Environmental Regulations Research Articles

Navigating the regulatory landscape: US environmental regulations pertaining to CO2 emissions

Amid growing apprehensions regarding climate change, regulatory frameworks governing carbon dioxide emissions play a crucial role in shaping industrial practices, energy policies, and environmental sustainability efforts. Through an examination of key regulatory bodies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and relevant legislation such as the Clean Air Act, this paper analyzes the intricate web of regulations governing CO2 emissions across various sectors. Additionally, the paper explores recent developments, including regulatory updates, policy shifts, and emerging trends, highlighting their implications for businesses, policymakers, and environmental advocates. By synthesizing complex regulatory information into a concise and accessible format, this paper aims to provide valuable insights for stakeholders navigating the dynamic landscape of US environmental regulations pertaining to CO2 emissions.

Environmental regulation, industrial structure and energy efficiency: Evidence from 30 provinces in China.

The government's environmental protection policy can significantly contribute to alleviating resource shortages and curbing environmental pollution, but the impact of various policy instruments implemented by the government on energy efficiency is unclear. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2021, this paper analyses the impact of environmental regulation and the industrial structure on energy efficiency from the perspective of resource taxes. The U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and energy efficiency and between the optimization of industrial structure can significantly improve energy efficiency, and the optimization of industrial structure is conducive to weakening the initial inhibitory effect of environmental regulation. In addition, the analysis of regional heterogeneity showed that the impact of environmental regulation was stronger in the central and western regions, while the impact of industrial structure was stronger in the eastern and western regions. The conclusions of this study can help to expand the understanding of the relationship between environmental regulation and industrial structure on energy efficiency, provide policy enlightenment for the realization of green development and high-quality development, and provide Chinese examples and experiences for developing countries to improve energy efficiency.

Digital Economy, Environmental Regulation and Urban Green Development- A Study Based on 282 Prefecture-Level Cities in China

Digital Economy, Environmental Regulation and Urban Green Development- A Study Based on 282 Prefecture-Level Cities in China

A modified spatial house price to income ratio and housing affordability drivers study: using the post-LASSO approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an index for measuring urban house price affordability that integrates spatial considerations and to explore the drivers of housing affordability using the post-least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) approach and the ordinary least squares method of regression analysis. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on time-series data collected from 2005 to 2021 for 256 prefectural-level city districts in China. The new urban spatial house-to-price ratio introduced in this study adds the consideration of commuting costs due to spatial endowment compared to the traditional house-to-price ratio. And compared with the use of ordinary economic modelling methods, this study adopts the post-LASSO variable selection approach combined with the k-fold cross-test model to identify the most important drivers of housing affordability, thus better solving the problems of multicollinearity and overfitting. Findings Urban macroeconomics environment and government regulations have varying degrees of influence on housing affordability in cities. Among them, gross domestic product is the most important influence. Research limitations/implications The paper provides important implications for policymakers, real estate professionals and researchers. For example, policymakers will be able to design policies that target the most influential factors of housing affordability in their region. Originality/value This study introduces a new urban spatial house price-to-income ratio, and it examines how macroeconomic indicators, government regulation, real estate market supply and urban infrastructure level have a significant impact on housing affordability. The problem of having too many variables in the decision-making process is minimized through the post-LASSO methodology, which varies the parameters of the model to allow for the ranking of the importance of the variables. As a result, this approach allows policymakers and stakeholders in the real estate market more flexibility in determining policy interventions. In addition, through the k-fold cross-validation methodology, the study ensures a high degree of accuracy and credibility when using drivers to predict housing affordability.

Environmental Control and Management Continuation Through the Ruling of the State Administrative Court

Changes in environmental law provisions that have the potential to cause inconsistencies in these decisions must be harmonized with the legal system. Without consistency in decisions regarding environmental public administration disputes, it will be difficult for the government to make decisions and guideline for determining policies related to environmental protection and management. The aim of this research is to determine the consistency of environmental administration dispute decisions in state administrative courts. The writing method uses a normative juridical approach with statutory regulations, the legal sources used are primary and secondary legal sources relating to state administrative law and those relating to environmental regulations, apart from that the author uses a case study approach. The results of the research show that the implementation of regulations related to state administrative decisions in the environmental sector is still inconsistent, with the government placing more emphasis on remedial (retroactive) efforts in environmental problems which are manifested in the form of government intervention to restore environmental conditions after pollution and/or damage occurs. environment. Considering that the majority of environmental law enforcement is in the field of government administration, inconsistencies in environmental state administration decisions must be resolved immediately to realize good environmental protection and management. In fact, the decision of the state administrative court judge is not only intended to resolve a dispute but will also serve as a guideline for government agencies/officials in realizing sustainable environmental protection and management.

