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In recent decades, rapid urbanization has resulted in a growing urban population, transformed into regions of exceptional socio-economic value. By removing vegetation and soil, grading the land surface and saturating soil air content, urban developments are more likely to be flooded, which will be further exacerbated by an anticipated increase in the number of intense rainfall events, due to climate change. To date, data collected show that urban pluvial flood events are on the rise for both the UK and China. This paper presents a critical review of existing sustainable approaches to urban flood management, by comparing UK practice with that in China and critically assessing whether lessons can be learnt from the Sponge City initiative. The authors have identified a strategic research plan to ensure that the sponge city initiative can successfully respond to extreme climatic events and tackle pluvial flooding. Hence, this review suggests that future research should focus on (1) the development of a more localized rainfall model for the Chinese climate; (2) the role of retrofit SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) in challenging water environments; (3) the development of a robust SuDS selection tool, ensuring that the most effective devices are installed, based on local factors; and (4) dissemination of current information, and increased understanding of maintenance and whole life-costing, alongside monitoring the success of sponge cities to increase the confidence of decision makers (5) the community engagement and education about sponge cities.

In recent years, a ban on short-haul flights for which alternative, more environmentally friendly transportation is available has been on European regulatory agendas, particularly in countries like Germany, with its well-developed high-speed rail (HSR) and a dense network of low-cost, point-to-point airline traffic. This study aims to quantify the potential impact on CO2 emissions of substituting short-haul flights with rail frequencies in 87 German air travel corridors. Using OAG data on passenger bookings and airline schedules for 2019, as well as current rail travel times, we determine the target flights by looking at the actual proportion of connecting passengers per frequency. We estimate a potential reduction in CO2 emissions of between 2.7% and 22%, depending on how strict the flight substitution is. However, the social benefits of those carbon emissions might fall short of the travel time losses experienced by the passengers. Increased investment to improve rail speeds and intermodal accessibility appears necessary before the substitution policies can be implemented.

Poor air quality (PAQ) is a global concern, especially in urban areas, and is often seen as an important element of social sustainability given its negative impact on health and quality of life. However, little research has been undertaken in cities of the developing world to explore how residents perceive poor air quality, its main causes, what control measures should be used to address PAQ and where the main responsibility rests for implementing control measures. The research described in this paper sought to address these points, using a questionnaire-based survey (n = 262) in Nigeria’s federal capital city of Abuja (n = 137) and the state-capital city of Enugu (n = 125). The survey took place during the COVID-19 pandemic (October 2020 to March 2021), and was stratified to ensure representation across a number of demographic groups such as gender, age, education and income. The results were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis non-parametric test and Hochberg’s post hoc test available in SPSS version 28. The study found that the ranking of perceptual indicators and the main causes of PAQ had much agreement between respondents from both cities and between demographic groups. Smoke, odour and dust particles were perceived to be the most important indicators of PAQ, while the main sources of PAQ were waste and bush burning, vehicle use and power generators. The two most preferred control measures were proper waste management and the avoidance of bush burning. However, there was a significant difference between the two cities in terms of the main organisations responsible for addressing PAQ, with respondents from Abuja citing the federal government, while those from Enugu cited the state government. Interestingly, younger people in Enugu noted that the government should take more responsibility in controlling PAQ than did the older demographic in that city, but this difference was not seen in Abuja. Overall, this study reveals that residents in these two Nigerian cities clearly recognise their exposure to PAQ and it suggests that these perceptual indicators, and views on sources and interventions should be central to designing policies to control this important issue.

Packaging waste production, especially single-use containers, is exerting detrimental effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including human health. To internalise the externalities associated with single-use containers, different instruments, including a deposit refund scheme (DRS), have been operationalised in many countries. Therefore, DRS is introduced in Scotland to reduce plastic litters by increasing recycling rates and incentivising pro-environmental behavioural change. This study addresses the complexity of single-use plastic containers by analysing consumers' perceptions regarding the introduction of DRS in Scotland. Using 940 comments from the BBC "Have Your Say" messageboard, this study adopts sentiment analysis to understand consumers' opinions about the introduction and implementation of DRS in Scotland. Findings suggest that a UK-wide scheme that is similar in terms of operations and structure is required for DRS to be successful. While consumers' knowledge and opinions about DRS are mixed, the efficacy of DRS including its relevance is questioned and raises doubts about its contribution to sustainability. The findings imply the need for UK countries to negotiate and collaborate on appropriate and attractive interventions in addressing post-consumer single-use plastic containers. The implications of the findings for policy and practice, especially in improving the operations of DRS are further discussed.

