A blessing in disguise: new insights on the effect of COVID-19 on the carbon emission, climate change, and sustainable environment

Assessing the possibility of China reaching carbon emission peak by 2030 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

At this stage, it is an important goal for China to solve environmental problems to limit the carbon emission peak by 2030 and then to lower its quality gradually thereafter. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 seriously impacted all aspects of China's social economy and brought many uncertainties to the realization of the carbon emission peak. Based on the fact, it has important theoretical and practical significance to take the problem of China's carbon emissions during the COVID-19 as the research object. Thus, this paper analyzes the current situation of China's CO2 emissions and finds out that in the context of ongoing COVID-19 response, stimulated by China's economic stimulus policies, CO2 emissions decrease firstly and then gradually rebound. On this basis, the paper constructs a dynamic model of China's CO2 emission system to simulate the change in China's CO2 emissions under different economic stimulus policies. The relevant simulation results demonstrate the following: (1) China cannot realize the CO2 emission goal by 2030 only by adopting traditional economic stimulus policies. (2) The green economic stimulus policy oriented to the development of clean energy will rebound China's CO2 emissions in the short term, but it can effectively reduce CO2 emissions in the long run. The most important factors affecting CO2 emission reduction are industrial energy consumption and industrial structure, while the energy power generation structure and the transportation structure have a relatively weak impact on the emission reduction effect. (3) The green economic stimulus policy combined with economic stimulus measures and a variety of low-carbon measures can enable China to peak CO2 emissions before 2030, with a peak value of 11.059 billion tons. In general, green economic stimulus policies can achieve a win-win situation for China's economic recovery and carbon emission peak.

Examining the trade-offs in clean energy provision: Focusing on the relationship between technology transfer, renewable energy, industrial growth, and carbon footprint reduction

Sustainable energy mitigates climate change by reducing reliance on coal and oil for power generation, curbing global warming. It addresses environmental concerns and yields economic benefits-reduced fossil fuel dependence, financial inclusion, productive employment, and economic development. This research examines the impact of regional economic integration on environmental sustainability in 39 high-income European and Central Asian (ECA) nations from 2017 to 2021. Specifically, the study analyzes the influence of green energy demand, technological transfers, and trade openness on carbon emissions. The study employed various estimators, namely, a two-step Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, quantile regression, and the cointegration panel approach. These estimators were utilized to capture different aspects and dynamics of the research variables. The study finds that regional green programs and trade agreements effectively reduce carbon emissions, while technological advances and industrial output tend to raise them. Granger causality analyses reveal that emissions-led regional development, technical innovation, and trade openness are interconnected factors, and the deployment of renewable energy contributes to carbon emissions. The inter-temporal analysis suggests that regional economic integration factors will likely impact carbon emissions in the following decade. These findings support neoclassical growth theory, new institutional economics, and ecological modernization theory. Developing renewable energy sources in the region can minimize energy price fluctuations, strengthen energy security, and align with the carbon neutrality agenda. This research emphasizes the need for sustainable energy strategies and regional cooperation to foster a greener and more sustainable future.

Modeling enablers of supply chain decarbonisation to achieve zero carbon emissions: an environment, social and governance (ESG) perspective

Climate change is the greatest threat to our planet and way of life. There is an immediate need of decarbonisation and a push for a smooth transition to a world with no net carbon emissions. To achieve sustainability, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms are increasing their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint across their supply chains. The firms and government undertake several initiatives towards achieving the zero carbon mission. Hence, there is a need to identify the prominent enablers that may enhance the decarbonisation in the FMCG sector and contribute towards a net-zero carbon economy. The current study has identified and assessed the enablers (6 main criteria, 19 sub-criteria), including green innovation, green supply chain, sustainable decision-making, organisation decisions and government control from environment, social and governance (ESG) perspective. Eco-friendly manufacturing techniques and eco-friendly goods may give businesses a competitive edge and sustainability. The six primary factors that can help to reduce decarbonisation are evaluated using the stepwise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) technique. The criteria and sub-criteria are assessed by SWARA method. A total of 32 experts from the FMCG industry are undertaken to validate and assess the enablers. This study identified and evaluated the ESG-based decarbonisation enablers in FMCG. The study shows that green innovations are ranked first, followed by organisational decisions and government control. This is likely the first study to examine how the FMCG industry's enablers for decreasing carbon footprints connect. The study is helpful to the supply chain managers and the other decision makers to implement well-designed processes for creating new products and a supply chain from the point of purchase to the place of supply, all backed by advanced technology and the appropriate regulatory adjustments.

