Measuring Pollution Control and Environmental Sustainable Development in China Based on Parallel DEA Method

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of pollution control on industrial production efficiency in 31 provinces and cities in the Yellow River and Non-Yellow River basins in China from 2013 to 2017, using the methods of the directional distance function (hereinafter referred to as DDF) and the technology gap ratio (hereinafter referred to as TGR) in parallel, while taking the industrial production sector (labor force, total capital formation, energy consumption and industrial water consumption) and the pollution control sector (wastewater treatment funds and waste gas treatment funds) as input variables. Undesirable outputs (total wastewater discharge, lead, SO2 and smoke and dust in wastewater) and an ideal output variable (industrial output value) are taken as output variables. It is found that the total efficiency of DDF in the Non-Yellow River Basin is 0.9793, which is slightly better than 0.9688 in the Yellow River Basin. Among the 17 provinces and cities with a total efficiency of 1, only Shandong and Sichuan are located in the Yellow River Basin. The TGR values of 31 provinces, cities and administrative regions are less than 1, and the average TGR value of the Yellow River Basin is 0.3825, which is lower than the average TGR value of the Non-Yellow River Basin of 0.5234. We can start by improving the allocation of manpower and capital, implementing the use of pollution prevention and control funds, improving the technical level of industrial production, improving pollutant emission, and increasing output value to improve overall efficiency performance. This study uses the parallel method, taking the industrial production department and the pollution control department as inputs, to objectively evaluate the changes in industrial production efficiency and technology gap in the Yellow River and Non-Yellow River basins, which is conducive to mastering the situation of pollution control and industrial production efficiency, and provides the reference for SDG-6- and SDG-9-related policy making.

International Conference “Sustainable Infrastructure and Built Environment (SIBE-2022) – Challenges on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure and Built Environment”, 8th-9th March 2022

1. IntroductionThe Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia has organized two-day International Conference on “Sustainable Infrastructure and Built Environment (SIBE-2022) – Challenges on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure and Built Environment”, 8th-9th March 2022. The conference was held virtually owing to the COVID situation resulting into travel restrictions. The organizers were in CIBE Building, the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganeca 10, Bandung, Indonesia.The aim of the conference was to provide a platform for exchanging ideas, information, and experiences among academics, researchers, consultants, engineers, manufactures, and postgraduate scholars. It also serves a medium to discuss and evaluate the latest research, innovative technologies, policies and new directions in infrastructure development, pollution prevention and eco-friendly technologies adapted to developing countries, and to promote cooperation and networking amongst practitioners and researchers involved in addressing sustainable and resilient infrastructure.List of Topic and subtopic of the conferences, commitees, Paper Submission, Speakers and Sessions are available in this Pdf.

Challenges and opportunities for sustainable solid waste management in private nature reserves: The case of Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa

The mismanagement of waste in protected areas may lead to significant and irreversible environmental, economic and social impacts, such as land degradation, resource depletion, surface and groundwater pollution, loss of biodiversity and impacts on the aesthetic value of these areas. This paper aims to identify the challenges and opportunities for sustainable solid waste management in privately protected areas, given the limited research conducted on this topic. A case study approach was followed, which focused on the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, a private nature reserve (PNR) in South Africa. Interviews were conducted with 30 participants, which included representatives from the management authority, commercial lodges, non-commercial properties and a waste service provider. Several challenges have been identified by interviewees. Behaviour was the most frequently mentioned challenge, where interviewees raised concerns about negative attitudes, unwillingness to implement waste management measures and a possible lack of support. Other frequently mentioned challenges included foreseen difficulties due to the size and location of the reserve and concerns around funding of waste management measures, especially given the financial implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) travel and tourism restrictions. The most frequently identified opportunities included creating jobs and improving livelihoods, providing assurance and transparency of what happens to waste ‘beyond the gate’ and improving awareness, knowledge and skills related to waste management. To optimise the opportunities towards sustainable solid waste management, PNRs should focus on aligning their strategic direction to achieve legal compliance and support community initiatives to establish waste-related infrastructure and services that cannot be implemented within the reserve. Conservation implications: The pursuit of waste-related opportunities within privately protected areas could enhance the implementation of sustainable solid waste management in PNRs, whilst also contributing to pollution prevention, community upliftment and other secondary benefits, which could ultimately result in increased conservation efforts.

