Fabian Präger, Christian Breyer, H. Fell, Christian von Hirschhausen, C. Kemfert, Björn Steigerwald, T. Traber, Ben Wealer
{"title":"Evaluating nuclear power's suitability for climate change mitigation: technical risks, economic implications and incompatibility with renewable energy systems","authors":"Fabian Präger, Christian Breyer, H. Fell, Christian von Hirschhausen, C. Kemfert, Björn Steigerwald, T. Traber, Ben Wealer","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2024.1242818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2024.1242818","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the suitability of nuclear power as an option to combat the escalating climate emergency. Summarizing and evaluating key arguments, we elucidate why nuclear power is unsuitable for addressing climate change. The primary argument centers around the unresolved technical and human risks of accidents and proliferation, which are unlikely to be effectively mitigated in the future. Furthermore, we highlight the significant cost disparities between nuclear power and other non-fossil energy sources, such as solar photovoltaics and wind power, considering levelized costs of electricity. We also address the incompatibility of nuclear power with renewable energy systems, emphasizing the need for flexibility in the face of variable solar and wind resources. Alternative reactor technologies will not be available in time to make a major contribution. Nuclear power also poses challenges in power plant operation amid climate change and war. Ultimately, we argue that other motivations should be explored to explain the continued interest in nuclear power in some countries, as energy supply arguments alone are insufficient to justify new investments.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":"73 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140709196","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":"The effectiveness of dual regulation and synergistic governance of market-incentivized carbon reduction policies and public environmental supervision: a study based on the sustainable development performance of listed companies in China","authors":"Jiahe Chen, Wenhao Yu","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2024.1326960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2024.1326960","url":null,"abstract":"In the current background of global economic slowdown, the traditional reliance on one regulatory instrument or the unilateral consideration of the effectiveness of one regulatory policy in policy formulation is no longer sufficient to cope with the increasingly complex contradictions between environmental protection and economic development. In the construction of a modernized environmental governance system, it has become an inevitable choice to achieve synergy between various environmental regulations. In China, the citizens' environmental supervision campaign that gradually emerged in 2006 and the local carbon trading pilots that started in 2013, as typical representatives of informal and formal environmental regulation respectively, provide vivid and realistic materials for our study.Using econometric models and microdata from listed Chinese firms from 2009 to 2020, we analyze the profound logic and internal mechanism by which this synergistic governance effect of environmental regulation affects the economic society and the development pattern of firms.The study found that: (1) the synergistic effect of the carbon trading policy and citizens' environmental supervision can significantly promote the transition of enterprises to a sustainable development model, especially paying attention to the role of citizens' environmental supervision in this process. (2) The regional development level, cost transfer capability, and political connection can make the synergy of the two environmental regulations vary across firms. (3) The synergistic effect of environmental regulation promotes the behavior of enterprises in line with the requirements of sustainable development by influencing enterprises' R&D and innovation investment, resource allocation efficiency, and sustainable development awareness. (4) A favorable regional rule of law environment and moderate media attention can effectively increase the intensity of citizens' environmental supervision, and at the same time strengthen the effectiveness of synergistic governance of environmental regulation in the transformation and development of enterprises.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140736204","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}
Maíra Finizola e Silva, Sophie Van Schoubroeck, Jan Cools, Steven Van Passel
{"title":"A systematic review identifying the drivers and barriers to the adoption of climate-smart agriculture by smallholder farmers in Africa","authors":"Maíra Finizola e Silva, Sophie Van Schoubroeck, Jan Cools, Steven Van Passel","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2024.1356335","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2024.1356335","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change impact, food security concerns, and greenhouse gas emissions are pressuring agricultural production systems in developing countries. There is a need for a shift toward sustainable food systems. One of the concepts introduced to drive this shift is climate-smart agriculture (CSA), endorsed by international organizations to address multifaceted challenges. Despite widespread attention and support, the adoption of CSA among African farmers remains low. This systematic literature review aims to shed light on the factors influencing CSA adoption amongst African farmers. Within the articles identified as relevant, over 50 CSA practices and more than 40 factors influencing CSA adoption were distinguished. These influencing factors can be categorized as personal, farm-related, financial, environmental, and informational. The focus of this review is to identify and explain the overall impact (positive, negative, or mixed) of these factors on CSA adoption. Overall, many factors result in mixed effects, only some factors have an unambiguous positive or negative effect on CSA adoption. For instance, educational level emerges as a key personal factor, positively impacting CSA adoption, along with positive influences from farmers' experience and farm size among farm-related factors. Financial factors reveal distinct patterns, with income from farming and access to credit positively influencing adoption, while off-farm income exhibits a negative effect. Environmental factors, though less researched, indicate positive impacts related to changes in rainfall patterns, temperature, and droughts. Lastly, informational factors consistently exhibit a positive effect on CSA adoption, with training, access to extension, group memberships, climate information, and CSA awareness playing crucial roles. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance CSA adoption in Africa, offering a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted dynamics at play.