Search Results (1,972)

Methane emissions from freshwater reservoirs represent a globally relevant greenhouse gas source, which are estimated to range from 3% to 10% of all global anthropogenic methane emissions. However, there is high uncertainty in estimating reservoir emissions on local to global scales due to a combination of data paucity in key regions, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, and challenges monitoring emission pathways. The key to improved spatially and temporally representative estimation of emission rates is to better understand the primary drivers of emission pathways, in particular, ebullition. We examine ebullition from 15 freshwater storages located in the Southern Hemisphere subtropical (South East Queensland) and temperate (Tasmania) regions using a combination of optical methane detection to develop the high-resolution mapping of ebullition zones and floating chamber incubation within ebullition zones to quantify areal emission rates. We demonstrate the equivalent water level, through air pressure or physical water level change, as a key driver of ebullition and examine the implications for spatially and temporally representative estimation of reservoir emissions. This study represents the largest broadscale ebullition survey undertaken across Australian temperate and subtropical reservoirs. The study findings are of broad relevance to scientists and corporate and government entities navigating the complexities of estimating greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs and related policy instruments. Full article

The European Union (EU) has been identified as a leading stakeholder relating to urban regeneration. In cases such as Spain, on which this research focuses, the EU influence has resulted in an understanding of urban regeneration as a policy of strategic nature. The literature on the urban dimension of regeneration has reinforced the need to implement strategic and statutory complementarity in urban transformation to address the complex physical problems of vulnerable urban areas. This work focuses on this policy issue using a qualitative methodology based on a literature review and the analysis of planning documents through the storyline analysis tool. The research identifies that under the urban EU Cohesion Policy (CP) 2014–2020, only 4 out of 28 integrated sustainable urban development strategies in Spain implemented the urban regeneration strategic approach in complementarity with statutory instruments. This has led to regeneration projects with restricted capacity to address the physical problems identified, a fact that perpetuates the disadvantage of the neighbourhoods where it operated and limits the efficiency of EU funding. The results highlight the value of reviewing urban instruments under the CP, advancing towards a vision in which statutory/strategic approaches work in complementarity in the post-2027 period. Full article

This study investigates how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance is shaped across 31 countries in the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 1990 to 2020. To explore these relationships, we employed the Continuously Updated Generalized Method of Moments (CUE-GMM) and the Limited Information Maximum Likelihood (LIML), with additional robustness checks using Instrumental Variables Two-Stage Least Squares (IV-2SLS), Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), and Driscoll-Kraay regressions. The results highlight democratic governance as a consistent driver of ESG advancement. Military expenditure can also support sustainability by reinforcing institutional stability, particularly in developing and upper-middle-income countries. Economic factors such as foreign direct investment, industrialization, and human capital show context-dependent effects, whereas globalization and natural resource rents generally enhance ESG performance, and inflation tends to constrain it. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of tailored, context-specific sustainability policies, showing that effective ESG progress depends on the interaction between institutions, economic structures, and global integration. Full article

This study develops and operationalizes a multi-dimensional framework for sustainable building retrofit that aligns with national 2050 net-zero objectives. First, we conduct a scoping review of international standards (e.g., ISO), sustainability reporting guidelines (GRI G4), and peer-reviewed studies to define an indicator system spanning three pillars—environmental (carbon neutrality, resource circulation, pollution management), social (habitability, durability/safety, regional impact), and economic (direct support, deregulation). Building on this structure, we propose a transparent 0–3 rubric at the sub-indicator level and introduce the Sustainable Building Retrofit Index (SRI) to enable cross-case comparability and over-time monitoring. We then apply the framework to seven countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea), score their retrofit systems/policies, and synthesize results through radar plots and a composite SRI. The analysis shows broad emphasis on carbon neutrality and habitability but persistent gaps in resource circulation, pollution management, regional impacts, and deregulatory mechanisms. For South Korea, policies remain energy-centric, with relatively limited treatment of resource/pollution issues and place-based social outcomes; economic instruments predominantly favor direct financial support. To address these gaps, we propose (i) life-cycle assessment (LCA)–based reporting that covers greenhouse gas and six additional impact categories for retrofit projects; (ii) a support program requiring community and ecosystem-impact reporting with performance-linked incentives; and (iii) targeted deregulation to reduce uptake barriers. The paper’s novelty lies in translating diffuse sustainability principles into a replicable, quantitative index (SRI) that supports benchmarking, policy revision, and longitudinal tracking across jurisdictions. The framework offers actionable guidance for policymakers and a foundation for future extensions (e.g., additional countries, legal/municipal instruments, refined weights). Full article

