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The present study is motivated by the need to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation given the new wave of chase for higher economic growth trajectories comes with its environmental cost implications, especially among developing blocs like the Emerging 7 (E7) countries. There is a consistent trade-off between economic growth versus environmental quality. Government apparatus are perpetually on the chase for low-carbon emission policies via the pursuit for green economy. To this end, this present study extends the conventional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) argument by incorporating the role of institution in emerging industrialized economies (E7) and using second-generation panel analysis methods like mean group (MG), augmented mean group (AMG), common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG), and the Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality test for more robust estimates and inferences. To this end, we explore the long-run and causality relationship between economic growth, quadratic form of economic growth, institutional quality, trade flow, investment in energy sector, and financial development in an EKC environment. Empirical analysis established a long-run equilibrium relationship among the outlined variables over the study period. The long-run regression shows the presence of EKC in the E7. Thus, suggesting the preference for GDP growth over environmental quality at the earlier stage of growth curve. Interestingly, investment in energy, trade flow dynamics across the blocs, and financial development dampens the detrimental effect of environmental pollution as we observed negative relationship with the ecological footprint. On the contrary, quality of institution is weak as institutional quality increase (worsen) the quality of environment in the E7 economies. From a policy perspective, this current study proposed the need for more stringent environmental treaties and regulations and promotion of green economy without compromising economic growth. In the conclusion part of the study, more details and specifics about the policy blueprint are presented.

Beyond the anticipated experience associated with tourism destinations, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has further tasked (especially the destination countries) on the importance of tourism to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From this dimension, this study employed the ecological footprint of the 10 most visited countries (France, Spain, United States, China, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand) over the period 1995-2016. Specifically, the study employed an econometric approach and found that increase in tourism arrivals and globalization is detrimental to the attainment of sustainable environmental quality in a long term. Precisely, a 1% increase in international arrivals and globalization is responsible for a 0.18 and 0.89% increase in ecological footprint in the long-run. These impacts of tourism activities and globalization are detrimental to the environmental quality of the destination countries. Meanwhile, the real income per capita and biocapacity in the destination countries improve the environmental quality of the panel of destination countries in the long-run. In addition, the study found significant evidence of Granger causality from tourism and real income to ecological footprint without feedback, the globalization-ecological footprint Granger causality nexus is with feedback. Moreover, potentially effective policies for government and other stakeholders especially toward attaining Global goals were proffered in the study.

Global fossil fuel reserves are declining due to differential uses, especially for power generation. Everybody can help to do their bit for the environment by using solar energy. Geographically, Bangladesh is a potential zone for harnessing solar energy. In March 2021, the renewable generation capacity in Bangladesh amounted to 722.592 MW, including 67.6% from solar, 31.84% from hydro, and 0.55% from other energy sources, including wind, biogas, and biomass, where 488.662 MW of power originated from over 6 million installed solar power systems. Concurrently, over 42% of rural people still suffer from a lack of electricity, where solar energy can play a vital role. This paper highlights the present status of various forms of solar energy progress in Bangladesh, such as solar parks, solar rooftops, solar irrigation, solar charging stations, solar home systems, solar-powered telecoms, solar street lights, and solar drinking water, which can be viable alternative sources of energy. This review will help decision-makers and investors realize Bangladesh’s up-to-date solar energy scenario and plan better for the development of a sustainable society.

Most of the world’s mountain glaciers have been retreating for more than a century in response to climate change. Glacier retreat is evident on all continents, and the rate of retreat has accelerated during recent decades. Accurate, spatially explicit information on the position of glacier margins over time is useful for analyzing patterns of glacier retreat and measuring reductions in glacier surface area. This information is also essential for evaluating how mountain ecosystems are evolving due to climate warming and the attendant glacier retreat. Here, we present a non-comprehensive spatially explicit dataset showing multiple positions of glacier fronts since the Little Ice Age (LIA) maxima, including many data from the pre-satellite era. The dataset is based on multiple historical archival records including topographical maps; repeated photographs, paintings, and aerial or satellite images with a supplement of geochronology; and own field data. We provide ESRI shapefiles showing 728 past positions of 94 glacier fronts from all continents, except Antarctica, covering the period between the Little Ice Age maxima and the present. On average, the time series span the past 190 years. From 2 to 46 past positions per glacier are depicted (on average: 7.8).

The article discusses the problems associated with the tourism industry and the hotel business during the pandemic. A study was carried out and relevant conclusions were presented on how the pandemic affected the hotel business in Europe and Russia. The authors examined and analyzed in detail the indicators of forecasts in the sphere of the Russian hotel business, particularly in the regions. The authors paid special attention to the study of open public spaces and conducted a detailed analysis, which made it possible to identify the opportunities for the development of the hotel business. In the article the main trends of a pandemic and post-pandemic are studied – the need to reinforce sanitary measures. The research focuses on identifying the features of the economic state of the regions during the pandemic. The authors developed and substantiated the areas that are relevant, useful and applicable for the hotel business; revealed the features of the process of restoration of the hotel business. Special attention is paid to the study of state support measures; the features of their further actualization for the development of the tourism industry are presented. The authors have proposed the ways to overcome the crisis, contributing to a slow, but accurate and safe recovery of the hotel business and an increase in demand.

The heat generation from recent advanced computer chips is increasing rapidly. This creates a challenge in cooling the chips while maintaining their temperatures below the threshold values. Another challenge is that the heat generation in the chip is not uniform where some chip components generate more heat than other components. This would create a large temperature gradient across the chip, resulting in inducing thermal stresses inside the chip that may lead to a high probability to damage the chip. The locations in the chip with heat rates that correspond to high heat fluxes are known as hotspots. This research study focuses on using thermoelectric modules (TEMs) for cooling chip hotspots of different heat fluxes. When a TEM is used for cooling a chip hotspot, it is called a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), which requires electrical power. Additionally, when a TEM is used for converting a chip’s wasted heat to electrical power, it is called a thermoelectric generator (TEG). In this study, the TEMs are used for cooling the hotspots of computer chips, and a TEC is attached to the hotspot to reduce its temperature to an acceptable value. On the other hand, the other cold surfaces of the chip are attached to TEGs for harvesting electrical power from the chip’s wasted heat. Thereafter, this harvested electrical power (HEP) is then used to run the TEC attached to the hotspot. Since no external electrical power is needed for cooling the hotspot to an acceptable temperature, this technique is called a sustainable self-cooling framework (SSCF). In this paper, the operation principles of the SSCF to cool the hotspot, subjected to different operating conditions, are discussed. As well, considerations are given to investigate the effect of the TEM geometrical parameters, such as the P-/N-leg height and spacing between the legs in both operations of the TEC mode and TEG mode on the SSCF performance.

Abstract Two systems of hydraulic mixing in a vertical cylindrical anaerobic digester: standard and modernised are discussed in the paper. Numerical investigations that were carried out are focused on a study of hydrodynamic processes in an aerobic digester using two various systems of hydraulic mixing as well as on analysis of the efficiency of methane fermentation process accomplished under different geometric parameters of an anaerobic digester and systems of hydraulic mixing.