Positive Environmental Benefits Research Articles

Assessing the environmental contribution of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) rice in the presence of insect pest uncertainty

AbstractAdopting genome editing with the trait of pest resistance contributes to sustainable development by reducing pesticide use. Developed by Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technology, CRISPR rice is resistant to two of its most destructive insect pests. However, there exists a trade-off between pest resistance and lower potential yield. In the presence of uncertainty of pest severity, adopting CRISPR rice demonstrates positive environmental benefits at its optimal planting ratio, estimated based on a microeconomic model extended with environmental externalities of rice cultivation. We estimate the optimal planting ratio to be 37%, with the environmental benefit of co-planting CRISPR rice to be 560 million US dollars annually in China. The environmental benefit accounts for 4–22% of the total value of co-planting CRISPR rice in the Monte Carlo simulations. Regional heterogeneity regarding optimal planting ratio and environmental benefit is studied for 12 major rice-cultivating provinces in China. We conclude with policy implications that policymakers need to consider the vast environmental benefit of CRISPR rice adoption to have a more comprehensive view of its economic and environmental market potential, contributing to the heated debate on regulating CRISPR technology in China and worldwide.

Etude expérimentale des performances technicoéconomiques et environnementales de l’agriculture de conservation dans les régions semi-arides en Tunisie

Conservation agriculture, based on direct seeding, offers an ecological production method based on an integrated and sustainable management of mulch and soil resources. The techno-economic and environmental impacts of this production alternative are variable depending on the production system and the agroecological zone. This work aims to assess different impacts of conservation agriculture compared to conventional agriculture, using a set of agronomic, economic and environmental indicators at the scale of an experimental station. The experimental device combines a set of crop rotations, in rainfall and irrigated system under conventional and conservation agriculture. The analytical methodological framework used the tools of descriptive statistics and multidimensional analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA). Results show the added value of conservation agriculture, which has higher economic and agronomic performance and positive environmental benefits.

Influence of climate-smart technologies on the success of livestock donation programs for smallholder farmers in Rwanda

Climate change threatens the livelihoods of Sub-Saharan African farmers through increased droughts. Livestock donation programs offer a potential solution, but their effectiveness under climate stress remains unclear. This study assesses the economic viability of integrating climate-smart technologies (cowsheds and biogas plants) into these programs in Rwanda. Using a stochastic benefit–cost analysis from the beneficiary perspective, we evaluate the net gains for households receiving heifers compared to the current program. Our findings reveal that integrating climate-smart technologies significantly enhances economic viability. Households with cows and climate-smart technologies can possibly realise net benefits 3.5 times higher than the current program, with benefit–cost ratios reaching 5:1. Beyond economic benefits, adopting biogas reduces deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and respiratory illness risks. This study demonstrates that integrating climate-smart technologies into livestock donation programs can generate positive economic, environmental, and health benefits, leading to more resilient and sustainable smallholder systems. However, overcoming implementation challenges requires tailored policy packages addressing local barriers.

Magnetic separation for recovering iron resources from acid-leaching tailings of laterite nickel ore through mineral phase transformation

The acid-leaching tailings of laterite nickel ore is a typical hazardous waste in the laterite nickel ore industry. The current treatment involves stacking and landfills, which leads to considerable environmental pollution and resource wastage. The reduction of hazardous waste and the recovery of iron resources have environmental and economic value. In this study, a mineral phase transformation technology was proposed. The suitable transformation conditions were 700 ℃, 30 min, and 30 % CO, and optimal grinding and magnetic conditions were −37 μm content 92.42 % and 143.35 kA·m−1, respectively. Then the iron grade and recovery reached 52.00 % and 80.11 %, respectively. Meanwhile, hematite has converted into strongly magnetic magnetite with saturation magnetization increased from nearly 0 A·m2·kg−1 to 28.49 A·m2·kg−1. And particles transformed from dense to a porous honeycomb structure. Therefore, the mineral phase transformation achieves recovering iron resources during reducing hazardous waste. It proposed a new way of resource utilization of laterite nickel ore acid-leaching tailings which has positive environmental and resource benefits.

