Improvement Of Environmental Quality Research Articles

A Study on Paldang Reservoir Water Quality Improvement Effect by Pollutant Source Location Regulation Using Watershed-Reservoir Integrated Prediction

Objectives:Since the enactment of the 「Han-River Watershed Act」, comprehensive analysis about direct and indirect contributions and effects of various environmental policies and water quality improvement projects for the preservation of water quality in the Han-River watershed is insufficient. Especially, effect of pollutant source location regulation should be inferred and estimated through model prediction because it does not exist unregulated conditions. As development pressure in non-urban areas near the metropolitan area is increasing, it is necessary to analyze the effects of pollutant source location regulation.Methods:In this study, average pollutant density of Gangwon-do, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheongbuk-do, where the regulation areas located, and average pollutant density of water source management areas were compared and analyzed. After that changes in pollutant sources in regulation areas were estimated by assuming load of pollutant sources in unregulated areas that load of pollutant sources in regulation areas. Since many reservoirs are located in Han-river watershed, it is difficult to simulate the water quality of Paldang reservoir using only watershed model, BASINS/WinHSPF and EFDC-WASP were linked. Through this, change in water quality of Paldang Lake was tried to predict when the pollutant location regulation was not implemented, and to analyze the effect of the pollutant location regulation.Results and Discussion:Water quality improvement of Paldang reservoir was evaluated by applying the discharge load when the pollution source location regulation was not implemented to the calibrated model. As a result of the pollution source location regulation, discharge load in the location regulation area was analyzed to reduce by 53.90% and T-P by 48.58%, and the BOD and T-P improvement effect of Paldang Dam was analyzed 6.77% and T-P 6.62%. Since the water quality improvement effect of Paldang Lake is accumulated to the entire upstream, it is evaluated relatively less than pollutant load reducing effect.Conclusion:It was analyzed that pollutiont source location regulation has water quality improvement effect, despite the small area which only located in near Paldang reservoir compared to the total area of the Han-River watershed.

The Use of biochar in the Remediation of Pb, Cd, and Cu-Contaminated Soils. The Impact of biochar Feedstock and Preparation Conditions on Its Remediation Capacity

Soil constitutes an important part of terrestrial ecosystems, prone to be adversely impacted by human activities. During the last decades, several methods have been developed aiming at its remediation, including the use of biochar as a soil amendment. In the present work, we have assessed the reduction of Pb, Cd, and Cu soil concentrations as a function of the mixing ratio of biochar added to soil, as well as the source of biochar employed. Furthermore, we have investigated the effects of biochar addition relating to the chemical forms of heavy metals (HMs) related to their bioavailability and mobility. The concentrations of HMs were determined by the BCR (European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure before and after biochar addition to the soils. Five types of biochar were used, obtained as by-products of sugarcane bagasse (Β), bamboo (ΒΒ), rice straw (RSB), garden waste (GB), and paulownia (PB) treatment, respectively. Biochar derived from sugarcane (B) reduced the availability of metals, as it decreased their concentration in the acid extractable fraction, by 40.5, 66.6, and 50% for Pb, Cd, and Cu, respectively. In addition, (B) application increased the residual fraction of Cu and Pb by 9% and 24.8%, respectively. Biochar derived from garden residues (GB) and paulownia plant (PB) dramatically increased the residual fraction of Cd over 97%, minimizing its availability. Sugarcane-derived biochar appeared to significantly increase Cu and Pb residual fraction concentrations and decrease available Cd concentration. Similar changes are caused by the types of biochar in the following order: biochar from sugarcane > paulownia > garden wastes > bamboo > rice straw. The redistribution of HM concentrations causes a significant improvement of environmental quality in polluted soils, as it limits the mobility and availability of toxic metals to the soil ecosystem. The use of biochar is a low-cost and eco-friendly method for the remediation of contaminated with HMs soils in the framework of a circular economy.

Can the Digital Economy Promote the Upgrading of Urban Environmental Quality?

