Effect of lifestyle changes and consumption patterns on environmental impact: a comparison study of Pakistan and China

Increased economic development and industrialization put strain on environment, hence causing pollution and destroying ecosystem. Generally, many different factors affect the environment. These factors include GHG emissions, deforestation, and others. These are all related to human activities on Earth. Other factors that affect environment include population, consumption patterns, and changing life styles of people due to increased income. This study involves the comparison analysis of Pakistan and China on the basis of environmental impact caused by some major driving factors. China is the second largest CO₂ emitter in the world with a population of 1.37 billion in 2016 and the second largest economy in the world. Pakistan is ranked as 40th on the basis of nominal GDP. Both the countries observed noticeable growth in economic development for over 55 years, i.e. 1960–2016. This study identifies how population, affluence, consumption, and emissions as the major factors affect environmental pollution and use ImPACT equation, or I = PACT, to calculate the environmental impact and to determine which factors affect the environment the most. The study suggests that the people of both China and Pakistan have experienced increased income for the past 50 years and this increase has led to the changes in their lifestyles, from suitable clothing and quality food to comfortable living and increased energy consumption, thus affecting environment.     

Will progress in science and technology avert or accelerate global collapse? A critical analysis and policy recommendations

Industrial society will move towards collapse if its total environmental impact (I), expressed either in terms of energy and materials use or in terms of pollution, increases with time, i.e., dI/dt > 0. The traditional interpretation of the I = PAT equation reflects the optimistic belief that technological innovation, particularly improvements in eco-efficiency, will significantly reduce the technology (T) factor, and thereby result in a corresponding decline in impact (I). Unfortunately, this interpretation of the I = PAT equation ignores the effects of technological change on the other two factors: population (P) and per capita affluence (A). A more heuristic formulation of this equation is I = P(T)·A(T)·T in which the dependence of P and A on T is apparent. From historical evidence, it is clear that technological revolutions (tool-making, agricultural, and industrial) have been the primary driving forces behind successive population explosions, and that modern communication and transportation technologies have been employed to transform a large proportion of the world’s inhabitants into consumers of material- and energy-intensive products and services. In addition, factor analysis from neoclassical growth theory and the rebound effect provide evidence that science and technology have played a key role in contributing to rising living standards. While technological change has thus contributed to significant increases in both P and A, it has at the same time brought about considerable eco-efficiency improvements. Unfortunately, reductions in the T-factor have generally not been sufficiently rapid to compensate for the simultaneous increases in both P and A. As a result, total impact, in terms of energy production, mineral extraction, land-use and CO₂ emissions, has in most cases increased with time, indicating that industrial society is nevertheless moving towards collapse. The belief that continued and even accelerated scientific research and technological innovation will automatically result in sustainability and avert collapse is at best mistaken. Innovations in science and technology will be necessary but alone will be insufficient for sustainability. Consequently, what is most needed are specific policies designed to decrease total impact, such as (a) halting population growth via effective population stabilization plans and better access to birth control methods, (b) reducing total matter-energy throughput and pollution by removing perverse subsidies, imposing regulations that limit waste discharges and the depletion of non-renewable resources, and implementing ecological tax reform, and (c) moving towards a steady-state economy in which per-capita affluence is stabilized at lower levels by replacing wasteful conspicuous material consumption with social alternatives known to enhance subjective well-being. While science and technology must play an important role in the implementation of these policies, none will be enacted without a fundamental change in society’s dominant values of growth and exploitation. Thus, value change is the most important prerequisite for avoiding global collapse.

