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The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 10438

Special Issue Editor

1. Economics School, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
2. Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100836, China
Interests: resources and environmental economics; urban economics and policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The need of a sustainable resources and environmental economics is becoming more and more important at the request of Carbon Peak. In this context, this Special Issue focuses on sustainable resources and environmental economics, committing to the dual conditions of resource and environmental development and carbon emission constraints. Hence, the present Special Issue aims to gather a series of manuscripts relating to the main methods of resources and environmental impacts associated with the constraints of carbon emission.

The main methods are called to be assessed and discussed by providing analysis concerning global, regional and urban studies. Papers investigating different level of analyses are therefore considered for publication in this Special Issue. Multienvironmental impact analyses focusing on carbon emission are also solicited. Resource and environmental economics interact with many exosystemic processes. Indeed, environmental impacts of different origin can be analyzed and discussed. Papers assessing the complex interactions of resource and environmental economics on society, human and infrastructure will be considered, as well as the potential pros and cons of resources.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Qian Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable development
  • resources and environmental economics
  • carbon constraints

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 500 KiB  
Article
Blessing or Curse? The Impact of Digital Technologies on Carbon Efficiency in the Agricultural Sector of China
by Yong Zhu, Xiongying Wang and Gong Zheng
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15613; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115613 - 4 Nov 2023
Viewed by 936
Abstract
Digital technology can be used to adjust the structure of energy production, promote the development of new agricultural production technologies, and reduce carbon emissions. With the increasing integration of digital technology in various fields, rural development is also entering a critical period of [...] Read more.
Digital technology can be used to adjust the structure of energy production, promote the development of new agricultural production technologies, and reduce carbon emissions. With the increasing integration of digital technology in various fields, rural development is also entering a critical period of digital transformation. Therefore, this paper uses digital technology and agricultural carbon emission intensity as research objects. We use panel data from 2011 to 2019. We first measure and analyse the level of digital technology development in China. This article empirically tests the impact between digital technology and the intensity of agricultural carbon emissions. Digital technology can be used to significantly suppress the intensity of agricultural carbon emissions. The suppressive effect is more significant in the western region of China than in the central and eastern regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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30 pages, 885 KiB  
Article
Digital Economy, Factor Allocation Efficiency of Dual-Economy and Urban-Rural Income Gap
by Bochao Zhang, Wanhao Dong, Jin Yao and Xiaolong Cheng
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13514; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813514 - 9 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1206
Abstract
The digital economy has significant economic structural transformation effects and income distribution effects. This article analyzed the impacts and mechanisms of digital economy development on the efficiency of dual-economic factor allocation and the urban–rural income gap from a theoretical perspective, empirically tested by [...] Read more.
The digital economy has significant economic structural transformation effects and income distribution effects. This article analyzed the impacts and mechanisms of digital economy development on the efficiency of dual-economic factor allocation and the urban–rural income gap from a theoretical perspective, empirically tested by using China’s provincial panel data from 2008 to 2017 and a bidirectional fixed effects model. It was found that the development of the digital economy has significantly improved the efficiency of factor allocation in the dual-economy, which has a significant improvement effect on the allocation efficiency of capital and labor. The development of the digital economy alleviates the problem of surplus labor factors and insufficient capital input in the agricultural sector by promoting nonagricultural employment and the flow of capital factors to the agricultural sector. The development of the digital economy can significantly reduce the urban–rural income gap by improving the efficiency of factor allocation in the dual-economy. The main contribution of this article is verifying that the flow of production factors triggered by the digital economy has a configuration efficiency improvement effect and further extending the economic structure effect of the digital economy to the field of distribution, examining the feasible path of optimizing the income distribution pattern of the digital economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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18 pages, 3440 KiB  
Article
Research on the Pro-Poorness of Economic Growth in Rural China
by Kezhong Jiang, Qian Zhou and Jin Yao
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6134; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076134 - 3 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1056
Abstract
Based on the pro-poor index and pro-poor curve measurement method of economic growth, this paper uses the data of Chinese Family Panel Studies to measure the pro-poorness of economic growth in rural areas of China. The study found that, from 2014 to 2018, [...] Read more.
