Global Change Issues Research Articles

The Impact of Brand Loyalty on Consumer Purchase Decisions and Analysis of Sustainable Consumption Strategies

Against the backdrop of rapid global economic development, public awareness of environmental protection is increasing, and the integration of brand loyalty with sustainable strategies is an inevitable trend for business development. Brand loyalty is an important indicator of the relationship between consumers and brands. It can enhance consumers' willingness to purchase, reduce consumers' perception of risk, and decision-making costs, bringing stable market share for enterprises. Moreover, due to the increasingly prominent global climate change and environmental issues, companies and society pay more attention to sustainable consumption strategies. Companies should keep pace with the times, emphasize the consistency of brand values with sustainable consumption concepts, provide environmentally friendly and energy-efficient sustainable products and services, and thus promote consumers' green consumption behavior. Therefore, the combination of brand loyalty and sustainable consumption strategies can meet consumers' demand for environmental protection and sustainable development, bring various benefits to enterprises, and is key to achieving long-term stable development.

Utilization of Rhodopseudomonas palustris in Crop Rotation Practice Boosts Rice Productivity and Soil Nutrient Dynamics

Using beneficial microorganisms, such as purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB), has shown enormous potential for improving plant growth and agricultural production. However, the full extent of their benefits and interactions with agricultural practices is yet to be fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the use of PNSB in crop rotation practice, focusing on its impact on rice growth and yield. The experiment was conducted over two rice cropping seasons, with djulis grown between the rice as a rotation crop. The study shows that PNSB treatment increased the concentration of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) in plants, indicating enhanced photosynthesis. Moreover, when combined with crop rotation, PNSB remarkably improved soil fertility. These combined benefits resulted in substantial increases in tiller numbers (163%), leaf chlorophyll content (13%), and lodging resistance (66%), compared to the untreated plants. The combined treatment also resulted in higher productive tillers per hill (112%), average grain per hill (65%), and grain fertility (26%). This led to increased grain yield (65%), shoot dry weight (15%), and harvest index (37%). The findings clearly suggest that the incorporation of PNSB in crop rotation strategies can significantly augment the growth and yield of rice crops. These insights, pivotal for sustainable rice cultivation, hold the potential to simultaneously tackle the pressing issues of global food security and climate change.

Highly dispersed active sites and strong metal-support interaction for boosting CO2 hydrogenation to methanol

As global energy demand continues to increase and global climate change issues caused by greenhouse gas emissions gradually heat up, the effective conversion of carbon dioxide into high value-added methanol has become a key challenge in the energy and environmental fields. However, due to the chemical inertness of CO2 molecules, it is difficult to activate CO2 at low temperatures, resulting in extremely low conversion rates. Although increasing the reaction temperature is beneficial for the conversion of CO2, there is also competition in the reverse water gas reaction, resulting in lower methanol selectivity. Therefore, developing efficient catalysts is the key to improving CO2 conversion rate and methanol selectivity. In this work, we used zirconium-based UIO-66 metal-organic framework as a precursor, replaced the original terephthalic acid ligand with thermally unstable aminoterephthalic acid, and supported Cu on the MOF precursor by equal volume impregnation method. After heat treatment, the Cu/ZrO2-DM catalyst was prepared. The catalyst was compared with Cu/ZrO2 catalyst prepared by co-precipitation method, hydrothermal method and unmodified Cu/ZrO2-D catalyst. The Cu/ZrO2-DM catalyst exhibited the highest CO2 conversion and methanol selectivity in the hydrogenation reaction, reaching 13.95% and 90.78%, respectively. The main reason is attributed to the large specific surface area of the copper-based catalyst derived from MOF materials, the good dispersion of the active center and the strong interaction between Cu and the precursor. This work may provide a new perspective for the design and synthesis of related catalytic materials for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.

Using leaf economic spectrum and photosynthetic acclimation to evaluate the potential performance of wintersweet under future climate conditions.