As the core of economic development, the digital economy plays an essential role in promoting urban environmental quality. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive indicator system using two dimensions, i.e., the internet and digital finance, to measure the development situation of the urban digital economy, and we used principal component analysis to assess it. From the three perspectives of ecological environment state, ecological environment pollution degree, and ecological environment governance ability, the entropy method was used to measure the quality of the urban environment. On the basis of panel data from 275 cities (prefecture-level and above) in China from 2011 to 2019, we empirically analyzed the impact of the digital economy on urban environmental quality using the two-way fixed effect model and spatial Dubin model. The research shows that the digital economy significantly promotes urban environmental quality upgrades. This conclusion still holds when considering endogeneity. This effect is mainly achieved by promoting technological innovation, optimizing the industrial structure, and enhancing market competition. Further research demonstrated that the digital economy does not significantly impact the improvement of environmental quality in small- and medium-sized cities, but has a positive effect on environmental quality upgrading in large cities. The development of the digital economy promoted urban environmental quality upgrading in the region. However, the development of the digital economy has no significant impact on environmental quality upgrading in surrounding areas.

Willingness to Pay for Environmental Quality Improvement Programs and Its Determinants: Empirical Analysis in Western Nepal

Environmental conditions in western Nepal are experiencing a possible threat to economic losses and sustainability, especially due to decreased productivity and increased health risks. This research investigates the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) of the local community for environmental quality improvement programs by using the contingent valuation technique. It also explores socio-economic and behavioral determinants that influence the maximum WTP for environmental quality improvement. A cross-sectional analytical design is employed using primary data obtained through in-depth face-to-face interviews with people in the community, interviews with key informants, focus group discussions and direct observations. Of the total of 420 households sampled, 72% were willing to pay for the environmental improvement program. The average WTP of households per annum for environmental protection at the community level is given as Nepalese rupees (NPR) 1909 (confidence interval—CI: 1796–2022). Environmental factors (prolonged drought, sporadic rains and drying sprout), socio-economic factors (family size, occupation, regular saving habits in microfinance, distance to the nearest health facility, health insurance enrollment, owning a home and owning arable land) and behavioral factors (cleanliness of the toilet) are the major factors influencing the household’s WTP decision. The findings of this study provide an important guideline and basis for the implementation of cost sharing in environmental quality improvement programs among the community, governments and other stakeholders in this sector.

Environmental regulations and firms' green innovations: Transforming pressure into incentives

Considering China's Eleventh Five-Year Plan as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper identifies the effect of environmental regulations on green innovations with a difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) strategy. We find that: (1) environmental regulations promote both the quantity and quality of firms' green innovations, which are measured by patent counts and citations respectively. This effect is more salient for firms in regions with higher regulation intensity and firms in industries with higher pollution intensity. (2) Firms with greater pressure from environmental regulations are more likely to conduct green innovations, which is mainly reflected by the increased innovation efficiency of retained inventors. (3) Environmental regulations have a crowed-out effect, resulting in some firms exiting the market or migrating from high-pollution industries to low-pollution industries. (4) Environmental regulations improve firm performance in the long run and are conducive to the improvement of local environmental quality. This paper provides implications for regulators concerning environment and innovation.

China's improving total environmental quality and environment-economy coordination since 2000: Progress towards sustainable development goals

Improving China's total environmental quality is an important means to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. How to quantify the environmental quality evolution progress scientifically, and ensure realizing the goals of fresh air, clean water, soil safety, good ecology, and fine human settlement environment in China is an urgent and significant issue. Here, according to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and China's development characteristics, we construct an integrated environmental quality evaluation index system, comprising 5 dimensions—air environmental quality, water environmental quality, soil environmental quality, ecological environmental quality, and human settlement environmental quality—to measure the progress in achieving the SDGs over the past 20 years. Findings show China has made substantial improvements in environmental quality, with an average growth rate of 2.4% annually, presenting high in southeast and low in northwest. Human settlement environmental quality improved to the largest extent, 6.5% annually, followed by ecological, water, soil, and air environmental quality, with an annual rate of 2.46, 2.45,1.83, and 0.84%, respectively. All regions present an increasing trend in total environment. However, large gaps still existed between diverse regions across China. Furthermore, coordination development level between environment and economy rose constantly across China, and 23 provinces have reached the primary coordination development status. Targeted practical measures are proposed to promote environmental quality improvement. It will provide a policy-related assessment tool to help develop sound development strategies and balance national and local capacities for sustainable development.