Based on the pro-poor index and pro-poor curve measurement method of economic growth, this paper uses the data of Chinese Family Panel Studies to measure the pro-poorness of economic growth in rural areas of China. The study found that, from 2014 to 2018, the economic growth of rural areas in China was absolutely pro-poor, the economic growth in 2014–2016 was relatively non-pro-poor, and the economic growth in 2016–2018 was relatively pro-poor. From the perspective of household income structure, optimizing the pro-poorness of economic growth requires continuously increasing the wage income of low-income households, and continuing to implement fiscal transfer policies that are more favorable to low-income households. From the perspective of the human capital of households, optimizing the pro-poorness of economic growth requires active family support policies to enable workers to better balance family and work responsibilities, and adopt target location strategies to give special care to families with special difficulties while increasing investment in public services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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25 pages, 2457 KiB  
Article
Fermatean Fuzzy IWP-TOPSIS-GRA Multi-Criteria Group Analysis and Its Application to Healthcare Waste Treatment Technology Evaluation
by Wendi Chen, Shouzhen Zeng and Erhua Zhang
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6056; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076056 - 31 Mar 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1391
Abstract
The growth of healthcare waste (HCW) was driven by the spread of COVID-19. Effective HCW eradication has become a pressing global issue that requires immediate attention. Selecting an effective healthcare waste treatment technology (HCWTT) can aid in preventing waste buildup. HCWTT selection can [...] Read more.
The growth of healthcare waste (HCW) was driven by the spread of COVID-19. Effective HCW eradication has become a pressing global issue that requires immediate attention. Selecting an effective healthcare waste treatment technology (HCWTT) can aid in preventing waste buildup. HCWTT selection can be seen as a complex multi-criteria group evaluation problem as the process involves multiple types of criteria and decision-makers (DMs) facing uncertain and vague information. The key objective of this study is to create a useful tool for the evaluation of HCWTT that is appropriate for the organization’s needs. A novel index system for assessing the HCWTT during the decision-making evaluation process is first presented. Then a new approach based on entropy measure, decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and game theory for the integrated weighting procedure (IWP) is presented under a Fermatean fuzzy environment. A multi-criteria group analysis based on IWP, a technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and grey relational analysis (GRA), named IWP-TOPSIS-GRA framework suited to Fermatean fuzzy evaluation information, is developed. In a real-world case of HCWTT selection, through comparative analysis and sensitivity analysis, it is verified that the presented method is feasible and robust. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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22 pages, 12772 KiB  
Article
Ecosystem Services Research in Green Sustainable Science and Technology Field: Trends, Issues, and Future Directions
by Juan Tang, Yudi Fang, Ziyan Tian, Yinghua Gong and Liang Yuan
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 658; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010658 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2102
Abstract
Ecosystem services (ES) has an important place in sustainability science research as a powerful bridge between society and nature. Based on 513 papers correlated with ES in the field of green sustainable science and technology (GSST) indexed in ISI Web of Science database, [...] Read more.
