Stricter Environmental Policies Research Articles

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

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

Environmental Management Technologies, Environmental Policy Stringency, Energy Productivity and Pollution Emission: Fresh Evidence from Indonesia under STIRPAT Framework

The rapid pace of climate change and global warming has become an ever growing challenge all over the world. Global warming and carbon concentrations can be mitigated by adopting strict environmental policies and effective management of the environment. Therefore, the study aims to empirically investigate the effect of environmental policy stringency (EPS), energy productivity and environmental management technologies (EMT) on pollution emission in Indonesia- one of the most polluting countries of the world. To this end, the study collects data over the 1990 to 2020 period. The study uses Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) approach to carry out empirical estimation. The findings reveal that environmental management technologies, energy productivity and environmental policy stringency had negative impact on CO2 emission. However, economic growth (GDP) and urbanization had positive role in increasing CO2 emission in the long run and the short run. On the basis of the outcomes, the study recommends that Indonesia should adopt strict environmental policies and legislations to mitigate environmental deterioration. Indonesian government is recommended to promote the adoption of environmental management technologies by providing substantial incentives and investment opportunities for businesses.

LEAD-ASSOCIATED MORTALITY IN THE US 1999-2020: A TIME-STRATIFIED ANALYSIS OF A NATIONAL COHORT

Objective: We undertook time-stratified analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the US to assess time trends (1999-2020) in the associations of blood lead (BL) with blood pressure (BP), mortality, the BL-associated population attributable fraction (PAF). Design and method: Vital status of participants, 20-79 years old at enrolment, was ascertained via the National Death Index. Regressions, mediation analyses and PAF were multivariable adjusted and standardized to 2020 US Census data. Results: In time-stratified analyses, BL decreased from 1.76 ug/dL in 1999-2004 to 0.93 ug/dL in 2017-2020, while the proportion of individuals with BL <1 ug/dL increased from 19.2% to 63.0%. Total mortality was unrelated to BL (HR for a 4-fold BL increment: 1.05 [95% CI: 0.93-1.17]). The HR for cardiovascular death was 1.44 (1.01-2.07) in the 1999-2000 cycle, but lost significance thereafter. BL was directly related to cardiovascular mortality, whereas the indirect BL pathway via BP was not significant. Low socioeconomic status (SES) was directly related to BL and cardiovascular mortality, but the indirect SES pathway via BL lost significance in 2007-2010. From 1999-2004 to 2017-2020, cardiovascular PAF decreased (P < 0.001) from 7.80% (0.17-14.4%) to 2.50% (0.05-4.68%) and number of lead-attributable cardiovascular deaths from 53,878 (1,167-99,253) to 7,539 (160-14,108). Conclusions: Due to implementation of strict environmental policies, lead exposure is no longer associated with total mortality, and the mildly increased cardiovascular mortality is not associated with blood lead via blood pressure in the US.

Does environmental policy stringency alter the natural resources-emissions nexus? Evidence from G-7 countries

Natural resource management is indispensable keeping in view their positive economic impacts as well as their detrimental environmental consequences. To achieve certain SDGs, it is inevitable to manage natural resources through effective policies that help to inhibit adverse environmental impacts. Based on this approach, the current empirical analysis aims to probe whether environmental policy stringency intensifies, meagres, and/or halts the abysmal environmental impact of natural resources in G-7 countries (United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Italy, France, Japan, and Germany) for the period from 1990 to 2020. To that end, we rely on the second-generation panel data approaches and panel quantile regression. The outcomes reveal that natural resources increase carbon dioxide emission whereas the synergy of natural resources and environmental policy stringency plunges emissions across the quantiles. These findings suggest adoption of a strict environmental policy for attaining the targets of SGD-08 (economic growth), SDG-09 (innovations), SDG-11 (sustainable cities), SDG-12 (responsible consumption of natural resources), and SDG-13 (climate action).