Movement towards a low carbon emitted environment: a test of some factors in Malaysia

There exists a high global concern in different nations on environmental sustainability especially at the focal stage of increased economic growth and development process due to high level of environmental degradation and pollution. The major aim of this study was to empirically examine how to minimise carbon emissions (CO₂) in Malaysia which are mainly caused by energy production, fossil fuel consumption, population density and economic growth. The study adopted the method of autoregressive distributed lag bound testing approach to analyse the data for the period 1971–2011. The study found that economic growth in Malaysia has a direct relationship with CO₂ emissions in both the short run and the long run. Similarly, there is a positive relationship between fossil fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions over the same period. Population density was found to have positive impacts on CO₂ emissions. Contrarily, the relationship between the activities of energy production and pollution is negative in the long run. The study recommends that a targeted GDP growth rate should be set with the consideration to avoid more environmental pollution. In addition, the positive impact of fossil fuel consumption on the environmental pollution implies that there is a need to make and implement policies that will encourage the use of public transportation system more than private transportations. That is, the unnecessary use of private vehicles should be discouraged in order to reduce the extent of fossil fuel consumption.     

经济发展与农业面源污染：分解模型与实证研究

借鉴Islam的研究思路,构建农业面源污染影响因素分解的理论模型。并利用1990～2010年省际面板数据进行实证研究,探讨农业面源污染演变的内在驱动机制,以期为农业面源污染控制和管理提供理论依据。主要研究结论如下：（1）农业面源污染演变受规模效应、结构效应和减污效应的共同影响;（2）规模效应对农业面源污染的影响为正,这说明农业生产规模和农村人口规模的扩大会增大农业面源污染的排放。结构效应的两个重要方面（经济作物比重的提高和畜禽养殖业产值比重的提高）都会导致农业面源污染的加剧。技术进步和经济发展的减污效应开始初步发挥,二者都能有效减少农业面源污染,这为实现农业生产与生态环境的协调发展提供了可能     

农业面源污染形成机制:理论与实证

在对我国农业面源污染核算及其时空演变特征分析的基础上,构建农业面源污染形成机制分析框架,并利用省际面板数据进行实证分析。主要研究结论如下:①1990-2006年我国农业面源污染对生态环境的压力呈现增加的趋势,主要分布在人口众多、农业集约化程度较高的地区。②农业面源污染形成的一般机制是:经济发展导致农产品需求结构、农业结构的变动等都会对农业面源污染产生的环境因子产生影响,进而导致农业面源污染产生量的差异;对农产品消费数量的增多和对耕地的消耗增大,农业生态系统面临更大的生产集约程度,在很大程度上加大了农业面源污染;经济发展同时也导致公众对高质量环境的需求增多,环保意识也大大提高,为农业面源污染管理政策提供了有效执行土壤,另外,经济增长也为加大环境投资和先进技术的应用提供基础,可能减少农业生产对环境的压力;③实证研究表明,产业结构的演化、技术进步、环境管理制度等方面是影响农业面源污染的重要因素,应是农业面源污染控制和管理政策创新的重点。     

Discerning the factors explaining the change in energy efficiency

Due to the high rates of energy consumption and its impact on environment over the last decades, policy decision-makers are increasingly recognising the need to take actions that allow to address problems associated with the deployment of non-renewable resources and climate changes. One field of action has been the promotion of measures that contribute to improve energy efficiency of countries. The purpose of this study is to identify the main factors explaining changes in energy efficiency applying the multiplicative Log Mean Divisia Index decomposition method for a set of countries (Portugal, UK, Brazil and China) with different socio-economic background and energy mix. The results show that overall energy efficiency trends display different patterns between countries and the same happens within each country from a sectoral perspective. Major drivers of improvements of overall energy efficiency were the intensity effect and the affluence effect, whereas the driver that hampered those improvements was the energy consumption per capita. Some policy implications derived from the results achieved are: policy decision-makers should support measures that promote the adoption of energy-saving technologies resulting from new technological developments; policy measures should be directed to raise awareness of end-users regarding energy efficiency and energy conservation efforts; policy measures promoting economic growth through the development (or expansion) of sectors of activity that consume less energy can also be implemented; finally, policy instruments may also be used to reduce the costs of implementing energy efficiency and energy-saving measures to households and firms.     

