Journal of Environmental Management最新文献

{"title":"Corporate strategic greenwashing under ESG disclosure uncertainty: Financing incentives and nonlinear effects.","authors":"Shun Li, Chenglong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127473","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As ESG investing becomes increasingly normalized, there is heightened scrutiny on whether companies partake in strategic greenwashing by capitalizing on the ambiguity of ESG disclosures. Drawing on signaling theory and the financing pricing behavior of risk-averse creditors, this study develops a micro-level theoretical model within a game-theoretic framework to explain the incentives for firms to adopt greenwashing behavior (GW) under ambiguous ESG signals. The theoretical analysis suggests that moderate information asymmetry may help reduce financing costs and generate implicit financing dividends, whereas excessive GW may result in regulatory penalties and reputational risks. Based on this framework, the study constructs a firm-level ESG disclosure uncertainty (ESGU) index and conducts an empirical analysis using data from A-share listed companies in China (from 2009 to 2022). The results show that greater ESGU increases the likelihood of firms engaging in GW-emphasizing green narratives while obscuring actual environmental performance. Further analyses reveal that firms with higher debt financing costs, greater information asymmetry, and stronger resource dependence are more likely to leverage ESG signal ambiguity to \"appear green.\" Heterogeneity signifies that audit quality and financial pressure substantially influence the intensity of ESGU on GW. Moreover, GW is found to significantly alleviate firms' financing constraints. A nonlinear relationship is also identified between ESGU and financing constraints, indicating the existence of a marginal \"fuzzy arbitrage\" window. This work offers theoretical and empirical evidence for the economic rationale linking ESG disclosure ambiguity to GW, thereby enhancing the literature on green signaling, strategic compliance, and sustainable finance. The results provide actionable insights for enhancing ESG governance in financial markets and promoting high-quality, sustainable development.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127473"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Quantifying microplastic fluvial flux from a coastal watershed-A microplastic rating curve approach.","authors":"Clare Murphy-Hagan, Andrew B Gray, Samiksha Singh, Hannah Hapich, Win Cowger","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127445","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As primary conveyers of dissolved and solid materials from the terrestrial to the marine sphere, rivers are dominant transport pathways for both natural and anthropogenic particles, including plastics. Given rising concern over the ubiquity, persistence, and harmful effects of plastics, it follows that researchers are modeling global microplastic fluvial fluxes in an effort to understand the source, transport, and fate of plastic in the environment. However, there are significant data gaps contributing to uncertainty in flux estimates, including selective particle bias introduced through collection methods, failure to account for flow-field variation, and poor characterization of concentrations across the discharge regime. Furthermore, these types of models do not translate well to the local watershed scale, where the potential utility of accurate flux data is the highest. To address this, we modeled the microplastic concentration-discharge behavior near the outlets of two tributaries to Upper Newport Bay, California, USA, using samples collected as part of a flow-integrated fluvial monitoring campaign. Representative microplastics concentrations collected from a range of flows were paired with streamflow discharges and fit with rating curves. By integrating over the 2021 Water Year discharge record, we calculated a total flux to the Bay of 23-41 billion microplastics and found that despite the infrequency of rainfall in the region, the majority of the total microplastic load was transported during stormflows at each site.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127445"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Bench-scale solid-state fermentation of digested sewage sludge to produce Bacillus thuringiensis: influence of digestate characteristics.","authors":"J Font-Pomarol, J Kaal, E Molina-Peñate, A Sánchez, A Artola","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127478","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127478","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The solid fraction of wastewater digested sludge is a material rich in nutrients and organic matter that is typically applied to the soil, composted or disposed of. To further exploit its potential, it can be used as a secondary raw material for the production of marketable products, such as biopesticides, through solid-state fermentation (SSF). In this study, a thorough characterisation in terms of pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, physicochemical methods and biodegradability analysis was carried out on four different digested sewage sludges to understand their inherent properties. The effect of these properties on the growth and sporulation of Bacillus thuringiensis during a laboratory-scale SSF process was then evaluated. Sporulation yields ranged from a maximum of 11.3 to a minimum of 0.4 (expressed as spores per initial viable cell), highlighting the influence of