People’s attitude towards willingness-to-pay for environmental protection in Pakistan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Recent environmental research has found that people with higher incomes and in more developed countries are more willing to pay (WTP) to protect their...     

Focusing the pivotal role of nanotechnology in Huntington’s disease: an insight into the recent advancements

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Neurodegeneration is the loss of neuronal capacity and structure over time which causes neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer, amyotrophic...     

Analyzing farm households’ perception and choice of adaptation strategies towards climate change impacts: a case study of vulnerable households in an emerging Asian region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Poor agricultural communities are particularly more disruptive to changes in climate. In southeast Asian countries, Pakistan is extremely vulnerable...     

Correction to: Analyzing farm households’ perception and choice of adaptation strategies towards climate change impacts: a case study of vulnerable households in an emerging Asian region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Decline in Children’s Pulmonary Function during an Air Pollution Episode

Pulmonary function was measured in 163 primary school children before, during and after an air pollution episode. During the episode, TSP, RSP and SO₂ concentrations were each in the range of 200-250 μg/m³, whereas during the baseline measurements, they were generally below 100 μg/m³. During the episode, pulmonary functions were significantly lower by 3-5 percent compared to the baseline measurements. The decline was still observed 16 days after the episode, but not 25 days after the episode. Differences in pulmonary function technician, pulmonary function test appliance and in the prevalence of colds between baseline and follow-up measurement were not able to explain the findings. These results suggest that an air pollution episode of a few days, with 24-hour average TSP, RSP and SO₂ concentrations in the range of 200-250 μg/m³, was associated with a decrease in pulmonary function of primary school children.     

Microclimatic analysis of “compact” urban canyons in an arid zone

While the modifying effects of a city's surface on its climate are well documented, there remains a need for useful micro-scale analyses of thermal comfort conditions which may be applied to urban design. In the present study, empirical data taken from extensive full-scale measurements in a number of low-rise urban street canyons in the arid Negev region of Israel are integrated with an energy-balance model representing the thermal exchanges between a pedestrian and the street canyon environment. Analysis of microclimatic parameters and overall energy balance suggests that in summer, overheating within the canyon is sensed primarily as a nocturnal phenomenon, and that during hours of substantial heat stress in a desert climate, the compact canyon is in fact a potential “cool island”, mainly due to internal solar shading. In winter, a compact geometry was found to provide relatively warm conditions, with the key factor being protection from strong winds during cold night hours.     

Protected Area as an Indicator of Ecological Sustainability? A Century of Development in Europe’s Boreal Forest

Protected area (PA) is an indicator linked to policies on ecological sustainability. We analyzed area, size, and categories of PAs in the European boreal forest biome in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia from 1900 to 2010. The PA increased from 1.5 × 10³ ha in 1909 to 2.3 × 10⁷ ha in 2010. While the total PA in the boreal biome was 10.8 %, the figures ranged from 17.2 % in the northern, 7.9 % of the middle, and 8.7 % of the southern boreal sub-regions. The median size of PAs varied from 10 to 124 ha among countries. The categories of less strictly PAs increased over time. The proportion of area occupied by PAs is an important response indicator for conservation efforts. However, the use of PA as an indicator of ecological sustainability needs to consider ecosystem representation, functional connectivity and management categories.     

Dynamic environmental efficiency analysis of China’s power generation enterprises: a game cross-Malmquist index approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Since the power unbundling reform in 2002, China’s power industry has been a typical sector moving towards marketization. The supply-side...     

A step towards sustainable path: The effect of globalization on China’s carbon productivity from panel threshold approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Surfacing the stress of global CO2 emission reduction and the change into a low-emission economy has become one of the prominent economic concerns in...     

Structural path analysis of China’s coal consumption using input–output frameworks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In-depth study of the key sectors and supply chain paths driving coal consumption in China is valuable for effectively formulating coal reduction and...     

Exploring the role of resource endowment and environmental regulations towards the efficiency of China’s sports industry ecosystem

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This article uses the super-efficiency DEA method to measure the efficiency of the sports industry ecosystem and uses Tobit model to study its...     

A livelihood in a risky environment: Farmers’ preferences for irrigation with wastewater in Hyderabad,India

Most cities in developing countries fail to treat their wastewater comprehensively. Consequently, farmers downstream use poor-quality water for irrigation. This practice implies risks for farmers, consumers and the environment. Conversely, this water supply supports the livelihood of these farmers and other stakeholders along the value chains. Linking safer options for wastewater management with irrigation could therefore be a win–win solution: removing the risks for society and maintaining the benefits for farmers. However, in developing countries, the high investment costs for the required treatment are problematic and the willingness of farmers to pay for the water (cost recovery) is often questionable. Using a choice experiment, this paper gives insight into farmers’ preferences for wastewater use scenarios, quantifying their willingness to pay. The case study is Hyderabad, India. Farmers there prefer water treatment and are prepared to pay a surplus for this. Considering the cost-recovery challenge, this information could be valuable for planning small on site wastewater treatment systems.     

Technology imports,independent innovation,and China’s green economic efficiency: an analysis based on spatial and mediating effect

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental quality and economic growth are important factors that need to be balanced for sustainable development, especially in developing...     

The CO2 emission changes in China’s transportation sector during 1992–2015: a structural decomposition analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Based on a structural decomposition approach, the present paper simultaneously analyzes seven driving factors and forty sectors, which contribute to...     

Remembering the Ultimate Goal of Environmental Protection: Including Protection of Impoverished Citizens in China’s Environmental Policy

The life of impoverished people can be damaged by adverse environmental conditions, but these people can also be harmed by environmental conservation programs, particularly when the guiding policy ignores their needs. To improve the social and economic effectiveness of environmental protection, governments must understand that the ultimate goal of environmental protection is to improve human livelihoods, not just restore vegetation. The elimination of poverty by the development of sustainable, long-term enterprises is a precondition for successful ecological restoration.     

Impacts of regional development on emissions in China’s transport sector

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The CO2 emissions in China’s transport sector increased from 349.00 Mt in 2005 to 723.87 Mt in 2017. Thus, a number of climate change policies...     

China’s air pollution reduction efforts may result in an increase in surface ozone levels in highly polluted areas

China, as a fast growing fossil-fuel-based economy, experiences increasing levels of air pollution. To tackle air pollution, China has taken the first steps by setting emission–reduction targets for nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans. This paper uses two models—the Energy–Environment–Economy Model at the Global level (E3MG) and the global Chemistry Transport Model pTOMCAT—to test the effects of these policies. If the policy targets are met, then the maximum values of 32 % and 45 % reductions below ‘business as usual’ in the monthly mean NO_x and SO₂ concentrations, respectively, will be achieved in 2015. However, a decrease in NO_x concentrations in some highly polluted areas of East, North-East and South-East China can lead to up to a 10% increase in the monthly mean concentrations in surface ozone in 2015. Our study demonstrates an urgent need for the more detailed analysis of the impacts and designs of air pollution reduction guidelines for China.