Long-term Macrobentos Responses to Environmental Flows and Water Quality improvement along River Jarama

The Jarama River, due to its proximity to Madrid, has been a highly regulated and polluted for decades; we evaluated the effects of changing multi-pressures over time and along the fluvial continuum. Changes in macrobenthic composition and structure in response to alterations in river habitat have been analyzed from two macroinvertebrate sampling campaigns carried out 42 years apart at 11 locations along the Jarama River. Results show that the macrobenthic communities follow a similar pattern along the river continuum in both periods. Richness and diversity were higher at mountain reaches without pollution and unregulated. The minimum values are reached at San Fernando de Henares, although in the lower part of the river, after receiving all the pollution discharges from the Manzanares River, there are no macrobenthos since the Jarama bottoms are anoxic sludge.Comparing the communities at the same localities we have detected clear temporal changes. In the upper zone, the total number of taxa and diversity decreased, but the fauna richness is maintained. In the section just below large reservoirs we find an increase in macrobenthos richness. In all the medium sections there is a recovery in all the macrobenthos parameters, but this improvement does not reach good ecological status, due to the high concentrations of ammonia. In the lower section, no changes are detected because the accumulated sludge is still present.

Will male semen quality improve with environmental quality?

Wenzhou has improved its environmental quality because of comprehensive environmental remediation; nevertheless, the semen quality of infertile males remains unclear. This study determined whether better environmental quality improved semen quality in this region. We recorded semen quality data from 22 962 infertile males from January 2014 to November 2019 at the Center for Reproductive Health of The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University (Wenzhou, China). Patients were predominantly 30-35 years old (33.1%) and workers (82.0%), with high school education or lower (77.6%); more than a half of the patients (52.6%) were Wenzhou household registration; and most patients (77.5%) had abnormal semen quality. Patients who were older than 40 years and workers, and those with Wenzhou household registration, had significantly worse semen quality (all P < 0.05). From 2014 to 2019, progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume showed increasing linear trends in all patients (P = 0.021, 0.030, and 0.005, respectively), yet normal sperm morphology showed a linearly decreasing trend (P = 0.046). Sensitivity analyses for subgroups yielded similar results. In conclusion, the improvement of environmental quality and better function of the accessory glands are associated with progressive sperm motility, total sperm motility, and semen volume. Normal sperm morphology is influenced by occupational exposures and personal lifestyle and does not improve with environmental quality.

Vertical Management Reform of Environmental Protection System and Air Quality Improvement: Empirical Test Based on RDD

As a major institutional innovation in the field of environmental protection system, the supervision and law enforcement of environmental protection system in China has been transformed from the jurisdictional management system to a vertical management system, and its effect on improving air quality is a hot issue to be tested urgently. This paper uses regression discontinuity design model (RDD) to test the daily air quality of 321 prefecture-level cities from September 2016 to December 2019. The results show that the vertical management reform of environmental protection system can significantly improve the air quality, and has a significant long-term inhibitory and sustainable effect on air pollution. Furthermore, a series of robustness tests also further prove the reliability of the results. As a conclusion, this paper provides a basis for decision-making in deepening the vertical management reform of environmental protection system.

Review of modern demand control solutions and technologies for HVAC operation

HVAC systems, which use traditional control strategies with fixed ventilation rates or with ventilation rate schedules, do not adjust according to the required IAQ and thermal comfort. As a result, building spaces are being over or under-ventilated. In this paper, the latest modern solutions for demand-controlled HVAC system operation are analyzed, based on the review of existing studies. Such modern technologies as human detection systems, computer vision, and neural network applications are looked at. Different types of human presence detection are presented based on the applied technology. The most common ones are indirect detection based on the usage data of existing IT equipment, and direct detection through the use of passive infrared sensors, wearable tags, and vision sensors. Also, the potential solutions of human activity monitoring, skin temperature, and clothing level detection systems are examined. The studies discussed in this paper show real application examples and prove the benefits of using the technologies for the control of ventilation systems in various building types. Research has shown that such technologies have a favorable effect on both indoor air quality and system energy consumption. In the future, the ventilation system should be equipped with cameras for a more accurate analysis of the room and occupancy. Also, the systems must consider occupant behavior, activity, and other information, which can be used for indoor environment quality improvement. Based on the gained knowledge a sensor capable of human detection, accounting, and location marking is developed.

PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND USE OF URBAN GREEN SPACE (UGS): A STUDY FROM VADODARA, GUJARAT

Context/Background: The size and availability of urban green spaces (UGSs) are frequently considered among the most important parameters of the quality of life and environmental sustainability of urban areas. UGSs also offer direct benefits to urban residents, including but not limited to health promotion. Given the functional benefits of green spaces on human well-being in particular, it is important to understand how people perceive these spaces and their benefits. Aims/Objectives: This research had a concern to situate issues of the benefits of green space amongst a broader exploratory study which explored the holistic experience of green spaces for contemporary city residents. Methodology: The study was conducted for a sample of 300 adults (aged 16 and above) living in urban areas of Vadodara across the representation available of gender, education, and professional background The interviews were conducted face to face, on weekends, weekday evenings, and other times when visitors were in large numbers . The responses were converted into frequency and percentage. Results: Amongst the visitors, it is seen that a lesser proportion of women visitors visit the park than men. Visitors value urban green spaces most for ‘environmental’ and ‘psychological and health. Service class visit for health benefits while business persons for socializing. A majority of respondents are happy with UGS quality. The visitors accompanied by family members as parks are attractive places for recreational activities with families and contribute to improved social interaction. Residents of the most active ages (25–55) tend to make shorter trips. Conclusions: The contributions of urban green spaces to community health and well-being can be through improvements in ambient environmental quality, more opportunities for healthy lifestyles, and opportunities to come in contact with nature.

Analysis of the income elasticity of demand for recreational and environmental of three ecosystems in Mexico

The objective of this research is to estimate the income elasticity of demand for environmental services of three ecosystems in Mexico. In the three studies of stated preferences about the willingness to pay for an environmental quality improvement project, we used a sample size of 289 observations for the Primas Basalticos ecosystems and 150 for the La Michilía Biosphere Reserve and the Molino de Las Flores National Park. The selection of interviewees was random among visitors. To carry out the estimation, a cluster analysis was carried out to determine the income strata, where the indicator was formulated and calculated in each ecosystem for three income strata (high, medium and low) based on a segmentation of the consumers of recreational services through the two-stage clustering method. In this way, the recreational services of the three ecosystems in both cases behave as a normal good; that is, if the income of the high and middle income consumer increases, the demand for recreational services will increase less than proportionally.

The influence of key economic globalization factors on economic growth and environmental quality: An empirical study in Southeast Asian countries

This study examines the important manifestations of economic globalization, such as increased international trade, inward foreign direct investment (FDI), and air passenger transport (PAX) on economic growth and environmental quality in Southeast Asian countries. The results of data analysis for the period 1990–2019 using the panel autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) have confirmed the long run impact of these factors on economic growth and environmental quality (the reduction of CO2 emissions into the environment per unit of production) in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, international trade and PAX positively affect economic growth in both groups of lower-middle-income countries and upper-middle and high-income countries. Inward FDI, however, only has a positive effect on economic growth for the group of lower-middle-income in the short run. In the long run, it has a negative impact. On the other hand, when the manifestations of economic globalization increase, they lead to an increase in CO2 emissions, but there is a decrease in this ratio per unit of production in the long run and in most countries in the short run. These findings are the basis for making economic growth and environmental quality improvements in different regions and countries of Southeast Asia.

The impact of environmental information disclosure quality on green innovation of high-polluting enterprises.

