ALBERT

Description: The paper addresses the sustainability of the European Union’s food consumption through a water footprint assessment of selected vulnerable agricultural imports from a two-pronged perspective: (1) the degree of the EU’s dependence on global green water resources embedded in the apparent consumption of selected water-intensive agricultural products and (2) the degree of commitment of countries of origin to sustainability policies. The study argues that the vulnerability of the EU’s agricultural imports to water risks can be estimated based on the amount of green water consumed in producing crops in the countries of origin. The results show that the EU’s consumption of agricultural goods is highly dependent on virtual water imports for all six selected vulnerable agricultural products, from the lowest footprint for bananas (5 mil. km3) to the largest for coffee (69 mil. km3). The analysis also points to a greater concern for quality issues in the countries of origin (56.53%) relative to management (26.52%) and availability issues (16.85%), but the latter are to arise in importance for sustainable production in the years to come. Our conclusions contribute to building up a responsible commitment towards (1) development of environmental policies and the design of practical measures by providing quantitative information that makes problems more clearly defined and tangible, and (2) assessing the outcome of policies and practical measures by understanding their effects on the sustainability of food consumption.

Description: Residents of nursing homes have been significantly affected by COVID-19 in Spain. The factors that have contributed to the vulnerability of this population are very diverse. In this study, physical agents, chemical pollutants, population density and different capacities of residences were analysed to understand their influence on the number of elderly people who have died in geriatric centres in different autonomous communities (AACCs) of Spain. A statistical analysis was carried out on the variables observed. The results show that many residences with a larger number of deaths were private, with some exceptions. Physical agents and pollutants were found to be determining factors, especially for the communities of Extremadura and Castilla–La Mancha, although the large number of factors involved makes this study complicated. The compromise between air quality and energy efficiency is of great importance, especially when human health is at stake.

Description: To respond to global climate change and achieve a “carbon peak” and “carbon neutrality” as soon as possible has become a common goal around the world. Economic growth relies heavily on financial development; indeed, low-carbon economic development is inseparable from financial support. This paper studies the impact of financial development on carbon emission intensity and its mechanism from both theoretical and empirical aspects. Based on the 2005–2018 data on Chinese cities and the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) research results, this paper finds that: (1) Financial development has significantly reduced China’s carbon emission intensity overall. After considering spatial effects, financial development increases local carbon emission intensity, although it may lead to a more significant decrease in the surrounding area. (2) The analysis of heterogeneity shows that only the financial development in the eastern region has a substantial detrimental impact on total carbon emission intensity and the carbon emission intensity of neighboring cities. The financial development in the central and western regions has no significant effect on carbon emission intensity. (3) The mechanism test shows that financial development mainly reduces carbon emission intensity through technological innovation and structural optimization, with the effect of technological innovation being 9.5%, and the effect of structural optimization being 12.15%. The expansion of the consumption effects of financial development has no significant impact on carbon emission intensity. Accordingly, this article believes that it is necessary to further support financial development, build large-scale financial centers, continue to optimize the structure of financial products, and encourage the development of green finance.

Description: Gunung Dahu Research Forest (GDRF) is a 250 ha tropical degraded land reforested by native dipterocarps species. The reforestation success was valued by evaluating the planted trees’ growth performance, their potential timber stock, natural regeneration capacity, soil improvement, biological interdependence, and environmental services. This scientific report used a combination of literature review and also primary data processing to describe the reforestation success within the area. A hilly species of Shorea platyclados showed the best growth performance with its average diameter and height of 43 cm and 23 m, respectively, with its mean diameter annual increment of 2.1 cm/year and the predicted standing stock at 220 m3/ha. Six Shorea species were identified to show their natural regeneration capacity and the occurrence of ectomycorrhizal fruiting bodies, predominantly by the genus Rusula, determined the establishment of biological interdependency at the site. Reforestation improved soil organic matters as revealed by high soil porosity (51,06%–52,32%) and infiltration rate (120–155,33 mm/hr). The reforested landscape also ensures a continuous water supply and provides an economic benefit for the community. Thus, planting native trees for reforesting degraded tropical landscapes is prospective and may deliver multiple benefits in an ecological and economic view.

Description: Based on the panel data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region from 2006–2018, this paper constructed an index system of measuring green urban land use efficiency (green land use efficiency), including input-expected output-unexpected output (input-expected output-unexpected output) and used the unexpected output-SBM model to calculate the green land use efficiency of the region. The spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of urban land green use efficiency in this area were studied by the Dagum Gini coefficient, decomposition, and exploratory spatial data analysis. The results show that (1) the temporal evolution characteristics of green land use efficiency in the whole region of the Yangtze River Delta, provinces (municipalities directly under the central government), and cities all show an upward trend of fluctuation. Among them, the green land use efficiency of the whole region is between 0.258 and 0.377, the gap in the green land use efficiency of the provinces (municipalities directly under the central government) is accelerating, and the green land use efficiency of the cities is gradually advancing to the middle and high efficiency areas. (2) Spatial evolution: On the one hand, the spatial difference in the green use efficiency of urban land in this region is gradually expanding. On the other hand, the green use efficiency of urban land in this region has a significant positive spatial correlation, the agglomeration pattern is dominated by high agglomeration and low agglomeration, and the low high agglomeration is supplemented.

