Frontiers in Environmental Science最新文献

{"title":"Environmental regulation, industrial transformation, and green economy development","authors":"Huimin Shao, Qiong Peng, Fei Zhou, Walton Wider","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1442072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1442072","url":null,"abstract":"BackgroundGreen development, which is crucial because of the escalating ecological and environmental issues, is largely driven by industrial transformation and environmental legislation.PurposeThe paper aims to examine the combined effects of environmental regulations and industrial change on the green economy, based on their separate effects.MethodsWe use a fixed-effects regression on panel data covering 30 provinces in China in 2010–2020.ResultsWe reach the following conclusions: environmental regulations and rationalization of the industrial structure both support growth in the green economy, but advancement in the industrial structure hinders it. The combined effect of environmental regulations and advancement and rationalization in the industrial structure has a significantly positive impact on growth in the green economy; it is most pronounced in regions with higher resource endowments and economic development.DiscussionBy providing specific empirical facts, this study clarifies the effects of industrial transformation and environmental regulations on growth in the green economy, contributing to enriching the literature and helping to pave the way to sustainable development.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Supply chain carbon abatement under different power structures: impact of consumers’ low-carbon preference and carbon tax policy","authors":"Guozhi Li, Mengying Jiang, Yidan Yuan, Xunuo Chen, Dandan Fu","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1376970","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1376970","url":null,"abstract":"Supply chain carbon abatement is an important way to promote low-carbon transformation of the social economy and address global climate change. This paper analyzes the issue of supply chain carbon abatement under different power structures, as well as the effect of consumers’ low-carbon preference and carbon tax rate on the optimal decisions. This paper constructs five different models, namely ML-NO model, ML-CS model, RL-NO model, RL-CS model and VI model. The research finds that VI model is the most ideal model for promoting supply chain carbon abatement. The optimal abatement efforts, market demand, and total profits in the VI model are all the largest among the five models. Whether the supply chain leader is the manufacturer or the retailer, cost sharing contract can enhance optimal abatement efforts, market demand, and profits of both parties. In any model, the leader in Supply chain earns higher profits than the follower. When consumers’ low-carbon preference increases, the optimal abatement efforts, market demand, and profits of both parties will all increase, and the growth rate is gradually accelerating. For the manufacturer with high carbon emissions, when the carbon tax rate increases, the optimal abatement efforts first increase and then decrease. For the manufacturer with low carbon emissions, when the carbon tax rate increases, the optimal abatement efforts will also increase.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing woodchips for their efficiency in stimulating aquatic nutrient uptake at different experimental and spatial scales","authors":"Elmira Akbari, Tjaša Matjašič, Anna-Lisa Dittrich, Katrin Attermeyer, Rebecca Hood-Nowotny, Gabriele Weigelhofer","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1419413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1419413","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionWoodchips as a source of particulate organic carbon (POC) are proposed as a nature-based solution to enhance nutrient uptake and retention in agricultural streams. However, the effective implementation of woodchips for nutrient removal in streams requires an advanced understanding of their potential and limits, considering their performance under various environmental conditions. This study tested the efficiency of woodchips on the uptake of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonium (N-NH<jats:sub>4</jats:sub>) across different experimental scales and complexity. We investigated whether the presence of woodchips can increase SRP and N-NH<jats:sub>4</jats:sub> uptake in laboratory flumes under controlled conditions, outdoor flumes under semi-controlled conditions, and agricultural streams. Additionally, we examined how the effects of woodchips will change over time via a 6-week incubation in the outdoor flumes.MethodsThe woodchips were pre-colonized for four weeks to allow the growth of biofilms. We performed short-term nutrient additions without (control) and with (treatment) woodchips in all three experimental setups. Uptake parameters were determined via concentration changes over time in the laboratory flumes and concentration changes over travel distance in the outdoor flumes and the stream channels. The effects of woodchips on SRP and N-NH<jats:sub>4</jats:sub> uptake rates were analyzed using an effect size model.ResultsWe found positive effects of woodchips on nutrient uptake only in the laboratory flumes but no or even negative effects in the outdoor flumes and the agricultural streams. Over the 6-week incubation in the outdoor flumes, we did not observe significant changes in the effects of woodchips on nutrient uptake.DiscussionThese findings highlight that considering experimental scales and influencing environmental conditions is crucial when testing the application of woodchips as nature-based solutions to mitigate nutrient loads in agricultural streams.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142250862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The interaction between China’s economic recovery and environmental governance: a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and resource management","authors":"Yuting Duan","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1459483","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1459483","url":null,"abstract":"To gain a deeper understanding of the intrinsic dynamic relationship between energy consumption and economic growth in China. This study employs panel cointegration and causality models, utilizing the SYS-GMM technique to assess the factors influencing economic growth in China’s green finance sector from 2002 to 2022. The research explores the interactions among multiple variables related to the Chinese economic context, including economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, total natural resource rents, energy consumption, and environmental impact. While considering key factors that may cause structural disturbances in the time series analysis. The findings indicate the existence of long-term cointegration relationships among these variables, with positive correlations between economic growth and total natural resource rents, energy consumption, energy