Ecosystem services (ES) has an important place in sustainability science research as a powerful bridge between society and nature. Based on 513 papers correlated with ES in the field of green sustainable science and technology (GSST) indexed in ISI Web of Science database, we employ the bibliometric methods to analyze the disciplinary co-occurrence, keyword co-occurrence, partnerships, publication characteristics, co-citation, research themes, and transformative potential of these papers. The results show that innovation in research themes of the ES research in the GSST field is increasing rapidly in 2015–2018, while innovation in research themes is decreasing in 2018–2021. Moreover, keyword co-occurrence analysis indicates that the hot topics of previous research with respect to “environmental service”, “capacity”, “perception”, “landscape”, “forest management”, “carbon sequestration”, “contingent valuation”, and “sustainable development”. Recent hotspots include “blue carbon”, “environmental impact”, “coastal”, “ecosystem services mapping”, and “use/land cover change”. Finally, the cluster analysis of co-cited references abstract thirteen largest clusters. The top six clusters are “mapping ecosystem service”, “spatial gradient difference”, “ecosystem service value”, “water-related ecosystem service”, “linking forest landscape model”, and “culture ecosystem service”. Moreover, the integration of spatial, value, environmental, and sociocultural dimensions may help to develop supportive policies, which is a future direction of ES research in the GSST field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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18 pages, 1276 KiB  
Article
Quantitative Evaluation and Characteristic Analysis of Resource Allocation Efficiency of the Energy Industry in the Yangtze River Economic Belt
by Wanhao Dong, Jin Yao and Bochao Zhang
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16971; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416971 - 18 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1165
Abstract
The resource allocation efficiency of the energy industry in the Yangtze River economic belt is related to the green and high-quality development of the region. This study constructed a quantitative model which modified from the traditional HK model to evaluate the efficiency of [...] Read more.
The resource allocation efficiency of the energy industry in the Yangtze River economic belt is related to the green and high-quality development of the region. This study constructed a quantitative model which modified from the traditional HK model to evaluate the efficiency of energy industry resource allocation. This paper makes a quantitative evaluation of the efficiency of inter-industrial and inter-regional resource allocation of the energy industry in the Yangtze River economic belt from 2000 to 2019. The results show that: the average annual loss of total factor productivity of the energy industry in the Yangtze River economic belt is as high as 25.11% due to the misallocation of resources among the energy industries, capital misallocation, labor misallocation, and intermediate input misallocation were 12.32%, 7.08%, and 5.08%, respectively. The misallocation of resources among the energy industries of the provinces in upper, middle, and lower reaches is gradually increasing in turn. The average annual loss of total factor productivity (TFP) in the energy industry of the Yangtze River economic belt is 6.5% due to the misallocation of resources between regions. Capital misallocation, labor misallocation, and intermediate input misallocation were 2.48%, 3.40%, and 0.63%, respectively. In the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the labor force, capital, and intermediate input of each province’s energy industry were misallocated to a different extent. According to the trend of resource input in the energy industry of various provinces and cities, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River also show different characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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23 pages, 1380 KiB  
Article
How Does Digital Transformation of City Governance Affect Environmental Pollution: A Natural Experiment from the Pilot Policy of “National Information City for Public Service” in China
by Bochao Zhang, Wanhao Dong and Jin Yao
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14158; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114158 - 30 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1631
Abstract
This article investigated the “National Information City for Public Service” policy as the representative policy of China’s digital transformation of urban governance to empirically analyze its impact on urban environmental pollution using the DID method. The results indicated that: ① The “National Information [...] Read more.
This article investigated the “National Information City for Public Service” policy as the representative policy of China’s digital transformation of urban governance to empirically analyze its impact on urban environmental pollution using the DID method. The results indicated that: ① The “National Information City for Public Service” policy has significantly reduced the level of urban environmental pollution by 1.65–2.11% on average. After conducting the robustness test of the PSM-DID method and excluding the effect of exogenous interference of the smart city pilot policy in China, the evaluation showed no significant difference from the conclusion above. ② The mechanism test results showed that the “National Information City for Public Service” policy could reduce urban environmental pollution through the technological innovation effect, industrial structure upgrading effect, resource allocation optimization effect, and urban informatization level improvement effect. ③ The heterogeneity analysis of the city scale presented a positive relationship between the city scale and the level of environmental pollution improvement effect under the “National Information City for Public Service” framework. Meanwhile, the heterogeneity analysis of city characteristics showed that cities with better human capital qualities, stronger local government financial strength, and more advanced financial development levels would obtain greater benefit from the environmental improving effect of this policy. Notably, the environmental improving effect of digital transformation of urban governance would be further amplified in cities with the dual superposition of the Innovative City Pilot Policy and the policy of “National Information City for Public Service”. This paper contributed significant referential insights into promoting urban digital transformation and improving urban ecological environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Road to Sustainable Resources and Environmental Economics)
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