Description: In recent years, green finance has emerged as a commonly used strategy for dealing with environmental problems. However, it still remains to be seen whether green finance deals effectively with current global environmental problems. More recently, proposals regarding greening monetary policy have emerged. The goal of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework that helps to distinguish between different forms of green finance and monetary policy. We systematically analyse forms, tools and measures of green finance and monetary policy against different theoretical backgrounds. In so doing, we fill a research gap by providing an appropriate classification that is intended to facilitate future academic research. We provide different categories and distinguish, on an abstract level, between neoliberal, reformist and progressive forms of green finance. Furthermore, we provide sub-categories on a more concrete level of abstraction. With this, we focus on both financial market regulation and monetary policy strategies. Against the background of our categorisation, the different focuses on green finance and green monetary policy and the (often implicitly) underlying theoretical assumptions become transparent. The classification has significant implications for the evaluation of different perspectives and is, therefore, important for academic debate. The classification also potentially represents a basis for policy related discussions. We conclude that neoliberal forms of green finance and monetary policy that rely on the assumption of the effectiveness of markets for contributing to sustainability tend to neglect or abstract from potentially adverse distributional effects. Reformist forms of green finance and monetary policy are more skeptical of the effectiveness of market processes and, therefore, consider a greater role for government policies. In addition, reformist approaches are more concerned about the potentially adverse distributional effects of environmental policies. Finally, progressive green finance and monetary policy adopts a more global perspective on environmental issues and links the discussion intrinsically with questions of global inequality and socio-ecological transformation. Moreover, progressive approaches are skeptical of global capitalism at a systemic level and therefore demand global rules and financial and monetary regimes that allow for solutions of environmental problems based on global solidarity and a democratic economic governance.

Description: Non-motorized forms of transportation are increasingly perceived as an option that can contribute to reducing the ecological impact of the transportation of tourists while offering satisfactory opportunities to appreciate the urban environment. Walking, bicycles, and other forms of non-motorized transport are increasingly used in urban contexts, both by residents and tourists. By looking into the characteristics and trip motivations of international tourists visiting the city of Barcelona, our analysis identifies the groups of tourists more oriented to these soft forms of mobility and also takes into consideration how they obtained previous information about the destination. Based on an extensive survey conducted in the city, the results of our multinomial logistic regressions reveal a slight generational divide when looking at sources of information (with retired tourists less oriented to digital tools) and a strong generational divide when observing transport choices (younger tourists more oriented to both soft or collective forms of mobility). Our results also show that tourists traveling in groups and/or with trips organized by travel companies and other organizations tend to prefer the utilization of private cars. These results can be used to promote the non-motorized mobility of tourists in other urban destinations.

Description: An increase in energy consumption indicates increased economic activity; whether it leads to prosperity depends on the sustainability and stability of the energy source. This study has selected the top ten highly carbon emitting countries to assess renewable energy consumption dynamics for 1991 to 2018. The development of renewable energy ventures is not an overnight transformation. Further, it also entails an infrastructure development gestation which may increase CO2 emissions for the short term. To assess this non-linear pattern with CO2 and its heterogeneities, renewable energy consumption and its three types (Wind, Solar and Hydropower) are used. The empirical results estimated with a pooled mean group (PMG) method indicate that renewable energy consumption and hydropower follows inverted U-shaped behavior, with wind and solar energy consumption behavior also U-shaped. Forest area and patents are responsible for carbon remissions, while economic growth is responsible for increasing carbon emissions in sampled countries.

Description: Elimination of the gender gap in labour force participation has become one of the main challenges of achieving the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The rapid increase in university education and decrease in fertility rate in Iran over the past decades might affect the achievement of the SDGs. However, the country’s female labour force participation (FLFP) rate stagnates at a superficial level. The stagnating FLFP rate is inconsistent with basic labour economics supply-side explanations while drawing attention to demand-side explanations, namely, female labour demand constraints, such as occupational segregation and labour market discrimination. This study empirically investigates the effect on FLFP of primary labour supply factors along with household conditions and gender norms and attitudes for 2 specific years: 2008 and 2018. The aim is to shed light on the causes of stagnation at the FLFP level by using the Household Expenditure and Income Survey conducted annually by the Statistical Center of Iran. The empirical findings suggest gender norms and attitudes towards working women and gendered division of work associated with family care as the driving forces of stagnation in FLFP in Iran.

Description: Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries on the globe. The country is frequently affected by numerous climatic events including floods, droughts, cyclones, etc., which damages the farm household’s livelihood and socio-economic condition. Therefore, this work intends to appraise the smallholder farmers’ perceived climate-related risk, impact, and the factors that influence their choices of adaptation strategies to cope with the adverse impact of the climatic extreme events in northern Bangladesh. Survey data were collected from 300 respondents from two drought-prone districts of northern Bangladesh in January–February 2020. The climate-related risk perception index (CRRPI) was constructed to assess the farmers’ perceived risk. The multinominal logit (MNL) model was employed to explore the factors influencing farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change risk were found to be consistent with meteorological data in the research area. Results of the CRRPI revealed that flood, drought, riverbank erosion, and heat waves were the critical risks perceived by the farmers. Farmers used a variety of adaptation measures to deal with these climatic threats, including agricultural diversification, changes in fertilizer and insecticides, and crop and seed changes. The MNL model results showed that the factors that influenced a farmer’s choices of adaptation strategies were age, education level, family members, income level, year of farming experience, and the farmer’s information on climate change. This study also demonstrated that water scarcity in the dry period and the frequency of crop diseases were the major limiting factors experienced by the farmers whilst undertaking adaptation strategies. Thus, awareness and capacity building through training and support to adopt the adaptation strategies are essential to enhance the resilience of the farmers.