This study evaluates the financial viability of different main engine–fuel configurations for a container vessel on a standardized Trans-Pacific route. Using Net Present Value (NPV) analysis over a 10 year evaluation period (2024–2033), it compares six propulsion scenarios, combining three Wärtsilä engine types and four fuel alternatives (HFO, LFO, LNG, Methanol). The framework integrates technical parameters, including engine power and fuel consumption, with financial instruments such as the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). Results show that the LNG-powered Wärtsilä 8V31DF achieves the highest NPV. Despite requiring the highest initial capital expenditure (CAPEX), this configuration delivers superior financial performance and remains robust under volatile market conditions. Sensitivity tests with ±20% freight–fuel shocks and alternative discount rates (5%, 7.18%, 10%) confirm that the relative ranking of propulsion options is stable. Methanol yields negative NPVs under current prices but could become competitive with bio-methanol cost reductions or strong carbon pricing. Limitations include constant non-fuel OPEX, fixed sea state, and the exclusion of explicit carbon price scenarios. From a policy perspective, LNG appears most viable in the short term, while long-term strategies should consider ammonia and hydrogen in line with IMO decarbonization pathways. Full article

The transition to university is a critical period for establishing lifelong health habits, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where non-communicable diseases linked to lifestyle are increasingly prevalent. To address this, our study sought to comprehensively assess lifestyle behaviors, mental health status, and their combined impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among students at King Khalid University. We conducted a cross-sectional study between September 2024 and February 2025, recruiting 865 undergraduates via a two-stage stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using a validated online questionnaire that included the FANTASTIC lifestyle and EuroQol 5-Dimension 3-Level (EQ-5D-3L) instruments. Our study population exhibited a significant health burden; 37.6% were overweight or obese, 55.9% reported anxiety or depression, and 36.1% experienced pain or discomfort. Although the mean lifestyle score was generally positive, regression analysis revealed that anxiety/depression was the strongest predictor of a poorer lifestyle (OR = 2.94, 95% CI: 2.02–4.28). This study concludes that a profound negative association exists between mental health, lifestyle, and overall HRQoL, highlighting the urgent need for integrated wellness policies and support systems within the university setting to address these interconnected challenges. Full article

This study explores the interplay between environmental justice and energy democracy in the context of forest-based energy conflicts in Türkiye, focusing on the case of the Akbelen Forest. It draws on qualitative data from community-based actions and legal documents to examine how local communities engage in collective action against extractivist energy policies that threaten their ecological and social environments. The findings reveal a complex web of multilayered injustices, including procedural, distributional, and recognitional dimensions, experienced by the affected populations. In this regard, the Akbelen case demonstrates how these different dimensions intersect and constitute a framework of “multiple justice”. The central argument of this study, developed primarily through our visualised network graph, is that the Akbelen case demonstrates the limitations of current environmental governance frameworks in accommodating community-based ecological values and rights. This analysis demonstrates how energy democracy can function as both a normative and strategic instrument for rethinking participatory planning and forest governance. The present paper contributes to ongoing debates in the fields of political ecology and environmental governance by situating grassroots mobilisation within a broader discussion of just energy transitions. The study also emphasises the necessity of inclusive, multi-actor governance models that prioritise democratic participation, ecological integrity, and intergenerational equity. Full article

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerated by inappropriate antibiotic use in community settings. While most EU countries have achieved a statistically significant reduction in antibiotic consumption, Bulgaria has shown the opposite trend. The aim of this study is to investigate the implementation of mandatory electronic prescriptions (e-Rx) for antibiotics in Bulgarian primary care and to analyse community-level sales trends (2022–Q1 2025) in the context of related policy changes. Methods: The study applied a content analysis approach to publicly available policy documents and antibiotic sales and prescription data (IQVIA Bulgaria, NHIS). Participatory approaches facilitated the contextual interpretation of the data. The Health Policy Triangle framework guided the analysis of e-Rx implementation across four dimensions: content, context, process, and key actors involved in the e-Rx policy rollout. Trends in sales were assessed before and after the policy’s full enforcement in April 2024. Results: Sales data from IQVIA Bulgaria show a steady ≈10% decline in outpatient antibiotic sales from 2022 to 2024, with over 1.1 million fewer packages dispensed. Although the estimated annual and quarterly declines in community sales did not reach statistical significance in the short term, the consistent downward trajectory remains noteworthy. Conclusions: Mandatory e-Rx has shown early potential as a policy instrument to reduce antibiotic overuse in Bulgaria. It is expected to contribute to the reduction in AMR and to support the implementation of integrated national One Health policies. Full article

