Where is the gray side of green growth? Theoretical insights,policy directions,and evidence from a multidimensional approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Addressing the geographical relocation of the pollution-intensive gray side of low-carbon green production, our study analyzes potential determinants...     

How do trade and economic growth impact environmental degradation? New evidence and policy implications from the ARDL approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to various environmental degradation and natural resource depletion around the world, researchers’ and policymakers’ attention has...     

Does the smart city policy promote the green growth of the urban economy? Evidence from China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Urban governance is an important cornerstone in the modernization of a national governance system. The establishment of smart cities driven by...     

Does educated labor force is managing the green economy in BRCS? Fresh evidence from NARDL-PMG approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - It is observed that an educated labor force can increase the absorption capacity of the economy and improve the effectiveness of green technologies...     

Impact of financial development and technological innovation on the volatility of green growth—evidence from China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - China’s green growth has shown a trend of fluctuation year by year. Simultaneously, Chinese local governments have pursued simple economic...     

Correction to: Does globalization affect the green economy and environment? The relationship between energy consumption,carbon dioxide emissions,and economic growth

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15192-8     

Does green credit affect the green innovation performance of high-polluting and energy-intensive enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Taking the green credit policy in 2012 as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper applies the methods of propensity score matching and...     

Correction to: Does sustainable environmental agenda matter in the era of globalization? The relationship among financial development,energy consumption,and sustainable environmental-economic growth

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

An investigation into the anthropogenic nexus among consumption of energy,tourism, and economic growth: do economic policy uncertainties matter?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Global warming has been a pressing issue for the past decade as various economic activities have been flagged and are expected to reduce emissions....     

Phytotoxicity of coloured substances: is Lemna duckweed an alternative to the algal growth inhibition test?

Coloured substances cause problems when interpreting algal tests, because effects due to light absorption can interact with potential toxicity. The Lemna Duckweed growth inhibition test can complement the algal test, on condition that the test is performed on a black, not reflecting surface. On white surfaces, test solution colour can strongly impact Lemna growth. For example, average control sample growth rate of is much higher on white surfaces (0.362 d(-1)) than on black surfaces (0.284 d(-1)). We found that 10 mg l(-1) of the dyestuff "Brilliant Blue R spezial" inhibited average Lemna growth rate about 22% on white surfaces but did not inhibit growth on black surfaces. The reason for this difference stems from the difference in amount of light reflected from below the test beakers. With Brilliant Blue on white surfaces, the test solution colour reduces utilizable light and causes a deterioration of light conditions, whereas on a black surfaces, reflected light is absent a priori, and thus no inhibiting effect was measured. Of particular importance is the choice of test parameter. With Brilliant Blue, a LOEC for average growth rate, based on frond numbers, of 320 mg l(-1) was determined. However, when average growth rate was calculated using dry weights of the plants, the LOEC decreased clearly to 1.0 mg l(-1). In this study, the Lemna test was much more sensitive than the algal test. We recommend Lemna tests be used in addition to algal tests, because doing so may significantly improve the assessment of phytotoxicity of chemicals and sewage.     

The air pollution effect of government economic growth expectations: evidence from China’s cities based on green technology

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Based on the Government Work Report of 265 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2015, this article combines economic growth expectations data...     

In situ phytoremediation of heavy metal–contaminated soil and groundwater: a green inventive approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater is a serious threat to environment worldwide. The survival of human being primarily relies upon...     

Mapping farmers’ vulnerability to climate change and its induced hazards: evidence from the rice-growing zones of Punjab,Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In developing countries like Pakistan, agriculture constitutes the primary source of support for the majority of rural and the adjacent urban...     

Innovation for carbon mitigation: a hoax or road toward green growth? Evidence from newly industrialized economies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The research explores the nexus between technological innovation and green growth in nine newly industrialized (NI) countries for the period from 2000...     

