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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.

The Poster proposes a research agenda for the creation of knowledge about the potential of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) as a means to promote the sustainability of the textiles sector. Analysis is called for to transition to a more sustainable society by focusing on the 1) Textiles ecosystem: relevant stakeholders and their interrelationships 2) Trust, transparency, reliability, sustainability, and information 3) DPPs as an information system 4) Data requirements for DPPs and 5) The societal impacts of DPPs.

The technological development of preparing bio-oil from low-temperature hydrothermal conversion of agricultural and forestry waste has positive significance for alleviating the shortage of oil energy supply and reducing environmental pollution. This paper selects typical oxides (Al2O3, CeO2, MgO, SiO2, TiO2, and ZnO) as catalysts to set up a low-temperature (220 °C) hydrothermal conversion process of cotton stalk containing pretreatment processes including chopping. For moderate amplification estimation, lab-scale experimental data is used as a benchmark for calculation, and the functional unit for this study is set to be a 1 kg bio-oil product. The results suggest that the cerium dioxide-involved process with the highest bio-oil yield and highest synthetic consumption, and the silica-involved process with the lowest bio-oil yield, caused the highest environmental impact, resulting in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 67.729 kg CO2e/kg and 60.001 kg CO2e/kg, respectively. It indicates that catalysts need to consider the balance between synthetic consumption and catalytic performance. Magnifying lab-scale data to an industrial scale using scale-up frameworks introduces a low model uncertainty, as the practical value had little effect on the overall evaluation results. However, existing equipment data should be used to reduce the uncertainty of the model itself. The environmental sustainability of bio-oil production by low-temperature hydrothermal liquefaction still needs to be improved, especially by catalyst recovery and bio-oil yield improvement.

Since the industrial revolution, the financial sector has become a significant claimant toward the growth of human society. However, supporting the adverse environmental projects in financial terms has raised several queries about creating a direct linkage between financial market products and the environment.This research examines the nexus between sustainability, green innovations, financial technologies (FinTech), financial development, and natural resources for BRICS economies during 2000–2019. Using the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR), the results show that FinTech and natural resources adversely impact environmental sustainability across all three ranges of quantiles (0.10th-0.30th, 0.40th-0.60, and 0.70th-0.90th).Conversely, green innovations and financial development promote environmental sustainability across lower to higher-order quantiles (0.10th-0.90th), while economic growth contributes to higher emissions at major quantiles. Similar findings are endorsed using alternative estimators and suggest practical policy implications.

Abstract The essay stages the law at the intersections between the humanities, technology, and the production of digital space. Interactions like these are relevant in the present age, where humankind is outcompeting natural resources and changing the earth. The Anthropocene is an epoch of environmental crisis; despite this, we turn such a crisis into a process of sublimation servient to the control of the earth. Blurring the divide between the digital and the human is functional to such a process. The strategic use of the law makes climate-change policies compatible with global markets. Assuming that manufacturing digital spaces is useful to this end, the essay focuses on multimedia games. Blending real-word performances with internet- and media-related contents, they are functional to sublimation, convincing us that we can tackle climate change without rearranging our economic paradigms.

Global climatic energy balance has been increasingly altered by massive emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), leading to a variety of natural disturbances in terrestrial ecosystems. Further, the increasing use of fossil fuels and the looming climate crisis have created an unprecedented urgency for the development of a biobased circular economy. Therefore, production of biofuels from plant biomass is currently seen as a promising source of renewable energy, ensuring sustainable development with minimal carbon footprint. Soil acidification is considered one of the major obstacles to crop production and a significant source of GHGs emissions, especially N2O, because acidification changes the physicochemical and biochemical properties of the soil. Dolomite (DM) is the most widely used countermeasure to neutralize soil acidity to improve crop productivity and control net fluxes of GHGs. Nevertheless, the extent of GHG emissions following the application of DM under different environmental conditions is still unclear. Therefore, in this context, we conducted a meta-analysis using 32 peer-reviewed publications to determine the effects of DM, climate zones, and soil properties on GHGs emissions. The results of the current meta-analysis show that DM application significantly increased CO2 emissions (30.34 %) and CH4 emissions (4.91 %), but reduced N2O emissions by 54.88 %. A significant effect of DM (>10 t ha−1) on CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions was also observed. Increasing soil pH increased CO2 and N2O emissions by 188.34 % and 49.78 %, respectively, while reducing CH4 emissions by 81.94 %. Most importantly, WFPS, soil textural class, soil C:N ratio, and climate zones were identified as key edaphic factors affecting the GHG emissions following the application of DM. Overall, this meta-analysis fills in the gaps regarding the impact of the application of DM on GHGs emissions in different climates, soil properties, and experimental conditions. In ...