Unleashing the Potential of Energy Transformation in the Face of Strict Environmental Regulations, Technological Innovation, and Carbon Emissions

Unleashing the Potential of Energy Transformation in the Face of Strict Environmental Regulations, Technological Innovation, and Carbon Emissions

Can Digital Finance Enable China’s Industrial Carbon Unlocking under Environmental Regulatory Constraints? Joint Tests of Regression Analysis and Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Sustainable development goals challenge the carbon lock-in dilemma of the industrial economy, and identifying the motivation and mechanism behind carbon unlocking has become an urgent priority. With its inclusive and precise advantages, digital finance (DF) provides a new impetus for the economy’s low-carbon transformation, while reasonable environmental regulation (ER) acts as an important guiding constraint. We focus on the carbon unlocking performance of DF under ER constraints. After constructing and calculating the industrial carbon unlocking efficiency (ICUE), we observe the trends of ICUE fluctuating positively, clustering towards the eastern region, and polarization. Subsequently, based on theoretical analyses, we explore the marginal and configuration effects of DF and ER in improving ICUE using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2011 and 2021 and adopt a mixed research method with regression analysis (Tobit hierarchical regression and quantile regression for panel data (QRPD)) and dynamic fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The regression analysis results show that DF can notably enhance China’s provincial ICUE, with ER generally serving as a positive moderator; however, the unlocking potential of informal environmental regulations needs further exploration. As ICUE improves in a specific location or time, the positive contribution of DF to ICUE also increases, whereas the moderating effect of ER exhibits an optimal range and follows an inverted U-shape. The dynamic fsQCA results support the findings of the regression analysis and further emphasize that effective cooperation between DF and ER is crucial for high ICUE, while inadequate DF support and the absence of formal environmental regulations remain bottlenecks in industrial carbon lock-in. Moreover, configuration paths demonstrate clear path dependency in both time and space, indicating a prolonged unlocking endeavor.

Green Investor Holdings and Corporate Green Technological Innovation

This study builds upon existing research on institutional investors and corporate green innovation by distinguishing green investors, who prioritize environmental contribution, from general institutional investors. Drawing on the stakeholder theory and the Porter hypothesis, we hypothesize that the shareholdings of green investors can effectively stimulate corporate enthusiasm for green innovation, with state ownership exerting a positive moderating influence. Utilizing panel data from China’s A-share listed manufacturing firms spanning from 2010 to 2019, we employ a fixed effect regression model to test these hypotheses. Our empirical findings confirm our expectations, demonstrating that green investors’ shareholdings indeed foster corporate green innovation. Moreover, we observe that this positive relationship is amplified within state-owned enterprises, indicating the presence of a robust and stable environmental regulatory framework across the market. Additionally, our results support the Porter hypothesis, suggesting that adherence to environmental regulations can coexist with firm performance rather than being mutually exclusive. This study contributes to the literature on green investors and corporate green innovation, providing valuable insights for the development of China’s green financial system and sustainable development strategies.

R&D investment and corporate total factor productivity under the heterogeneous environmental regulations: evidence from Chinese micro firms

R&D investment and corporate total factor productivity under the heterogeneous environmental regulations: evidence from Chinese micro firms