Ground-level ozone pollution in China: a synthesis of recent findings on influencing factors and impacts

Ozone (O3) in the troposphere is an air pollutant and a greenhouse gas. In mainland China, after the Air Pollution Prevention and Action Plan was implemented in 2013—and despite substantial decreases in the concentrations of other air pollutants—ambient O3 concentrations paradoxically increased in many urban areas. The worsening urban O3 pollution has fuelled numerous studies in recent years, which have enriched knowledge about O3-related processes and their impacts. In this article, we synthesise the key findings of over 500 articles on O3 over mainland China that were published in the past six years in English-language journals. We focus on recent changes in O3 concentrations, their meteorological and chemical drivers, complex O3 responses to the drastic decrease in human activities during coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns, several emerging chemical processes, impacts on crops and trees, and the latest government interventions.

The Impact of Sustainable Bond Issuances in the Economic Growth of the Latin American and Caribbean Countries

There is beyond any doubt that Latin America is one of the most important emerging markets in the world, which has increased its importance in the last decades. In effect, the issues of green, social, and sustainability (GSS) bonds are gaining more and more importance in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) financial markets. They are specifically focused on raising funding for public expenditure programs that contribute to achieving several objectives, such as climate and environmental projects, energy efficiency, pollution prevention, sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry, etc. The main objective of this paper is to provide a literature revision of the evolution of the issuance of GSS bonds in the LAC region and to analyze the economic growth of the countries which issue this type of bond. We will apply multiple linear regression to relate the economic growth of some countries of the LAC region with the variables proposed by the IFC Emerging Market Green Bonds Report (2019). It has been shown that the economic growth of the countries in the LAC region that are issuing GSS bonds is significantly related to the Sovereign Green Issuance (Total Planned), the ratio of Private Credit/GDP, and the Rule of Law Index. However, this research has had the limitation of the scarcity of available data in the LAC markets.

The Characteristics of PM2.5 Pollution Episodes during 2016–2019 in Sichuan Basin, China

Many studies have been conducted to explore the characteristics of PM2.5 pollution events in Sichuan Basin, China. However, they focused on either specific regional pollution events from different aspects or the megacities, such as Chengdu and Chongqing. To provide a panorama gram of PM2.5 pollution episodes in the whole basin area, we identified all the PM2.5 pollution events in 17 cities during 2016-2019 and analyzed the characteristics of these events. In total, 1342 episodes were identified and the characteristics of episode numbers, durations and PM2.5 concentrations were analyzed in each city. We found that the characteristics of the temporal and spatial distribution of the episode numbers and durations were similar to the annual average of PM2.5 concentrations, which were higher in the Southern Sichuan and Western Sichuan Plain spatially and occurred most frequently in winter, followed by spring, autumn and summer. Non-monotonical relationships were obtained between the PM2.5 concentrations and pollution durations and there was a duration threshold in each city. For episodes with durations shorter than the threshold, their PM2.5 concentrations increased with duration. The duration thresholds were 6–8 days and 5–7 days in Southern Sichuan and Western Sichuan Plain, respectively. We also found that the air quality deteriorated in 2019 in most cities. Synthetically considering the numbers, durations and concentrations of pollution episodes, more concerns should be taken for the prevention of PM2.5 pollution in Yibin in the Southern Sichuan, Chengdu and Leshan in the Western Sichuan Plain, Neijiang in the Central Hills, and Bazhong, Dazhou, Nanchong in the Northeastern Sichuan. These results could help understanding the characteristics of PM2.5 episodes in Sichuan Basin and providing implications for pollution control strategies in future.