Limits of ecodesign: the case for open source product development

Abstract

In pursuit of coping mechanisms for the challenges of sustainable manufacturing, systematic methods have been developed to allow engineers to improve the ratio between products’ utility and environmental impact. These necessary efforts remain however limited if the surrounding production and consumption practices are not called into question at the same time. This article introduces open source product development as a potential approach for unlocking the limits of existing sustainable product design practices and to lead towards alternative and eco-efficient production and consumption practices termed as participative production. First, it discusses the potential advantages of this emerging practice in terms of environmental sustainability. Second, it provides a screened qualitative environmental analysis of 18 exemplary open source hardware products. Specific sustainable design principles implemented by these products are highlighted and discussed in order to identify challenges for further common research in the field of open source and sustainable product development.     

The relationship between population and the environment and its impact on sustainable development in Egypt using a multi-equation model

The relationship between population and the environment is a significant issue due to its impact on chances for achieving sustainable development, especially in developing countries. Previous studies on this relationship have primarily focused on the impact of population growth on the environment, while the impact of the environment on population has received less attention, where most of these studies have used single-equation models (SEM) in their analysis. In order to capture the interrelationship between population growth and the environment, and both its direct and indirect effects on the potential for achieving sustainable development, SEM may not be appropriate. This paper takes a step forward in providing such empirical evidence, by developing a multi-equation model based on the recursive equation system in order to empirically examine the relationship between population growth and the environment in terms of air pollution represented by increased CO₂ emissions, health level represented by the mortality and morbidity due to air pollution, and labour productivity represented by GDP per hour worked, and using a time series data set for Egypt during the period of 1950–2010. Quantitatively, the current study finds that (1) In Egypt, a 1% increase in population raises the CO₂ emissions by 2.4%. (2) An increase in CO₂ emissions by 1% is associated with an increase in deaths due to outdoor air pollution (respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) by 2.5%. (3) Poor health due to air pollution leads to a decrease in labour productivity by 1.58%. (4) The impact of population growth on chances for sustainable development depends on how much the rise in air pollution decreases labour productivity through raising the rate of morbidity. (5) Even when rapid population growth rate plays a minor role in creating a specific problem, such as its indirect negative impact on labour productivity and thus economic growth, population management policies may still constitute a viable measure for dealing with that problem, especially with respect to policy intervention cost. The study argues that population growth in Egypt negatively affects the state’s ability to achieve sustainable development via its negative impact on the environment. Environmental degradation in turn leads to adverse effects on population, particularly with regard to public health. These negative effects on health lead to lower labour productivity, and thus hinder the state’s ability to sustain development.     

中国对外贸易的环境影响综合效应分析

在全面提高开放型经济水平的背景下,需要深入分析对外贸易规模、外贸经济布局对环境影响的综合效应,全面探索对外贸易的环境效应规律。理论分析主要考察了对外贸易发展对环境影响综合效应的作用机制,在污染的需求和供给函数基础上,将环境因素分别引入对外贸易的生产者函数、消费者函数、政府税收函数,构建对外贸易环境总效应实证模型,模型分析表明,对外贸易对环境影响的规模效应体现为环境污染在不同禀赋和收入水平国家间转移;对外贸易对环境影响的结构效应体现为出口产品结构的改变,但是由于不同的比较优势,该结构效应在各经济体间的正负影响各不相同;资本积累会带来更多的污染,技术进步则会降低污染水平,二者相互作用究竟产生正面还是负面的影响效果,关键看资本积累和技术进步是否带来污染密集型产品的生产。同时基于我国29个省(市)的动态面板数据,实证检验了我国经济总量、外贸规模、外贸经济布局对环境影响的综合效应。研究表明,经济增长导致的收入效应和规模效应使污染物排放量呈现先下降然后增长的变化,而外商投资在短期内会增加环境污染,但从长期来看,正的技术效应使污染排放量呈现逐渐降低的趋势,同时受到产业结构的约束,外贸经济布局的产品效应及结构效应呈现显著的负效应。我国对外贸易对环境影响负效应产生的现实基础来源于我国的外贸结构与模式等特征的国情基础,改善我国的外贸对环境影响的负效应需要通过继续深化外贸体制改革,转变外贸增长方式,完善环境经济政策,加强国际多边合作等综合手段来实现。     

