Unveiling the green revolution: Exploring the impact of outward FDI, green transition, governance quality, and industrial structure on renewable energy penetration

From brown to green: how renewable deployment and geopolitical risk shape the pathway to a sustainable energy market transition.

Metal and dust exposure in workers from the metal recycling industry in Sweden: cross-sectional GreenMetalWaste study.

Can OECD countries lead the green transition? Leveraging green innovation, trade openness, information globalization and financial depth for environmental sustainability

ABSTRACT This paper examines how the global energy transition toward renewables affects the economic prospects of oil-exporting countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – specifically, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain – through the lens of financial markets. Given their strong dependence on fossil fuel revenues, the green transition poses a potential risk to these economies. The paper implements an event study using daily stock market data from 2015 to 2023 to identify investor reactions to major, unexpected announcements related to renewable energy that significantly impact the S&P Global Clean Energy Index. The findings are that GCC stock markets do not exhibit significant reactions on such days, suggesting that investors may believe either (i) the green transition remains in its early stages and poses little immediate threat, or (ii) these economies are expected to adapt. Further analysis – such as the absence of heterogeneity across countries – lends support to the first interpretation.

This study assesses the impact of circular economic factors on economic growth in six ASEAN countries during the 2010 - 2013 period, based on a publicly available database from official sources, the World Bank, UNCTAD, and IEA. According to the theoretical framework of the circular economy and green growth, the study emphasizes the role of resource optimization, green finance, reuse and recycling, and emission reduction in sustainable development. This study applies the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression method to address heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, and cross-sectional dependence, thereby providing more accurate estimates of the relationships among variables. The results indicate that green investment and urbanization have positive impacts on economic growth; these factors act as key drivers of sustainable economic growth. Renewable energy consumption and natural resource exploitation have negative effects on economic growth; these factors illustrate high initial investment costs, technological constraints, and uneven resource-use efficiency across ASEAN countries. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to exhibit a positive correlation with growth, implying that the region still remains in the early stage of the environmental Kuznets curve, where economic growth has yet to be free of environmental impacts. Based on these findings, the study proposes several policy implications. Firstly, green investment, particularly FDI linked to clean technology, should be further promoted. Secondly, the urban development planning should incorporate circular economy principles, which include smart city development, clean transportation, and circular waste management. Thirdly, the environmental institutional framework and governance capacity should be properly developed to facilitate the use of renewable energy and biomass technologies. Finally, regional cooperation should be enhanced for countries to share experiences, technologies, and develop a set of circular economy indicators integrated into national development strategies. These recommendations serve to foster green transition and sustainable growth in ASEAN countries.

With global shipping accelerating its transition toward low-carbon development, establishing a scientific and operable carbon monitoring system has become essential. Existing mechanisms such as the EU MRV and IMO DCS are shaping a shift from voluntary cooperation to rule-based competition. For China, a major shipping nation, simply adopting international frameworks cannot accommodate its diverse fleet, complex operations, and uneven digitalization. This study reviews key monitoring technologies—including BDN-based methods, tank level measurement, flowmeters, and direct CO2 monitoring—and assesses their applicability within China. It further proposes an implementation pathway featuring multi-source data integration, digital governance, metrological traceability, differentiated monitoring strategies, and linkage with national carbon markets. The findings provide a framework to support accurate carbon accounting, regulatory compliance, and the sector’s green transition.

Promoting synergistic economic–resource–environmental development in resource-based cities (RBCs) is a fundamental requirement for ensuring national energy security and advancing regional sustainable and coordinated development. This study innovatively proposes the theoretical framework of “green transformation resilience (GTR)” based on evolutionary resilience theory, and then empirically explores the GTR of 114 RBCs in China from the perspective of urban development stages using multiple data models. The findings indicate that the GTR demonstrated an overall upward trend, though it remained at a consistently low level. Regenerative RBCs exhibited the highest GTR levels. GTR exhibits an uneven spatial distribution, primarily caused by super-variation density. The factor detection results indicate that factors such as government intervention, income level, and human capital have strong explanatory power for the spatial variation of GTR. Interaction analysis confirmed the significant nonlinear enhancement or bivariate enhancement of all pairs of factors. This study provides a basis for the differentiated development paths of GTR in China’s RBCs. Moreover, through factor interaction testing, it also offers guidance on policy combinations and prioritization for RBCs in different development stages.

