An Empirical Investigation on the Transition Process toward a Green Economy

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper entitled "An empirical investigation of Sustainable Green Economy" is, in my opinion, a solid piece of scientific work. The focus of the paper is in line with the journal requirements.

I base my opinion on the following:

The abstract brings all necessary information.

The introductory part clearly explains the originality (research gap) of the paper, paper's aim, and structure.

The theoretical part is based on credible literary sources.

Regarding methodology, the study is well conducted and appropriate.

The results are clearly formulated and are supported by appropriate tables.

Finally, the conclusion part clearly is structured and supported.

 

Author Response

 

Reply to Reviewer 1

Dear sir

We express our thanks for your valuable observations and recommendations for improving the quality of this publication.

1. The focus of this paper is in line with the journal requirements.

Reply: It is an extraordinary compliment to us.

2. This paper entitled: “An empirical investigation of Sustainable Green Economy “ is , in my opinion , a solid piece of scientific work .

Reply: The observations are highly motivating and encouraging us to carry forward more such research publications. These are golden words to shape our future research works to contribute value additions to the best literatures available to the society, intellectuals, professors, scholars, and policy makers of good governance.

3. The abstract brings all necessary information.

Reply: This observation instills tremendous confidence in our writing skills. It is one of the best recognitions to our hard work and positive thinking. It confirms our sincerity and dedication in the rightful research publication.

4. The introductory part clearly explains the originality (research gap) of the paper’s aim and structure.

Reply: This observation appears to be a divine voice. It encourages us to contribute more to the literature.

5. The theoretical part is based on credible literary resources.

Reply: The above observation generates extreme confidence and conviction on our literature searching.

6. Regarding methodology the study is well conducted by appropriate tables.

Reply: Our hard work is well recognised in the above observation.

 

 

 

 

7. The results are clearly formulated and are supported by appropriate tables.

Reply: We are grateful for the above observation.

 

8. Finally, the conclusion part clearly is structured and supported.

Reply: We submit to the above observation as it is one of the best experiences of wisdom.  

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Thanks you for the interesting article.

The issues of the formation and development of a green economy are very relevant. It is also necessary to take into account the differences in the approaches of different groups of countries to the process of restructuring towards a green economy. These questions are analyzed in the article. The article has been prepared at a good analytical level.

However, there are several guidelines.

The scientific relevance of the study needs to be more accurately described. It is also recommended to clarify which areas of science develop and complement the research results. It is necessary to write conclusions.

The article is unfinished by its structure. There are no conclusions, and in its current form the article does not reflect the contribution of the research to the development of science.

We need to seriously change the annotation. The abstract must clearly reflect the purpose of the article and hypotheses, research methods, research results and conclusions.

Author Response

 

Reply to Reviewer 2

Dear Sir,

We are profoundly expressing our gratitude for your complements, observations and recommendations.

1. Thanks you for the interesting article.

Reply: It is an extraordinary expression of thanking us for the interesting article. We become motionless and wordless to salute to your kindness and appreciation. It has given us confidence and enormous energy for future research.

2. The issues of the formation and development of a green economy are very relevant. It is also necessary to take into account the differences in the approaches of different groups of countries to the process of restructuring towards a green economy. These questions are analyzed in the article. The article has been prepared at a good analytical level.

Reply: We are grateful to the most comprehensive observation and it enhances our commitment for future research. It is a reward to our hard work and research.

 

3. The scientific relevance of the study needs to be more accurately described. It is also recommended to clarify which areas of science develop and complement the research results. It is necessary to write conclusions.

Reply: We have added more points of scientific relevence in the Literature revies and have written conclusion on the research results briefly as given below:

2. Literature Review

 

While pursuing the transition to green economy it is necessary to consider four issues (Jose Antonia Ocampo (2011).  One of them is the pursuit of the welfare of future generations for which the decisions on savings and investments are taken under the economic conditions which may distort in future. The decisions of today may become irrelevant tomorrow under changed circumstances and economic conditions.  It is often suggested to apply the principles of the social discount in cost benefit analysis on the macroeconomic policies. This issue remains unproductive in the green investment decisions. The fiscal and monetary policies cannot substitute macroeconomic policies involving green capital. The second issue pertains to the environmental degradation which is calculated on aggregate values of environmental and protection policies. This approach has failed to approach economies of the world. The environmental strategies for green economy may be partly relevant and partly irrelevant and due to aggregate values of them it is difficult to isolate and differentiate for remedial measures. The third issue is associated with economic growth which is a part of structural change. It is difficult to minimize the losses during the structural change in the economy. The fourth issue relates the global initiatives on green economy. It poses a serious threat from other economies which do not subscribe to global initiatives. It is gained from the experience of OECD nations on green growth policies that are in transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient, and environmental quality of life through changes in consumption and production (OECD, 2013). There are innumerable studies on the micro aspect of the evaluation of the green economy of cities (Baofeng et al., 2016) and these studies are relevant to consider after implementation of restructuring of green economy. Similarly, there are several studies on finding alternatives to green economy (Simone et al., 2020) and these studies are not accurately analyzing the importance of green economy. Most of them are not accepting the challenges and impacts of green economy.