ИННОВАЦИОННЫЕ СТРАТЕГИИ ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЯ ЗЕЛЕНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ: ЗЕЛЕНЫЕ МУНИЦИПАЛЬНЫЕ ОБЛИГАЦИИ

Sustainable municipal infrastructure is important for improving the quality of life of metropolitan residents. At present, due to macroeconomic instability, there are difficulties in attracting investment in municipal environmentally oriented infrastructure projects. Green bonds are increasingly being promoted around the world as a low-cost and attractive way for public and private actors to access liquidity to finance activities or projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and ecosystem adaptation. Although the green bond market is still in its infancy, green bonds are one of the most important innovations in green finance. Green Municipal Bonds are a new line of financial products designed to raise additional capital for projects that have positive environmental and/or climate benefits. Currently, there is no single definition of what constitutes a green municipal bond or green project. Nevertheless, the market for sustainable municipal projects is developing and attracting the attention of an increasing number of impak investors focused on investing in environmentally oriented sustainable projects. The author proposes a methodological framework for assessing the compliance of municipal projects with the requirements of green financing. The article also defines the criteria for assessing the effectiveness of green municipal projects financed through the issuance of green municipal bonds.

Behavior Modification and Introduction of Voluntary Simplicity Lifestyle toward Organisational Energy and Resource Conservation Practice

The study focused on various energy and resource conservation efforts carried out by employees in response to sustainable-operation initiatives introduced by the organization. The research utilized qualitative research technique to provide the details of aligning productivity improvement measures to energy and resource conservation practice. Giving attention to the response of the employees, the study pointed out the importance of behavior change, and voluntary simplicity lifestyle toward the creation of an energy and resource conservation model. Results suggested the incentivized motivation, and conscious reduction of unnecessary consumption, and voluntary simplicity can have positive environmental and sustainable benefits for the organization.

Comparative study of energy performance and water savings between hygroscopic and rankine cycle in a nuclear power plant. Case study of the HTR-10 reactor

The use of nuclear energy can contribute to achieving positive socio-economic and environmental benefits, but nuclear power plants are one of the most water-intensive industries in the world. The use of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technologies is increasing due to their interesting advantages such as reduction of construction costs and use in remote areas, which favors distributed generation. Hygroscopic Cycle Technology (HCT) can be of great interest for power generation in nuclear power plants, due to the potential improvement in terms of energy efficiency and water savings. This study presents the benefits of implementing HCT in an existing SMR, the HTR-10, based on the classical Regenerative Rankine Cycle (RRC). The HTR-10 is used to produce electricity and thermal energy for District Heating (DH). Analytical models of both cycles have been developed to compare them in terms of energy production and water consumption. Sensitivity analyses of the influence of the main variables have been performed. The results show that by varying the condensing pressures, the thermal power for DH and the net mechanical power production of the HCT increase up to 2.5 % and 1 %, respectively, with respect to the RRC. The maximum tolerable ambient temperature for the plant with the HCT is 43.12 °C, increasing the availability of the plant and avoiding water consumption between 70000 and 88000 m3/year, depending on the operating conditions. Extrapolation of the results suggests that HCT can improve the energy production of nuclear power plants in a more sustainable way, contributing significantly to the energy transition.

Tapping the Unused Energy Potential of Solar Water Pumps in India.

India seeks to deploy millions of solar water pumps to farmers who often lack access to electricity or face an unreliable power supply. Improving the use of this technology can bolster sustainable agriculture and expand clean energy services. We investigate farm-level impacts and opportunities with primary survey data (n = 292 farmers) and a large real-time pump operational data set (n = 1106 pumps). By modeling the potential solar generation of off-grid solar water pumps, we estimate 300-400 kWh/month of unutilized solar energy per pumping system, representing up to 95% of potential generation. While farmers report increased revenues and ease of pump operation, unsolved challenges concerning the lack of panel cleaning and tracking remain. Pump operational data show pump usage in the summer and monsoon seasons and an expansion of irrigation to grow crops in the winter. Relative to emissions associated with the use of diesel pumps, solar pumps that are highly utilized reduced life cycle CO2-eq emissions by 93% on average, while the pumping systems with the lowest use result in a net increase of 26% relative to the diesel alternatives. Based on observed usage rates, approximately 70% of pumps had positive environmental benefits. The high share of unutilized solar energy provides a significant opportunity to use the energy for nonpumping purposes.