The paper examines the effects of the Ukraine War on global energy markets, with a particular focus on Russia’s strategic reorientation toward Asia. The main research question investigates how the crisis has reshaped global energy supply chains and the geopolitical and economic ramifications of Russia’s pivot away from Europe. The study hypothesizes that the Ukraine War has fundamentally altered traditional energy dependency structures, compelling the European Union (EU) to reduce the reliance on Russian energy while driving Russia to strengthen its energy partnerships with Asia-Pacific countries. In this sense, the energy markets of Russia, China and Asia Pacific have become inseparable from each other. Employing a qualitative research approach, this study utilizes content and textual analysis to assess shifts in global energy policies. The findings indicate that Russia has responded to the loss of its European market by significantly increasing energy exports to Asia. Notably, India’s imports of Russian oil have surged 25-fold, reaching 1.7 million barrels per day. Concurrently, the EU’s diversification efforts of its energy sources have led to a threefold rise in American liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe. Moreover, volatility in coal markets has driven many developing countries to increase their dependency on fossil fuels, slowing progress in green energy transition. In conclusion, the Ukraine War has triggered lasting transformations in global energy security, reshaping supply chains and market dynamics. Russia’s pivot to Asia and the EU’s diversification strategies have set the stage for long-term shifts in the global energy landscape. By analyzing these developments, this study aims to shed light on the changing geopolitical and economic dimensions of global energy security.

This study investigates the role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in fostering green skills for sustainable economic growth in Ghana. The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design involving 139 respondents drawn from TVET institutions, industry partners, and government agencies. Findings indicate that government policy support, trainer competence, institutional infrastructure, and industry collaboration significantly predict the integration of green skills (R² = 0.58) and collectively enhance employability and economic growth (R² = 0.49). Although policy awareness and institutional readiness are commendable, persistent barriers such as inadequate funding, gender disparities, and weak industry engagement continue to constrain systemic transformation. This study significantly contributes to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). The study underscores the necessity of cross-sector partnerships and sustained capacity-building to ensure an inclusive green transition. It concludes that aligning TVET curricula with sustainable industry needs and strengthening trainer development are essential to achieving Ghana's green economy aspirations. The study recommends targeted investments, policy coherence, and international collaboration to institutionalize sustainability within TVET systems and promote gender equity across technical fields.

In the context of green transition and digital transformation, forestry is becoming a strategic area of application of current modern technologies. The Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), big data analysis (Big Data) and Digital Twins define the basic infrastructure of smart forestry. By connecting sensors, drones and satellites, IoT allows for continuous monitoring of forest ecosystems, risk anticipation and decision optimization in real-time. The purpose of this study is to perform a comprehensive narrative analysis of the relevant scientific literature from the recent period (2020–2025) regarding the application of IoT in forestry, highlighting the conceptual, technological and institutional developments. Based on a selection of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) (29 full-text articles), four major axes are analyzed: (A) forest fire detection and prevention; (B) climate-smart forestry and carbon accounting; (C) forest digitalization through the concepts of Forest 4.0, Forest 5.0 and Digital Twins; (D) sustainability and digital forest policies. The results show that IoT is a catalyst for the sustainable transformation of the forest sector, supporting carbon accounting, climate-risk reduction and data-driven governance. The analysis highlights four major developments: the consolidation of IoT–AI architectures, the integration of IoT and remote sensing, the emergence of Forest 4.0/5.0 and Digital Twins and the growing role of governance and data standards. These findings align with the objectives of the EU Forest Strategy 2030 and the European Green Deal.

ABSTRACT The importance of standardization construction, particularly in the realm of green innovation, should not be overlooked while assessing the progress of China’s green transition. This study employs the Construction Plan for National Comprehensive Standardization Reform Pilot Policy as a quasi-natural experiment and conducts a multi-period difference-in-differences approach to examine the impact of standardization construction on firms’ green innovation, along with its underlying mechanisms and economic consequences. The research findings reveal that the standardization construction has improved the green innovation level of firms in pilot areas, and this improvement has been achieved through intensified media attention and reduced agency costs. Moreover, the effectiveness of this phenomenon in fostering green innovation is predominantly observed in firms with large-scale, maturity and higher customer concentration. Further analysis demonstrates that the standardization construction is conducive to enhancing firms’ market competitiveness. These insights enrich the literature on the determinants of firms’ green innovation and provide firm-level empirical evidence for understanding the micro-governance effects of standardization strategies. Based on the main findings, this study suggests reinforcing information disclosure requirements and external supervision mechanisms to optimize the green guiding role of standardization construction.