 

The present patterns of growth and development are unsustainable (House of Commons, 2012). Green economy depends upon the access to funding and institutions for carrying out the process of transition. The institutions are private and public sector and these are actively different from developing economies to advanced economies (Acha et al, 2010). The green economy in South Africa is understood as a path towards sustainable development. The green economy is associated with increased investments in green industrial sectors through policy reforms. There are several definitions of the green economy. One of the definitions is a system of inclusive economic growth, social protection and natural ecosystems without exposing future generations to significant environmental risks or ecological scarcities (Africa Union Commission, 2015). The link between environment and development is possible through empowerment of sustainable development (Guterres, 2017). The agenda of the green economy looks reasonable in Africa but it finds difficult in climate change mitigation agenda (Acha et al, 2010). The restructuring to a green economy includes green shift of climate and environmentally restructuring growth and development within nature’s tolerance limits (Aubertot, 2005). The green economy has to be global but it has several challenges such as poverty, excessive population growth, malnutrition, illiteracy, and agricultural production to feed a large population, power generation, capacity building of infrastructure development and institutions, and health management (Bloomberg 2014). Norway has to find its solutions on the green shift (Norway 2014). There are several stakeholders on the restructuring of the green economy. The participation of each stakeholder is important to implement the right framework prepared by the government in respect of future oriented infrastructure, sustainable natural resource, and investment. UK Government has established its approach to restructuring a greener economy and it has devised programmers in Enabling the Transition to Green Economy (House of Commons, 2012). Restructuring to a green economy includes sustainable development about social considerations, well-being and environmental limits.

 

8. Conclusion

Broadly, the restructuring models of green economy are discussed in detail and these restructuring models are not strictly uniform but variable. In essence the principles of green economy are universally invoked in each restructuring model. The rule of law and good governance are assured in green economy as there is environmental justice. While addressing productivity, the efficiency and equal distribution of wealth of nature are incorporated leading to poverty reduction and well being of human capital. Low carbon economy addresses regulation of global warming and climate change by reducing CO2 emissions and GHG. It facilitates the implementation of the Paris agreement. It promotes innovation and solution to renewable sources of energy and thereby, there is consistent scientific and technological development for reducing the burden on conventional energy and natural resources. The growth with justice is the victory of green economy among other accomplishments. There are limitations both in theoretical explanations and practical illustrations, but are adequately discussed for future research.

 

 

4. The article is unfinished by its structure. There are no conclusions, and in its current form the article does not reflect the contribution of the research to the development of science.

Reply: We are highly obliged to express our thanks to the recommendation and the recommendation has improved the quality of publication. We remain thangful.

8. Conclusion

Broadly, the restructuring models of green economy are discussed in detail and these restructuring models are not strictly uniform but variable. In essence the principles of green economy are universally invoked in each restructuring model. The rule of law and good governance are assured in green economy as there is environmental justice. While addressing productivity, the efficiency and equal distribution of wealth of nature are incorporated leading to poverty reduction and well being of human capital. Low carbon economy addresses regulation of global warming and climate change by reducing CO2 emissions and GHG. It facilitates the implementation of the Paris agreement. It promotes innovation and solution to renewable sources of energy and thereby, there is consistent scientific and technological development for reducing the burden on conventional energy and natural resources. The growth with justice is the victory of green economy among other accomplishments. There are limitations both in theoretical explanations and practical illustrations, but are adequately discussed for future research.

 

5. We need to seriously change the annotation. The abstract must clearly reflect the purpose of the article and hypotheses, research methods, research results and conclusions.