With the gradual increase of social awareness of environmental protection, environmental information disclosure has become the key for enterprises to accept social supervision and fulfill their social responsibility. This study examines the high-polluting enterprises that were listed on Chinese A-shares between 2008 and 2021. The influence of environmental information disclosure quality on green innovation is examined using ordinary least squares (OLS) as a benchmark model. The results show that the improvement of environmental information disclosure quality of high-polluting enterprises can significantly improve the quantity and quality of green innovation of enterprises and are mediated by alleviating financing constraints and enhancing cash reserves. Moreover, improving the quality of environmental information disclosure of highly polluting enterprises has a more significant contribution to the quantity and quality of green patents of non-state-owned enterprises, enterprises located in central and eastern China, and large enterprises. The findings of this paper provide theoretical support for achieving a "win-win" situation of environmental protection and green innovation.

Will China's audit of natural environmental resource promote green sustainable development? Evidence from PSM-DID analysis based on substantial and strategic pollution reduction.

Countries around the world have become concerned about their responsibility to protect the environment and resources. In this paper, we established a model of multi-period PSW-DID (weighted propensity score matching- differences-in-differences) to test the effect of China's audit of natural resource. We found that: (1) local governments had a strategic incentive to reduce pollution, they paid more attention to environmental performance linked to individual promotion than to green innovation and development. (2) Compared with the long-term and complexity of water pollution control, they paid more attention to air pollution treatment. (3) In the long run, the environmental audit was indeed beneficial to the improvement of environmental quality, but the time of taking effect was the second year (one-year lag). (4) In addition, because of the contradiction between the neglect of human capital and the timeliness of environmental supervision, the local government did not show substantial pollution reduction. Therefore, local officials should foster the long-term responsibility consciousness of green innovation and pay more attention to the integration of human capital. The audit of natural resources should establish a long-term mechanism, which could establish a complete accountability system or change off-office audit to interim audit. The construction of audit big data platforms should pay more attention to substantive characteristic data, such as data on population inflow, which is not only a paper score of air pollution. This study can reveal the dilemma of pollution prevention and control in China, urge local governments to promote the rational flow of human resources, improve the innovation level, and achieve substantive pollution control and efficiency enhancement of green development.

Heading towards sustainable environment: does renewable and non-renewable energy generation matter for the effect of industrialization and urbanization on ecological footprint? Evidence from China.

This study examines how renewable and non-renewable energy generation interacts with both to affect the ecological footprint in China during 1990-2019 by using FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR estimation techniques and ARDL simulation models to assess the impact of industrialization and urbanization on environmental sustainability based on the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis model framework. Firstly, the findings verify the applicability and validity of the EKC hypothesis in China. Secondly, renewable energy generation, industrialization, and urbanization facilitate the reduction of ecological footprint and the improvement of environmental quality in the long run, while non-renewable energy generation increases the ecological footprint and leads to the intensification of ecological pollution. However, the short-term estimates give evidence that industrialization, urbanization, and renewable and non-renewable energy generation can all increase the ecological footprint, which is not conducive to ecological sustainability. Thus, from the perspective of ecological sustainability in China, our findings are important in that they provide clear directions for ecological policy formulation, and we also provide some targeted policy recommendations for them to promote sustainable development as a goal.

A Study on the Drivers of Remote Sensing Ecological Index of Aksu Oasis from the Perspective of Spatial Differentiation