Assessing the "negative effect" and "positive effect" of COVID-19 in China

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns led to a sharp drop in socio-economic activities in China in 2020, including reductions in fossil fuel use, industry productions, and traffic volumes. China's economy suffered a serious negative effect from COVID-19. However, there is a "positive effect" on CO₂ emissions reduction. Here, for the first time, this paper constructs a new model named "Weighted Multi-regional Hypothetical Extraction Method (WMHEM)" based on a multiregional input-output model. It not only solves the problems of traditional HEM methods such as improper use of assumptions, excessive reliance on industry intermediate input, but also accurately reflects the impact of external shocks on the inter-industry linkages. By using the monthly economic data of each provinces in China during COVID-19 (except Hong Kong，Macao and Taiwan) an the latest Multi-regional input-output tables, the "economic negative effect" and "CO₂ emission positive effect" under COVID-19 in China are measured. Results show that COVID-19 lockdown was estimated to have reduced China's CO₂ emissions substantially between January and March in 2020, with the largest reductions in February. With the spread of coronavirus controlled, China's CO₂ emissions rebounded in April. In addition, key emission reduction sectors and key development encouraged sectors are selected by combining "economic negative effect" and "CO₂ emission positive effect" during COVID-19. Therefore, policies recommendations are put forward based on forward and backward linkages respectively which are from two ends of the supply chain to turn pandemic-related CO₂ emissions declines into firm climate action.

Current status and trends of research on microplastic fugacity characteristics and pollution levels in mangrove wetlands

Microplastics have been widely detected in the environment, while mangrove wetlands are considered barriers to land-based plastic transport to the ocean, requiring special attention. However, the current literature is distributed and broad besides limited information on the fate characteristics and pollution levels. This study uses a systematic literature review method to analyze the current research status and future trends. In this study, the literature is summarized and concluded that Characteristics including color, shape, size, polymer chemistry and surface microstructure are the basic information for microplastic research in mangrove wetlands. Size is the key to studying distribution and convergence without international standards. The shape is vital to study its sources and environmental processes. Color affects biological predation and is important information for studying ecological risk. The chemical composition of plastics is the key to studying microplastics’ fingerprint information, source, and sink. The surface microstructure is an important basis for studying adsorption behavior and aging processes. Mangrove microplastic studies in China are mainly on the southern and southeastern coasts, and microplastic pollution is more severe in Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi than in Hainan. In contrast, studies on mangrove microplastics abroad are mainly concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Overall, microplastic contamination was detected in the major distribution areas of mangroves worldwide and was correlated with mangrove density and human activities.

Green Innovation Behavior Toward Sustainable Tourism Development: A Dual Mediation Model

The rapid increase in globalization has fostered the emerging ecological challenges to halt human civilization, substantially highlighting the need for environmental management. The study’s primary objective is to analyze the impact of environmental perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and attitude toward environmental CSR on sustainable tourism development while considering the mediating role of national park identification goals and employee pro-environmental behavior. The data was collected from the 338 employees working in the Chinese tourist firms’. The study variable’s reliability and validity was checked by using Composite Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE). Study results show that environmental CSR perception and attitude toward environmental CSR positively impact sustainable tourism development, national park Goal identification, and employee pro-environmental behavior. National Park goal identification and employee pro-environmental behavior mediate between sustainable tourism development and environmental perception of corporate social responsibility and attitude toward environmental CSR.

Determining the Role of Influencers’ Marketing Initiatives on Fast Fashion Industry Sustainability: The Mediating Role of Purchase Intention

Celebrity influence plays a significant role in fostering the consumers’ impulse buying tendency and purchase intention. In the modern advertising era, the celebrity endorsement characteristics have driven the firms’ promotion campaigns, stimulating consumer purchasing behavior through celebrity branding. The study signifies the relationship between celebrity’s traits of trustworthiness, attractiveness, credibility, and expertise influence consumers’ impulse behavior. The data was collected from the 371 customers of the fast fashion industry by using the convenient-sampling technique. SMART-PLS was used for data analysis by applying structural equation modeling. The study results show that celebrity trustworthiness, the attractiveness of a celebrity endorser, the credibility of a celebrity endorser, and celebrity expertise positively impact purchase intention and impulse buying tendency. Purchase intention plays a mediating role between independent and dependent variables.