no PES or PES like schemes in the forestry sector. In the water sector the well-established PES like payments schemes existing in all four countries. The environmental protection sector, however, rely more on the tax like rather than on the PES like schemes. Legislation in general recognised the link between forests and water, but this was much more evident in the forestry than in the water or environment sector. The role of the state is strongly pronounced in all countries studied, and was the main driving force behind all payments. However, this position of the state represents also the main obstacle for the development of pure PES schemes, together with underdeveloped private forestry and complex socio-economic conditions. Nevertheless, there is room for further development of pure PES and PES like schemes based on EU or global experiences.

Evolving existence of assets and liabilities of foreignness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the simultaneous evolution of LOF and AOF in the context of environmental protection (EP) companies from Europe in the Chinese market.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt a qualitative, case study approach, using interview data to explore the extent of liability of foreignness and how the FSAs of firms have changed from the time on market entry. The authors undertook 15 in-depth interviews with decision makers in six companies addressing their experience of foreignness during their long tenure in China. To control for sector-level effects, the authors focus on companies in the EP sector.FindingsThe authors found the evolving AOF of the firms were challenged to a significant extent that caused difficulties in reducing their LOF over time. The EP sector is dominated by state-owned enterprises that have unique organized structure preventing localized foreign firms from gaining access into the institutionalized network. This deeply quilted institutionalized network had a corrosive effect in the gradual erosion of the LOF manifested from unfair price strategy practice, forced collaborations, ostracization of project participations, operational barriers, prohibited and restricted market access. The research also uncovered the rebirth nature of LOF that caused AOF to lose its significance across bureaucracy and ownership changed.Research limitations/implicationsThe relatively small number of cases (six) limits the generalizability of the findings by the authors. However, the authors are convinced that, given that the case companies are generally large and have long experience in China, the conclusions made are well grounded. In addition, there was the high level of coherence in the reported experiences of the interviewees, providing further support for the findings.Practical implicationsThe experiences of these case study companies highlight that MNEs need to be vigilant and creative in constantly improving their FSAs so that the competitive distance between them and the local competitors remains substantial.Originality/valueVery few studies have explored both assets and liabilities of foreignness in the host country regulatory context using a case study-based qualitative approach, especially in emerging markets.

How does environmental regulation break the resource curse: Theoretical and empirical study on China

This paper incorporates environmental regulation, resource development and economic growth into a unified framework, and introduces a four-sector endogenous growth model, including environmental protection sector and resource development sector. Then, the resource curse coefficients of 232 prefecture-level cities in China are estimated based on the data of China's Industrial Enterprise Database from 1998 to 2013. Finally, the breaking effect of environmental regulation on the resource curse and its internal mechanism are empirically examined. The results show that the resource curse effect mainly occurs in the inland cities of the central and western regions and the northeast region; while the phenomenon of resource curse does not exist in most coastal and eastern cities, only a few cities are in the marginal resource curse areas and serious resource curse areas. The relationship between environmental regulation and the resource curse coefficient presents an inverted U-shaped curve, and only when the environmental regulation intensity crosses the turning point can environmental regulation break the resource curse. Environmental regulation can also indirectly break the resource curse phenomenon in full samples by improving green technological innovation level, lowering resource dependence and accelerating manufacturing development. However, the manufacturing development effect of environmental regulation on the resource curse has not yet been found in the resource curse areas.

Running out of steam on emerging markets? The limits of MNE firm-specific advantages in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the firm-specific advantages (FSAs) which underlie international expansion have proved resilient for European multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in a key emerging market – China.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt a qualitative, case study approach, using interview data to explore the companies’ FSAs on market entry, how they evolved over time and the strategies adopted to defend them. They undertook 15 in-depth interviews with decision makers in six companies addressing their experience since market entry. To control for sector-level effects, the authors focus on companies in the environmental protection sector.FindingsThe authors found examples of significant erosion of the FSAs among the case study companies, which undermined their position on the host market and their long-term competitiveness. The key sources of erosion were limitations in market access, exclusion from local networks and the emergence and upgrading of local competitors, often firms with whom the MNEs had collaborated in the past.Research limitations/implicationsThe relatively small number of cases (six) limits the generalisability of the findings by the authors. However, the authors are convinced that, given that the case companies are generally large and have long experience in China, the conclusions made are well grounded. In addition, there was the high level of coherence in the reported experiences of the interviewees, providing further support for the findings.Practical implicationsThe experience of these case study companies highlights that MNEs have difficulty retaining their unique FSAs when faced with rapidly evolving local competition in a key emerging market. Key strategies mobilised included focussing on a sub-sector of the market and localising both the company and their supply chains. The difficulties experiencing by these case study companies in retaining their FSAs underline the need for MNEs in emerging markets to avoid complacency and constantly innovate, but they also raise questions about their capacity to extend their international reach in the long term.Originality/valueVery few studies have explored the FSAs of firms and how they evolve over time using a case study-based qualitative approach, especially in emerging markets.