Abstract The growing concerns of global warming and depleting oil/gas reserves have made it inevitable to seek energy from renewable energy resources. Many nations are embarking on introduction of clean/renewable solar energy for displacement of oil-produced energy. Moreover, solar photovoltaic (PV)–diesel hybrid power generation system technology is an emerging energy option since it promises great deal of challenges and opportunities for developed and developing countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A) being enriched with higher level of solar radiation, is a prospective candidate for deployment of solar PV systems. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in K.S.A. consume about 10–45% of the total electric energy generated. The aim of this study is to analyze long-term solar radiation data of Dhahran (East-Coast, K.S.A.) to assess the techno-economic feasibility of utilizing hybrid PV–diesel–battery power systems to meet the load of a typical residential building (with annual electrical energy demand of 35,120 kWh). The monthly average daily solar global radiation ranges from 3.61 to 7.96 kwh/m 2 . National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) software has been employed to carry out the present study. The simulation results indicate that for a hybrid system composed of 4 kWp PV system together with 10 kW diesel system and a battery storage of 3 h of autonomy (equivalent to 3 h of average load), the PV penetration is 22%. The cost of generating energy (COE, US$/kWh) from the above hybrid system has been found to be 0.179 $/kWh (assuming diesel fuel price of 0.1$/l). The study exhibits that for a given hybrid configuration, the operational hours of diesel generators decrease with increase in PV capacity. The investigation also examines the effect of PV/battery penetration on COE, operational hours of diesel gensets for a given hybrid system. Concurrently, attention is focussed on un-met load, excess electricity generation, fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions (for different scenarios such as PV–diesel without storage, PV–diesel with storage, as compared to diesel-only situation), COE of different hybrid systems, cost of PV–diesel–battery systems, etc.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the question of how a developing country, like Mexico, can reform its electricity industry at the same time as addressing climate change issues.Design/methodology/approachThe objective is to provide a tool that policy makers could use to make better and more informed decisions if they decide to liberalise the power sector in Mexico. The problems they would face are difficult to address in an analytically tractable way using conventional economic models. Also, these problems are too idiosyncratic to solve by translating empirical experience from other markets. In response, a system dynamics model has been developed in order to test the impact of a range of different environmental and energy policies.FindingsThe paper finds that a reform setting where competition is allowed in fossil fuel technologies; while the public company (CFE) keeps control of hydro and nuclear capacity produce the most well rounded scores in terms of efficiency, CO2 emission reductions and political feasibility. The results could improve the policy implementation process by shedding light on the circumstances and policy choices that can exacerbate or minimise effects.Research limitations/implicationsA simulation of this kind would increase the understanding of these kinds of policies by providing structured insights into key uncertainties. They can also foster new ideas – in the energy sector have underpinned major policy initiatives. But results should be taken with caution, as complete validation of models is impossible.Practical implicationsThese results add to the policy implementation literature. For the case of Mexico that has not engaged in a specific model of deregulation, the use of simulation model would be very useful to predict flaws in the design of the new regulation and to prevent unwanted scenarios to happen.Social implicationsA judicious implementation of an electricity reform can help achieve lower carbon emissions reductions which would be beneficial against the climate change problem.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, the approach of analysing ex ante the environmental outcome of electricity reform using a simulation model in a developing country has not been treated in literature.

Cities are the important spaces, responsible entities and action units for achieving low-carbon and high-quality economy. Blockchain technology provides a new solution for low-carbon development in cities. Based on low-carbon information sharing, low-carbon incentives, low-carbon regulations with blockchain technology, this paper endeavors to propose a low-carbon development model for Chinese cities. The results indicate that: (1) blockchain-based governments, enterprises, city dwellers, and third-party service agencies are important stakeholders in promoting urban low-carbon development; (2) the effectiveness of the blockchain platform needs the coordination between the production and consumption systems, the equal emphasis on systemicity and long-term effectiveness, and the deep integration of government regulations and market mechanism; (3) blockchain-based information sharing instruments, incentive instruments, and regulation instruments should be applied to low-carbon development in cities; (4) blockchain technology promotes low-carbon development for cities in both direct ways and indirect ways. This study can provide a reference for the urban sustainable development in China and other countries.

In order to fulfil the UK government’s ambitious goal of 80% reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to the levels of 1990s, unprecedented measures for improving the energy efficiency of buildings are needed. This study investigates the impact of a specific type of Low-emissivity (Low-E) window film—Thinsulate Climate Control 75—on the holistic energy consumption of an existing United Kingdom (UK) hotel building. Building modelling and energy simulation software EDSL TAS is used to conduct the study. The result of the simulations demonstrates that by applying Thinsulate films, savings in heating, cooling, and total energy consumptions are achieved by 3%, 20%, and 2.7%, respectively. Also 4.1% and 5.1% savings are achieved in annual CO2 emissions and total energy costs, respectively, while the initial costs may be an issue. This study found that application of Low-E window films results in slightly better energy performance of the hotel regarding its heating-dominant climate. The study also recommends using average annual actual energy consumption data for a time range, instead of picking a single year’s data for validating purposes.