The function of landscape plants on the ecosystem can alleviate environmental issues of urbanization and global change. Global changes due to elevated CO2 affect plant growth and survival, but there is a lack of quantitative methods to evaluate the adaptability of landscape plants to future climate conditions. Leaf traits characterized by leaf economic spectrum (LES) are the universal currency for predicting the impact on plant ecosystem functions. Elevated CO2 usually leads to photosynthetic acclimation (PC), characterised by decreased photosynthetic capacity. Here, we proposed a theoretical and practical framework for the use of LES and PC to project the potential performance of landscape plants under future climatic conditions through principal component analysis, structural equation modelling, photosynthetic restriction analysis and nitrogen allocation analysis. We used wintersweet (an important landscaping species) to test the feasibility of this framework under elevated CO2 and different nitrogen (N) supplies. We found that elevated CO2 decreased the specific leaf area but increased leaf N concentration. The results suggest wintersweet may be characterized by an LES with high leaf construction costs, low photosynthetic return, and robust stress resistance. Elevated CO2 reduced photosynthetic capacity and stomatal conductance but increased photosynthetic rate and leaf area. These positive physio-ecological traits, e.g., larger leaf area (canopy), higher water use efficiency and stress resistance, may lead to improved performance of wintersweet under the predicted future climatic conditions. The results suggest planting more wintersweet in urban landscaping may be an effective adaptive strategy to climate change.

The Science Education Students' Understanding About Global Climate Change Issues in Indonesia

This research aims to conduct a preliminary study on the understanding of the concept of climate change for the first-year postgraduate science education students at Unesa. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of understanding of students’ concepts of climate change and find patterns of sustainable climate change education that are expected to prepare Indonesian people to face the growing issue of climate change through effective teaching. The research subject is 17 postgraduate students of science education for the first semester. The method used is quantitative descriptive. Data were collected through distributing questionnaire instruments about climate change and global warming. The results of the study show that the concepts of climate change and global warming are still something new and interesting for science education students. Most students are not familiar with climate variables. They still have difficulty distinguishing the term climate change, global warming, ozone layer depletion, and the greenhouse effect. The results of this study are used as the basis for constructing sustainable climate change education in Indonesia. Keywords: climate change, patterns of sustainable climate change education, effective teaching

Energy policy and climate change mitigation at national level in the European Union: A case study of Lithuania

The European Union (EU) is addressing global climate change issues in the formulation of energy policy for many years. Each EU member state plays a pivotal role in realising ambitious goals and implementing measures for energy policy and climate change mitigation. This study introduces a composite indicator, serving as a metric to assess the progress achieved in the implementation of national-level energy and climate change policy in Lithuania, scrutinises Lithuania's adopted energy policy frameworks and computes a short-term index forecast. The indicator created is applied for a case study of Lithuania in the period of 2010–2021 taking into account different importance of the indicators selected. Results indicate a gradual annual increase in achievements whit an overall growth of 72% over the last 11 years. However, both the attained results and the short-term index forecast suggest that expected growth rates are insufficient to meet ambitious regional and national climate change and energy targets. The proposed indicator is universal and adaptable for measuring energy policy achievements in various countries, allowing comparisons and rankings of countries, and analysis of best practices. This case study contributes to a broader understanding of energy policy and climate change mitigation at the national level within the EU.

Does energy transition policy enhance urban green innovation capabilities?–a quasi-natural experiment based on China’s new energy demonstration city policy

As the importance of global climate change and sustainable development issues increases, the enhancement of urban green innovation capabilities is particularly crucial since cities are the main source of energy consumption and carbon emissions. This study focuses on China’s New Energy Demonstration City policy to explore how it influences urban green innovation capabilities. By employing a quasi-natural experimental method, combined with data from 282 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2021, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the impact of the New Energy Demonstration City policy on urban green innovation capabilities. It was found that the policy significantly improves the cities’ green innovation capabilities, and this conclusion remains valid after robustness checks. The study also reveals that technological investment and public environmental awareness are two critical mechanisms through which the New Energy Demonstration City policy affects urban green innovation capabilities. Furthermore, this policy has been found to significantly enhance the green innovation capabilities of neighboring cities through spatial spillover effects. The study also examines the interaction between the national-level Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone policy and the New Energy Demonstration City policy, discovering that the pilot policy of the national-level Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone has to some extent promoted the effectiveness of the New Energy Demonstration City policy in driving urban green transformation. This research provides a new perspective for understanding the dynamics of urban green innovation and points the way for future research and policymaking.