The effects of globalization on Ecological Footprints: an empirical analysis

Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue. The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and human development, environmental performance, mortality, gender equality and physical integrity rights. However, globalization also drives within-country income inequality, especially in developing countries. Evidence on the effects of globalization on the ecological environment does not provide clear patterns; various dimensions of globalization have different effects on various pollutants. This article analyzes the statistical relationship between the most recent MGI (2012 edition) and the ecological dimension of sustainable development. The latter will be operationalized by considering four variants of the Ecological Footprint. The relation between globalization and sustainable development will be controlled for GDP per capita as a proxy for affluence and report the results for Pearson’s correlations and multivariate regressions for up to 171 countries. We conclude that the overall index of globalization significantly increases the Ecological Footprint of consumption, exports and imports. The decomposition of globalization into different domains reveals that apart from the political dimension, all dimensions drive human pressures and demands on the environment. Globalization needs to go into new directions if it is to make a contribution toward all aspects of sustainable development.     

Land use and cover change in Japan and Tokyo’s appetite for meat

Urban consumption of ecosystems services such as food generates environmental impacts at different geographical scales. In the last few decades Tokyoites have shown an increasing appetite for meat. This study examines the environmental implications of Tokyo’s increasing meat consumption by analyzing how this trend has affected land use and cover change in areas near and far away. Historical databases (1970–2005) are employed in order to explore meat consumption patterns in Tokyo and to relate it with beef and pork production in areas within the country and abroad. It also integrates the historical analysis of production and consumption patterns with a discussion of the drivers (e.g., wealth, price, policies and seafood availability) behind these trends. We identified that meat production in Japan followed three distinct phases between 1877 and 2005. In the first period it took 50 years for production to increase by 50%, while during the next phase production showed the same growth in just half the time. Major changes in land use/cover change because of domestic meat production occurred mainly during the second phase and, thereafter, when domestic production declined and was substituted to a great extent by imports. Despite the increasing consumption of imported meat, Tokyo relies greatly on domestic meat produced in its neighboring prefectures. The paper concludes that regional planning can be used as an effective instrument to protect the environment and secure protein for the population of mega-urban areas such as Tokyo.     

Is the degrowth debate relevant to China?

In industrialized countries, the idea of degrowth has emerged as a response to environmental, social, and economic crises. Realizing environmental limits to and failures of more than half a century of continual economic growth in terms of social progress and environmental sustainability, the degrowth paradigm calls for a downscaling of consumption and production for social equity and ecological sustainability. The call for economic degrowth is generally considered to be delimited to rich countries, where reduced consumption can save “ecological space” enabling people in poor countries to enjoy the benefits of economic growth. China, as one of the economically most expanding countries in the world, has dramatically improved its living standards, particularly along the Eastern coast, over the latest 30 years. However, China is absent from the international debates on growth. This article discusses the implications of the Western degrowth debates for China. Given the distinctive features of China’s development, the paper aims to enrich the degrowth debates, which have hitherto been dominated by Western perspectives. Based upon reflections on social, environmental, and moral dimensions of economic growth, the paper argues that limited natural resources may not continuously support universal affluence at the current level of the rich countries, a level that China is likely to reach within a few decades. Priority for growth in China should therefore be given to the poor regions of the country, and future growth should be beneficial to social and environmental development.     