Reply: We are thankful to the recommendations and it has been incorporated in the article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

This paper focuses on green economy, discusses the research problem of "whether the restructuring to a green economy is universal or otherwise it is variable”. Using empirical, deductive and inductive methods, it is concluded that restructuring model to the greener economy has to be relevant to all economies but variable. The content of this article is detailed and it has certain theoretical and practical significance. My overall conclusion is that there is potentially publishable material in this article, but there are still some problems with the language and content of the article. I think the manuscript can be further improved by addressing the following issues:

1. Why did the literature review focus on green economy research in Europe and Africa? In addition, there are few references in the literature review, so it is suggested to add more relevant references, summarize existing studies, and highlight the differences between this study and existing ones as well as the contribution of this study.
2. In the research framework, the authors present the restructuring model to a green economy is wide and it is 48 limited to the Low Carbon Environment Goods and Services. Why？Please give an explanation.
3. In the “research method and tools” part, the description of each table is too detailed, but lacks analysis. It is suggested that authors can analyze the table from different aspects to highlight key points, so as to enhance the explanatory power of the article.
4. I would suggest that authors clearly state the conclusion based on the analysis of the previous part in the conclusion part. The conclusion is not very clear at present.
5. The fifth part accounts for about half of the full text. What is the purpose of introducing the situation of Africa in large length? In addition, much of the content of the fifth part seems inconsistent with the research purpose of this paper, such as Ethiopia and its legacy, Ethiopia: Planning and Development. It is suggested that authors reconsider the content arrangement of part five.
6. The paper quotes many figures from other literatures, but the format is not uniform. For example, the text in Figure 2 is not clear, and Figure 10 is too large and incomplete. In addition, there are two titles with the same serial number 4. Authors can modify these problems.
7. References lack of journal literature highly relevant to this paper, such as: City Green Economy Evaluation, Sustainability, DOI: 10.3390/su80605512016; Feasible Alternatives to Green Growth, Nature Sustainability, DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0484-y

8. On the whole, the content of the article is very rich, but the logical structure is a little confused. The key points of each part are not prominent and there are some repetitions. I would suggest that authors reconsider the content arrangement of the article as a whole to make it more logical and explanatory.

Author Response

 

Reply to Reviewer 3

Dear Sir,

We thank you for your valuable observations and recommendations to improve quality of the publication. We are delighted to find them.

1. This paper focuses on green economy, discusses the research problem of "whether the restructuring to a green economy is universal or otherwise it is variable”. Using empirical, deductive and inductive methods, it is concluded that restructuring model to the greener economy has to be relevant to all economies but variable. . The content of this article is detailed and it has certain theoretical and practical significance. My overall conclusion is that there is potentially publishable material in this article.

Reply: We express our gratitude for your kind and impressive observation on the scope of our research publication on the one hand and for your recommendation for the publication as there are certain theoretical and practical significance on the other hand. These observations are highly commendable and valuable for enhancing our research skills and competence. We are grateful for your recognition on the value additions to the literature.

2. Why did the literature review focus on green economy research in Europe and Africa? In addition, there are few references in the literature review, so it is suggested to add more relevant references, summarize existing studies, and highlight the differences between this study and existing ones as well as the contribution of this study.

 

Reply: The literature review indicates the introductory references of research publications and it is not exhaustive references of the topic. The references of green economy research in Europe and Africa depend up on the discussion of the topic. Broadly the summary of existing studies has included both the existing and emerging contributions of this study. We have added more references in the literature review as given below:

2. Literature Review

 

While pursuing the transition to green economy it is necessary to consider four issues (Jose Antonia Ocampo (2011).  One of them is the pursuit of the welfare of future generations for which the decisions on savings and investments are taken under the economic conditions which may distort in future. The decisions of today may become irrelevant tomorrow under changed circumstances and economic conditions.  It is often suggested to apply the principles of the social discount in cost benefit analysis on the macroeconomic policies. This issue remains unproductive in the green investment decisions. The fiscal and monetary policies cannot substitute macroeconomic policies involving green capital. The second issue pertains to the environmental degradation which is calculated on aggregate values of environmental and protection policies. This approach has failed to approach economies of the world. The environmental strategies for green economy may be partly relevant and partly irrelevant and due to aggregate values of them it is difficult to isolate and differentiate for remedial measures. The third issue is associated with economic growth which is a part of structural change. It is difficult to minimize the losses during the structural change in the economy. The fourth issue relates the global initiatives on green economy. It poses a serious threat from other economies which do not subscribe to global initiatives. It is gained from the experience of OECD nations on green growth policies that are in transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient, and environmental quality of life through changes in consumption and production (OECD, 2013). There are innumerable studies on the micro aspect of the evaluation of the green economy of cities (Baofeng et al., 2016) and these studies are relevant to consider after implementation of restructuring of green economy. Similarly, there are several studies on finding alternatives to green economy (Simone et al., 2020) and these studies are not accurately analyzing the importance of green economy. Most of them are not accepting the challenges and impacts of green economy.