Significados e usos sociais da expertise na implementação de políticas públicas de gestão ambiental

This article examines the meanings and the social logics in the use of expertise resources in public policies for environmental management. The analytical procedures were centered in the analysis of the social history of the environmental protection sector and in an inquiry into the diversity of spheres and social networks articulated with family, educational, political and professional histories of the actors involved in the execution of forestry public policies in the Rio Grande do Sul state. The results obtained demonstrate that the meanings and the use of expertise in such situation are associated to diverse standards of reconversion, educational and professional, in different spheres of activity, on the basis of previous and/or simultaneous bonds established with diversifi ed networks of organizations and ‘social movements’.

Analysis and forecast of the state of environmental protection in Russia

The main purpose of the present study is to analyse the emission dynamics of atmospheric and water pollutants in Russia and cost of their removal in the 1980s and early 1990s, and to forecast them by means of a Dynamic Input-Output Model according to different scenarios of future economic development till 1998. Main results of the work are: -methodological principles have been elaborated for singling out the environmental protection sector within the national economy; -a method has been offered for including the ecological block into a Dynamic Input-Output Model of the Russian economy; -a method of data preparation has been elaborated for the ecological block of the above-named model, the data base which characterizes the ecological situation in Russia has been formed and analysed; -calculations for 1994–1998 have been executed for forecasting the economic and ecological development of Russia using the above-mentioned model and the results obtained have been analysed. The results showed that if the existing tendencies towards low environmental protection capital costs remain the same, then the negative environmental impact will increase. In order to implement ecological programs and international agreements, to increase the proportion of removed pollutants, it is necessary to increase substantially expenditures on purifying water and air resources. The proportion of environmental protection investments in the total amount of the national economy capital costs should increase by up to 12–40% according to different scenarios of the economic development and different purposes of the environmental protection policy.

Environmental politics in post-World War II America

America has always had to confront environmental problems, but it wasn't until after World War II that most Americans began to develop the kind of consciousness about environmental issues that has played such a role in domestic politics over the past quarter century. After the surge of post war growth, we began to recognize the limits of our ability to exploit our environment for private gain, thus creating environmental awareness and ultimately a political movement. In 1970, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, and appointed William Ruckelshaus as Director. Ruckelshaus was succeeded by Russell Train and Douglas Coste, and all three men began to make serious headway in the effort to clean up the nation's environment. In 1980, however, President Ronald Reagan, taking an anti-Federal government involvement in the private sector stance, began to seriously cut the budget of the EPA. He appointed Ann Gorsuch, who cut the budget as she believed the President wished, but her poor relationship with the Congress eventually forced her to resign. President Reagan requested that Bill Ruckelshaus return, and EPA has been blessed with good leadership ever since. During the Bush years, EPA director William Reilly even managed to pass sweeping acid rain control legislation. When Bill Clinton was elected President in 1992, he did not possess a strong environmental record, however his running mate, Al Gore, most certainly did. EPA administrator Carole Browner, in fact, was a former Gore staffer and the White House environmental office is led by former Gore people. Clinton and Gore have attempted to bring a degree of flexibility to environmental regulation, and have also involved themselves personally in resolving environmental disputes. For instance, they and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit worked to fashion a long-term plan for the Florida Everglades that helped warring groups and interests come to consensus. With the 1994 Republican victory in the Congressional elections, it appeared that the environment may once again be in danger, as the Contract with America pledged to reduce or eliminate environmental controls. Popular opinion, however, caused the Congress to change their views and even directed them to pass environmental legislation that has won the support of both the business and environmental protection sectors. These developments have displayed that Americans care deeply about the environment and provide the basis for a genuine bipartisan consensus on environmental issues which will increasingly emphasize thoughtful and effective technological solutions in the future. Although the benefits of this legislation have been drastic, we are now dealing with problems requiring more subtle and sophisticated answers than we needed in the past. Because of this, political leaders will look to the classrooms and laboratories to produce the answers to the environmental problems of the future, and in turn will be willing to support educators and researchers with resources and political clout. Neither the politicians nor the business community can solve these problems without a close working relationship with the world of environmental and biotechnology. Building that collaborative relationship is one of the most important challenges we face as we approach the 21st century. It is also, particularly for those of us who have been laboring in the environmental vineyard for years, one of the most exciting.