Regional Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Impacts of land use and cover change on carbon storage: Multi-scenario projections in the arid region of Northwest China","authors":"Xuyu FENG ,&nbsp;Xiao ZHAO ,&nbsp;Ling TONG ,&nbsp;Sufen WANG ,&nbsp;Risheng DING ,&nbsp;Shaozhong KANG","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100248","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100248","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon storage serves as a key indicator of ecosystem services and plays a vital role in maintaining the global carbon balance. Land use and cover change (LUCC) is one of the primary drivers influencing carbon storage variations in terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, evaluating the impacts of LUCC on carbon storage is crucial for achieving strategic goals such as the China’s dual carbon goals (including carbon peaking and carbon neutrality). This study focuses on the Aral Irrigation Area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, to assess the impacts of LUCC on regional carbon storage and their spatiotemporal dynamics. A comprehensive LUCC database from 2000 to 2020 was developed using Landsat satellite imagery and the random forest classification algorithm. The integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade-offs (InVEST) model was applied to quantify carbon storage and analyze its response to LUCC. Additionally, future LUCC patterns for 2030 were projected under multiple development scenarios using the patch-generating land use simulation (PLUS) model. These future LUCC scenarios were integrated with the InVEST model to simulate carbon storage trends under different land management pathways. Between 2000 and 2020, the dominant land use types in the study area were cropland (area proportion of 35.52%), unused land (34.80%), and orchard land (12.19%). The conversion of unused land and orchard land significantly expanded the area of cropland, which increased by 115,742.55 hm². During this period, total carbon storage and carbon density increased by 7.87×10⁶ Mg C and 20.19 Mg C/hm², respectively. The primary driver of this increase was the conversion of unused land into cropland, accounting for 49.28% of the total carbon storage gain. Carbon storage was notably lower along the northeastern and southeastern edges. By 2030, the projected carbon storage is expected to increase by 0.99×10⁶, 1.55×10⁶, and 1.71×10⁶ Mg C under the natural development, cropland protection, and ecological conservation scenarios, respectively. In contrast, under the urban development scenario, carbon storage is projected to decline by 0.40×10⁶ Mg C. In line with China’s dual carbon goals, the ecological conservation scenario emerges as the most effective strategy for enhancing carbon storage. Accordingly, strict enforcement of the cropland red line is recommended. This study provides a valuable scientific foundation for regional ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 4","pages":"Article 100248"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptive conservation of natural resources determines the sustainable livelihood strategies of farmers in the semi-arid Loess Plateau region of China","authors":"Shengli MA ,&nbsp;Mingxiang XU","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Livelihood improvement and sustainable natural resource utilization are among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; however, most farm households either randomly select or just imitate livelihood strategies being practiced in other areas. As the livelihoods of farm households are vulnerable to several challenges in ecologically fragile areas, identifying the livelihood strategies of farm households in arid and semi-arid areas will help for promoting both livelihood security and environmental conservation. Hence, in this study, we constructed a sustainable evaluation index system for the livelihood of farmers in the Loess Plateau region of China by conducting field research and interviews. We employed the composite index method to measure the livelihood capital and the livelihood strategies chosen by farmers, and then analyzed the resource endowment of farmers under different livelihood strategies using logistic regression and structural equation modeling. The results revealed that under the combined influences of livelihood capital and government policy, farm households in the Loess Plateau region selected agro-dependent, agro-pastoral, agro-industrial, non-agricultural livelihood strategies. The key factors influencing the selection of these household livelihood strategies included the household labor capacity, the farmland owned per household, the number of livestock, and the grassland forage-supply ratio. The grassland forage-supply ratio was a crucial factor influencing the choice between agricultural and non-agricultural livelihood strategies. In this context, the grassland forage-supply ratio increased with the stocking rate. However, once the stocking rate exceeded 56.5 sheep/hm², the grassland forage-supply ratio no longer increased rapidly under the agriculture-based livelihood strategy. The strategy of ecological resource conservation and moderate utilization based on the quality and quantity of natural resources ensures win-win benefits for the environment and human well-being in arid and semi-arid areas. Moderate grazing therefore has the potential to improve farmers’ livelihoods without causing grassland degradation. These results contribute to the synergistic co-adaptation of livelihood improvement and ecological conservation in arid and semi-arid areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 4","pages":"Article 100244"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145098764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Desertification dynamics in the Tarim Basin during 1990–2020","authors":"YU Xiang ,&nbsp;LEI Jiaqiang ,&nbsp;GAO Xin ,&nbsp;SUN Lingxiao ,&nbsp;LYU Zhentao ,&nbsp;Ireneusz MALIK ,&nbsp;Malgorzata WISTUBA","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100226","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100226","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Desertification poses a significant ecological threat to global sustainability, notably within arid regions such as the