Examining foreign direct investment and environmental pollution linkage in Asia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the causal linkage between environmental pollution by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and net foreign direct investment (FDI),...     

Culture as trigger for sustainability transition in the water domain: the case of the Spanish water policy and the Ebro river basin

There is a mounting body of literature dealing generally with the dynamics of transitions of human systems towards sustainability and specifically with the different stages and processes of transitions. However, the question of why transition processes occur in the first place remains largely unexplained. This paper explores the concept of transition triggers, such as culture or material resource scarcity, and provides a theoretical framework to explain the emergence of a transition and its relation to recent developments in Spanish water policy. We adapt the general framework provided by current transition theory and gather empirical evidence and insights from processes occurring within the Spanish policy context and the Ebro river basin in particular. Our results show that the sole existence of biophysical limits to water use or development cannot explain the start of a possible sustainability transition in this domain in Spain. Changes in the existing water policies in the direction of sustainability were not ignited by people directly affected by water scarcities but by a coalition of sensitive agents, mostly from academia, NGOs and local constituencies, who managed to articulate new identities, integrate multiple sources of policy relevant knowledge, and develop new values under the umbrella of the new water culture movement.

The relationships among tourism development,energy demand,and growth factors in developed and developing countries

The objective of the study is to explore the different factors that affect tourism development in the panel of 34 developed and developing countries, over the period of 2005–2013. Energy consumption, air pollution, health expenditures, and economic growth played a vital role to change tourism development indicators in the region. The results confirmed the long-run association between the energy, environment, growth, and tourism indicators in the panel of selected 34 countries. The results of fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) indicate that health expenditures have a positive relationship with the tourism indicators, while energy consumption exerts a negative association with the tourism indicators in the region. The results of dynamic ordinary least squares regression also confirmed the same results of FMOLS regarding health expenditures and energy consumption, that is, positive and negative impacts on the tourism indicators. However, carbon dioxide emissions exert a positive relationship with the tourism indicators in the region.     

Another outlook into energy-growth nexus in Mexico for sustainable development: Accounting for the combined impact of urbanization and trade openness

This study corroborates the importance of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG-7), intended to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for all, and SDG-8, designed to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth. This article is motivated by the highlighted SDGs and empirically explores the long-run and causality relationship between energy consumption, urbanization, trade openness, and economic growth for annual frequency data from 1965 to 2021 for the case of Mexico. To this end, we leverage the use of fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and canonical regression estimation methods, while for the direction of causality, the gradual shift and wavelet coherence methods are used. According to the Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), the bounds test traces a long-run relationship between the outlined variables over the sampled period. Empirical evidence validates the energy-induced growth hypothesis. This result resonates with the causality analysis, where energy consumption drives economic growth one way in Mexico. This suggests that Mexico cannot embark on energy-conservative policies, as such actions will hurt economic progress. In addition, unidirectional causality is seen between urbanization, trade openness, and economic growth. These findings have far-reaching implications for economic growth and macroeconomic indicators in Mexico. More insights are highlighted in the concluding section.     

Analysis,occurrence and fate of commonly used pharmaceuticals and hormones in the Buyukcekmece Watershed,Turkey

The occurrence of 14 mostly used pharmaceuticals from different classes (antibiotics, β-blockers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and stimulant) and hormones in surface water in Istanbul, Turkey was investigated in this study. An important drinking water source, Buyukcekmece Lake and main rivers flowing into the lake were selected for the monitoring of the compounds. Sampling was conducted five different times in a year in order to observe seasonal changes. A rapid, robust and sensitive method using solid phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer was established for quantification of both pharmaceuticals and hormones. Limit of quantifications were between 0.5 and 1.1 ng L^?1. Recoveries were between 72–119% and 61–98% for ultra-pure water and for surface water, respectively. All selected compounds were detected at least once in the samples. Some pharmaceuticals were detected as high as a few of micrograms per liter levels in the rivers. Most frequently detected compounds were caffeine and antibiotics (amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole). Synthetic hormone (17α-ethynylestradiol) was detected only 4 times corresponding least detected compound in whole sampling period. Field data confirms that amoxicillin is more prone to degradation with respect to other antibiotics. Estrone and 17-β estradiol are converted to estriol by natural processes in surface water.