The impact of basin horizontal ecological compensation policies on carbon emissions: A case study of the Yangtze river economic Belt

The issue of global climate change has garnered increasing attention, with carbon emissions emerging as a significant challenge confronting the world today. As an important means of environmental management, river basin ecological compensation must break through the traditional thinking of "water-centric" and move towards the coordinated development of "pollution reduction". Therefore, the study chooses the watershed scale ecological compensation experiment carried out in the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a natural experiment. Based on the prefecture-level city panel data from 2008 to 2021, a double difference model is constructed to examine the impact of the basin horizontal ecological compensation policy on carbon emissions and its mechanism. The study shows that the inter-regional horizontal ecological compensation measures have an obvious inhibitory effect on carbon emissions in the region, and through a series of tests, the conclusion is stable. Mechanism testing shows that policy implementation achieves carbon emission reductions through two channels: improving financial development and promoting scientific and technological innovation. The results of heterogeneity analysis verify that the effect of policy implementation is affected by the dual factors of social economy and innovation and entrepreneurship and that key cities and cities with a high innovation and entrepreneurship environment produce higher carbon emission reduction benefits. The research conclusions provide policy suggestions for promoting watershed ecological compensation policies to achieve carbon emission reduction from three aspects: encouraging small and medium-sized watersheds to implement city-specific policies, promoting innovative technologies and establishing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and strengthening policy support and financial investment.

How natural resources and technological advancements affect environmental quality: Evidence from load capacity factor in N‐11 nations

AbstractThe pressing issues of global climate change and environmental degradation necessitate the development of novel sustainable growth models by humanity. The efficacy of growth policy is strongly contingent upon the fundamental principles of productivity, such as efficient resource management. This study contributes to the investigation of the influence of natural resources (NRs) and several indices measuring productive capacity index (CI) on the environment of developing N‐11 countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, Turkey, and Vietnam) during 2000–2022. The research employed the cross‐sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS‐ARDL) model to examine the relationship between the variables. The empirical evidence indicates that there is a positive relationship between CI, technical innovation (TEC), NR, and gross domestic product (GDP) with the load capacity factor (LCF). Evidently, the sub‐indicators of CI present diverse results. The enhancement of productive CI in human capital, information, and communication technology (ICT), structural change, and governance has been found to foster ecological sustainability. Conversely, the domains of transport, private sector development, and energy utilization have been observed to contribute to the reduction of environmental pollution. This study posits that enhancing operational efficiencies and productive CI is associated with improved ecological outcomes.

An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Carbon Disclosure on Firms' Market Value in a "Dual Carbon" Context

With the acceleration of global warming, climate change and environmental issues have become a hotspot of global concern. At present, it has become a global consensus to vigorously develop a green economy and achieve "carbon neutrality and carbon peak". In this context, as an important part of the national economy, listed companies should pay more attention to carbon emission and information disclosure to help achieve the goals of "carbon peak" and "carbon neutral". In this paper, we use a multiple linear regression model to explore the specific mechanism of the impact of carbon emission disclosure on enterprise market value. In constructing the model, we consider that factors such as asset size, operating profit margin, and cash flow ratio may affect the market value of enterprises, so we add control variables in the model and use t-test, F-test, and analysis of covariance to verify whether there is a significant difference between different groups. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient were also carried out during data processing in order to observe whether there is a correlation between carbon emissions and company market value. By analysing the results of regression fitting, we find that under the background of "dual-carbon", the active disclosure of carbon emissions by enterprises can help enterprises to improve their transparency, thus enhancing the trust and recognition of consumers and investors, and thus positively affecting the market value of the enterprises, and the impact of the active disclosure of carbon emissions by enterprises with high carbon emissions is even more significant on their market value. market value is even more significant. This implies that companies should actively participate in emission reduction actions and demonstrate their action on environmental protection by proactively disclosing carbon emission information in their annual reports or CSR reports.