digestate variability on the fermentation performance. Finally, the SSF process was scaled up to bench-scale using the two solid digestates with the highest Bacillus thuringiensis viable cell and spore production to assess the robustness and reproducibility of the process. By scaling up, both sporulation yield and viable cell yield increased compared to the laboratory-scale trials with a maximum spore production of 2.3 × 10⁸ spores g^-1 DM. The results confirmed the feasibility of growing Bacillus thuringiensis by SSF in three of the four solid digestates studied, highlighting the importance of advanced techniques to obtain reliable characterisation of the digestate as a substrate for SSF and the production of valuable bioproducts. These results help to determine the most effective valorisation pathway for the solid digestate within the circular economy paradigm.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127478"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211178","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Do climate change and geopolitical risk influence volatility? Empirical evidence from leading economies.","authors":"Saroj S Prasad, Veerma Puri, Priti Bakhshi","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127471","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our study addresses the two novel objectives: 1) to study the impact of global climate change on stock market volatility, and 2) to study the impact of geopolitical risk on stock market volatility. With 21 years of high-frequency daily stock market returns data for the ten most influential economies encompassing the period from January 2003 to December 2022 (available until December 2022), we find high volatility in the stock markets of Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany due to global climate change and high volatility in the Indian stock market due to geopolitical uncertainty, while the USA and Japan are seen with volatility dampening due to geopolitical uncertainty. Due to the mixed-frequency datasets of dependent and independent variables, we employ the novel GARCH-MIDAS methodology to estimate our results. The originality of our study lies in the adoption of a novel methodology and the creation of a high-frequency dataset for 21 years during which the world has witnessed major geopolitical and climatic disruptions. Our results call for major policy interventions by governments worldwide to mitigate the risks posed by global climate change, adopt more stringent regulations to manage geopolitical uncertainty, and stabilize their financial markets. Additionally, this analysis extends the discussion beyond generic conclusions and provides more discerning policy implications concerning the unique vulnerabilities and resilience factors that each economy is endowed with. Overall, our study has larger implications and calls for international cooperation by the countries to design effective policies to address these pressing issues.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127471"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"From resource reliance to sustainable environmental resilience: A digital-green paradigm for BRICS+ nations.","authors":"Yujiao Liu, Qiu Huang, Yong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127498","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The BRICS + nations face a critical developmental dilemma: their economic growth remains tightly coupled with natural resource exploitation, yet escalating ecological pressures demand urgent transitions toward environmental sustainability systems. This research examines how strategically integrating digitalization with green innovation can reconcile this tension, thereby transitioning economies from resource reliance to environmental resilience. Analyzing panel data from 2000 to 2021 through advanced econometric frameworks, we identify three pivotal mechanisms. First, while natural resource rents and economic growth amplify emissions, renewable energy adoption emerges as a consistent decarbonization lever. Second, although digitalization and green innovation may initially increase emissions during transitional phases, their interaction with resource extraction ultimately exerts mitigating effects, revealing latent compensatory pathways. Third, their combined deployment generates synergistic reductions, with effects magnified in high-emission contexts. Methodologically, the Cross-sectional Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) framework captures dynamic equilibrium adjustments, while the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) estimation highlights context-dependent heterogeneities. These findings advance a co-evolutionary policy framework, demonstrating how BRICS + economies can orchestrate technological interoperability to bypass traditional tradeoffs between resource reliance and sustainability. We advocate for integrated innovation strategies rather than fragmented interventions. By aligning digital and green transitions, this systemic approach generates compounded benefits, offering a viable paradigm for emerging economies balancing development and decarbonization imperatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127498"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 criticality of environmental sustainability in agriculture: The decarbonization role of green finance in China.","authors":"Zhaoyang Lu, Ming Xu, Lidong Shi, Ting Lei","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127470","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Agricultural pollution is highly valued