Dairy cow longevity and farm economic performance: Evidence from Swedish dairy farms

The longevity of dairy cows is mainly determined by farmers' subjective culling decisions and can be linked to the environmental impact of dairy production and to the social acceptance of the industry. Still, the economic impacts of dairy cow longevity are not well understood. The aim of this study was therefore to examine how herd average dairy cow longevity is related to the farm economic outcome. We used 3 indicators of economic outcome: technical efficiency, profitability and average milk yield per cow. We used 2 indicators of dairy cow longevity: average herd length of life and average herd length of productive life. The study was based on a unique and detailed data set from Swedish dairy agriculture, where herd management data from the national dairy herd recording scheme were combined with farm level economic variables, the Swedish farm accountancy survey, for a total of 1,959 observations over the time period 2010 - 2018. The regression results highlight that both measures of average herd dairy cow longevity have an overall positive and statistically significant association with farm level economic performance. These associations had an inverted U-shape which implies that the association is first positive and then declines. Descriptive statistics indicate that the point where the maximum economic performance is attained varied across the economic indicators. Our results are relevant for individual dairy farmers and their advisors who are interested in understanding how herd average longevity relates to economic performance on the farms. Our results are also important from a greater sustainability perspective: linking them to previous knowledge about the positive environmental and social sustainability benefits from keeping cows longer, highlights there may be dairy cow longevity-associated tradeoffs between those benefits and the farm economic outcomes.

Indigenous people's perceptions of benefits and costs of China's second phase of the grain for green program and the influencing factors

We argue that, instead of conventional monetary measures of net economic benefits, perceptions of program participants about net economic, social, environmental, and overall benefits are more important for the sustainability of the programs like the Second Phase of China's Grain for Green Program. A model of participants' perceptions of net social, economic, environmental, and overall benefits is proposed and used to examine the influencing factors of the perceptions. The model is estimated using household data from Yi (Indigenous) people of China and multivariate probit regression. Interestingly, results reveal that for both poor and non-poor participants: (i) perceived income inequality reduces the respective possibilities of perceiving positive net economic and net social benefits about the program; (ii) perceived water pollution in nearby rivers reduces the respective possibilities of perceiving positive net social and net environmental benefits; (iii) perceived increase of time for non-farm work increases the possibility of perceiving positive net economic benefit; and (iv) perceived increase of time for family care and housework increases the possibility of perceiving positive net social benefit. We suggest policy interventions to improve the influence of factors that have positive impacts on participants' perceptions and reduce the influences of factors having negative impacts.

Is society willing to pay for the environmental benefits of bamboo buildings? A case study of China

In the global context of environmental degradation and the energy crisis, bamboo buildings are regaining interest from the construction industry due to their positive environmental benefits and sustainability. Researchers have also recognized the environmental benefits of bamboo buildings. However, the acceptance of these benefits by Chinese society is still a topic worthy of exploration and further investigation. Therefore, this study utilizes an environmental impact monetization procedure and the economic indicator of environmental tax to provide stakeholders in various regions of China with intuitive criteria for evaluating the environmental benefits of bamboo buildings. The results reveal variations in the willingness of Chinese society to pay for these benefits, with the lowest willingness to pay observed in Beijing and the highest in Zhejiang. Additionally, the study identifies the key factors influencing willingness to pay, including the environmental tax rate, environmental pollution status, and the supply distance of bamboo building materials. Interestingly, a comparative analysis demonstrates that the environmental benefits of bamboo buildings in China are generally superior to those of precast concrete. The results of the study can not only help update the information on bamboo materials in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) database and enrich the fundamental data for future research, but also provide valuable references for policymakers to formulate policies promoting green buildings. Furthermore, they contribute to manufacturers' industrial planning and technological innovation by suggesting measures, and assist builders and the general public in making more rational decisions regarding the adoption of bamboo buildings.

