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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 18677

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Dr. Shuai Zhong

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Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: environmental and resource economics; sustainable development policy; regional low-carbon transition
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Prof. Dr. Ayman Elshkaki

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Guest Editor

1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Interests: industrial ecology; dynamic material flow analysis; integrated assessment modelling; sustainable resources management; sustainability of emerging technologies; material–energy–water–climate nexus
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Prof. Dr. Jingjing Yan

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School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: regional economy; industrial economy; resource and environment policy evaluation
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Dr. Qiushi Qu

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Guest Editor

Economic department, Hebei GEO University, Shijiangzhuang 050030, China
Interests: environmental economy; resource and environmental policy analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Achieving sustainable development has gained global consensus and this was emphasized in the recent UN Sustainable Development Goals. Recent advances in environmental economics have developed alongside a deep ambition for sustainability and optimality. Sustainability policy underpins efforts to improve the relationship between sustained growth and environmental protection. However, addressing the complex dynamics and non-linear relationships between human activities, environmental changes and sustainable capacity is pivotal for policy design and requires appropriate tools. This Special Issue aims to highlight contributions focusing on the systematic analysis of environmental issues, with significant emphasis on sustainable development that reduces policy gaps. Integrated modeling for environmental assessment and policy simulation is expected to reach a better understanding on the sustainable mechanism of economic effectiveness, regarding multi-scale, multi-region, multi-sector, multi-agent and multiple resource factors. As a result, there is significant interest in Circular Economy as a way to overcome current production and consumption patterns, involved in a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Various models and methods complement each other, with bottom-up, top-down and/or mixed perspectives, such as Input Output models, General Equilibrium and Partial Equilibrium models, Agent-Based models and System Dynamics models, as well as Footprints, Life Cycle Assessment, and Material Flow Analysis, are encouraged to target clear and specific scientific questions.

Case studies on special areas with fragile ecological environment, such as the Tibetan Plateau, are also welcomed to explore the sustainable development path with multi-objective optimization strategies, including regional coordination, low-carbon production, energy transition, new energy development, green technology progress, and so on. In addition, the effective development and utilization of biomass energy can provide a lot of clean energy, which is significant for improving regional ecological environment quality and promoting healthy regional development. Strengthening the research on the coupling mechanism of biomass energy utilization with optimal allocation across different regions to derive comprehensive strategies for alleviating the dual pressure of energy and environment is urgently needed. Moreover, the construction of national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) is an important function to balance economic development and environmental protection. The Nature Conservancy’s Global Terrestrial Eco-regional Zoning Program is widely accepted and provides guidance for global and regional ecological conservation that determines the geographic priority within biodiversity, environmental and socio-political conditions, by setting reasonable and flexible ecological boundaries. The construction of NKEFZs is necessary to achieve sustainable development and promote the construction of ecological civilization.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Environmental modeling with sustainability policy simulation;
Sustainable development path with multi-objective optimization strategies;
Integrated environmental assessment for sustainability and optimality;
Environmental assessment, protection and livelihood improvement;
Resources nexus, efficiency and carrying capacity toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
Regional industrial development with improvement in Circular Economy;
Coupling mechanism of biomass energy utilization with optimal allocation;
Green and sustainable development in areas with a fragile ecological environment, such as the Tibetan Plateau;
Protection, sustainability and transformation of ecological functional zones.

We are grateful for the support from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP), Grant No. 2019QZKK1003; the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. XDA19040102; and the Forum for Distinguished Young Scholars in Resource and Environmental Management held by the Resource Economics Committee, China Society of Nature Resources (http://www.csnr.org.cn/index.html).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shuai Zhong
Prof. Dr. Ayman Elshkaki
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Yan
Dr. Qiushi Qu
Guest Editors

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

sustainability policy
environmental assessment
resource efficiency
circular economy
biomass energy utilization
ecological functional zones
modeling, simulation and optimization

Related Special Issue

Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition in Sustainability

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Capacity of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus in Enhancing Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Burundi

by Philbert Mperejekumana, Lei Shen, Shuai Zhong, Fabien Muhirwa, Assa Nsabiyeze, Jean Marie Vianney Nsigayehe and Anathalie Nyirarwasa

Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14117; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914117 - 24 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1516