自然资源、技术进步与环境库兹涅茨曲线

不可再生自然资源的约束和环境质量的不断恶化是经济可持续发展必须要面对的挑战。就环境问题而言,现实中一个特征事实是,在不同的收入水平下人们对环境质量的需求不同,只有当收入达到一定水平之后,人们才会注重生活质量的改善。基于现有研究,在考虑非再生自然资源的约束条件下,本研究将环境质量作为生产要素的一部分引入最优增长理论的分析框架,探讨了在环境污染和自然资源双重约束下的长期经济增长问题。在非再生自然资源和环境污染的双重约束下,本研究表明解决环境问题必须要采用的手段是促使技术进步的创新研发,因为技术进步是环境库兹涅茨曲线出现拐点的不可或缺的一个必要条件。在市场竞争的环境下,由于知识的非竞争性质使得研究部门的研究是次优的。因此,政府应当通过适当的财政政策和法制安排以激励私人投资者研究与开发新技术的积极性。     

The ethics in balancing control and freedom when engineering solutions for sustainable behaviour

Research suggests that to allow for sustainable development, consumption patterns must be changed. Individual behaviour is central to society's impact on the environment. However, due to the complexity of environmental issues, much of the political debate and technology development is inaccessible to consumers and based on the values, interpretations and priorities of experts. User‐centred, user‐involved and participatory processes are fundamental in design disciplines such as interaction design and participatory design. Research into the possibilities for cross‐pollination of design for sustainability and user‐centred design has distinguished several strategies for design‐led behavioural change. The strategies differ with regard to the levels of control and responsibility that users are left with, ranging from empowerment through information about consequences of behaviour to blocking behaviour or forcing sustainable practices upon individuals. By considering technological behaviour‐steering strategies in the light of science and technology studies and theory on technological mediation, the paper addresses the ethical issues that arise and discusses how designers can contribute to more sustainable consumption patterns without compromising quality of life, individual freedom and democratic rights.     

我国人口资源与食物问题

人口增多,耕地减少,部分地区供水不足,是我国人口与资源矛盾的基本格局。由于人口的压力,对资源实行超强度的利用,使较大范围的地区生态环境恶化,严重威胁农业生产,并成为许多地区多灾、低产、贫困的根本原因,较低的食物人均占有水平,将继续成为中国国民经济发展和人民生活水平提高的严重限制因素。增加食物,必须挖掘资源的潜力,开源与节流相结合,以内涵挖潜为主。首先是要立足现有的耕地,致力于提高单产;同时,合理开发水域、山地、草地等资源,广辟食物来源,提高非耕地资源的生产力,提高林牧渔业的发展水平。耕地应以深度开发为主,走资源节约型(节地、节水、节时、节能)的集约化道路。     

中国环境质量的时空格局及影响因素研究——基于污染和吸收两个视角

提升环境质量是经济高质量发展的重要内涵和必然要求。基于环境污染和环境吸收两个视角,在综合大气、土壤、水体三大环境要素测算环境污染指数和吸收指数的基础上,结合环境质量影响因素的地域差异性,采用SDM模型分析全国及各地区环境质量的影响因素和空间效应。研究表明：（1）环境质量的空间集聚特征明显,地域不平衡问题突出,环境恶化的趋势没有得到根本性扭转;（2）重工业比重偏高是造成环境质量低的最主要原因;（3）东部地区环境质量与经济发展逐渐趋于协调,但人口集聚给环境带来较大负面影响。中、西部地区“高投入、高耗能、高污染、低效率”的发展模式成为提升环境质量的掣肘。最后,针对不同地区发展特点提出“硬治理”与“软治理”融合的差异化环境治理路径。     

The association between rural–urban migration flows and urban air quality in China

In light of the rapid urbanization of the world’s population over the past decades, there is a growing concern about the environmental impacts of urban population growth. Rural–urban migration is a particularly important component of the urbanization process in developing countries and is often considered to be detrimental to urban environmental conditions. However, few studies have explicitly examined the presumed negative impacts of in-migration on the natural environment of cities. The continuously increasing volume of rural–urban labor migration in China since the early 1980s has formed the largest population flow in world history. This study links the existing literature on population–environment and urbanization–environment interactions by empirically assessing the relationship between rural–urban migration and urban air conditions in China. A two-period (2004 and 2010) longitudinal dataset for the 113 key environmental protection cities of China was constructed based on multiple data sources. We applied the STIRPAT equation using conventional and spatial panel regression models to examine whether rural–urban migration flows were associated with air pollution in cities. Results show a strong negative association of in-migration with urban air quality even after controlling for the effects of other population, affluence, and technology factors. Findings from this research can contribute to a better understanding of the environmental consequences of rural–urban migration in China, with broader implications for sustainable development research and policies.     