Al-rich industrial waste as new alternative of fumed silica for the manufacture of vacuum insulation panels for building energy conservation

Nano-structured fumed silica (FS) is the most used vacuum insulation panel (VIP) core material for building applications. However, the FS VIP core has the majority of the environmental burden associated with conventional VIP manufacture and FS-based VIPs are very expensive. This paper explores aluminium anodizing sludge (ALW), a residue from the aluminium industry, as a new substitute for FS in VIP cores. Al-rich sludge waste is thoroughly characterised, and 100%-based ALW and its hybrid core mixtures with FS are formulated to produce VIPs cores, which are then evaluated. ALW was observed as aggregated clusters of nanosized individual particles in round and smooth-shaped forms typical of hydrated gel-like pure amorphous materials. The microstructure system of the sole ALW VIP core is found to be dissimilar to that of an FS VIP core, with the pore size range of 0.1–0.8 μm for the former and 0.01–0.04 μm for the latter, but the overall volume of large pores being much higher for the FS than ALW cores. The hybridization of ALW and FS resulted in a restructure of the initial ALW core systems. While the thermal conductivity of the ALW VIP core is less proficient than that of the single FS core, the effective thermal conductivity of both ALW50FS50 and ALW25FS75 core compositions at 1 Pa even suppressed that of the sole FS core, presenting 5.8 mW m−1·K−1 against 6.3 mW m−1·K−1 respectively. A life cycle assessment (LCA) study of these hybrid core solutions was also conducted to illustrate the positive environmental benefit of ALW-based VIP compared to FS-based VIP production. The study highlights the potential of using industrial residue ALW in VIP production, contributing to developing more sustainable superinsulation materials.

Properties of Jute Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites – A Review

Jute fibres is of great interest to be used as reinforcement in thermoset or thermoplastic composites, in order to provide positive environmental benefits in-terms of degradability, abundance, low density, nominal cost and recyclable. During fabricating the composites, researchers facing complications such as high water absorbing (WA) character, poor incompatibility of fibre with resins, quality variations in fibres, low thermal stability, etc. Therefore, chemical treatments are considered and it will be the most effective way to enhance the interfacial bonding with matrix, improve mechanical strength and less WA as well. Many research works were carried out on the influence of chemical treatment on the properties of jute fibre and their composites. The investigated treatment methods and the impact of chemical treatment on the properties of jute fibre reinforced polymer composites are comprehensively presented in this review.

Optimizing SCND with carbon-rich hydrolysates from typical organic wastes: Material composition, augmentation performance, microbiome response, and life cycle impact

The rapid growth of production and consumption has led to severe environmental pollution, creating a major challenge to achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs). To address it, recycling of organic wastes into value-added products is a possible solution. In this work, four typical organic wastes including sewage sludge (SS), chicken manure (CM), food waste (FW), and corn straw (CS) were employed to produce hydrolysates augmenting shortcut nitrification-denitrification (SCND) for nitrogen depletion in wastewater. The hydrolysates were carbon-rich, with total COD (TCOD), soluble COD (SCOD), and volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations ranging from 32.5 to 102.7, 5.7 to 48.4, and 2.0–16.5 mg/L, respectively. The most effective nitrogen depletion was obtained in units supplemented with CM and FW hydrolysates, which had reduced average NH3–N concentrations and near-zero TN removal failure rates under legal requirements. The microbial community analysis demonstrated that various functional bacteria from phylum to genus level were detected in all scenarios, which was corroborated by abundant genetic functions involved in nitrogen metabolism. Further, life cycle assessment revealed negative environmental impact on all categories, with an exception of eutrophication potential (EP) with negative values (∼−0.04 kg Phosphate eq.), allowing positive net environmental benefit (NEB). Operational cost analysis revealed that CM and FW are more effective but costlier than SS and CS. Together, these results indicate that, after hydrolysis, organic wastes can be efficient stimulant augmenting SCND performance for nitrogen depletion in wastewater, benefiting the overall environmental impact.