Tarim Basin surrounding the extensive Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China. This study used the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and Random Forest (RF) to analyze multi-temporal Landsat images to reveal desertification dynamics in the Tarim Basin spanning from 1990 to 2020. The results showed that land use types of the Tarim Basin were classified into three types: artificial oases, natural oases, and desertified land. To robustly quantify the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use, we introduced the Desertification Change Index (DCI), a novel metric specifically designed to measure the transformation sensitivity of land use types. Our analysis demonstrated that from 1990 to 2020, artificial oases showed a continuous increasing trend, while desertified land decreased significantly. Natural oases decreased during 1990–2000, then continued to grow, and showed a decreasing trend again after 2015. Moreover, natural oases have mainly been converted into desertified land and artificial oases. Artificial oases were mainly converted into natural oases, and most of desertified land was converted into natural oases. Regions with significant oasis expansion (DCI=2) were mostly concentrated within the influence radius of artificial oases. In contrast, regions with significant oasis degradation (DCI= –2) were generally farther from artificial oases. Finally, this study found that the changes in land use types of the Tarim Basin are mainly driven by human activities, which play a dual role—mitigating desertification by controlling oasis expansion and exacerbating desertification through unsustainable resource utilization. Ultimately, this research provides essential insights for policy-makers and land managers aiming to devise adaptive and sustainable desertification control measures in the Tarim Basin and similarly arid regions globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100226"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How climate change adaptation strategies and climate migration interact to control food insecurity?","authors":"Mohammad Reza PAKRAVAN-CHARVADEH ,&nbsp;Jeyran CHAMCHAM ,&nbsp;Rahim MALEKNIA","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the impact of climate change intensifies, climate migration (climate change-induced migration) has become a pressing global issue that requires effective adaptation strategies to lessen its effects. Therefore, this study delved into the complex relationship between climate change adaptation strategies and climate migration with food insecurity serving as a mediating factor. We collected sample data through face-to-face interviews in Khorramabad City, Iran from February to May in 2023. Using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), we explored how food insecurity influences the relationship between climate change adaptation strategies and climate migration. The findings showed that while climate change adaptation strategies can boost community resilience, their success is closely tied to levels of food insecurity. About 78.72% of the surveyed households experienced certain levels of food insecurity, increasing the risk of displacement due to climate-related disasters. Climate change adaptation strategies including economic strategies, irrigation management strategies, organic-oriented strategies, sustainable development-oriented strategies, and crop variety management strategies played a significant role in reducing climate migration. Moreover, we found that climate change adaptation strategies not only impact food security, but also shape migration decisions. This research underscores the importance of an integrated approach that links climate change adaptation strategies, climate migration, and food insecurity. This study emphasizes the importance of food security for formulating sustainable adaptation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100229"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges and opportunities in the energy transition of agribusiness: A deep dive into the rebound effect in Latin America","authors":"Fábio DE OLIVEIRA NEVES ,&nbsp;Eduardo Gomes SALGADO ,&nbsp;Mateus CURY ,&nbsp;Jean Marcel Sousa LIRA ,&nbsp;Breno Régis SANTOS","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100225","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100225","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing climate change concerns have intensified the focus on agribusiness sustainability, driving an urgent energy transition to improve production efficiency and mitigate environmental harm. The complex interplay between energy efficiency and energy consumption highlights the essential role of strategic energy policies in ensuring sustainable development. This study used the Double-Log regression model with bootstrap resampling to examine the rebound effect in the energy transition of agribusiness focusing on five Latin American countries including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Mexico based on the agricultural sector data during 2010–2022. The findings revealed that the rebound effect significantly influences energy transition, with varying degrees of impact across agricultural sectors. This study identified partial rebound effect across all five countries, with elasticity coefficient varying from 9.63% (Colombia’s coffee sector) to 89.12% (Brazil’s livestock sector). In Brazil’s sugarcane sector, non-renewable energy, agricultural employment, and irrigation efficiency were identified as key factors influencing energy consumption, while in livestock sector, energy consumption was affected by CH₄ emissions, income and well-being of farmers, water consumption, and water conservation practices. In Mexico’s livestock sector, CH₄ emissions, non-renewable energy, and water conservation practices were the key factors affecting energy consumption. In Argentina’s sugarcane sector, pesticides, NO₂ emissions, renewable energy, and agricultural employment were the key factors affecting energy consumption, while renewable energy, income and well-being of farmers, and water consumption were the key factors affecting energy consumption in livestock sector. In Uruguay’s livestock sector, non-renewable energy, income and well-being of farmers, and irrigation efficiency were