The overexploitation and misuse of natural resources in oaseshave put a significant strain on the ecosystem’s fragility. Therefore, a rigorous study of the ecological environment’s quality is required to assure the sustainability of oasis growth. The GEE platform has the features of timeliness and large data cloud processing, which accelerating the development of the remote sensing ecological index. The MODIS data of the research region from 2000 to 2020 were uploaded online to the GEE platform in order to calculate the humidity, greenness, dryness, and heat indices for each year. Principal component analysis was then used to develop the remote sensing ecological index after normalization. In addition, Pearson correlation coefficient, Moran’s I index, geo-detector, and the MK trend test were employed to determine the dependability of the RSEI comprehensive index, analyze the ecological environment status and its change trend in the Aksu River Basin from 2000 to 2020, and investigate the external driving factors of RSEI spatial heterogeneity. (1) The average correlation degree of RSEI is as high as 0.820, and the Moran’s I index is larger than 0.9118; thus, its practicability, dependability, and spatial rationality are enhanced. (2) The natural environment quality of Aksu basin is impacted in two ways by human influences. (1) The adoption of ecological protection measures to support the growth of groundwater reserves in the Aksu basin, increase plant covering, and so improve and enhance the ecological environment’s quality. Following the adoption of ecological protection measures, the average RSEI rose by 12.89%, the ecological quality of the farmland-based region improved considerably, and the quality of the ecological environment was enhanced. (2) Urban growth inhibits environmental progress. The acceleration of urbanization and the large rise in NDBSI have exerted pressure on the development of RSEI, while the growth of cities and towns has decreased the vegetation cover in urban areas and impeded the improvement of ecological environment quality. (3) Both human and environmental causes contribute to the regional variability of RSEI in Aksu Basin. The geographical heterogeneity is mostly caused by temperature and land use, with land use being the most important driver. Strengthening research on the connection between groundwater storage change, land use, vegetation cover, and NDBSI may facilitate the growth of regional green economies.

Does China’s poverty alleviation policy improve the quality of the ecological environment in poverty-stricken areas?

Poverty eradication and environmental protection as the two global goals of sustainable development. China’s poverty alleviation policy attempts to achieve green development in poverty-stricken areas by eliminating poverty while also promoting environmental protection. Since the Poverty-stricken counties on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau also have the dual attributes of ecological degradation and ecological fragility, it is of great significance to study the impact of poverty alleviation policy on their environment. In this research, taking poverty alleviation policy as the entry point, based on panel data and Remote Sensing Ecological Index for poverty-stricken counties on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from 2011 to 2019, and using the difference-in-differences (DID) method to verify the impact of policy on environmental quality. The main findings of the study were: 1) The poverty alleviation policy has a significant improvement effect on the ecological environment quality of counties in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, and this conclusion still holds in a series of robustness tests using methods including the changing sample size method and the variable replacement method. Moreover, the policy effect has a certain time lag and its effect persists in the long term; 2) It is mainly due to the increased level of government public expenditure and the easing of government financial pressure that has contributed to the improvement of environmental quality in poverty-stricken areas; 3) Policy heterogeneity suggests that industrial poverty eradication policies are more conducive to promoting synergistic economic and environmental development in poverty-stricken areas.

IMPACT OF ACCESS TO SUNLIGHT ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY VALUES: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF THE HOUSING MARKET IN SHANGHAI

As an important environmental amenity, sunlight brings us a large number of benefits and improves the quality of our daily lives, and its welfare measurement depends on concrete living conditions. The purpose of this article is to empirically document the non-marketed value of sunlight in light of the view orientation of an apartment in the context of the housing market. Using a hedonic pricing model estimated with the real estate transaction data over 40,000 housing units in 2019–2021 in Shanghai, it is found that: (1) homeowners, on average, are willing to pay an extra 7.2% to choose the apartments with a high level of sunshine (facing south), relative to those with no direct access to sunlight (facing north); (2) the value of sunlight shrinks with pollution and becomes larger if living in a higher apartment; (3) residents living in higher units have a larger willingness to pay for the sunlight and environmental quality improvement. These empirical findings shed light on the welfare measurement of sunlight and have profound implications for the capitalization of environmental amenities reflected in housing prices.

The Dynamic Links between Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality in an Insecure Situation

Abstract The world faces two main problems: environmental degradation and the growing number of terrorist attacks. This study provides new perspectives by evaluating the links between environment quality, renewable energy consumption, terrorist attacks and the rents of natural resources for forty-six African countries over the period 1991–2017. We applied a heterogeneous panel data approach and second-generation econometric techniques, which took into account cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. The long-term effects were obtained by AMG and CCMG estimators. The results confirmed the existence of a cross-sectional dependence between the individuals in the panel. In addition, the long-term relationship confirms the existence of an inverted U-shaped curve between CO2 emissions and the level of GDP. Renewable energies stimulate the improvement of environmental quality in the long term whereas terrorist attacks contribute to environmental degradation. Thus, policymakers are called upon to promote renewable energies and to implement good governance of rents.