A Market Analysis of Potential Investment in Green Bonds and it’s Contribution to Sustainable Development

Since 1880, there has been an average annual increase in the ambient temperature of about 0.8° Celsius, which is what causes global warming. As a result of continued climate change, ocean water has become more acidic, and rising carbon levels have encouraged the development of green bonds. These bonds designed to benefit the environment. As people's understanding of sustainable development has expanded. The amount of money received through the selling of Programs that support the use of renewable energy sources, the growth of agriculture, fisheries, and poultry, as well as clean transportation, afforestation, the preservation of biodiversity, moderate fossil fuel consumption, and the slowed rate of global warming are funded with the help of green bonds. Studies show that some investors look for green bonds that give a fixed income as well as environmental protection and decision-making that takes into account positive societal effects or environmental benefits. The economy must embrace and promote the growing trend of green bonds. The principal of green bonds is paid out regularly to investors, and interest is paid when the bond matures. Bonds issued by corporations’ bear dividends. The World Bank's support for green bonds, the impact Indian green bonds have on Indian investors, and other topics are covered in this essay. An analysis of SBI's 2019 "green bonds" is provided in this essay. This essay makes an effort to give a comprehensive overview of the benefits and potential of green investments in order to assist sustainable development. There is a brief list of projects that were started using green bonds. This study includes a number of illustrations to support the global and Indian green bond issues. The issuance volumes for 2021, 2020, and 2019 are shown on this page. It has been suggested how the money raised by green bonds in 2021, 2020, and 2019 will be used for various purposes

Comprehensive environmental impact assessment of plastic film mulching with emphasis on waste disposal of discarded plastic film in sunflower production

Large proportions of plastic film residues are not recycled after their service life, posing a serious threat to the environment. Understanding and optimizing the disposal of discarded plastic film can be crucial to limit damage to the environment. In this study, we determined the potential environmental impact of different cultivation methods in terms of four endpoint damage categories, namely climate change, human health, ecosystems, and resource depletion, with specific emphasis on the disposal process of discarded plastic films. Plastic film mulching considerably increased damage per hectare in all endpoint categories. However, in three endpoint categories, damage per kilogram of yield produced was lower under plastic film mulching. Chemical fertilizer input was the most dominant contributor to environmental damage, accounting for approximately 60% of the total environmental impact. Recycling was the most beneficial strategy for offsetting and mitigating all endpoint damage categories compared with incineration and landfill. This positive environmental benefit of recycling can primarily be attributed to the fact that recycling discarded plastic film can reduce white waste and allow recycled plastic film to be reused as part of a new product.

The Effect of Input Digitalization on Carbon Emission Intensity: An Empirical Analysis Based on China's Manufacturing.

Digitalization is an excellent opportunity for the manufacturing industry all over the world to improve the core competitiveness and break through the "low-end locking" dilemma. However, it is not clear whether the digitalization of the manufacturing industry has positive ecological and environmental benefits under the resource and environmental constraints. To answer this question, we use the data from the world input-output database (WIOD) to investigate the impact of manufacturing input digitalization on carbon emission intensity by an extended analysis. The results show that the input digitalization of the manufacturing industry has mixed effects on reducing carbon emission intensity. The productive input digitalization can reduce carbon emission intensity, but the distributional input digitalization may increase carbon emission intensity. Non-pollution-intensive manufacturing and high-input digital manufacturing have stronger carbon emission reduction effects than the other industry sectors. From the perspective of input sources, input digitalization from domestic sources has a significant inhibitory effect on the carbon emission intensity. In contrast, input digitalization from foreign sources may increase carbon emission intensity.