Against the backdrop of escalating atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, carbon emission trading systems (ETS) have emerged as pivotal policy instruments, with China’s ETS playing a prominent role globally. The carbon price, central to ETS functionality, guides resource allocation and corporate strategies. Due to unexpected events, political conflicts, limited access to data information, and insufficient cognitive levels of market participants, there are epistemic uncertainties in the fluctuations of carbon and energy prices. Existing studies often lack effective handling of these epistemic uncertainties in energy prices and carbon prices. Therefore, the core objective of this study is to reveal the dynamic linkage patterns between energy prices and carbon prices, and to quantify the impact mechanism of epistemic uncertainties on their relationship with the help of uncertain differential equations. Methodologically, a dynamic model of carbon and energy prices was constructed, and analytical solutions were derived and their mathematical properties were analyzed to characterize the linkage between carbon and energy prices. Furthermore, based on the observation data of coal prices in Qinhuangdao Port and national carbon prices, the unknown parameters of the proposed model were estimated, and uncertain hypothesis tests were conducted to verify the rationality of the proposed model. Results showed that the mean squared error of the established model for fitting the linkage relationship between carbon and energy prices was 0.76, with the fitting error controlled within $3.72\%$. Moreover, the prediction error was 1.$88\%$. Meanwhile, the $5\%$ value at risk (VaR) of the logarithmic return rate of carbon prices was predicted to be $-0.0369$. The research indicates that this methodology provides a feasible framework for capturing the uncertain interactions in the carbon-energy market. The price linkage mechanism revealed by it helps market participants optimize their risk management strategies and provides more accurate decision-making references for policymakers. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy, rural industrial integration is regarded as a critical pathway to boosting farmers’ income, yet its specific impact and heterogeneous characteristics remain to be explored. Using biennial panel data from the 2021 and 2023 “Hundred Villages and Thousand Households” survey in Jiangxi Province, this study employs two-way fixed effects models, the instrumental variable method, and quantile regression to investigate the effect of farmers’ participation in rural industrial integration on their income. The findings show that participation in industrial integration significantly increases household income by an average of 28.6%, with causal relationships confirmed by instrumental variable analysis. Among different integration modes, industrial chain extension has the most significant effect, followed by functional expansion and internal multi-format integration, while technology penetration shows no significant effect; overlapping multiple modes exhibits a negative interactive effect. Additionally, high-standard farmland construction amplifies the income-increasing effect, and the effect is more pronounced for low-income farmers, those in mountainous areas, and farmers in the Central Jiangxi region. This study provides micro-level empirical evidence for optimizing industrial integration policies and advancing rural revitalization in central and western agricultural provinces. Full article

Under the background of uncertainty brought by the rapid development of AI, participation in AI standardisation is becoming the key for strategic emerging enterprises (SEEs) to break through and achieve sustainable development. This paper selects listed SEEs from the China Strategic Emerging Industries Composite Index jointly issued by China Securities Index Co., Ltd. and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2017 as the initial sample. We collect 3430 observations from 380 companies spanning 2010 to 2023. This paper employs a two-way fixed effects model incorporating enterprise clustering. It thoroughly investigates and empirically tests how participation in AI standardisation affects the sustainable development of SEEs under uncertainty. It is found that participation in AI standardisation in the context of uncertainty has a significant positive effect on the sustainable development of SEEs, and this conclusion still holds after employing instrumental variables, difference-in-difference, and a series of robustness tests. Mechanism tests indicate that two transmission paths exist between participation in AI standardisation and the sustainable development of SEEs under uncertainty: digital technology innovation and the dynamic capabilities in the dimensions of learning and absorption as well as change and reconfiguration. However, the dynamic capabilities in the coordination and integration dimensions do not play a significant mediating role. Heterogeneity analyses indicate that participation in AI standardisation contributes more significantly to the sustainable development of SEEs that are not state-owned, face lower environmental and information uncertainty, and are under higher economic policy uncertainty. The findings enrich the research related to AI standardisation and firm sustainability and provide policy recommendations for the sustainable development of SEEs in the context of uncertainty. Full article