Towards a zero-waste aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food park

The scarcity of natural resources, rising energy prices and strict environmental policies are incentives for the food industry to reform current production strategies. As part of this shift, the eco-industrial park concept is gaining momentum. Industrial aquaponics, integrating aquaculture and hydroponics, emerges as a pioneering food production system. Its focus on reusing and conserving resources aligns with eco-industrial parks. The novel concept of an aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food park fits into a biobased circular economy and supports large-scale exploitation to overcome current economic constraints that prevent commercial adoption. However, balancing aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food parks to minimize external inputs as well as waste is challenging. The present study aims to investigate how a quasi-dynamic optimization method can be used in the design of aquaponics-centered eco-industrial food parks under different seasonal weather conditions. The food park encompasses an aquaculture-hydroponic and anaerobic digestion system that mineralizes internal waste streams. The study prioritizes enhancing nitrogen and phosphorus use-efficiency and self-sufficiency. The results unveil specific optimal hydroponic system sizes for a standardized 100 m3 aquaculture volume. Cooler regions thrive around 0.6–1.0 ha hydroponic system, while warmer areas excel at 0.2–0.3 ha with corresponding nitrogen and phosphorus use-efficiencies of 90% and 67% and self-sufficiencies of 88% and 95%, respectively. A supernatant nitrification step with light supplementation improved the design with maximum self-sufficiency and high water use-efficiency of 88% for a hydroponic-aquaculture area-volume ratio of 0.22:100. Complete nitrogen and phosphorus self-sufficient, near zero-waste, food park was achieved by introducing mineralization of chicken manure for a hydroponic-aquaculture ratio of 1.1:100. Moreover, the food park yielded a 6.7-fold lower carbon footprint compared to an optimized traditional on-demand coupled aquaponics system with a hydroponic-aquaculture ratio of 0.15:100.

How Environmental Policy Stringency, Foreign Direct Investment, and Eco-Innovation Supplement the Energy Transition: New Evidence from NICs

Several researchers have studied the environmental policy stringency and ecological innovation regarding CO2 emissions and renewable energy consumption; however, the impact of environmental policy stringency, technological innovation, FDI, and ecological innovation on energy transition has not been studied in the case of NICs. For this purpose, panel quantile regression models are applied in the context of NICs from 2000 to 2021. Our empirical results show that the effect of foreign direct investment is positive and statistically significant on energy transition. On the other hand the variables environmental policy stringency, eco-innovation, and ICT-trade have an inverse effect on energy transition. Therefore, the findings of the study also provide policy implications that indicate NICs need to optimize their trade structure and re-innovate the latest innovation spillovers, and strict environmental policies should be introduced to facilitate energy transition in NICs.

Lead-associated mortality in the US 1999-2020: a time-stratified analysis of a national cohort.

We undertook time-stratified analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the US to assess time trends (1999-2020) in the associations of blood lead (BL) with blood pressure, mortality, the BL-associated population attributable fraction (PAF). Vital status of participants, 20-79 years old at enrolment, was ascertained via the National Death Index. Regressions, mediation analyses and PAF were multivariable adjusted and standardized to 2020 US Census data. In time-stratified analyses, BL decreased from 1.76 μg/dl in 1999-2004 to 0.93 μg/dl in 2017-2020, while the proportion of individuals with BL < 1 μg/dl increased from 19.2% to 63.0%. Total mortality was unrelated to BL (hazard ratio (HR) for a fourfold BL increment: 1.05 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.93-1.17]). The HR for cardiovascular death was 1.44 (1.01-2.07) in the 1999-2000 cycle, but lost significance thereafter. BL was directly related to cardiovascular mortality, whereas the indirect BL pathway via BP was not significant. Low socioeconomic status (SES) was directly related to BL and cardiovascular mortality, but the indirect SES pathway via BL lost significance in 2007-2010. From 1999-2004 to 2017-2020, cardiovascular PAF decreased ( P < 0.001) from 7.80% (0.17-14.4%) to 2.50% (0.05-4.68%) and number of lead-attributable cardiovascular deaths from 53 878 (1167-99 253) to 7539 (160-14 108). Due to implementation of strict environmental policies, lead exposure is no longer associated with total mortality, and the mildly increased cardiovascular mortality is not associated with blood lead via blood pressure in the United States.