by developing countries, and green financial services are a key support for breaking the carbon lock-in in agriculture during the process of globalization. This study examined the inhibitory effect of green finance (GF) on agricultural carbon emissions (ACE), using data from 207 cities in China from 2006 to 2022 as the research sample and adopting the fixed-effect model for the study. This study suggests that applying green finance can effectively mitigate the generation of agricultural carbon emissions. By evaluating heterogeneity, it was found that the inhibitory level is higher in the western region. To further explore this issue, two variables, Digital Infrastructure (DI) and Green Technological Innovation (GTI), were introduced for in-depth investigation, and it was proved that the two variables have a mediating effect. In view of these insights, it is suggested that Chinese government departments should enhance policy support and application efforts for green finance, combine the improvement of digital infrastructure with the level of green technology, optimize the allocation of agricultural industry resources, and facilitate the green transformation of agriculture. This strategic shift is in line with breaking the carbon lock and achieving the sustainable development goals of agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127470"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Drivers of contaminated sediment dynamics over 80 years at a basin scale (Loire river basin, France): a multifactorial approach.","authors":"Cécile Grosbois, Elie Dhivert, Stéphane Rodrigues, Jules Le Guern, Johnny Gaspéri, Leslie Mondamert, Jérôme Labanowski","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127494","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127494","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the long-term dynamics of sediment contamination requires integrating multiple drivers, including anthropogenic activities, river management and sediment transport processes. This study investigates legacy trace element (TE) contamination (Ag, Bi, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Sn, Zn) in sediments from the Loire river and its main tributaries, highlighting contamination hot periods and hotspots over eight decades. Prior to the 1950s, sediment composition was stable but limited localized contamination was already identified. During the 1950s-1970s, TE enrichments spread basin-wide, driven by industrial and mining activities plus active sediment transport. River modifications such as dam construction and intensive sand mining started to intensify in the 1970s. From the 1980s onward, TE concentrations globally declined due to regulatory measures, industrial closures and sediment connectivity disruptions caused by sand mining, dams and weirs, confining contamination hotspots mostly within sub-basins. Since the 2000s, sediment quality has significantly improved. However, legacy contaminants can still be remobilized during specific events (major flood events and/or river management operations). A conceptual proxy, the Dynamic of the Recovery Period index, expressed as a percentage of remaining contamination over the period 1970s-2010s, enables comparative analysis of recovery trends, independently of the time frame, the river station or maximum of contamination. It emphasizes the influence of spatially heterogeneous legacy contamination and river management practices on sediment quality. Despite overall recovery, some areas remain impacted, notably by mercury. These findings highlight the importance of integrating riverbed and bank sediment quality and dynamics monitoring into river management to support the resilience of fluvial ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127494"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145211359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Deep learning-based optimal selection of construction and demolition waste crushing equipment.","authors":"Mingyuan Zhang, Xiaoli Liu, Lingjie Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127466","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127466","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The crushing equipment plays a crucial role in the recycling process of construction and demolition waste (CDW). Not only does it have a significant impact on the performance of recycled aggregates, but also influences the costs and environmental emissions associated with CDW recycling. To address the limitations of the traditional manual selection method, this study proposed an optimal selection method for CDW crushing equipment based on deep learning. Firstly, a rapid assessment method for the size and volume of CDW based on deep learning was proposed. Specifically, the Mask R-CNN model was employed to identify and segment the CDW at the demolition site. Thereafter, the size distribution and mass distribution of the CDW were calculated based on the segmentation results, using the Brute Force algorithm and the 3D volume reconstruction method, respectively. Secondly, the size distribution of the CDW was combined with the discharge size requirement for recycled aggregates to determine the optional crushing equipment that can meet the CDW production requirements. Finally, the environmental emissions of optional crushing equipment were calculated based on life cycle assessment (LCA) and converted to environmental costs based on the social willingness to pay (WTP). Subsequently the optimal crushing equipment for CDW was determined by combining running costs and environmental costs. The results