the key factors affecting energy consumption. In Colombia’ coffee sector, NO₂ emissions and irrigation efficiency were identified as key factors influencing energy consumption. Finally, this study reinforces the importance of aligning energy transition with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that energy efficiency gains do not inadvertently increase energy consumption or environmental degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100225"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the interdependencies among social progress index (SPI) components and their impact on country-level sustainability performance based on Bayesian Belief Network","authors":"Abroon QAZI","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The social progress index (SPI) measures social and environmental performance beyond traditional economic indicators, providing transparent and actionable insights into the true condition of societies. This study investigates the interdependencies among SPI components and their impact on country-level sustainability performance. Using a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) approach, the analysis explores the interdependencies among 12 SPI components (including advanced education, basic education, environmental quality, freedom and choice, health, housing, inclusive society, information and communications, nutrition and medical care, rights and voice, safety, and water and sanitation) and their collective influence on sustainability performance. Data from the Sustainable Development Report and SPI datasets, covering 162 countries (including Australia, China, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and so on), were used to assess the relative importance of each SPI component. The key findings indicate that advanced education, inclusive society, and freedom and choice make substantial contributions to high sustainability performance, whereas deficiencies in nutrition and medical care, water and sanitation, and freedom and choice are associated with poor sustainability performance. The results reveal that sustainability performance is shaped by a network of interlinked SPI components, with education and inclusion emerging as key levers for progress. The study emphasizes that targeted improvements in specific SPI components can significantly enhance a country’s overall sustainability performance. Rather than visualizing countries’ progress through composite indicator-based heat maps, this study explores the interdependencies among SPI components and their role in sustainability performance at the global level. The study underscores the importance of a multidimensional policy approach that addresses social and environmental factors to enhance sustainability. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how SPI components interact and shape sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100230"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal characteristics and driving factors of the fractional vegetation coverage in the Ertix River Basin","authors":"LIU Yixuan ,&nbsp;Alim SAMAT ,&nbsp;L.I. Wenbo ,&nbsp;Jilili ABUDUWAILI","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100227","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100227","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid acceleration of global warming and intensifying human activities have exacerbated the fragility and climate sensitivity of ecosystems worldwide, particularly in arid regions. Vegetation, a key component of ecosystems, is critical in enhancing the ecological environment. The Ertix River Basin (ERB) is a transboundary watershed that spans multiple countries, mostly in arid regions. However, research on the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) and its driving factors in the ERB remains limited. Investigating the spatiotemporal changes in the FVC and its relationship with various factors in the ERB can offer scientific support for optimizing regional vegetation restoration policies and promoting the coordinated development of human–environment interactions. The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MYD13Q1 V6 data were obtained via the Google Earth Engine platform, and methods including the pixel dichotomy method, Theil–Sen median trend analysis, and Mann‒Kendall test were employed to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of the FVC in the ERB from 2003 to 2023, with future trend forecast using the Hurst index. The impacts of natural and socioeconomic factors on the FVC were evaluated through the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that the FVC in the ERB showed a slight degradation trend with an average annual decrease of 0.046% during 2003–2023, with significant changes occurring in 2004, 2010, and 2019. Spatially, 53.380% of the study area was degraded, and the change in the FVC increased gradually from southeast to northwest. The FVC in 63.000% of the study area was highly stable and displayed long-term persistence; and the direct impact of natural factors (path coefficient of 0.617) on the FVC was significantly higher than that of socioeconomic factors (0.167). Among the natural factors, precipitation (0.999) was the most significant. This study reveals the significant impacts of natural and socioeconomic factors on vegetation dynamics in arid regions, and provides a scientific basis for transnational ecological conservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100227"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors influencing greenhouse gas emissions from road transport and energy consumption in the Extended Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand","authors":"Sutinee CHOOMANEE ,&nbsp;Vilas NITIVATTANANON ,&nbsp;Kampanart SILVA ,&nbsp;Kunnawee KANITPONG ,&nbsp;Jai Govind SINGH","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Road transport plays a crucial role in facilitating mobility and the movement of goods, particularly in the Extended Bangkok Metropolitan Region (EBMR), Thailand. This area is undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, resulting in significant energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This study examined the relationships among individual socioeconomic factors, travel characteristics, and energy consumption