Strategy towards sustainable energy transition: The effect of environmental governance, economic complexity and geopolitics

The Paris Agreement and COP27 have been actively working towards a transition to clean energy (SDG-7) and the restoration of the green environment (SDG-13). Therefore, this study was situated within a comprehensive policy framework. This study aims to investigate the effects of environmental governance and economic complexity on energy transition in 20 OECD countries selected for analysis from 1990 to 2021. This study employs the novel MMQR model to account for slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependency. Additionally, an asymmetric analysis was conducted to examine the mediating and moderating roles of geopolitical risk in the relationship between environmental governance, economic complexity, and energy transition. The primary findings of this study indicate that (1) environmental governance and economic complexity have a stimulating effect on energy transition at different levels of quantiles. Strict environmental policies have played a critical role in the transition to clean energy. Furthermore, the interaction between environmental governance and geopolitical factors negatively impacts energy transition at various quantiles; (2) economic complexity demonstrates a positive association with energy transition, as countries with high economic complexity possess the necessary resources, capabilities, and resilience to effectively address the challenges and seize the opportunities associated with transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. However, the interaction of economic complexity with geopolitics transforms the positive influence of geopolitics into a negative influence on energy transition. The novel nonparametric panel Granger causality test establishes a significant causal relationship, revealing that environmental governance and economic complexity can support energy transition by creating a favorable environment for clean energy adoption, fostering innovation, facilitating effective planning and implementation, enhancing economic resilience, and promoting international collaboration.

Investigating the Effect of Trade Openness and Agriculture on Deforestation in Cameroon

This study aimed to measure the effect of trade openness and agriculture on deforestation in Cameroon from 1980 to 2021 by using a fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) approach. Data used are from the World Bank and FAO. The results obtained indicate that when trade openness increases, deforestation also increases, but when trade openness increases up to a certain threshold, deforestation decreases. This study also reveals that agriculture is one of the major causes of deforestation in Cameroon. Agricultural output and agricultural value-added both have a positive and significant impact on deforestation. There is an inverted curve relationship between economic growth and deforestation in Cameroon, this shows that the EKC is respected with deforestation as it is postulated that at higher levels of income, GDP turns to reduce deforestation meaning a unit change in GDP2 leads to a reduction of deforestation. We recommend the implementation of concrete actions and strict environmental policies focused on a green economy, to control the exploitation of natural resources with particular attention to the sustainable exploitation of wood. Sustainable agricultural practices should also be implemented, as well as more suitable liberal trade policies.

Does environmental policy stringency reduce trade in energy resources? Insights from coal, petroleum, and gas

Stringent Environmental policies are widely acknowledged as a significant policy option to control the harmful effects of environmental degradation. Restricting trade in energy commodities helps reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and thus improve environmental quality. Within the framework of new trade theory, the analysis intends to investigate the influence of environmental policy stringency on trade in conventional energy commodities (coal, petroleum, and gas) in the top polluted economies of the world from 1991 to 2021. Additionally, the study uses the asymmetry assumption compared to earlier research. For empirical investigation, the analysis applied the novel nonlinear CS-ARDL model that can deal with the issue of cross-sectional dependence and provide robust short and long-run estimates. Findings of the nonlinear model suggest that a positive shock in environmental policy stringency restricts trade in energy commodities in the long run, whereas a negative shock in environmental policy stringency does not exert any noticeable effect on these commodities. In the short run, a positive shock in environmental policy stringency exhibits significantly negative effects in mostly energy commodities. Energy demand and financial development promote trade in energy commodities in the nonlinear model, and the real exchange rate restricts trade in these commodities. Thus, policymakers should introduce strict environmental policies to limit the consumption of fossil fuels and promote clean and green energy sources and sustainable development.