quantity, and ecological footprint. Results also show a bidirectional causal relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption and a unidirectional correlation between energy consumption and GDP growth. Additionally, energy intensity (EI) improvements supported by green finance are linked to a significant reduction in CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> emissions, with a coefficient of −1.933 (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic> &amp;lt; 0.05), underscoring the role of technological innovation. Further evaluations suggest that investments in renewable energy can promote economic growth, create job opportunities, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy-saving measures and green finance-supported technological innovations play crucial roles in improving energy intensity and reducing CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> emissions. The study also underscores the importance of economic diversification to reduce dependence on natural resources and enhance economic stability. Future research should further explore the economic feasibility and environmental benefits of emerging technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), providing deeper insights into sustainable energy practices.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microplastics in indoor dust at Dhaka city: unveiling the unseen contaminants within our homes","authors":"Md. Rashedul Haque, Wahida Ahmed, Md. Rayhanul Islam Rayhan, Md. Mostafizur Rahman","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1437866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1437866","url":null,"abstract":"Indoor environments, considered sanctuaries from external pollutants, are increasingly recognized as reservoirs for microplastics (MP). This research employed a comprehensive approach, combining dust sampling from diverse indoor spaces, density separation method, and microscopic observation to quantify and characterize microplastic particles. This is the first initial study worldwide that incorporated MP identification in indoor dust from different indoor environments along with factor analysis, health, and ecological risk assessment. The average MP concentration in the indoor environment was 4333.18 ± 353.85 MP/g. The MP distribution pattern was in institutional areas &amp;lt; residential areas &amp;lt; industrial areas &amp;lt; and commercial areas. Black color, fiber, &amp;lt;0.5 mm size was the dominant color, morphology, and size, respectively, among the detected MP from the studied samples. In addition, the polymer types of the MP were detected by Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and ten types of polymers were detected while PET was in high abundance. Population number, architectural features of habitat, human activities, urban topography, and particle residence time were determined as responsible factors for MP abundance in indoor areas. The estimated daily intake (EDI) value via ingestion was higher than the inhalation of MP. Infants are highly susceptible to MP exposures. According to Polymer Hazard Index (PLI) and Polymer Hazard Index (PHI) values, the exposure risk was in the minor and extreme risk categories.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142251190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic relationship between green finance and industrial structure upgrade in the yangtze river economic belt","authors":"Minglan Yuan, Zetai Shi, Decai Tang, Jie Zhu, Jiannan Li","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1475497","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1475497","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionThe Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is experiencing rapid economic development, while ecological and environmental problems are prominent. The development of green finance can help optimize the upgrade of regional industrial structure and promote the improvement of the ecological environment.MethodsThis study constructs an evaluation system for the development level of the YREB based on the panel data of 11 provinces (cities) in the YREB from 2010 to 2020. The entropy method is used to evaluate and analyze the current status of the ecosystem in the YREB, and a panel data model is used to conduct an in-depth investigation to explore the impact of green finance (GF) on the industrial structure upgrade (INS) of the YREB.ResultsThe results of the study show that from 2010 to 2020, the level of GF development in the YREB has increased, and the INS has further developed. In addition, the growth of GF injects a strong impetus to the improvement of INS in YREB, but there are regional differences, which are more obvious in the eastern region and not significant in other regions.DiscussionFinally, based on the research conclusions, relevant strategies and suggestions are proposed to assist the development of GF and INS in the YREB.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A better strategy: using green GDP to measure economic health","authors":"Xinhao Zheng, Yuexin Chen","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1459764","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1459764","url":null,"abstract":"IntroductionGross Domestic Product (GDP) is the most well-known and widely used measure of a country’s economic health. However, GDP fails to account for the depletion of natural resources and the environmental damage that occurs in the pursuit of economic growth, leading to an incomplete and potentially misleading picture of a nation’s well-being. To address this shortcoming, Green GDP (GGDP) is proposed as a more comprehensive indicator that incorporates environmental factors into the economic assessment. This study builds on extensive literature reviews, internationally accepted GGDP accounting methods, and scholarly research to propose a new GGDP calculation model that better reflects a country’s sustainable development.MethodsThe proposed GGDP model is divided into two main components: natural resource loss and environmental pollution loss. Each component is further broken down into primary factors that are condensed into 13 sub-criteria reflecting a country’s capacity for sustainable development. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is utilized to identify the most representative factors from these sub-criteria and to analyze the relationships among GGDP, these factors, and global mean temperature. Additionally, the Integrated Environmental Sustainability Index (IESI) is used to develop a global temperature mitigation prediction model, which considers the impacts of epidemics, sea and land temperatures, and variations in climate across different regions.ResultsThe analysis shows a 74% probability that positive GGDP growth correlates with temperature changes over a 50-year period, indicating that economic activities measured by GGDP are linked to climate change. The GGDP model reveals significant differences between global GDP and Green GDP, with the latter growing at a much slower rate. This slower growth of Green GDP is primarily due to the declining share of GDP from natural resource-dependent activities, which has fallen from 90% in the 1970s to 80% in 2020. This trend underscores the increasing gap between traditional economic growth and sustainable development, suggesting that as countries continue to rely on natural resources, their overall ecological efficiency declines, environmental pressures increase, and the potential for long-term sustainable development diminishes.DiscussionThe findings demonstrate that all factors within the GGDP model are proportional to global temperature, underscoring the significant impact that natural resource utilization and pollution emissions have on economic growth and climate change. The study further evaluates global sustainable development by considering both economic and environmental perspectives. Using Brazil as a case study, the model is applied to assess the values of each component within the GGDP framework, providing a comprehensive analysis of the country’s sustainable development challenges and potential solutions. This approach establishes a method for assessing sustainable development that","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"261 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An integrated mitigation approach to diffuse agricultural water pollution–a scoping review","authors":"Luke Quill, Diogo Ferreira, Brian Joyce, Gabriel Coleman, Carla Harper, Marta Martins, Trevor Hodkinson, Daniel Trimble, Laurence Gill, David W. O’Connell","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1340565","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1340565","url":null,"abstract":"Non-point source pollution and water eutrophication from agricultural runoff present global challenges that impact ground and surface waters. The search for a feasible and sustainable mitigation strategy to combat this issue remains ongoing. This scoping review aims to explore one potential solution by examining relevant literature on agricultural practices of the past and recent edge-of-field measures, designed to ameliorate the impacts of agricultural runoff on soil and water quality. The study focuses on integrating findings from diverse research fields into a novel myco-phytoremediation approach, which involves the synergistic relationship of plants, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and plant beneficial bacteria within vegetative buffer strips. The implementation of these augmented buffer strips enhances nutrient retention in the soil, reduces runoff volume, promotes biodiversity, and increases plant biomass. This biomass can be converted into biochar, an effective sorbent that can be used to filter dissolved and particulate nutrients from surface waterways. The resulting nutrient-rich biochar can be repurposed as a form of bio-fertiliser, optimizing fertiliser consumption and subsequently reducing the depletion rate of phosphorus, a limited resource. This paper investigates a circular model of abatement of agricultural runoff via maximal nutrient retention and subsequent recycling of nitrogen and phosphorus back into the agricultural system. The key impact lies in its contribution to addressing the issue of non-point source pollution and eutrophication by encouraging multidisciplinary research aimed at solving these complex environmental issues.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A study on the measurement and influencing factors of the urban wastewater treatment efficiency in China based on the superefficiency SBM-Tobit model","authors":"Tingyu Tao, Hao Zhang, Zikun Hu","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1416269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1416269","url":null,"abstract":"With urbanization acceleration, ensuring urban water use security and sustainable water resource management has become a major global challenge. As a populous country, China faces increasingly severe challenges. Comprehensive and systematic urban wastewater treatment efficiency (UWTE) assessments constitute a prerequisite for addressing this problem. Based on 2011–2021 panel data of 30 Chinese provinces, the superefficiency SBM model was employed for UWTE measurement from national and regional perspectives. ArcGIS software and the Tobit model were adopted to analyse the spatial-temporal patterns and factors influencing UWTE. UWTE in most provinces generally exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with an uneven east-high and west-low spatial distribution pattern. The decomposition results showed that the low UWTE in the eastern region was mainly constrained by scale efficiency, while in the central region, pure technical efficiency was the primary constraint. The shunt pipeline construction level, load rate, and wastewater treatment scale significantly positively impacted UWTE, while economic scale yielded a negative impact. It is recommended that the Chinese government adjust the outdated construction-without-operation model and implement differentiated wastewater treatment policies. It is necessary to vigorously promote rainwater and wastewater diversion pipeline construction, optimize and upgrade sewer networks and wastewater treatment facilities, and fully utilize scale effects. These findings provide insights for China and countries similar to China to facilitate efficient wastewater management practices.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating citizen science projects: insights from radon research","authors":"Mabel Akosua Hoedoafia, Meritxell Martell, Tanja Perko","doi":"10.3389/fenvs.2024.1436283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1436283","url":null,"abstract":"Citizen science projects have garnered attention for their potential to engage the public in scientific research and address societal challenges. However, assessing their impacts has often been overlooked or approached with overly simplistic methods. Aiming to fill this gap, this article draws on existing literature to propose an evaluation framework to critically examine how citizen science initiatives influence science, society and the participants themselves. This framework is tested on four citizen sciences projects in the field of radon research through content analysis of project reports and deductive analysis of 11 semi-structured interviews with citizen scientists and coordinators of the projects. The study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring the impacts of citizen science projects across scientific, participant, societal and researcher dimensions at the outcome level but also process evaluation at the process level. Our findings indicate that the proposed framework provides a comprehensive evaluation tool for citizen science projects, particularly in the field of radon research, and underscore the significant potential for improving participants’ knowledge on radon and risk mitigation strategies, as well as positive shifts in behaviour towards testing and mitigation and influencing public health policies.","PeriodicalId":12460,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Science","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}