Abstract Offshore Wind (OW) speed assessment is a key aspect for the development of new wind farms at sea. Satellites can be used to globally obtain ocean and sea distribution, compensating limited in-situ measurements. In this study, a new methodology to estimate the wind’s speed potential is here proposed. Preliminary, Sentinel-1 (S-1) images have been analyzed by means of the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) software, extrapolating wind speed data for each cell pixel size of a testing area. Then GIS (Geographic Information System) software has been used to map wind data and find the best pixel location comparing these data with in-situ data. Furthermore, wind speed has been analyzed using the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset for areas within 11 km and 40 km from the Lillgrund OW farm in the Baltic Sea to better understand wind regimes. Finally, wind speed parameters obtained by S-1 in Sea Surface Water (SSW) with the 10 m standard high have been compared with wind speed recorded by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems of two turbine using wind profile formula. Obtained results show the comparison accuracy of wind speed assessment for each center of the pixels by S-1 satellite images and in-situ (SCADA) measurements. Data actually depends on the distance between the selected center pixel and the location of the turbines. The obtained wind speed differences (0.26 m/s - RMSE = 1.38 and 0.92 m/s - RMSE = 1.82) pinpointed the direct effect of the distance between the selected pixel center and the in-situ measurements location in the S-1 imagery for wind speed potential assessment. Obtained results proved an improvement of the OW assessment accuracy using multiple satellite observations, demonstrating that SAR wind maps can support OW speed sites assessment by introducing observations in different phases of an OW farm project.

Abstract This article reviews the current status of research on urban green and blue infrastructure (GBI) in developing countries. We critically analyzed a total of 283 papers addressing urban GBI in selected developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), published between 2015 and 2019. The review aimed to a) analyze publication trends and typologies of urban GBI; b) identify innovative problem-solving measures using urban GBI, and c) understand priorities, differences and similarities in the deployment of urban GBI between the regions. The article identifies a growing interest in the urban GBI concept in the Global South, with a focus on local sustainable development. Urban GBI aims to address issues of urban greenery, land use policies, food security and poverty alleviation. There is a large variation in the number of articles across regions, with Asia, and particularly China, as the subject having a much larger number of publications when compared to LAC and Africa. We found that the focus of research topics varied between regions, reflecting regional development needs, so that urban agriculture research predominated in Africa, and green spaces and parks in Asia and LAC. GBI is still not implemented as a low-impact development or innovative strategy, except in China, where researchers have examined several cases of systemic GBI use for addressing urban issues. More recently, studies began exploring the linkages between nature and cities in light of global environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and climate change. We conclude with recommendations to further examine empirical evidence of urban GBI deployment and its outcomes in the Global South, that could contribute toward conceptualizing natural resource management in a multi-scalar, multi-dimensional, and multidisciplinary framework.

Climate change has been posing an increasing threat to the planet at the environmental and economic levels, and the rise of clean energy (CE) is ever more fundamental for ensuring a qualified alternative for the energy mix, attracting the financial interest of different investment entities. In this respect, the significance of corporate venture capitalists (CVCs) has been on a steady rise for every sector, even for CE, since the 1990 s, and it is shaping up to become a major force behind the worldwide innovation. The aim of this research is to investigate the essential profiles about the phenomenon regarding CVCs that are active in CE, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, to understand how they act in pursuing their strategic intention. The specific contribution of this study, which adopts a quantitative approach to operate a descriptive analysis on the dynamics operating in the context under investigation by combining relating data from several institutional databases, is to provide a scenario analysis with explorative intention that may define the main characteristics, roles in innovation, and growing participation of CVCs in the CE sector, especially in the APAC area.