Against the backdrop of the global green and low-carbon transition and the deepening advancement of the “dual carbon” goals, green finance serves as a crucial tool for guiding resource allocation. It holds significant importance for shaping China's new competitive edge in green trade. This study employs a province-year-product triple fixed-effects model based on panel data covering 31 provinces and 174 categories of green products in China from 2015 to 2022. It analyzes the impact and mechanism of green finance on the export competi-tiveness of China's green products. The findings reveal that the development of green finance significantly enhances the export competitiveness of green prod-ucts, a conclusion that remains robust after undergoing a series of rigorous sta-bility tests. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the promotional effect of green finance is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of foreign direct in-vestment and economic development. To further enhance the export competi-tiveness of green products, efforts should focus on continually improving green financial infrastructure and refining policies to guide foreign investment, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of green finance policies.

The transition to a low-carbon economy is profoundly reshaping European labour markets, creating both opportunities for sustainable employment and challenges for regions reliant on carbon-intensive sectors. Assessing how prepared EU Member States are for this shift remains difficult due to the lack of unified evaluation tools. This study introduces the Green Labour Market Readiness Index (GLMRI)—a composite measure assessing the adaptability of national labour markets to the energy-driven green transformation in nine EU countries: Germany, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. The index integrates five dimensions—education and skills, investment and infrastructure, policy and institutional quality, labour market structure, and innovation—based on harmonized data from 2010 to 2024. Panel econometric models (Fixed and Random Effects), combined with Hausman tests, are used to examine how structurally independent external energy-system characteristics, institutional capacity, and macro-structural labour-market conditions are associated with observed variation in labour-market readiness, as captured by the GLMRI composite outcome. Machine learning algorithms (Random Forest, XGBoost, LSTM) are employed to forecast readiness trajectories until 2040 under alternative policy scenarios. Results reveal persistent asymmetries between Northwestern and Southeastern Europe, showing that successful energy transition is closely associated not only with investment and innovation but also with human capital and governance quality. These associations are interpreted as diagnostic rather than causal, highlighting how external structural conditions shape the translation of energy-transition pressures into differentiated labour-market outcomes. The GLMRI provides a methodological and policy-relevant framework, helping decision-makers prioritize resources and design measures that make Europe’s energy transition sustainable, inclusive, and equitable.

This study explores the implementation of green governance in East Java’s maritime infrastructure development as the principal gateway to sustainable Nusantara. Positioned strategically as a national logistics and socio-economic hub connecting Java and Indonesia’s new capital (IKN), East Java possesses strong institutional, geographic, and community capacities to lead the green maritime transition. This research highlights how environmentally responsible port management, the efficiency and transparency of the Sea Toll program, and collaborative governance among the government, regional enterprises, MSMEs, and coastal communities contribute to sustainable development. Despite regulatory fragmentation, limited funding, and low environmental literacy, grassroots innovation and civic participation have emerged as transformative social capital. This study emphasizes the need to strengthen public policy alignment, expand fiscal incentives for sustainable ports, and enhance community-based environmental education as key strategies to accelerate an inclusive and socially responsive maritime governance model that supports IKN connectivity and regional welfare.

The governance of global climate change has grown progressively imperative. As a core economic instrument for mitigating carbon emissions, the efficacy of carbon pricing mechanisms has emerged as a critical research focus. Sweden, as a pioneer in carbon tax policy practice, offers a paradigmatic case for assessing the environmental and economic impacts of carbon taxes via its institutional design and implementation outcomes. This study endeavors to systematically dissect the action pathways, influence mechanism, and ultimate emission reduction effect of Sweden's carbon tax on the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry. Employing a mixed-methods research approach integrating a systematic literature review and in-depth case analysis, this paper systematically reconstructs the evolutionary trajectory of Sweden's carbon tax, elaborates on its unique tax rate design and compensation mechanism, and centers on the response behavior of the manufacturing sector. The findings reveal that under the drive of policies such as carbon taxes, the emissions of Sweden's industrial sector have declined by 25% from 1990 to 2023. This validates that carbon taxes, via explicit price signals, effectively incentivize energy conservation, emission reduction, and technological innovation. The conclusion of this study is that a well-designed carbon tax system, which is both strict and flexible, can effectively facilitate the green transition of the industrial sector.