Abstract

In Burundi, a significant portion of the population heavily relies on agriculture for both sustenance and income. However, persistently low agricultural yields place approximately 1.8 million people at immediate risk of food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus approach to strengthening agricultural sustainability and improving food security in Burundi. This study employs both the ARDL model and the ARIMA model to analyze the impact of water, energy, and land on agricultural yield while also projecting their future dynamics in Burundi. The results highlight a positive correlation between these resources and agricultural yield, demonstrating that a 1% increase in each of these variables would collectively result in a 3.74% increase in agricultural yield. Furthermore, the predictive findings reveal an anticipated decrease in agricultural yield by approximately 74.9 kg ha⁻¹ and a reduction in agricultural land spanning up to 11.9 × 10⁴ hectares by the year 2030. As a contribution to the body of knowledge, this study introduces a framework for the WEF nexus and sustainable agriculture, providing fresh perspectives to the literature on resource nexus studies in Burundi and among other practitioners in Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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32 pages, 11798 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Evaluation of Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity at a National Scale: A Case Study of Southeast Asia

by Xiaowei Zeng, Xiaomei Yang, Shuai Zhong, Zhihua Wang, Yaxin Ding, Dan Meng and Ku Gao

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5791; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075791 - 27 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1857

Abstract

Country-level resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) assessments can reveal which countries are off-track on ongoing adaptive management towards the sustainability goals. However, fewer effective methods exist to conduct a comprehensive assessment of RECC at the country-level. We implemented the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to comprehensively evaluate the spatial and temporal evolution of RECC from 1990 to 2020, based on the construction of evaluation indicators of regional characteristics derived from remote sensing (RS) and statistical data for 11 Southeast Asian countries. The results show that: (1) In terms of per capita level, most countries in Southeast Asia show a trend of increasing and then decreasing RECC, with lower RECC levels in the east and north, such as Myanmar and Vietnam, and higher levels in the west and south, such as Indonesia and Brunei. (2) In terms of absolute total, most countries in Southeast Asia show a slow increase in RECC, except for Thailand, which slightly decreases, with lower RECC in northern and central counties, such as Laos and Singapore, and higher in other regions, such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers pay more attention to the control of population size and adhere to a green economic growth model to alleviate the declining trend of recent RECC. This study proposed a comprehensive evaluation method of RECC that address the challenge of assessing different countries with resource and ecological imbalance, which provides potential GIS solutions for in-depth RECC assessment of other countries in the world. Meanwhile, this paper provides insights for Southeast Asian countries to achieve better sustainable development from the perspective of RECC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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16 pages, 3960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Information System for Comprehensive Evaluation of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services Value: Design and Case Application

by Yuefei Su, Shuai Zhong, Li An, Lei Shen and Ding Li

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5247; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065247 - 15 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1410

Abstract

The study of natural resources and ecosystem service value assessments is crucial for understanding the direct economic benefits and potential ecological, environmental, and social benefits of these resources. Existing research lacks a comprehensive information management framework design and application exploration for the practice process, and a unified and standardized technical framework has not been established, which makes it difficult to expand the functions in the future. This study uses data from various aspects such as statistical yearbooks, remote sensing satellites, and field studies, and adopts the market value method and alternative cost method to construct a natural resources and ecosystem service value indicator system and a comprehensive evaluation information system, taking Shaanxi Province as an example. The total value of natural resources and ecosystem services in Shaanxi Province is CNY 107.67 trillion, of which the value of natural resources is CNY 105.11 trillion and the value of ecosystem services is CNY 2.56 trillion. This study makes up for the deficiencies in the realization path of the existing natural resources and ecosystem service value accounting studies, solves the problems of a large number of data collection sources, integration of accession criteria, integrated assessment methods, and synchronized assessment updates in natural resources management in Shaanxi Province, and realizes the visualization and information management of natural resources and ecosystem service value accounting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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21 pages, 598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Market and Non-Market-Based Environmental Policy Instruments on Firms’ Sustainable Technological Innovation: Evidence from Chinese Firms

by Jie Jiang, Qihang Zhang and Yifan Hui

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4425; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054425 - 01 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2914

Abstract

A firm’s sustainable technological innovation (STI) is an important strategy to cope with the global challenges of the climate emergency and resource constraints. To encourage firms to pursue sustainable innovation, the government put its efforts into designing a proper environmental policy (EP). According to Porter’s hypothesis, a well-designed and flexible EP will advance the pace of a firm’s innovation. This paper argues that a flexible EP portfolio combining market and non-market-based EP instruments may affect a firm’s STI. Market-based EP instruments are cost-effective and consistent from a long-term view, whereas non-market-based EP instruments are more forceful and effective in the short term. Hence, these two kinds of EP instruments could complement each other. Furthermore, technical executives in top management teams will moderate the relationships between EP instruments and firms’ STI. Data analysis results of 618 Chinese public firms, who constantly participated in R&D activities during 2015–2019, supported these hypotheses. Contributions to EP and firm innovation theory, as well as suggestions for policymakers and firms’ top management teams, are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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19 pages, 1145 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Urban Green Efficiency—Evidence from Carbon Pilot

by Anbao Tang and Ning Xu

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021136 - 06 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1465