基于物质流分析的区域食物链氮素流动规律与调控研究

以食物链物质流调控为核心的区域生态共生系统研究是当今可持续发展领域的重要研究内容。基于物质流分析方法和系统动力学建模平台,构建了区域食物链氮素流动效应评估框架,以上海市青浦区为例,对区域食物链氮素流动进行分析与情景模拟。研究结果表明:(1)2000～2014年青浦区食物链氮输入和输出量经历了急剧下降到逐渐稳定的过程,区域内农业生产无法自给自足;(2)基准情景下,食物链氮素流动对环境的负面效应总体影响较小,但2020年农业生产能力已不能满足当地人口对肉类及水产品氮的需求;(3)优化情景下,区域化肥氮投入减少了53.75%,且农业生产满足了当地常住人口的消费需要,减少区外氮产品调入量2 245.16 t,氮综合循环效率提高至25.54%,农业生产对水环境的影响降低。该优化方案在保证粮食安全的同时,较好地保护了环境免受集约农业生产的冲击。研究成果可为区域食物链氮素养分管理提供方法和思路借鉴。     

基于绿色交通理念的城市交通可持续发展策略

可持续发展是人类对传统发展模式发思后的理性回归,是一种将社会发展从单纯经济增长拓展到经济、社会、环境协调发展的新理念。绿色交通是一种以人为本的环保交通,其核心是交通的通达、有序,参与交通个体的安全、舒适,同时尽可能少的消耗能源、产生污染。绿色交通是实现城市交通可持续发展的有效手段,交通可持续发展是可持续发展理念在交通领域中的具体体现。本文以深圳市为例,从交通设施、居民出行、能源消耗、环境影响几方面分析了城市交通发展现状,并采用层次分析法(AHP)构建了交通可持续发展评价指标体系,对2000～2007年深圳市交通可持续发展水平进行了评价,最后从优化公众出行结构、推广绿色交通工具、改善城市交通环境等方面提出了城市绿色交通发展策略。     

城乡居民食物碳消费变化与差异分析——以安徽省为例

经济的快速发展和居民人口的不断增长,给社会和生态环境带来了巨大压力,不可持续的居民食物碳消费是造成全球环境问题的重要原因之一。居民食物碳消费是环境碳循环研究和可持续消费的重要内容。采用政府宏观统计数据,研究了1985~2007年安徽省城乡居民食物碳消费结构和食物碳消费的变化趋势和影响因素,并对城乡差异进行了分析比较,结果表明：(1)城市居民家庭食物碳消费结构转变较农村显著,城市居民食物碳消费从以“粮食碳消费为主”的比较单一的消费模式转变为以“粮食、肉类、食用植物油碳消费为主”的多元消费模式;而农村居民食物碳消费从以“粮食碳消费为主”转变为以“粮食、食用植物油碳消费为主”的多元消费模式;(2)城市居民人均、户均食物碳消费量均呈下降趋势,但食物消费总量却呈上升趋势,加剧了食物碳消费的环境影响;农村人均和户均食物碳消费和碳消费总量呈下降趋势,但人均、户均食物碳消费仍高于城市,农村居民食物碳消费的生态压力依然较大。(3)Pearson乘积相关分析表明,影响城市居民人均食物碳消费的主要因素是恩格尔系数和人均可支配收入,而影响农村居民人均食物碳消费的主要因素是农村人均纯收入。研究结果对进一步探索可持续的居民消费模式和减轻环境影响具有重要的现实意义。