Impact of Climate Change on the Environment: A Synthesis Study

Climate change has a significant impact on both physical and social components of the environment. Every component of the environment has been suffering the impacts of climate change. All components of the environment are interrelated through the exchanging of energy and matter; hence they actively interact. Major components of the environment like the biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere are open systems to impact climate change. This paper describes the major impacts of climate change on major components of the environment. This study investigated the current state, wide-range global research trends, and different concerns on the impacts of climate change on the sustainable tourism. Global climate change represents a grand challenge for society, one that is increasingly influencing tourism sector investment, planning, operations, and demand. This study synthesized a total of 36 studies on climate change by sourcing published material from the review that was performed in indexed databases namely Dimensions, Web Science, Elsevier Scopus, and Google Scholar. Therefore, the study found that human beings are the major contributors to climate change through anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions that worsened during the Green Revolution. Climate change outcomes through the loss of valuable ecosystem goods and services, degrading the most of keystone species sites. In other ways, loss of biodiversity, changes in atmospheric composition, changes in chemical reactions in soil, changes in water quality, availability, and hydrologic cycles, and frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions. Of course! The effects of climate change are wide-ranging and diverse, impacting many areas and facets of daily life. Therefore, this study recommends implementing carbon pricing mechanisms to internalize the costs of greenhouse gas emissions and enforcing stringent environmental regulations and standards to limit emissions and pollution. Support global efforts and agreements to combat climate change, such as the Paris Agreement.

The shadow economy, natural resource income, and the effect of economic globalization on carbon emissions: Toward a sustainable future

AbstractThe shadow economy, natural resources, and economic globalization are interconnected factors that shape global carbon emissions. Developing effective strategies to mitigate climate change and achieve sustainable development requires understanding the interplay between these factors. This study examines the impact of the shadow economy, natural resource income, and economic globalization on CO2 emissions in APEC countries from 1990 to 2022. The empirical evidence suggests that a 1% increase in the shadow economy leads to a corresponding increase of 0.0861% in CO2 emissions. Economic growth, shadow economy, and economic globalization are positively associated with CO2 emissions in APEC countries. However, electricity supply from renewable sources and income from natural resources are negatively associated with CO2 emissions. Several policy implications need to be considered to address the shadow economy and its potential impact on CO2 emissions in APEC countries. Strengthening the enforcement of environmental laws and regulations is crucial in preventing the shadow economy's negative environmental impact. This includes targeting illegal activities such as logging, poaching, and dumping, which contribute to carbon emissions. Encouraging the transition to clean and sustainable energy sources can help mitigate the shadow economy's contribution to CO2 emissions.

Technological Maturity of Aircraft-Based Methane Sensing for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation.

Methane is a major contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Identifying large sources of methane, particularly from the oil and gas sectors, will be essential for mitigating climate change. Aircraft-based methane sensing platforms can rapidly detect and quantify methane point-source emissions across large geographic regions, and play an increasingly important role in industrial methane management and greenhouse gas inventory. We independently evaluate the performance of five major methane-sensing aircraft platforms: Carbon Mapper, GHGSat-AV, Insight M, MethaneAIR, and Scientific Aviation. Over a 6 week period, we released metered gas for over 700 single-blind measurements across all five platforms to evaluate their ability to detect and quantify emissions that range from 1 to over 1,500 kg(CH4)/h. Aircraft consistently quantified releases above 10 kg(CH4)/h, and GHGSat-AV and Insight M detected emissions below 5 kg(CH4)/h. Fully blinded quantification estimates for platforms using downward-facing imaging spectrometers have parity slopes ranging from 0.76 to 1.13, with R2 values of 0.61 to 0.93; the platform using continuous air sampling has a parity slope of 0.5 (R2 = 0.93). Results demonstrate that aircraft-based methane sensing has matured since previous studies and is ready for an increasingly important role in environmental policy and regulation.

Efficient and durable seawater electrolysis with a V2O3-protected catalyst.

The ocean, a vast hydrogen reservoir, holds potential for sustainable energy and water development. Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen production under harsh seawater conditions is challenging. Here, we propose incorporating a protective V2O3 layer to modulate the microcatalytic environment and create in situ dual-active sites consisting of low-loaded Pt and Ni3N. This catalyst demonstrates an ultralow overpotential of 80 mV at 500 mA cm-2, a mass activity 30.86 times higher than Pt-C and maintains at least 500 hours in seawater. Moreover, the assembled anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWE) demonstrate superior activity and durability even under demanding industrial conditions. In situ localized pH analysis elucidates the microcatalytic environmental regulation mechanism of the V2O3 layer. Its role as a Lewis acid layer enables the sequestration of excess OH- ions, mitigate Cl- corrosion, and alkaline earth salt precipitation. Our catalyst protection strategy by using V2O3 presents a promising and cost-effective approach for large-scale sustainable green hydrogen production.