Abstract

This article measures the green total factor productivity of 30 provinces (cities) in China from 2008 to 2018 based on the DEA superefficient nonexpected output model, utilizes the carbon emissions trading pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, and uses the multiperiod double-difference model and spatial econometric approach to test the effectiveness of carbon emissions trading policy. The results found that carbon emissions trading policies can significantly improve the GTFP of the pilot regions through three main approaches: adjusting the energy mix, improving resource misallocation, and promoting green technological innovation. The market mechanism measured by carbon price and the government administrative intervention measured by fiscal dependence will increase regional GTFP. The spatial and temporal evolution pattern analysis and DSDM show a “pollution refuge” effect in the initial stage of carbon emissions trading; however, the carbon trading pilot can form a demonstration effect in neighbouring areas and promote the improvement of GTFP in neighbouring areas afterwards. The study will help enrich the performance evaluation framework of carbon emission trading policies and further improve the institutional construction of the national carbon market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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15 pages, 1143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Impact of Agricultural Financial Support on Agricultural Carbon Compensation Rate

by Xiaogeng Niu, Meiyu Liu, Zhenxing Tian and Anguo Chen

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13892; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113892 - 26 Oct 2022

Viewed by 975

Abstract

Based on the consideration of the dual attributes of agricultural carbon emission and carbon sink, this study measures the agricultural carbon compensation rate (ACCR) of 31 provinces in China from 2006 to 2019, the impact of agricultural financial support on ACCR and its transmission mechanism are empirically analyzed using a spatial econometric model and intermediary effect model. The results show that: (1) a significant spatial correlation between agricultural financial support and ACCR; (2) increased agricultural financial support is conducive to the improvement of ACCR; (3) agricultural financial support has the most significant effect on the ACCR in the eastern region; (4) the effect of agricultural financial support on ACCR has a spatial spillover effect but is not significant; (5) agricultural technological progress is the intermediary variable that agricultural financial support affecting ACCR. Therefore, it is suggested to promote agricultural emission reduction through collaboration, innovative financial support mechanisms, implementation of differentiated financial support strategies, exerting the radiation effect of financial support to agriculture, and pushing up the level of agricultural mechanization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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16 pages, 387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Regulation and Sustainable Growth of Enterprise Value: Mediating Effect Analysis Based on Technological Innovation

by Jingjing Qian, Chao Chen and Yun Zhong

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13723; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113723 - 23 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1494

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the nonlinear relationship among environmental regulation, technology innovation and enterprise value and provide a micro level of enterprise view on environmental regulation. Taking 1714 A-share listed companies in China’s manufacturing industry from 2017 to 2020, a panel regression model was conducted to explore how environmental regulation influences enterprise value. The empirical research results show that: (1) the total effect of environmental regulation on enterprise value is U-shaped and that the technological innovation of enterprises has a partial intermediary effect between environmental regulation and enterprise value; (2) financial flexibility can significantly mitigate the impact of environmental regulations on enterprise value. This study provides a micro-level view of the influencing effect of environmental regulation on enterprise value. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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18 pages, 4519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Structural Reforms on Sustainable Development Performance: Evidence from European Union Countries

by Jonas Rapsikevičius, Jurgita Bruneckienė, Rytis Krušinskas and Mantas Lukauskas

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12583; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912583 - 03 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1657

Abstract

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic integration organization with standard policies that seek common goals among members, such as convergence and sustainable development. It aims to become a climate neutral economy by 2050. With structural reform implementation, each EU member country can work towards these set goals in accordance with their own welfare. However, a trade-off between the individual welfare goals of a country and the common goals of the EU should be reached. This article analyzes the impact of structural reforms on sustainable development performance in European countries. The article contributes to a gap in the literature because, to date, previous research has examined the effects of structural reforms on economic or environmental measures in groups of nations but has often lacked an adequate sustainable development context. In addition, the clustering of European Union countries according to different social policy regimes requires clarification of the perceptions and knowledge about the influence and usefulness of structural reforms for sustainable development performance. The research uses the panel data of the Heritage Index of Economic Freedom and Sustainable Development Goals agenda from the Eurostat database. The data cover 27 countries of the European Union for a period of 11 years (2010–2020). The research panel includes 297 observations. We found different results regarding the influence of structural reforms on sustainable development performance under different social policy regimes and the regulatory trap for homogeneous sustainable development in the European Union. The paper provides original empirical evidence and specifies the targets of structural reforms in relation to sustainable development. The results provide guidance for policymakers to develop more appropriate and efficient sustainable development policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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20 pages, 4333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coordinated Development of Renewable Energy: Empirical Evidence from China

by Wenwei Lian, Bingyan Wang, Tianming Gao, Xiaoyan Sun, Yan Zhang and Hongmei Duan