The impact of green finance on corporate carbon disclosure: Financial regulation as a moderator

The transparency of corporate carbon information has become a key topic in today's context of increasing attention to global climate change issues. Based on the data of A-share listed companies from 2013 to 2021, this study explores the relationship between green finance, financial regulation and corporate carbon information disclosure. The study shows that: (1) Green finance can promote corporate carbon disclosure. (2) Financial regulation plays a positive moderating role between green finance and corporate carbon information disclosure. (3) The heterogeneity test reveals that green finance plays a stronger role in corporate carbon information disclosure among state-owned enterprises (SOEs) compared to non-SOEs.

Research on Legalization of Sustainable Supply of Ecological Products

With the widespread attention to global climate change issues, research on sustainable supply of ecological products has become an important area of global concern. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the legal framework for sustainable supply of ecological products, and explore the challenges, opportunities, and good practices for achieving sustainable supply of ecological products. The current problems in the supply of ecological products include unclear property rights, imbalanced supply and demand, and incomplete evaluation mechanism; the sustainable supply of ecological products was analyzed from three aspects: insufficient motivation to supply, inadequate supply capacity, and inadequate supply security mechanism; it is suggested that the property rights system for natural resources should be improved, the mechanism of equilibrium of interests of supplying subjects reshaped, and the rights and interests dispute settlement mechanism constructed.

Sustainability teaching in higher education: assessing arts and design faculty perceptions and attitudes

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions and attitudes of arts and design faculty on teaching sustainability in higher education institutions in the USA. Design/methodology/approach Arts and design faculty from nine universities in the USA were approached for the study, using both closed and open-ended questions in a survey instrument. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to analyze the collected data. Findings Results related to arts and design faculty’s perception of sustainability showed high confidence in teaching sustainability but lower confidence in inspiring students to take action on sustainability issues. Faculty also perceived time, resources, knowledge and support as barriers to the integration of the topic into the curriculum. This study revealed that the faculty’s attitude toward sustainability demonstrated their recognition that sustainability should be at the core of their discipline and that they support its integration into courses. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to arts and design faculty in higher education institutions in the USA. The results may not be generalizable to other fields or locations. In addition, the use of self-reported data may be subject to bias. Practical implications The findings of this study can inform the development of curriculum and pedagogy in arts and design sustainability education. It can also guide institutions in addressing the challenges and barriers related to incorporating sustainability into their curriculum. Social implications Prioritizing sustainability education is crucial in addressing global climate change and related issues. Art and design educators’ perspectives on teaching sustainability can contribute to constructing a sustainable future for everyone. Originality/value This study provides insight into the perception and attitude of sustainability among arts and design faculty in higher education in the USA and highlights areas for improvement such as training and resources to better integrate sustainability into the curriculum.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Technology in Aeroponics: Presenting the Adoption and Integration of Technology in Sustainable Agriculture Practices

Aeroponics is a soilless farming method in which plants are grown by sprinkling a nutrient-rich fluid over their roots. Aeroponics has changed as a result of technology, which now offers advantages including automated nutrient supply, environmental management, and plant health monitoring. A key area of concern in light of the rising global food demand, climate change, and environmental issues is sustainable agriculture. This article highlights the integration of technology, sustainability, and socio-economic elements in modern agriculture by methodically examining the development of aeroponics practices from conventional ways to innovative modern techniques. When agronomic practices are viewed historically, they show a shift from labor-intensive, antiquated techniques to precision-based, technology-driven processes. Even though they were sustainable, traditional methods frequently had efficiency and scalability issues. A big change came with the arrival of the Green Revolution, which brought synthetic inputs and high-yield crop varieties. However, a reevaluation towards more sustainable practices was spurred by the approaches' long-term ecological implications. Precision agriculture, which makes use of sensor-based monitoring systems, artificial intelligence (AI), satellite and drone technologies, is a major feature of modern agronomy breakthroughs. According to the systematic research, Industry 4.0 and sensor technology are the most often used technologies in aeroponics. Numerous advantages, including time efficiency and sustainability, have come from these technologies. On the other hand, the research focused on power dependence and technical complexity as the primary obstacles in technology-assisted aeroponics.