Fintech, natural resource rents, renewable energy consumption and environmental quality: A perspective of green economic recovery from BRICS economies

The concerns related to environmental problems result in new technological and financial trends. In this context, fintech has come up as a substitute which happens to strike a balance economic growth and environmental sustainability that is particularly aimed by government, international communities and organizations. Furthermore, natural resource-abundant economies experience adverse environmental issues that would further necessitate the economies to find out the credible solution. Thus, against the backdrop, we explore the linear (symmetric) and non-linear (asymmetric) associations among variables such as consumption of renewable energies (CRE), natural resource rents (NRR), environmental policy implication (EPI), and Financials technologies (FTech) from the perspective of BRICS economies. Over the period from 2016 to 2023, the study applies CS-ARDL and NARDL models to explore the possible linearity and non-linearity of associations. We find that Fintech and NRR enhance economic recovery but deteriorate the environmental quality. However, strict environmental policy implications reduce economic growth and enhance climate quality. Finally, consumption of renewable energies contributes to higher economic growth and better environmental quality.

Environmental Regulatory Policy and Economic Development in China: Purpose and Consequence

Based on the development history of environmental regulation in China and the corresponding economic situation, this paper discusses whether environmental regulation policies in northeast, southwest and central China are conducive to local economic development. The purpose of this paper is to derive appropriate environmental regulatory policies for regions with different economic conditions. The restoration of ecology and the goal of green production in Northeast China have prompted strict environmental protection policies. However, considering the relatively backward level of local economic development, environmental regulation policies should be relaxed appropriately to give way to economic development. However, Southwest China has a serious ecological destruction problem. The implementation of environmental policies can help Southwest China achieve technological innovation, scientific and technological development and economic growth. Therefore, relatively strict environmental regulation policies should be adopted. Central China has a relatively high level of economic development, but there are also problems such as low resource utilization rate. Therefore, strict environmental policies should be adopted accordingly to promote Central China to improve resource utilization rate, production efficiency and technological innovation, so as to promote economic growth.

Managing Environmental Policy Stringency to Ensure Sustainable Development in OECD Countries

In response to climate change that threatens both economic and social sustainable development, governments adopt strict environmental policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the use of energy from renewable sources. The main purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the strictness of environmental policy can influence the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of renewable energy in selected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) method and Granger causality test were employed in order to investigate the long-run relationship between the main components of the environmental policy stringency index and the evolution of greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy consumption. The results indicate significant influences of the Market-based instruments sub-index and the Technology Support policies sub-index on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, while the Non-Market Based instruments index, which includes policies that impose emission limits and standards, does not exert any significant influence in this regard. Regarding the impact on renewable energy consumption, the results of this study indicate significant positive influences from the perspective of the three sub-indices used in the analysis. These results should send a signal to decision-makers on the effectiveness of policies that impose emission limits and standards, in the sense that their improvement will generate significant influences in mitigating climate change risks.

Information asymmetry in the graph model of conflict resolution and its application to the sustainable water resource utilization conflict in Niangziguan Springs Basin

With the increasing consumption of global water resources, research on sustainable water resource utilization has become a topic of urgent interest. Despite the promulgation of policies and laws on the protection of water resources, the sustainable utilization and development of water resources in China are still far from reaching their initially established targets. This is partly explained by real-life conflicts that arise, in which different decision makers (DMs) possess different levels of professional knowledge, social status, and even power in contexts where the parties’ ability to leverage information varies greatly. Sustainable water resource utilization conflicts between the government and factories exemplify the impact of this information asymmetry on the relationship between DMs for the purposes of conflict resolution. In this paper, it is assumed that if one DM in a conflict has more information, their information advantage will affect the policy formation of the other DM. Thus, to analyze and resolve relevant problems, the concept of information asymmetry between two DMs is integrated into the basic structure of the graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR). According to the mathematical expression of the information asymmetry preferences of DMs, a set of information asymmetry stability definitions can be introduced to determine the stable state for each DM. The sustainable water resource utilization conflict in Niangziguan Springs Basin is used as an exemplar to confirm the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method. Stability analysis shows that when the government implements strict environmental policies by leveraging more information, factories should adjust their preference relations to follow the rules and regulations to protect water resource in practice. Finally, comprehensive sustainable utilization and development of natural resource mechanisms must be implemented not only for these factories but also for other industries in China.