Improved ResNet50 Deep Learning Algorithm for Dust Explosion Risk Assessment of Dust Removal Pipelines

ABSTRACT In production environments dealing with explosive dust, the associated hazards pose critical risks to employee health and compliance with production environment regulations. To mitigate these risks, prevent equipment cross-contamination, and enhance workplace safety, most production equipment is equipped with dust removal systems. Given the potential explosiveness of dust, dust explosions can initiate high-temperature and high-pressure processes, leading to severe damage. Consequently, preventive measures must be implemented at the source. Incidents of dust explosions caused by dust removal systems are relatively common. To enhance the accuracy of identifying dust explosion risks within dust removal pipelines, this study presents an improved ResNet-50 algorithm for assessing explosion risks in such pipelines. By incorporating the SE attention module and leveraging ImageNet pre-training, we developed the SEResNet50 model, trained on a proprietary dataset using transfer learning. The ablation experiment verified the contribution of the SE attention module and transfer learning to the algorithm. Furthermore, the algorithm is compared with four classic recognition algorithms including VGG16, ResNet18, AlexNet, and GoogleNet. The results show that the SE attention mechanism and transfer learning improve the explosion risk assessment accuracy by 1.81% and 2.33% respectively. More specifically, the algorithm achieves a performance of 97.50%, 95.00%, 100.00%, and 97.43% in terms of Accuracy, Precision, Recall, and F1 Score respectively, which is better than the four algorithms. The algorithm’s ability to detect dust of different colors was evaluated through heatmap visualization of depth features. This algorithm meets the need for accurate risk assessment of dust removal pipelines and improves the safety management level of enterprises.

Does target-based performance evaluation system reduce pollution emissions? Firm-level evidence from China

This paper sheds light on the effectiveness of a concrete target-based performance evaluation system (TPES) for localities in enhancing local environmental enforcement in China. We conduct a difference-in-differences (DID) specification and exploit unique firm-level data to investigate the effects of the TPES on SO2 emission reduction through the Two control Zones (TCZ) policy. The results suggest that the TPES significantly reduces SO2 emissions of firms located at the TCZ cities, both in extensive and intensive margins. We also find that the treatment effects vary largely across enterprise sizes, ownership types, and local economic development. Our findings further verify how the long-standing distortions in the decentralized implementation of nationwide environmental regulations in China are remedied with a proper performance evaluation system.

Exploring Environmental Regulation Instruments and Their Impact on Eco-Innovation Practices Among SMEs: The Mediating Role of Environmental Orientation

Despite a vast body of eco-innovation literature investigating the assumption that environmental regulations encourage the implementation of eco-innovative practices, previous research on eco-innovation and environmental regulations has yielded inconsistent findings. By considering the heterogeneity of environmental regulation and eco-innovations, this study sheds light on how different environmental regulation instruments can facilitate and enhance eco-innovation practices, along with the role of environmental orientation in mediating the relationships. The study surveyed 188 managers and owners and utilised the partial least squares-structural equation model as the analytical method. Results showed that environmental regulatory mechanisms have no direct impact on eco-innovation. However, the study has found that environmentally oriented SMEs respond to strict environmental policies and regulations by undertaking eco-innovation practices. Furthermore, market-based instruments provide firms with strong environmental orientation and economic incentives to foster eco-process innovations. The study offers practical insights for policymakers and SME managers, in addition to advancing the knowledge base.

Environmental regulations in developing countries and the span of firms' production stages: Evidence from China

AbstractDespite the well‐established tradeoff between economic development and environmental protection, research on the economic costs of alleviating pollution, especially from the perspective of global value chain upgradation, is scarce. In 2006, in its Eleventh Five‐Year Plan, the Chinese government implemented strict environmental regulations against air pollution. We examine the causal effect of these environmental regulations – which were stricter for higher pollution emission provinces compared with lower pollution emission provinces – on Chinese firms' span of production stages after the policy shock. A difference‐in‐difference‐in‐differences estimation reveals that, first, environmental regulations have a significantly negative effect on firms' span of production stages that robustness checks corroborate; second, the negative effects of environmental regulations on firms' span of production stages are realised through the simultaneous decline in import upstreamness and increase in export upstreamness. Heterogeneity tests indicate that the effects are more significant for firms in eastern China, and foreign‐owned firms; finally, the negative effects are manifested through the emission‐related input and output, productivity, and innovation mechanisms. Meanwhile, there are significant emission reduction effects. These results have implications on environmental policies in developing countries in terms of reiterating the need to achieve the dual objectives of environmental protection and global value chain upgradation.