Study on Economic Strategy of Green Finance Promoting the Development of New Energy Industry in Shandong Province

With global climate change and energy security issues becoming increasingly prominent, new energy industry(NEI) has become an important field to promote sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to explore the economic strategy of green finance(GF) in promoting the development of NEI in Shandong Province. Through in-depth research on the policy framework and practical operation of GF, we find that Shandong Province has made remarkable achievements in this field. Green financial policy covers many aspects, such as financial incentives, financial product innovation and policy guidance, which provides strong support for the NEI. On the practical level, the Shandong provincial government has established a close cooperative relationship with financial institutions, and strengthened financial institutions' support for new energy projects through joint loans and risk sharing. Shandong province has made a series of remarkable achievements in the economic strategy of GF promoting the development of NEI, which has laid a solid foundation for future sustainable development. However, it is still necessary to further strengthen supervision and innovate financial products in order to better lead the NEI to the road of high-quality development.

Carbon cycle responses to climate change across China's terrestrial ecosystem: Sensitivity and driving process

Investigations into the carbon cycle and how it responds to climate change at the national scale are important for a comprehensive understanding of terrestrial carbon cycle and global change issues. Contributions of carbon fluxes to the terrestrial sink and the effects on climate change are still not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between ecosystem production (GPP/SIF/NDVI) and net ecosystem carbon exchange (NEE) and to investigate the sensitivity of carbon fluxes to climate change at different spatio-temporal scales. Furthermore, we sought to delve into the carbon cycle processes driven by climate stress in China since the beginning of the 21st century. To achieve these objectives, we employed correlation and sensitivity analysis techniques, utilizing a wide range of data sources including ground-based observations, remote sensing observations, atmospheric inversions, machine learning, and model simulations. Our findings indicate that NEE in most arid regions of China is primarily driven by ecosystem production. Climate variations have a greater influence on ecosystem production than respiration. Warming has negatively impacted ecosystem production in Northeast China, as well as in subtropical and tropical regions. Conversely, increased precipitation has strengthened the terrestrial carbon sink, particularly in the northern cool and dry areas. We also found that ecosystem respiration exhibits heightened sensitivity to warming in southern China. Moreover, our analysis revealed that the control of terrestrial carbon cycle by ecosystem production gradually weakens from cold/arid areas to warm/humid areas. We identified distinct temperature thresholds (ranging from 10.5 to 13.7 °C) and precipitation thresholds (approximately 1400 mm yr−1) for the transition from production-dominated to respiration-dominated processes. Our study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between climate change and carbon cycle in China.

Understanding the characteristics of the household energy transition in a developing country

Understanding the energy transition process in developing countries is crucial to implement policies to reduce the use of traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources, which increase pollution, worsen global climate change, and negatively impact people's health. Existing literature indicates that households account for approximately 25% of total energy consumption for consumption and production activities. However, understanding the energy consumption patterns of choices of energy sources and their determinants has largely been neglected in the existing literature. As such, this study uses the multivariate probit model to identify the factors influencing household energy choices in Vietnam, using data from 2016 to 2020 from the Vietnamese Households Living Standard Surveys (VHLSS). Our study focuses on how households' multiple occupations, particularly in rural areas, affect energy sources choices. We find that households participate in different agricultural sub-sectors simultaneously, resulting in differential access to multiple energy sources. Households engaging in cultivation, forestry, and animal husbandry activities are more likely to choose coal, fuelwood, and biomass as the primary energy sources for production and daily uses. In contrast, higher household income and household head with higher education level also increases the likelihood of choosing cleaner energy choices for daily uses and production activities. In addition, our empirical findings confirm the validity of the "energy stacking” hypothesis rather than the “energy ladders" hypothesis – two contrasting hypotheses concerning household energy transition in the literature. Policy implications have emerged based on the findings of this paper to enhance the clean energy transition in Vietnam in achieving sustainable economic development and social transformation and her commitment to combating global climate change issues.

