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Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 10542

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Dr. Lei Jiang

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Guest Editor

School of Geography and Remote Sensing, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: environmental economics; environmental economic geography; environmental spatial analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yun Tong

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Guest Editor

School of Tourism, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: green development; ecotourism; carbon emission

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Economic growth and sustainable development are the two core targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), enacted by the United Nations, calling for action to end poverty, reduce inequality, and tackle climate change. However, the COVID-19 epidemic has already had a profound impact on the global economy. Furthermore, several of the world's leading economies are suffering from severe economic recession problems. Spurring economic growth has become the first priority for all countries. On the other hand, long-standing challenges to human society, such as climate change and environmental pollution, have not only been significantly mitigated, but also have even been somewhat put on hold due to the COVID-19 epidemic. With the advent of the post-COVID-19 epidemic era, the uncertainties brought about by the epidemic will gradually disappear and sustainable development will remain the foundation and key response to economic crises and environmental pollution. All in all, a stronger economic recovery driven by economic and fiscal stimulus policies, the main aim for all countries in the post-COVID-19 era, should not impair the environment. Therefore, a classic and crucial topic requires our continued attention: how to achieve economic recovery goals without being at the expense of environmental sustainability in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we invite researchers to submit cutting-edge original articles and reviews on the topic of “Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability” in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era. On the one hand, we hope to provide fresh discussions and new insights on this topic; on the other hand, researchers are also welcome to provide the necessary theoretical support and empirical evidence on this topic from different scales and regions through quantitative studies of high academic standards.

Dr. Lei Jiang
Dr. Yun Tong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

economic recovery
economic stimulus policy
green development
sustainable development
environmental sustainability
carbon emissions

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Short- and Long-Run Impacts of Air Pollution on Human Health: New Evidence from China

by Yayun Ren, Jian Yu, Guanglai Zhang, Chang Zhang and Wenmei Liao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032385 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1704

Abstract

Under the background of the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on global economic development, the interactive effect of economic recovery and pollution rebound makes the research topic of air pollution and human health receive attention again. Matching a series of new datasets and employing thermal inversion as an instrumental variable, this study investigates the physical and mental health effect of air pollution jointly in China. We find that in the short run, the above inference holds for both physical and mental health. These short-run influences are credible after a series of robustness checks and vary with different individual characteristics and geographical locations. We also find that in the long run, air pollution only damages mental health. Finally, this study calculates the health cost of air pollution. The above findings indicate that in China, the effect of air pollution on physical and mental health cannot be ignored. The government needs to consider the heterogeneity and long-run and short-run differences in the health effects of air pollution when formulating corresponding environmental and medical policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era)

20 pages, 1679 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial-Temporal Variation and Influencing Factors of Regional Tourism Carbon Emission Efficiency in China Based on Calculating Tourism Value Added

by Jun Liu, Fanfan Deng, Ding Wen, Qian Zhang and Ye Lin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1898; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031898 - 19 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1713

Abstract

Tourism-related carbon emission efficiency is an important indicator that reflects the sustainable development of tourism and can better balance the relationship between negative environmental impact and economic value. According to panel data of 30 provincial regions, “the tourism value added coefficient” (not including the Tibet Autonomous Region) in mainland China from 2000 to 2019, we estimate the tourism of each provincial administrative unit carbon emissions, measure the tourism carbon efficiency value, and analyze the measurement results of the change trend, spatial differentiation characteristics, and influencing factors. The results show that (1) the carbon emission efficiency of regional tourism in China increased significantly from 2000 to 2019, but there was a significant difference in the carbon emission efficiency of tourism among regions, and the sustainable development level of regional tourism was still unbalanced. (2) The spatial pattern of provincial administrative units in China has the adjacent characteristics of High-High agglomeration and Low-Low agglomeration, the difference in the tourism eco-efficiency development level among regions gradually decreases with time, and there is a dynamic convergence characteristic. (3) The q value represents the intensity of the impact factor on tourism carbon emission efficiency. According to the q value, the factors affecting tourism carbon emission efficiency were divided into dominant factors (0.5 ≤ q ≤ 1), inducing factors (0.2 ≤ q < 0.5) and driving factors (0 ≤ q < 0.2), among which the level of technological development was the dominant factor. The level of opening-up to the outside world is the inducing factor; environmental regulation intensity, urbanization level, regional economic development level, tourism industry environment, and tourism infrastructure are the driving factors. (4) The influence degree of influencing factors on the spatial differentiation of tourism carbon emission efficiency is significantly different in different periods. The degree of influence of the urbanization level and tourism industry environment shows an upward trend over time, and the influence degree of other factors shows a “V-shaped” trend. (5) The two-factor interaction will significantly enhance the spatial differentiation of regional tourism carbon emission efficiency, and the interaction between the level of scientific and technological innovation and other influencing factors has a deeper impact on tourism carbon emission efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era)