Environmental policy, green trade and sustainable development in Europe: New perspective on the Porter hypothesis

This study tests the validity of the Porter hypothesis through the examination of the joint effects of green trade and environmental policy stringency on sustainable development in the European Economic Area. To achieve the study objective, data for 14 countries within the region between 2003 and 2015 is analyzed using advanced panel estimation techniques – panel method of moments quantile and nonparametric time-varying coefficient panel models. The empirical analysis yields a number of interesting results. In confirmation of the Porter hypothesis, the interaction term is positive and significant. Specifically, a percentage increase in environmental policy stringency raises the positive impact of green trade on sustainable development by 0.005%. This interactive effect also ranges between 0.002% and 0.007% across quantiles. This indicates that the higher the level of sustainable development, the higher the moderating impact of environmental policy stringency on the relationship between green trade and sustainable development. This suggests that stringent policies are able to induce green technological shocks that cause efficiency improvements and innovation, which in turn promote sustainable development either directly or indirectly through their interactions with green trade. Moreover, the individual and synergistic impacts of environmental policy stringency and green trade are time-varying and sensitive to economic conditions. They become more pronounced in periods of major regional/global economic events. Responsible use of strict environmental policies is advocated, and the removal of green trade barriers is encouraged.

Theoretical framework for assessing construction enterprise green innovation efficiency and influencing factors: Evidence from China

This study explores strategies and mechanisms to improve the efficiency of green innovation in construction enterprises with a newly constructed theoretical framework. Firstly, a theoretical framework for measuring green innovation efficiency in construction enterprises and analyzing its influencing factors is constructed based on resource-based theory, institutional theory and asymmetric innovation theory. Secondly, the SBM model was applied to calculate the green innovation efficiency of construction enterprises in China from 2008 to 2019. Then, the effects of different factors on the green innovation efficiency of construction enterprises were empirically tested. The main findings are as follows. (1) There is significant regional heterogeneity in the green innovation efficiency of construction enterprises in China; (2) The openness of the market, the industrial structure of the construction industry and government support for innovation show significant positive effects on the green innovation efficiency of construction enterprises; (3) The large size of the construction industry and strict environmental policies negatively affect the green innovation efficiency of construction enterprises. This study provides a policy reference for the Chinese government to realize the green transformation of the construction industry through green innovation. In addition, it also provides experiences from China for other regions in the world that are facing carbon reduction problems in the construction industry through green innovation.

The Nexus Between Monetary Policy, Innovation Efficiency, and Total Factor Productivity-Evidence from Global Panel Data

ABSTRACT This research explores the impact of monetary policy on the growth rate of total factor productivity (TFPG) and innovation efficiency (IE) through panel data of 30 countries from 1983 to 2018 by the bias-corrected fixed-effect dynamic (BCFE) model. We find that tight monetary policy negatively impacts the growth rate of total factor productivity (TFPG) and innovation efficiency (IE), which is still valid after a series of robustness tests. We then perform sub-sample regressions, and the results show that countries with higher government efficiency, higher financial development, and stricter environmental policy can reduce the negative impact of tightening monetary policy on total factor productivity and innovation efficiency. Our research illustrates that a tightening monetary policy not only adversely impacts total factor productivity but also influences the main driving force of its growth-innovation efficiency.