Train vs. airplane: Investigating the potential modal share shift and the environmental impact for a reduced train travel time from Thessaloniki to Athens

This paper investigates the impact of routing a train between Athens and Thessaloniki, completing the journey in 2.5 hours, on modal share. With high expectations for the modernization of the Greek railway system, particularly the Athens-Thessaloniki route, and recent tragic events involving the railway, this study aims to shed light on the potential effects of such an improvement. A questionnaire survey was conducted at Thessaloniki Airport “Makedonia” to gather data on travel time, ticket prices, and other factors influencing travelers’ mode choices for the Athens-Thessaloniki route. The survey included 181 participants, most of whom had an income equal to or below the average monthly income. Results revealed that if the new rail system was implemented at equal cost, 63% of respondents would choose the train over the airplane, citing long transit times, waiting time, extra costs, and luggage restrictions as primary factors favoring the train. However, 8% expressed concerns about the reliability and adherence to estimated travel times. Overall, the research concludes that, despite the recent tragedy, the modernized train system could significantly increase its modal share and offer positive environmental benefits by reducing the journey time to 2.5 hours.

How does sharing economy advance cleaner production? Evidence from the product life cycle design perspective

The sharing economy is a recent worldwide development; however, its impact on sustainability remains unclear, particularly in regards to the advancement of cleaner production. In order to explore the potential and contribution of specific sharing economy business practices in the transition to cleaner production, this study empirically analyzed how China's free-floating bike-sharing (FFBS) improved environmental sustainability through optimization of product life cycle design. Specifically, the impact on climate change and human health of three generations of shared bike products was quantitatively analyzed by using product environmental footprint (PEF) approach. The results show that sustainable product lifecycle design can effectively improve the sustainability of FFBS. Through optimized design and product upgrades, the environmental impact intensity of FFBS has decreased by approximately 25.09% –34.34%. This causes FFBS to gradually evolve from exerting negative impacts on climate change to achieving considerable climate benefits (22.18 CO2-eq/pkm). The environmental benefits on ozone depletion and photochemical ozone formation also increased by about 2.46 μg CFC11eq/pkm and 85.77 mg NMVOC eq/pkm with the upgrade of shared bikes from the first generation to the third generation. In addition, although the negative effects of FFBS on respiratory inorganics, non-cancer human health effects and cancer human health effects have been significantly reduced, the corresponding positive environmental benefits still need to be achieved by significantly increasing the utilization rate of shared bikes. Furthermore, this suggests that the sustainable production life cycle design of FFBS can follow the principles of safety, ease of maintenance, durability, ease of use, universality, resource conservation, and recyclability. This empirical study can not only help authorities, managers and the public better understand the contribution of the sharing economy to cleaner production, but also provides new insights and valuable references for improving the sustainability of the sharing economy.

Assessing the chlorine metabolism and its resource efficiency in chlor-alkali industrial symbiosis - A case of Shanghai Chemical Industry Park

As an important part of China's chemical industry, chlor-alkali enterprises were featured by heavy consumption of natural resource and large amount of pollutants. Circular economy in chlor-alkali industry should be developed in China to achieve a balance between economic growth and resource consumption. This study took three chlor-alkali enterprises in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park as a case, and three scenarios were established for chlorine metabolism: Scenario 1 (Chlorine flows independently), Scenario 2 (Chlorine flows from Enterprise A to Enterprise B and C), Scenario 3 (Closed loop of Chlorine Gas). An integrated methodology based upon Substance Flow Analysis (SFA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was set up and used to evaluate the Chlor-Alkali Industrial Symbiosis. The results showed that the resource efficiency, production and conversion rate of chlorine was significantly improved with the establishment and optimization of symbiosis scenarios, which also showed very positive environmental and economic benefits according to LCA-LCC analysis. DEA was performed to analyze the Chlorine's resource efficiency in its metabolism, and the results showed that the efficiency of Scenario 1, Scenario 2 and Scenario 3 were 0.8548, 0.9490 and 1, respectively. Especially, in Scenario 3, a new chemical technology, catalytic oxidation of hydrogen chloride, can convert the by-product hydrogen chloride into chlorine, which can be reused and finally made a closed-loop in this industrial symbiosis. The results of this study can provide a new way to optimize the resource recycle, pollutants discharge and carbon emissions of chlor-alkali industry.