demonstrated that the Mask R-CNN model employed in this study exhibited superior accuracy in comparison to other segmentation models. The overall error in the size distribution and mass distribution was maintained within 5 %. The method of this study can determine the optimal crushing equipment for CDW and provide auxiliary decision support for actual recycling projects. Furthermore, the crushing equipment selected by this research method can effectively control the environmental emissions during the CDW crushing stage, thereby facilitating the low-carbon recycling of CDW, which is conducive to the sustainable development of the construction industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127466"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Hydrothermal recovery of phosphorus from organic solid waste: Mechanisms, transformation pathways, and product applications.","authors":"Jialin Xue, Ting Zhang, Yuchao Shao, Wenjing Lu, Yongdong Xu, Yushuang Li, Jianchao Wang, Jun Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127394","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the increasing scarcity of global phosphorus resources and the massive generation of organic solid waste (OSW), the efficient recovery and resource utilization of phosphorus (P) have become critical issues for sustainable development. Hydrothermal technology, due to its high efficiency and environmental friendliness, has been widely applied in the recovery of P from OSW and the preparation of P-enriched products. This review systematically analyzes the occurrence characteristics of P in OSW, the migration and transformation pathways of P during hydrothermal processes, and the application potential of P-enriched products (such as struvite, calcium phosphate salts, and P-enriched hydrochar). Comprehensive analysis results indicate that the P content in OSW varies significantly depending on its source, with inorganic phosphorus (IP) being the dominant form (maximum proportion can reach over 90 %) and organic phosphorus (OP) as the secondary form. The release and transformation of P, as well as its distribution in solid and liquid phases, are collaboratively influenced by factors such as feedstock characteristics, hydrothermal temperature, holding time, pH, and additives, with the conversion to IP being the ultimate trend. The primary application of P-enriched products is as slow-release P fertilizers, which have shown excellent fertilization effects in crop production. However, their P release behavior is significantly affected by preparation conditions and environmental factors. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance and suggestions for the development of efficient P recovery and resource utilization from OSW, promoting the deep integration of sustainable P resource utilization and green agricultural development, with significant environmental and economic implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127394"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145204942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Enhancement of soil organic matter stability cross-linked with aluminium drove the reallocation of ROSs for the directional oxidation of petroleum hydrocarbons.","authors":"Xiumin Li, Yonghua Zhao, Hongliang Du, Di Han, Na Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127488","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127488","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Since soil organic matter (SOM) significantly competes with petroleum hydrocarbons to consume reactive oxygen species (ROSs), the efficient remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by chemical oxidation is limited. In this study, an efficient treatment for the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil comprising directional oxidation was constructed based on the enhancement of SOM stability. A mechanism was proposed whereby SOM pretreatment with hydrogen peroxide (HP) produced more binding sites, such as O-H, C=O, and C-O, thereby making SOM to be maximally stabilized by forming OM-Al-mineral complexes after adding aluminum salts (AS). The two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) of the FTIR spectra certified that C-O was more sensitive to HP pretreatment and Al cross-linking. Specifically, the enhancement of SOM stability improved the relative reactivity of ROSs to total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) (k_TPHs), driving approximately 30 % of the ROSs to be transferred for the directional oxidation of TPHs. Under such conditions, the directional oxidation amount of TPHs by activated persulfate was up to 13,083 mg/kg (53.55 %), equivalent to 2.67, 1.82, and 1.39 folds of the control CK, HP, and AS treatments, respectively. Subsequently, indigenous bacteria degraded 10,969 mg/kg (44.90 %) of TPHs during a 60-day incubation. Notably, the expressions of the functional genes related to the biodegradation of alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons were up-regulated. The final amount of TPHs removal, including directional oxidation and biodegradation, obviously increased to 24,052 mg/kg (98.45 %) in the sequential pretreatment with HP and AS. This study provides a new insight into the efficient remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by enhancing SOM stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":356,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Management","volume":"394 ","pages":"127488"},"PeriodicalIF":8.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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}