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11122; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811122 - 06 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1329

Abstract

The utilization of renewable energy (RE) is a meaningful way to realize the low-carbon transformation of energy systems. However, due to the imbalance of resources, economy, technology, society, and environment among regions, the coordinated development of regional RE may be restricted by different factors, which brings challenges to the formulation of relevant development policies. This paper focuses on the development of RE in 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019. It uses the AHP-EM integrated evaluation model to evaluate the constructed multilayer indicator system for the comprehensive development of RE. The characteristics of the coupling and coordination relationship between indicators are explored, and the critical driving factors affecting the coordinated development and change in RE in different regions are quantitatively identified through the logarithmic mean Divisia index method. The results show that the comprehensive development level of RE in each province is relatively low, and the relatively high-level areas gradually move eastward in terms of spatial distribution. The degree of coupling and coordination between indicators is still in a low-level coupling stage, and RE in each region has not achieved coordinated development. In addition, the comprehensive development of regional RE is consistent with the spatial evolution characteristics of the degree of coordination among indicators, emphasizing the importance of coordinated development among indicators for RE. These findings will provide broader insights for improving the comprehensive development level of regional RE and formulating differentiated policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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19 pages, 2367 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do the National Key Ecological Function Zones Promote Green Development? Evidence from the Yanshan–Taihang Mountainous Area in Hebei Province, China

by Meiyu Liu, Guofeng Zhang and Du Yang

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10364; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610364 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1307

Abstract

National key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) in China are critically important to maintain ecological security and accelerate the construction of the ecological civilization system. The quantitative impact of NKEFZs on green development at the county level has not received much attention. In this study, the county-level statistics of the Yanshan–Taihang Mountainous area in Hebei province from 2013 to 2018 were selected as samples. The symbiotic relationship between economy and ecology was measured and development patterns were identified using an improved Lotka–Volterra model. Then, a difference-in-differences (DID) model was used to empirically test the green development effects of establishing NKEFZs, as well as the dynamic changes of the effects and the heterogeneity of different development patterns. The results show that: (1) Green development in the sample area can be classified into four patterns: Low-High, High-Low, High-High, and Low-Low; (2) NKEFZs reduce the level of green development in the study interval and have a persistent negative effect on the level of green development; and (3) NKEFZs have a significant negative effect on areas of Low-High and High-Low development patterns, while the effect on areas of Low-Low development patterns is not significant. Overall, the results indicate that NKEFZs have a negative impact on the green development of the Yanshan–Taihang Mountainous area in Hebei Province. Finally, to promote green development in mountainous areas, the paper makes the following recommendations: Firstly, to improve the transfer payment system for NKEFZs and bring into play a long-term mechanism for the compensation effect of transfer payments. Secondly, to cultivate special industries to achieve the differentiated development of county economies. Thirdly, to accelerate the optimization and adjustment of industrial structures and promote the coordinated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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14 pages, 3042 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grain Security in Light of the Current Geopolitical Background and Agricultural Policy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

by Luguang Jiang and Ye Liu

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9276; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159276 - 28 Jul 2022

Viewed by 1312

Abstract

Grain problems in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have been the focus of global attention for many years. In this context, scientific evaluations of grain supply and consumption are very important as a component of agricultural cooperation between China and the DPRK and will also promote a stable development of the society across Northeast Asia. The results of this analysis showed that DPRK grain production in 2019 was equivalent to that seen in 1975. Dominant grain-producing areas within the DPRK include the plains in the west and southwest encompassing North Phyongan, South Phyongan, Pyongyang, North Hwanghae, and South Hwanghae. The data showed that the DPRK was basically grain self-sufficient prior to 1995 but subsequently has been unable to meet the demand, even given reliance on imports and international assistance. The cultivated land area within the DPRK includes large proportions of slope farmland, an important factor that influences the grain production. The DPRK also boasts good irrigation infrastructure that provides a good basis for grain production. This means that, under normal circumstances, 56.59% of cultivated land can be effectively irrigated. Chemical fertilizer supplies have, however, been unable to meet the agricultural production demands, currently remaining at the 1970s levels. It is clear that the DPRK needs to increase chemical and organic fertilizer inputs in order to ensure soil fertility. As the southern region of the DPRK has sufficient water and is hot enough, the implementation of multi-cropping farming systems will ensure an increase of at least 4.9 million tons in grain production and will guarantee supply for at least 1.88 million people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy)

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