Climate change and increasingly severe weather pose dual pressures on agriculture: to reduce carbon emissions and to manage climate risk. These pressures challenge the transition to green, low-carbon development. On the basis of panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2023—a period selected for data continuity and to capture the implementation of major national agricultural and environmental policies—in this study, an evaluation index system for agricultural green and low-carbon development (GAC) was established. This study aims to analyze the impact of climate change risks (CPRI) on GAC, focusing on the moderating role of agricultural insurance (INS) and spatial spillover effects. Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What is the direction and magnitude of CPRI’s effect on GAC? (2) Can INS mitigate this effect? (3) Does CPRI exhibit spatial spillover effects on GAC? Using data from the NOAA and Chinese statistical yearbooks, by employing a model with two-way fixed effects, moderating effect analysis, and the spatial Durbin model, the mechanisms underlying the spatial spillover effects of CPRI and regional heterogeneity were examined, as well as the moderating function of INS. CPRI was found to significantly inhibit GAC, as extreme weather events triggered short-term decision-making among farmers and constrained investment in green technologies. These events reduced the capacity of the soil to sequester carbon. This inhibitory effect was greater in nonmajor grain-producing regions and in eastern China. INS helped reduce negative impacts by providing effective risk transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, CPRI was found to exert harmful spillover effects across different regions, with greater indirect effects than direct effects. In conclusion, CPRI significantly hinders agricultural green transition, a process moderated by insurance and characterized by spatial spillovers. On the basis of these observations, we recommend several policies, including the development of regionally tailored adaptation strategies, the achievement of innovation in agricultural insurance products, and the establishment of collaborative governance frameworks that span regions to address these challenges.

The steel sector in Vietnam is under pressure to decarbonize in the European Union-based Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the net-zero 2050 commitment of the Vietnamese government. Therefore, this study proposes and ranks the most critical green competitiveness drivers of Vietnamese steel companies using the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (Fuzzy-TOPSIS) multi-criteria decision-making system, informed by expert opinions. Expert ratings were first mapped into triangular fuzzy numbers and normalized. Leading drivers represented high central values, including Environmental performance (0.8427, 0.9551, 1), Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism adaptation (0.8539, 0.9663, 1), and Tangible resources and international customer pressure (both 0.8090, 0.9213, upper bounds of 0.9775 and 0.98). In addition, distance analysis indicates that Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism adaptation and Environmental performance face the least distance to the ideal solution (0.08-0.09) and the most distance to the anti-ideal solution (0.90-0.91) and then International customer pressure and Tangible resources have the distance to the ideal solution close at about 0.11-0.12 and distance to the anti-ideal solution close at about 0.90-0.91. The resulting closeness coefficients make Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism adaptation (0.916), Environmental performance (0.908), International customer pressure (0.884), Tangible resources (0.883), and Transforming capability (0.840), implying that regulating adaptation, environmental performance, asset upgrading, and international customer responsiveness are the constituents of immediate competitiveness. In contrast, governance, circular practices, and stakeholder-associated factors are the emergent enablers.

Against the backdrop of accelerating global energy transition, China, as the world’s largest energy producer and consumer, has a crucial impact on achieving carbon neutrality goals through the green development of its power industry. Green total factor productivity is an important indicator for measuring the green development of the power industry. Utilizing provincial panel data from 30 regions in China covering the period 2012–2023, using MATLAB R2021a software, this study firstly measures the static GTFP of China’s power industry using a Super-Efficiency Slack-Based Measure (SBM) model incorporating undesirable outputs. Subsequently, the dynamic GTFP is measured and analyzed using the Global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index model. The model decomposes GTFP change to examine the contributions of technical efficiency change and technological progress. The findings reveal that (1) the static GTFP of China’s provincial power industry is generally low, with significant regional disparities, with Jiangsu, Yunnan, Beijing, Zhejiang and Sichuan ranking among the top five nationally; (2) the average GTFPs in eastern and western China are higher than in the central region. Overall, the GTFP of China’s power industry exhibits an upward trend, which is primarily driven by technological progress. Based on these conclusions, the study proposes policy recommendations to enhance the power industry’s GTFP, which can offer theoretical insights for facilitating its green transition and sustainable development.

The global shift toward a Circular Economy (CE) presents both significant challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the logistics sector of emerging economies. This study aims to empirically identify and analyze the key drivers and barriers to the adoption of CE practices among logistics SMEs in Vietnam. Drawing on an integrated theoretical framework that combines the Technology—Organization—Environment (TOE) framework, the Resource-Based View (RBV), and Institutional Theory, a questionnaire survey was conducted with a sample of 160 logistics SMEs. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that external environmental factors exert the strongest influence, with supply chain partner support (β = 0.355) and competitive pressure (β = 0.331) emerging as the most significant predictors. Leadership commitment (β = 0.237) and regulatory pressure (β = 0.164) also have positive and statistically significant effects. Notably, the study found no significant impact from internal factors such as financial capacity or cognitive factors, suggesting that ecosystem pressures may play a dominant role for SMEs. Based on the findings, the paper offers valuable practical implications for both managers and policymakers.