Promoting sustainable and balanced economic growth remains a key challenge for developing countries. This study empirically investigates the impact of China’s Pilot Free Trade Zone (PFTZ) on regional economic growth from 2010 to 2023, offering important insights into how targeted policy instruments can contribute to sustainable economic growth. Employing a multiperiod difference-in-differences model and a capital–technology–marketization framework, this study finds that PFTZ implementation has a significant and direct influence on promoting provincial economic growth. The growth effects are primarily driven by improved capital flows and enhanced technological innovation. Notably, these positive effects are more pronounced in central and western Chinese provinces and regions with lagging economic development, indicating that PFTZs can serve as effective tools for reducing regional disparities. These findings provide new empirical evidence regarding the regional heterogeneity of PFTZ policy impacts and offer valuable insights into the design, timing, and spatial targeting of PFTZ initiatives in developing countries seeking to support inclusive and sustainable development across the country. Full article

The challenges of climate change require in-depth attention and targeted strategies for specific sectors, such as energy and mining. Within the mining sector, climate change imposes constraints on the sustainable extraction of minerals, thereby heightening the importance of several minerals in addressing these challenges. Chile emerges as a pivotal nation due to its substantial reserves of copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, which are essential for energy transition and decarbonization processes. Consequently, Chile must foster gradual processes to establish competitive advantages based on technological and innovative capabilities, thus projecting a competitive and sustainable mining industry. This endeavor should be accompanied by enhancements in policies and instruments to guide development, expanding local value creation. This study examines the global challenges faced by the mining sector in the context of the energy transition and evaluates Chile’s response through an assessment of public policies for mining development. It provides an analysis of the scope of various public policy instruments to establish the link between international agreements and development opportunities, subsequently proposing a series of indicators to assess policy progress. To this end, the Environmental Observatory of Mining Projects is developing indicators to evaluate compliance with these policies. In addressing the nation’s challenges related to green and sustainable mining, 20 indicators have been developed in collaboration with civil society and public and private stakeholders through a design thinking process. These indicators enable the evaluation of aspects such as air quality, water quality, and the surface area affected by tailings, among others. The initial section of the document outlines the global challenges in achieving the carbon neutrality goals set by the IPCC. The subsequent section elaborates on the theoretical framework of the research, addressing theories of economic development and sustainability, public policy approaches considered in recent years, as well as the governance of mining development, with an emphasis on its capacity to articulate industrial policies, promote environmental sustainability, and foster technological innovation. The third section details the research methodology and framework of the study. This study examines how Chile’s mining policies align with the global energy transition. Amid growing demand for critical minerals, climate change, and decarbonization, Chile faces both opportunities and socio-environmental risks. Addressing these challenges requires integrated sustainability strategies and an active state role to ensure inclusive, environmentally responsible, and innovation-driven mining development. Full article

This study develops a three-dimensional evaluation framework integrating policy instruments, policy themes, and policy subjects to analyze China’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies. Based on 82 central government policy documents issued between 2007 and 2024, it employs content analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, and social network analysis. The findings reveal a structural imbalance in policy instruments, with overreliance on environmental instruments and insufficient application of supply side and demand side mechanisms. Four major policy themes are identified: environmental governance, corporate responsibility and disclosure, technological innovation, and financial development. These themes show evolving priorities aligned with national strategies. Social network analysis shows weak coordination among stakeholders, with only a few central agencies driving most policies. This research contributes a systematic and quantitative approach to ESG policy evaluation, offering insights into structural shortcomings and governance fragmentation. It provides actionable recommendations for optimizing instrument use, enhancing thematic design, and improving multi-agency collaboration in ESG policymaking. This study contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), by evaluating China’s ESG policies and proposing a more balanced and pragmatic policy framework. Full article

Green and digital transitions represent a dual strategic objective for the European Union (EU), requiring behavioral changes from citizens, markets, and state institutions. To support these transformations, the EU has developed an extensive policy framework that is backed by significant financial instruments. However, the existing research suggests that these transitions may exacerbate both spatial and socioeconomic inequalities, depending on country-specific conditions and institutional capacities. This paper investigates how environmental and technological contexts, alongside EU-transition-related policies, influence regional and income inequalities within the selected EU countries. Using panel data covering the period 2007–2020 and employing a Generalized Least Squares (GLS) estimator, the present study reveals the complex relationship between structural conditions, policy designs, and inequality outcomes. The results show that smart and green policies tend to mitigate spatial inequalities, though they are found to be less effective in addressing income inequalities. By contrast, the contextual dynamics of the twin transition, such as skill intensity, digital adoption, and emissions, exhibit mixed effects, sometimes reinforcing inequality. The findings underline the urgency of designing inclusive EU policies that combine green and smart transition measures while accounting for country- and region-specific challenges. Such an integrated approach is essential for ensuring that the twin transition strengthens social cohesion in Europe, rather than undermining it. Full article