Can the aviation industry achieve carbon emission reduction and revenue growth simultaneously under the CNG2020 strategy? An empirical study with 25 benchmarking airlines

The CNG2020 strategy proposed in 2016 has directly impacted the global aviation industry, and the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global aviation industry to a standstill. This paper calculates the Pollution Abatement Costs (PAC) index and regulated profits of the global aviation industry by establishing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. Then, considering the airlines’ different recovery times from COVID-19, we predict the data of 25 international benchmark airlines from 2021 to 2027 based on the actual data during 2012–2019. The regulated profits can help judge whether airlines can achieve a win-win situation of carbon emission reduction and revenue growth in the future recovery process. We have some findings: 1. Air France-KLM has the maximum regulated profits, while EasyJet has the minimal regulated gains. 2. The setting of route conditions impacts whether airlines can achieve a win-win situation.

Looking Up to the Stars. A Call for Action to Save New Zealand’s Dark Skies for Future Generations to Come

The rapid development of technology coupled with humanity’s desire to reach beyond terra firma, has resulted in more than 60 years of Outer Space activities. Although the exploration of space has provided many advantages and benefits to society so far, including vast, new information that has greatly added to our understanding of our planet and beyond, unfortunately, mankind’s footprint has negative aspects that need to be minimised as much as possible. In recent decades, a major worldwide problem has emerged in regard to the significant increase in light pollution from ground-based illuminations, as well as a lack of proper regulatory frameworks to mitigate the issue in order to protect the night sky and astronomical research. More recently, due to the escalating demand of air space for microsatellites and the rapid development of these new space technologies, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), a new problem has arisen connected to visual light pollution (VLP). New Zealand has been especially affected, as, because of its dark skies, it has the third highest number of astronomical observatories in the world. The aim of this research is to identify critical areas for broader investigation;an action plan to improve the impact of new technologies is urgently required, not only at a national level but also worldwide. This is crucial in order to preserve humanity’s right to access the night sky and to also enable continual professional and amateur night-time observations for the present and the future, as well as for New Zealand to become a Dark Sky Nation.

Lessons from the COVID-19 air pollution decrease in Spain: Now what?

We offer an overview of the COVID-19 -driven air quality changes across 11 metropolises in Spain with the focus on lessons learned on how continuing abating pollution. Traffic flow decreased by up to 80% during the lockdown and remained relatively low during the full relaxation (June and July). After the lockdown a significant shift from public transport to private vehicles (+21% in Barcelona) persisted due to the pervasive fear that using public transport might increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which need to be reverted as soon as possible. NO2 levels fell below 50% of the WHO annual air quality guidelines (WHOAQGs), but those of PM2.5 were reduced less than expected due to the lower contributions from traffic, increased contributions from agricultural and domestic biomass burning, or meteorological conditions favoring high secondary aerosol formation yields. Even during the lockdown, the annual PM2.5 WHOAQG was exceeded in cities within the NE and E regions with high NH3 emissions from farming and agriculture. Decreases in PM10 levels were greater than in PM2.5 due to reduced emissions from road dust, vehicle wear, and construction/demolition. Averaged O3 daily maximum 8-h (8hDM) experienced a generalized decrease in the rural receptor sites in the relaxation (June-July) with -20% reduced mobility. For urban areas O3 8hDM responses were heterogeneous, with increases or decreases depending on the period and location. Thus, after canceling out the effect of meteorology, 5 out of 11 cities experienced O3 decreases during the lockdown, while the remaining 6 either did not experience relevant reductions or increased. During the relaxation period and coinciding with the growing O3 season (June-July), most cities experienced decreases. However, the O3 WHOAQG was still exceeded during the lockdown and full relaxation periods in several cities. For secondary pollutants, such as O3 and PM2.5, further chemical and dispersion modeling along with source apportionment techniques to identify major precursor reduction targets are required to evaluate their abatement potential.