Development of predictive optimization model for autonomous rotary drilling system using machine learning approach

The growing global energy demand and strict environmental policies motivate the use of technology and performance improvement techniques in drilling operations. In the traditional drilling method, the effort and time required to optimize drilling depend on the effectiveness of human driller in selecting the optimal set of parameters to improve system performance. Although existing work has identified the significance of upscaling from manual drilling to autonomous drilling system, little has been done to support this transition. In this paper, predictive optimization model is proposed for autonomous drilling systems. To evaluate optimized operating procedure, a comparative study of surface operating parameters using weight on bit (WOB), rotary speed (RPM) versus drilling mechanical specific energy (DMSE), and feed thrust (FET) is presented. The study used a data-driven approach that uses offset drilling data with machine learning model in finding a pair of input operating variables that serves as best tuning parameters for the topdrive and drawwork system. The results illustrate that derived variables (DMSE, FET) gave higher prediction accuracy with correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.985, root mean square error (RMSE) of 7.6 and average absolute percentage error (AAPE) of 34, whilst using the surface operating parameters (WOB, RPM) delivered an R2, RMSE and AAPE of 0.74, 28 and 106, respectively. Although previous researches have predicted ROP using ANN, this research considered the selection of tuning control variables and using it in predicting the system ROP for an autonomous system. The model output offers parameter optimization and adaptative control of autonomous drilling system.

Exploring the linkage between financial development and ecological footprint in APEC countries: A novel view under corruption perception and environmental policy stringency

Balancing economic growth and a sustainable environment has been a concern for governments. However, it has been observed that sustainable development is related to economic factors, the institutional environment, and the effectiveness of environmental regulatory policies. This study empirically investigates the relationship between financial development, strict environmental regulations, corruption, foreign direct investment, trade openness, renewable energy consumption, and ecological footprint. We used annual panel data of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries from 1994 to 2018 to fill the research gap. The present study follows a perspective that produces reliable and robust results using Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares and panel fisher causality analysis. The long-run flexibility estimates calculated with the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares approach explain the inverted U relationship between financial development and ecological footprint. Long-run elasticity estimates suggest that strict environmental policies, renewable energy consumption, financial development and corruption, and the interaction of financial development and strict environmental policies reduce the ecological footprint. In addition, foreign direct investment and trade openness are found to increase the ecological footprint. This confirms the pollution haven hypothesis in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries. According to the causality test results, bidirectional causality relationships were discovered between ecological footprint and financial development, strict environmental policies, corruption, renewable energy sources, foreign direct investment and trade openness. We suggest that institutional financial framework and financial development for APEC countries will reduce environmental degradation in the long run, and sustainable development can be achieved through the institutional environment and the effectiveness of environmental regulatory policies.

Green Supplier Selection in the Construction Industry Using a Novel Fuzzy Decision-Making Approach

Concern for the environment among individuals, stakeholders, and governments has steadily increased during the last few decades. Strict environmental regulations and policies have prompted enterprises to develop positive improvements such as green supply chain selection practices. Selecting a suitable supplier is essential for the competitiveness and profitability of an enterprise due to environmental and economic impacts. Managers face challenges as a result of uncertainty in supply chain management. This research narrows the knowledge gap by applying a decision-making approach in a fuzzy environment to consider the uncertainties for green supplier selection in the construction industry. In this paper, a new approach using the best-worst method (BWM) and the superiority and inferiority ranking (SIR) is applied to assist managers in the appropriate supplier selection, in which the assessment is carried out with probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy sets (PDHFS). The BWM with PDHFSs is used to generate the weights for criteria and experts. Also, a consistency index based on an input-based consistency ratio (CR) is introduced to solve the problem of poor consistency and make the computing process simpler. Moreover, the extended SIR method with the PDHFS is established using the criteria weights obtained by the BWM-PDHFS. A numerical study is employed to show the reliability and validity of the proposed approach, and comparisons are made to highlight its superiority.