Digital transformation, green innovation, and audit fees

Under the trend of synergistic development of digitalization and greening, this paper investigates the impact of enterprise digital transformation on audit fees and its mechanism, by using textual analysis and performing empirical tests on the data of Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2021. It is found that enterprise digital transformation significantly increases audit fees, and green innovation partially mediates this process. The study results are robust, even after a series of robustness tests. When financing constraints and environmental regulations are low, the mediating role of green innovation between digital transformation and audit fees is more significant. In addition, green innovation has a stronger mediating role between the use of underlying technology and audit fees, while green substantive innovation has a stronger mediating role between digital transformation and audit fees. This study investigates the effect of enterprise digital transformation on audit fees from the standpoint of green innovation. It offers a new perspective on how accounting firms make audit pricing decisions, provides guidance for enterprise digital transformation and green innovation, and gives an opportunity for China to promote the synergistic transformation and development of digitalization and greening to achieve the dual-carbon goal.

Study on urban green development efficiency of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian in China: a mixed network SBM approach

PurposeBy studying the green development efficiency (GDE) of 33 cities in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian in China, this study strives to conduct an analysis of the sustainable practices implemented in these developed regions, and derive valuable insights that can foster the promotion of green transformation.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the urban green development system (GDS) was decomposed into the economic benefit subsystem (EBS), social benefit subsystem (SBS), and pollution control subsystem (PCS). Then, a mixed network SBM model was proposed to evaluate the GDE during 20152020, with Moran’s I and Bootstrap truncated regression model subsequently applied to measure the spatial characteristics and driving factors of efficiency.FindingsSubsystem efficiency presents a distribution trend of PCS > EBS > SBS. There is a particular spatial aggregation effect in EBS efficiency, whereas SBS and PCS efficiencies have no significant spatial autocorrelation. Furthermore, urbanization level contributes significantly to the efficiency of all subsystems; industrial structure, energy consumption, and technological innovation play a crucial role in EBS and SBS; external openness is a pivotal factor in SBS; and environmental regulation has a significant effect on PCS.Originality/valueThis study further decomposes the black box of GDS into subsystems including the economy, society, and environment. Additionally, by employing a mixed network SBM model and Bootstrap truncated regression model to investigate efficiency and its driving factors from the subsystem perspective, it endeavors to derive more detailed research conclusions and policy implications.

Adaptation Strategies Through Mining Compensation in Mabayi Commune, Burundi

One of main effects of mining on rural agriculture is the loss of farmland by households living near mining sites. In return, these households should receive compensation. This compensation, if well invested, may lead to improved livelihoods for these farming households. If not, these households may find their livelihoods deteriorating if the compensation is not properly managed. This paper aims to analyze household compensation investment strategies in Mabayi commune (Burundi) and their effects on the livelihoods of households affected by mining activities. A survey of 140 households, interviews with key informants, and observations were conducted in July and August 2022 on Gahoma and Ruhororo hills where foreign company ‘‘Tanganyika Mining Burundi (TMB)’’ and local cooperative ‘‘Dukorere Hamwe Dusoze Ikivi (DHDI)’’ were carrying out their activities respectively since December 2018, in Mabayi commune. Results showed that 17 out of 20 households (85%) and 13 out of 17 households (76.5%) had invested their compensation well, in Gahoma and Ruhororo hills respectively. They had improved or maintained their overall quantity of agricultural production, and improved their livelihoods in general. On other hand, 3 households (15%) and 4 households (23.5%) had invested their compensation inappropriately, in Gahoma and Ruhororo respectively. They had suffered reduction in their overall quantity of agricultural production, and experienced deterioration of their livelihoods in general. Fair and up-front compensation for households, assistance in how to invest compensation, capacity-building in agriculture and alternative activities, should maximize opportunities for improved livelihoods. The mining company and cooperative must also comply with environmental regulations.