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22 pages, 6684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does the Digital Economy Increase Green TFP in Cities?

by Chuanyu Zhao, Zhongquan Liu and Xianfeng Yan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021442 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2993

Abstract

COVID-19 accelerated the growth of the digital economy and digital transformation across the globe. Meanwhile, it also created a higher demand for productivity in the real economy. Hence, the correlation between the digital economy and green productivity is worth studying as COVID-19 prevention becomes the norm. The digital economy overcomes the limitations imposed by traditional factors of production on economic growth and empowers innovative R&D and resource allocation in all aspects. This study delved into the digital economy by focusing on its green value at different levels of development. The study gathered the green-productivity indices and the principal components of the digital economy for each prefecture-level city in China from 2011 to 2019 and meticulously portrayed their trends in spatial and temporal figures. Meanwhile, regression models were used to verify the mechanism through which digital-economy development influences the changes in green productivity. The results showed that: (1) a higher level of digital economy helps to increase urban green total-factor productivity (GTFP) and that the conclusions of this paper still held after potential endogeneity problems were solved through the instrumental-variables approach; (2) the digital economy will drive an increase in urban GTFP by upgrading firms’ production technologies and that digital-economy development encourages green patent applications from firms; and (3) as the digital economy develops, it will also drive urban GTFP increases by removing polluting enterprises from the market and that the higher the level of digital-economy development, the greater the number and probability of polluting enterprises exiting the market. In view of this study’s results, the government should increase the importance of the digital economy, strengthen the role of the digital economy in promoting urban green development, and provide more guidance on regional green development with the help of the digital economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era)

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19 pages, 1663 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovation of the Third Sector to Improve Nature Reserve Management in the Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era

by Tian Guo, Zhitao Zheng and Yourui Zheng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16278; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316278 - 5 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1483

Abstract

Encouraging the strong recovery of the economy is an urgent priority for all nations in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era. Social enterprise, as a new-type third sector, boasts unique advantages in structure and function, which can reach public interest targets without relying on government spending; social enterprises can effectively reduce the cost of ecological construction and maintenance, provide more professional and diverse services, and promote sustainable development in the regional economy, society, and ecology. Through an analysis of their structure and function, this study proved that social enterprises serve as a significant institutional innovation to cure the “government failure” and “market failure” in the area of public interest with the merits of the simple structure of the main body, strong self-innovation ability, high spontaneity of members, and convenient application of laws. Thus, its introduction to nature reserve management can pragmatically relieve the financial pressure and increasingly achieve public interest goals. The empirical research indicates that social enterprises need to be supplemented with the maintenance mechanism of bidirectional targets so that they can do their best to meet the requirements of “low government spending, high ecological benefits” in constructing nature reserves in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era, fully motivate the market, and develop the reliable force for public welfare. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era)

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18 pages, 1817 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Price of Becoming a City: Decentralization and Air Pollution—The Evidence from the Policy of County-to-City Upgrade in China

by Zhihong Zeng and Chen You

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15621; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315621 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1282

Abstract

It is necessary to reassess the pollution effects of decentralization reforms to improve the future policy design for better economic and social development in the postepidemic era. This study examines the relationship between decentralization and air pollution by exploiting the policy of County-to-City Upgrade in China from 2005 to 2018. Upgrading empowered new cities in fiscal, administrative, and economic matters without changing the political hierarchy. Under the cadre evaluation system, the new county-level city government preferred to increase construction land area and attract more polluting firms to promote economic development, and air pollution became more severe. Heterogeneity tests found that when the new city was located in eastern China or was away from the provincial boundary, decentralization would induce more severe air pollution. Overall, decentralization without a supplementary incentive rule has a negative effect on air pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Economic Recovery and Environmental Sustainability in Post-COVID-19 Epidemic Era)

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