Does the level of renewable energy matter in the effect of economic growth on environmental pollution? New evidence from PSTR analysis

This study investigates the relationship between environmental pollution and economic growth in the context of renewable energy in OECD countries using the panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) model for 1995–2018. The study finds the value of the threshold variable, calculated as the share of renewable energy use in total energy consumption, to be 7.825%. In this context, economic growth affects the environment negatively and increases environmental pollution when the share of renewable energy use in energy consumption is below the threshold. When this share is above the threshold, it reduces environmental pollution by affecting the environment positively. In addition, the findings reveal a non-linear inverted U-shaped relationship between the environment and economic growth in the context of renewable energy, and the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is valid. Therefore, the widespread use of renewable energy is a solution to reducing environmental pollution. Accordingly, it is very important for policymakers to both highlight and encourage renewable energy use. Furthermore, countries need to both invest in this area and focus on R&D to increase renewable energy production.

     

Stability of green fluorescent protein using luminescence spectroscopy: is GFP applicable to field analysis of contaminants?

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was first isolated in the early 1970s for experimental use from coelenterates or the Pacific jellyfish. Aequorea victoria (Morin and Hastings, 1971). GFP has since become a favored biomarker in the photophysical analysis of molecular and cell biology because of its strong intrinsic visible fluorescence and the feasibility of fusing it to other proteins without affecting their normal functions (Creemers et al., 2000). Here we report using Bacillus subtilis expressing GFP to evaluate the influence of different environmental pH conditions on GFP fluorescence. Emission acquisitions were configured to excite at 471 nm and detect at an emission from 490 to 650 nm at 1-nm increments. Fluorescence intensity was significantly better at pH 7 (4.2 x 105 cps; P-value < 0.01) than at acid or alkaline conditions. GFP is a good biomarker for environments near netural conditions: however, GFP may be unsuitable where soils or waters are below or above pH 7 because of loss in fluorescence intensity. Alternative fluorescent markers and delivery systems must be examined in different environments to optimize responses from bioreporter molecules.     

Levels of perfluorochemicals in water samples from Catalonia,Spain: is drinking water a significant contribution to human exposure?

Background, aim, and scope  In recent years, due to a high persistence, biomagnification in food webs, presence in remote regions, and potential toxicity, perfluorochemicals (PFCs) have generated a considerable interest. The present study was aimed to determine the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and other PFCs in drinking water (tap and bottled) and river water samples from Tarragona Province (Catalonia, Spain). Materials and methods  Municipal drinking (tap) water samples were collected from the four most populated towns in the Tarragona Province, whereas samples of bottled waters were purchased from supermarkets. River water samples were collected from the Ebro (two samples), Cortiella, and Francolí Rivers. After pretreatment, PFC analyses were performed by HPLC-MS. Quantification was done using the internal standard method, with recoveries between 68% and 118%. Results  In tap water, PFOS and PFOA levels ranged between 0.39 and 0.87 ng/L (0.78 and 1.74 pmol/L) and between 0.32 and 6.28 ng/L (0.77 and 15.2 pmol/L), respectively. PFHpA, PFHxS, and PFNA were also other detected PFCs. PFC levels were notably lower in bottled water, where PFOS could not be detected in any sample. Moreover, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, PFOSA, and PFDA could be detected in the river water samples. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were between <0.24 and 5.88 ng/L (<0.48 and 11.8 pmol/L) and between <0.22 and 24.9 ng/L (<0.53 and 60.1 pmol/L), respectively. Discussion  Assuming a human water consumption of 2 L per day, the daily intake of PFOS and PFOA by the population of the area under evaluation was calculated (0.78–1.74 and 12.6 ng, respectively). It was found that drinking water might be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants. Conclusions  The contribution of drinking water (tap and bottled) to the human daily intake of various PFCs has been compared for the first time with data from dietary intake of these PFCs. It was noted that in certain cases, drinking water can be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants although the current concentrations were similar or lower than those reported in the literature for surface water samples from a number of regions and countries. Recommendations and perspectives  Further studies should be carried out in order to increase the knowledge of the role of drinking water in human exposure to PFCs.     

Do renewable energy and natural gas consumption mitigate CO2 emissions in the USA? New insights from NARDL approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This article attempts to explore the asymmetric impact of renewable energy and natural gas consumptions on CO2 emissions for the selected ten most...     

Does energy consumption,economic growth,urbanization, and population growth influence carbon emissions in the BRICS? Evidence from panel models robust to cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper examined the nexus between economic growth, energy consumption, urbanization, population growth, and carbon emissions in the BRICS...