 

The present patterns of growth and development are unsustainable (House of Commons, 2012). Green economy depends upon the access to funding and institutions for carrying out the process of transition. The institutions are private and public sector and these are actively different from developing economies to advanced economies (Acha et al, 2010). The green economy in South Africa is understood as a path towards sustainable development. The green economy is associated with increased investments in green industrial sectors through policy reforms. There are several definitions of the green economy. One of the definitions is a system of inclusive economic growth, social protection and natural ecosystems without exposing future generations to significant environmental risks or ecological scarcities (Africa Union Commission, 2015). The link between environment and development is possible through empowerment of sustainable development (Guterres, 2017). The agenda of the green economy looks reasonable in Africa but it finds difficult in climate change mitigation agenda (Acha et al, 2010). The restructuring to a green economy includes green shift of climate and environmentally restructuring growth and development within nature’s tolerance limits (Aubertot, 2005). The green economy has to be global but it has several challenges such as poverty, excessive population growth, malnutrition, illiteracy, and agricultural production to feed a large population, power generation, capacity building of infrastructure development and institutions, and health management (Bloomberg 2014). Norway has to find its solutions on the green shift (Norway 2014). There are several stakeholders on the restructuring of the green economy. The participation of each stakeholder is important to implement the right framework prepared by the government in respect of future oriented infrastructure, sustainable natural resource, and investment. UK Government has established its approach to restructuring a greener economy and it has devised programmers in Enabling the Transition to Green Economy (House of Commons, 2012). Restructuring to a green economy includes sustainable development about social considerations, well-being and environmental limits.

 

1. Jose Antonia Ocampo (2011), Transition to a Green Economy: benefits, Challenges, and Risks from a sustainable Development Perspective, Summary of background papers, UNDESA DSD, UNEP, UNCTAD, 2011
2. OECD (2013). What have we learned from attempts to introduce green-growth policies? OECD Green Growth Papers, March 2013
3. Baofeng Shi, Hufeng Yang, Jing Wang and Jingxu Zhao ( 2016). City Green Economy Evaluation: Empirical Evidence from 15 Sub-Provincial Cities in China, Sustainability 2016, 8, 551; doi: 10.3390/su8060551
4. Simone D’Alessandro, Ande Ciplinski, Tiziano Distefano and Kristopher Dittmer (2020), “Feasible alternatives to green growth”, Nature Sustainability, Nature, Vol. 3 (4), pages 329-335 April 2020

 

3. In the research framework, the authors present the restructuring model to a green economy is wide and it is limited to the Low Carbon Environment Goods and Services. Why？Please give an explanation.

 

Reply: The restructuring model is green economy and it is not investigated in isolation to market economy. There are three pillars of sustainable development and these are interdependent to each other. These include environmental, renewable energy, and low carbon. The green economy has three pillars which are ecosystem, economy, and human well-being. The ecosystem represents natural capital and it aims to ensure ecosystem resilience. The economy is produced capital which promises to improve resource efficiency. The third pillar is the human well-being which indicates social and human capital and it aims to enhance social equity and fair burden-sharing.   Ultimately, it advocates development without environmental degradation.

 

4. In the “research method and tools” part, the description of each table is too detailed, but lacks analysis. It is suggested that authors can analyze the table from different aspects to highlight key points, so as to enhance the explanatory power of the article.

 

Reply: It is adequately analysed to establish explanatory power of the article even though it is not averse the suggestion.

 

5. I would suggest that authors clearly state the conclusion based on the analysis of the previous part in the conclusion part. The conclusion is not very clear at present.

 

Reply: The conclusion appears to be elusive to a casual reading but it is appreciated on reading the complete article with dedication and concentration as the topic is tough and new to emerging ideas. We have added conclusion as given below:

8. Conclusion

Broadly, the restructuring models of green economy are discussed in detail and these restructuring models are not strictly uniform but variable. In essence the principles of green economy are universally invoked in each restructuring model. The rule of law and good governance are assured in green economy as there is environmental justice. While addressing productivity, the efficiency and equal distribution of wealth of nature are incorporated leading to poverty reduction and well being of human capital. Low carbon economy addresses regulation of global warming and climate change by reducing CO2 emissions and GHG. It facilitates the implementation of the Paris agreement. It promotes innovation and solution to renewable sources of energy and thereby, there is consistent scientific and technological development for reducing the burden on conventional energy and natural resources. The growth with justice is the victory of green economy among other accomplishments. There are limitations both in theoretical explanations and practical illustrations, but are adequately discussed for future research.

