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Anthropogenic activities in search of livelihood come with its environmental implications. This is in line with the current crusade of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) target 7 and 13 for effective clean energy access and mitigating the adverse effect of climate change issues. Since the seminal study of Kraft and Kraft (1978) on the nexus between energy and gross national product, there has been no consensus in the extant literature in the last four decades. To this end, the current study applies recent data for the case of Nigeria from 1970 to 2017 on an annual frequency. Modified Wald causality test of Toda-Yamamoto is in conjunction with the recent gradual shift causality test with Fourier approximation for robustness and precision of analysis. Empirical results show the pollutant driven economy as one-way causality is seen running from pollutant emission to economic growth. This suggests that economic growth is driven by dirty energy sources that are from non-renewable energy sources. This is further validated in the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) confirmed in the study by the causality seen running from foreign direct investment and carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the exploration of natural resources also engenders economic expansion in Nigeria. Based on the current study findings, a couple of submissions are made such as the need for a paradigm shift to cleaner energy sources. More so, the need for the adoption of cleaner, eco-system friendlier innovations, and technologies will aid in the attainment of the SDGs of mitigating climate and pollution issues.

This paper examines the interrelationships between energy consumption, foreign direct investment and economic growth using dynamic panel data models in simultaneous-equations for a global panel consisting of 65 countries. The time component of our dataset is 1990-2011 inclusive. To make the panel data analysis more homogenous, we also investigate this interrelationship for a number of sub-panels which are constructed based on the income level of countries. In this way, we end up with three income panels; namely, high income, middle income, and low income panels. In the empirical part, we draw on growth theory and augment the classical growth model, which consists of capital stock, labor force and inflation, with foreign direct investment and energy. Generally, we shows mixed results about the interrelationship between energy consumption, FDI and economic growth.

All benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine site agonists impair motor performance dose-dependently and potentiate the effects of ethanol. In order to evaluate the risk of benzodiazepine and ethanol interaction with the direct acting GABA(A) receptor agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo (5,4-c) pyridin-3-ol (gaboxadol), we studied impairment of motor coordination for combinations of gaboxadol, ethanol and a series of benzodiazepines (flunitrazepam, zolpidem and indiplon) in a rat rotarod model. All compounds produced a dose-dependent motor impairment and, in agreement with earlier data, a supra-additive effect of the benzodiazepine ligands and ethanol 1 g/kg was seen. In contrast, no significant potentiation of the effects of gaboxadol by ethanol was detected, and furthermore, no synergistic interaction between gaboxadol and any of the benzodiazepines was seen. A 30-day tolerance study was conducted with daily injections of gaboxadol (7.9 mg/kg) and zolpidem (1.25 mg/kg), respectively. A time-dependent tolerance developed to the motor impairment produced by both compounds. On day 31, cross-tolerance studies between zolpidem/gaboxadol and gaboxadol/zolpidem were conducted. No cross-tolerance was observed, indicating that the motor coordination effects observed with gaboxadol and zolpidem may arise from interaction with different receptor populations.

Payments for ecosystem services (PES) are currently being discussed as one of the most promising tools in environmental and sustainability governance. However, much criticism has been voiced against overly optimistic assumptions of PES’ management potential towards sustainability. Several contributions to the debate show that PES fail both in reducing poverty and strengthening social justice. Additionally, they neglect problems of deliberation in decision-making, as well as the legitimacy of the applied environmental practices. Our empirical investigation on participatory and deliberative structures in already existing PES initiated by non-state actors contributes to the latter body of research. Based on the assumption that playing an active part in scheme design facilitates the consideration of justice and fairness, our case studies from Germany and the UK. present interesting results on the involvement of conflicting interests and their argumentation in the design process. Summing up these findings, we conclude that paying for ES rarely contributes to sustainable development in and of itself, but deliberatively designed schemes provide a formal setting to take aspects of justice into account.