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":"172 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140750347","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":"Analyzing the effect of severe weather on farmers' fertilizer usage and input investment amidst decreasing productivity in single-season agroecosystems","authors":"David Atinga, J. A. Awuni, Takeshi Sakurai","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2024.1360513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2024.1360513","url":null,"abstract":"In Ghana and comparable developing countries, advancing farm investments and adopting innovative rice farming techniques encounters obstacles because of climate change. Smallholder farming households, affected by climate events, confront substantial risks that affect both agricultural returns and investment decisions.This research evaluates the enduring impact of fluctuating weather patterns in a single-cropping agroecological region on rice yields, examining the consequent influence on the utilization of inorganic fertilizers and agricultural input investment among rain-fed households, investigating disparities, reasons, and underlying mechanisms. The research used panel data from 60 communities, employing regression analysis and probability models. It integrated monthly cropping season weather data across the study zone's grid cells for community-level time series analysis.The results suggest that while weather shocks have a minimal impact on farmers abandoning inorganic fertilizers altogether, they do significantly decrease the overall amount of fertilizer used, agricultural investments, and rice crop yields. Floods and severe shocks exert a more pronounced influence compared to droughts and moderate shocks. Off-farm employment aids households in recovering from these shocks and maintaining agricultural investments. Climate shocks impact agricultural investment by reducing farm household income via altering crop yield and revenue. Consequently, this disrupts their ability to save, resulting in financial constraints. Encouraging and sustaining farm investments in vulnerable agrosystems involves diversifying income sources through combined crop and livestock farming, supplemented by off-farm activities. This strategy is fortified by climate-resilient farming practices, including resilient crop varieties supported by irrigation, weather insurance, and risk-oriented credit.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":"377 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139847943","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":"Analyzing the effect of severe weather on farmers' fertilizer usage and input investment amidst decreasing productivity in single-season agroecosystems","authors":"David Atinga, J. A. Awuni, Takeshi Sakurai","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2024.1360513","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2024.1360513","url":null,"abstract":"In Ghana and comparable developing countries, advancing farm investments and adopting innovative rice farming techniques encounters obstacles because of climate change. Smallholder farming households, affected by climate events, confront substantial risks that affect both agricultural returns and investment decisions.This research evaluates the enduring impact of fluctuating weather patterns in a single-cropping agroecological region on rice yields, examining the consequent influence on the utilization of inorganic fertilizers and agricultural input investment among rain-fed households, investigating disparities, reasons, and underlying mechanisms. The research used panel data from 60 communities, employing regression analysis and probability models. It integrated monthly cropping season weather data across the study zone's grid cells for community-level time series analysis.The results suggest that while weather shocks have a minimal impact on farmers abandoning inorganic fertilizers altogether, they do significantly decrease the overall amount of fertilizer used, agricultural investments, and rice crop yields. Floods and severe shocks exert a more pronounced influence compared to droughts and moderate shocks. Off-farm employment aids households in recovering from these shocks and maintaining agricultural investments. Climate shocks impact agricultural investment by reducing farm household income via altering crop yield and revenue. Consequently, this disrupts their ability to save, resulting in financial constraints. Encouraging and sustaining farm investments in vulnerable agrosystems involves diversifying income sources through combined crop and livestock farming, supplemented by off-farm activities. This strategy is fortified by climate-resilient farming practices, including resilient crop varieties supported by irrigation, weather insurance, and risk-oriented credit.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":" 27","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139788299","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":"Study on the influence mechanism and level measurement of agricultural green development—A case study of China","authors":"Hongfeng Liu, Huiliang Liu","doi":"10.3389/frevc.2023.1179399","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/frevc.2023.1179399","url":null,"abstract":"Taking China as an example, this paper analyzes the impact mechanism of agricultural green development and constructs a measurement system of agricultural green development level. The system includes seven subsystems (ensuring food security, optimizing agricultural structure, improving market mechanism, innovation-driven development, building ecological civilization, inheriting traditional culture, and benefiting the people) and 55 measurement indicators. Empirical research was carried out using entropy method and gray correlation to measure the level of green development of China's agriculture, analyze its spatial distribution law, and divide it into three levels according to the development level, then analyze the regional characteristics of each grade. The research shows that the overall level of agricultural green development in China is relatively low, and the constraints are obvious. It is easy to ignore the value of agricultural green development, and the phenomenon of non-green development still exists. Therefore, we must attach great importance to the green development of agriculture, change agricultural production from the pursuit of quantity to the pursuit of quality in the past, formulate an effective path to promote the comprehensive level of agricultural green development in the whole ecological chain, and build a collaborative research institution and information monitoring platform for agricultural green development.","PeriodicalId":475045,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Environmental Economics","volume":"53 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138595298","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}