Visible Light Photocatalysis: Green Hydrogen Production

The next few decades will experience the convergence of diverse materials and scientific disciplines resulting in innovative products and processes for the benefit of mankind. If the proliferation of today’s technologies and the urgent need to address global climate change issues is any indication of the speed and power of changes in economies to be expected, a dramatic shift to sustainable technologies has to occur to provide cost-effective, low carbon footprint solutions. In this talk we will introduce about possible strategies based on fundamentals of physics and materials engineering that can potentially contribute to our efforts to preserve the planet’s environment at an acceptable level. Exploiting solar energy, as visible radiation constitutes a major share (~ 46%) of the solar spectrum, strategies for carbon reduction technologies can be devised. We have been working on the synergistic development of visible light active photocatalysts suitable for activating reactions by engineering nanomaterials and interfaces. Hydrogen production (H2) by Photocatalytic reactions is a promising process for green H2 generation as a fuel or an alternate energy source. Organic compounds like alcohols, polyols, sugars, as well as organic acids and lignocellulosic compounds can serve as sacrificial agents (electron donors) to reduce e−–h+ recombination leading to a more efficient process. Cellulose, the most abundant material on the earth that is a part of some of the waste generated by humans is a natural and carbon-neutral source as a sacrificial agent during photo-induced splitting of water for green H2 production and can be an attractive for building a sustainable system for photocatalytic H2 production. Some of these areas utilising visible light photocatalysis for oxidation of organic pollutant, microbe removal, anti-biofouling coatings and microplastic degradation will be briefly discussed.

Millets: The Nourishing Solution to Food Security Challenges Over Cereal-Based Cropping Systems

A heightened emphasis on augmenting millet production and accentuating their nutritional benefits is pivotal in mitigating reliance on conventional crops, fostering dietary diversity, and enhancing food security, particularly in times of natural calamities when food scarcity is prevalent. The United Nations General Assembly has designated the year 2023 as the International Year of Millet. Millets hailed as 'superfoods,' boast high levels of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. India stands as a major contributor, producing 80% of Asia's millets and 20% globally, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Statistics reveal that over 90 million individuals in Africa and Asia incorporate millets into their diets, with Africa accounting for more than 55% of global production, followed by Asia at nearly 40%, while Europe constitutes approximately three per cent of the worldwide market. Specifically in India, West Bengal adheres to a predominantly monocultural cropping system, predominantly focused on rice. Monoculture systems are highly susceptible to blights and pests due to their lack of diversity, leading to reduced soil fertility and compromised soil structure. Cultivating millets not only offers a viable solution by diminishing reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides but also facilitates a transition towards sustainable agriculture. This involves diversifying crop rotations and steering clear of the pitfalls associated with mono-cropping systems. Introducing various millet types into cropping systems can significantly enhance food security. Each millet variant possesses unique qualities that enable them to withstand extreme climatic conditions, making them particularly relevant as adaptive measures in the current context of global warming and climate change issues.

Unveiling the potential of membrane in climate change mitigation and environmental resilience in ecosystem

Carbon capture technologies are becoming increasingly crucial in addressing global climate change issues by lowering CO2 emissions from industrial and power generation activities. Post-combustion carbon capture, which uses membranes instead of adsorbents, has emerged as one of promising and environmentally friendly approaches among these technologies. The operation of membrane technology is based on the premise of selectively separating CO2 from flue gas emissions. This provides a number of different benefits, including improved energy efficiency and decreased costs of operation. Because of its adaptability to changing conditions and its low impact on the surrounding ecosystem, it is an appealing choice for a diverse array of uses. However, there are still issues to be resolved, such as those pertaining to establishing a high selectivity, membrane degradation, and the costs of the necessary materials.In this article, we evaluate and explore the prospective applications and roles of membrane technologies to control climate change by post-combustion carbon capturing. The primary proposition suggests that the utilization of membrane-based carbon capture has the potential to make a substantial impact in mitigating CO2 emissions originating from industrial and power production activities. This is due to its heightened ability to selectively absorb carbon, better efficiency in energy consumption, and its flexibility to various applications. The forthcoming challenges and potential associated with the application of membranes in post-carbon capture are also discussed.