Abstract Background Residents of informal settlements in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) are vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change. Little is known about the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of inhabitants of informal settlements in SSA regarding climate change and its health impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate how inhabitants of an informal settlement in SSA experience climate change and its health impacts and assess related knowledge, attitudes and practices. The study was conducted in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2021 using a structured, semi-closed KAP questionnaire. Inclusion criteria were ≥ 18 years of age and living in one of the three main sections in Mukuru: Kwa Njenga, Kwa Reuben or Viwandani. By spinning a pen at the geographic centre of each section, a random direction was selected. Then, in every second household one individual was interviewed, creating a representative mix of ages and genders of the local community. To assess participant characteristics associated with climate change knowledge multivariable logistic regression was used. Thematic content analysis was performed for qualitative responses. Results Out of 402 study participants, 76.4% (n = 307) had heard of climate change before the interview, 90.8% (n = 365) reported that climate change was affecting their community, and 92.6% (n = 372) were concerned with the health-related impact of climate change. Having lived in Mukuru for more than 10 years and living in a dwelling close to the riverside were factors significantly associated with having heard of climate change before (aOR 3.1, 95%CI 1.7 – 5.8 and aOR 2.6, 95%CI 1.1 – 6.1, respectively) and experiencing a climate change related impact on the community (aOR 10.7, 95%CI 4.0 – 28.4 and aOR 7.7; 95%CI 1.7 – 34.0, respectively). Chronic respiratory conditions, vector-borne diseases, including infectious diarrhoea, malnutrition and cardiovascular diseases were identified by respondents as climate related health risks. Conclusions Most respondents were knowledgeable about climate change and were experiencing its (health-related) impact on their community. This study provides insights which may prove useful for policy makers, intervention planners and researchers to work on locally adapted mitigation and adaption strategies.

Covid-19 affects the personal lives of millions and led to an economic crisis. Changed behavioral patterns and a reduction of industrial activity result in a reduction in power demand, and thus Covid-19 impacts the power systems around the world. Bottom-up mapping of the effect of Covid-19 on the energy demand is challenging, if not impossible. In order to analyze the impact of the pandemic on power demand, we instead propose a simplified approach based on an econometric analysis that quantifies the country-wide load reduction of Covid-19, using the number of active cases as well as the specific lockdown period as proxies. The time span covered is from 1 January 2016 to 31 August 2020. This long time span allows us to investigate the effect of Covid-19 on the power demand. We find that in Germany (DE) and Great Britain (GB) the power demand is reduced by about 1–1.7 MW per case, while in France the demand increased by 1 MW per case during times outside of the lockdown. On the other hand, in France the lockdown itself has a much higher load reduction effect in France than in GB and DE. Based on the elasticity of power demand regarding Covid-19 cases, we calculate the impact of Covid-19 on the power prices through reduced loads. We find that Covid-19 reduced power prices by 3 to 6 EUR per MWh. The effect of Covid-19 on carbon emissions in the power sector is likely to be small. In Germany, the country with the highest absolute level, emissions in the power sector were reduced by approximately 2% (4 Mio. t CO2).

Our presently somewhat limited knowledge of the modulation of the content, release and turnover of endorphins in brain and pituitary by acute and chronic drug treatment is reviewed and discussed particularly in relation to the problem of addiction. In vitro studies in striatal slices and isolated anterior and intermediate/posterior lobes of the pituitary point to the existence of specific interactions between endorphins and neurotransmitters. In vivo studies have revealed acute GABA-mediated effects of benzodiazepines upon striatal levels of met-enkephalin activity. Morphine exerts no acute effects upon endorphin levels, but decreases the levels of particular endorphins in specific areas of brain and pituitary after long-term treatment; somewhat similar effects are observed after prolonged intake of ethanol, whereas chronic haloperidol treatment results in an increase in levels of endorphins in brain and pituitary. Incorporation studies employing the intermediate/posterior lobe of the pituitary have revealed that the changes in beta-endorphin levels produced by prolonged treatment with morphine or haloperidol reflect a respective depressed or enhanced synthesis of the beta-endorphin precursor pro-opiocortin, whilst the enzymatic processing of this precursor remains unmodified. Studies in cell-free preparations demonstrated that m-RNA extracted from the intermediate/posterior lobes of chronically morphinized rats possesses a decreased "activity".