characteristics and their impacts on GHG emissions from road transport. The path analysis technique was applied to identify the key driving factors and their causal relationships. The data were collected through 1600 questionnaire surveys with road drivers in representative areas of the EBMR from December 2022 to May 2023. The results revealed that individual socioeconomic factors significantly influenced GHG emissions from road transport. Among the drivers, factors such as income, age, education, and driving experience indirectly influenced travel characteristics and energy consumption characteristics, impacting GHG emissions. Similarly, individual socioeconomic factors affected the travel characteristics of tourists and personal travelers. Driving experience was a crucial factor for public road transport and freight vehicle drivers, influencing travel characteristics and contributing to GHG emissions. These findings highlight the importance of key policy recommendations, such as promoting the adoption of electric vehicles, optimizing public transport, incentivizing low-emission tourism, and modernizing freight transport with clean technologies, to enhance efficiency, reduce emissions, and support regional sustainability. This study provides policy-makers with insights into the key factors influencing GHG emissions across different driving factors, revealing how individual socioeconomic factors impact travel characteristics and energy consumption characteristics. The findings will inform the development of targeted emission reduction strategies and sustainable transport policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100231"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Would resettlement be better? Understanding how poverty alleviation resettlement influences the well-being of poverty alleviation migrants in China","authors":"LIU Bingsheng ,&nbsp;YIN Yimeng ,&nbsp;MA Li","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100228","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100228","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Poverty remains one of the most pressing global challenges of this era, affecting millions of people across both developing and developed countries. The poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR) is a policy with Chinese characteristics for eradicating poverty. By integrating the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach, this study developed a theoretical framework to analyze the factors influencing the well-being of poverty alleviation migrants (PAMs). A telephone survey conducted between July and August 2022 in Hubei Province, Guizhou Province, Shaanxi Province, and Chongqing Municipality of China yielded 259 valid questionnaires. Using the partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), this study revealed that financial accessibility, health level, living conditions, and social networks significantly enhanced the well-being of PAMs, with living conditions having the strongest impact on the well-being of PAMs. Furthermore, the factors affecting well-being varied across age groups. Social networks played a more significant role in the elderly group, whereas health level had a greater impact on the young and middle-aged group. These findings deepen the understanding of the PAR and its effects on the well-being of PAMs, offering valuable insights for policy-makers and practitioners to refine poverty alleviation strategies and enhance social welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 3","pages":"Article 100228"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship between environmental performance indices and blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies: Evidence from countries in Europe and America","authors":"Hussain Mohi-ud-Din Qadri ,&nbsp;Hassnian Ali ,&nbsp;Atta UL. Mustafa","doi":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100214","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100214","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As the world grapples with increasing environmental challenges, innovative technologies are essential for promoting sustainability and accountability. This study examined the impact of environmental performance indices (EPIs) on the growth and investment trends of blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies in 15 countries (Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) from Europe and America during 2010–2022. This study used the negative binomial regression model to assess the relationship between EPIs and blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies based on the data from the CrunchBase and EarthData. Results indicated that in ecosystem vitality, national terrestrial biome protection efforts were negatively correlated the formation of blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies, while global terrestrial biome protection efforts and marine protected areas had a positive impact on the formation of these companies and the number of funding rounds. In environmental health, PM_2.5 exposure had a positive impact on the number of funding rounds. Conversely, pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and ocean plastics deterred the formation of blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies and reduced the number of funding rounds. In climate change performance, adjusted emission growth rate for carbon dioxide (CO₂), adjusted emission growth rate for F-gases, and adjusted emission growth rate for black carbon had a significantly positive impact on the formation of blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies. Conversely, adjusted emission growth rate for Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) and projected greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 negatively affected the formation of these companies. These findings highlight the dual role of EPIs as driving factors and barriers in the development and investment of blockchain-based sustainability-focused companies in countries from Europe and America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34395,"journal":{"name":"Regional Sustainability","volume":"6 2","pages":"Article 100214"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144167556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}