 

6. The fifth part accounts for about half of the full text. What is the purpose of introducing the situation of Africa in large length? In addition, much of the content of the fifth part seems inconsistent with the research purpose of this paper, such as Ethiopia and its legacy, Ethiopia: Planning and Development. It is suggested that authors reconsider the content arrangement of part five.

 

Reply: Ethiopia is the only economy in the world which has achieved consistent highest growth rate of economy for a decade with 8% to 10 %  annually but it has not proportionately reduced the poverty. At the same it has controlled CO2 emissions following sound policies. It is one of the African nations with highest poverty. It demands a detailed discussion.

7. The paper quotes many figures from other literatures, but the format is not uniform. For example, the text in Figure 2 is not clear, and Figure 10 is too large and incomplete. In addition, there are two titles with the same serial number 4. Authors can modify these problems

 

Reply: The topic demands these figures from various literatures and these figures enrich the purpose of this paper. The titles appear to be similar but it varies from the Serial numbers for the purpose of discussion.

 

8. References lack of journal literature highly relevant to this paper, such as: City Green Economy Evaluation, Sustainability, DOI: 10.3390/su80605512016; Feasible Alternatives to Green Growth, Nature Sustainability, DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0484-y

 

Reply: These references are useful and are equally relevant to the topic. These references are included here for value additions as given below:

1. Jose Antonia Ocampo (2011), Transition to a Green Economy: benefits, Challenges, and Risks from a sustainable Development Perspective, Summary of background papers, UNDESA DSD, UNEP, UNCTAD, 2011
2. OECD (2013). What have we learned from attempts to introduce green-growth policies? OECD Green Growth Papers, March 2013
3. Baofeng Shi, Hufeng Yang, Jing Wang and Jingxu Zhao (2016). City Green Economy Evaluation: Empirical Evidence from 15 Sub-Provincial Cities in China, Sustainability 2016, 8, 551; doi: 10.3390/su8060551
4. Simone D’Alessandro, Ande Ciplinski, Tiziano Distefano and Kristopher Dittmer (2020), “Feasible alternatives to green growth”, Nature Sustainability, Nature, Vol. 3 (4), pages 329-335 April 2020

.

 

9. On the whole, the content of the article is very rich, but the logical structure is a little confused. The key points of each part are not prominent and there are some repetitions. I would suggest that authors reconsider the content arrangement of the article as a whole to make it more logical and explanatory.

 

Reply: We express our thanks to your observation that the content of the article is very rich and it is a motivation for our future research on this most relevant topic. The repetitions are appropriate to the issues from different point of view to establish effectively the content of this paper.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Thanks to the authors for the comments taken into account. The main disadvantages have been eliminated. The article can be published.

Author Response

Reply to Reviewer 2

 

Dear Colleague,

Thank you very much for agreeing to review the revised version of the manuscript. Please find our answer below:

Comment 1: Thanks to the authors for the comments taken into account. The main disadvantages have been eliminated. The article can be published.

Reply 1: Thank you so much for your positive feedback and support for the publication. We are extremely grateful and motivated to continue our research in the future in order to contribute to the advancement of the literature. Engaging and helpful comments like yours incentivize our efforts to produce upcoming studies in this direction. Thank you very much once more.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

In section 4, authors declared that statistical tools of Standard Deviation, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and econometric tool of Compound Average Growth Rate are used for drawing results of the study. However, why these methods  are used in the process is not well addressed.

Author Response

Reply to Reviewer 3

 

Dear Colleague,

Thank you very much for agreeing to review the revised version of the manuscript. Please find our answer below:

Comment 1: In section 4, authors declared that statistical tools of Standard Deviation, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and econometric tool of Compound Average Growth Rate are used for drawing results of the study. However, why these methods are used in the process is not well addressed.

Reply 1: Thank you very much for your helpful comment. We have substantially revised the manuscript, including section 4. Following your suggestion, we have removed the wording regarding the Pearson correlation coefficient and Compound Average Growth Rate. We have also explained the reason behind using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, variance) in the analyses section. Please find these changes in the revised manuscript on page 4.