Factors affecting the performance of foreign direct investment in the renewable energy supply chain

The development of Vietnam's economy in recent years has had positive contributions from the foreign direct investment (FDI) sector to the realization of socio-economic goals. The study found four factors affecting the business performance of FDI enterprises in the renewable energy supply chain: internal environment, user pressure, cooperation with suppliers, and environmental regulations. Synthesized research from 395 survey questionnaires at renewable energy enterprises in Vietnam. High-tech, low-energy businesses and the environmental goods sector can benefit Vietnam's environment and help the country achieve its green growth goals.

Analysis of Near-Surface Temperature Lapse Rates in Mountain Ecosystems of Northern Mexico Using Landsat-8 Satellite Images and ECOSTRESS

Mountain ecosystems provide environmental goods, which can be threatened by climate change. Near-Surface Temperature Lapse Rate (NSTLR) is an essential factor used for thermal and hydrological analysis in mountain ecosystems. The aims of the present study were to estimate NSTLR and to identify its relationship with aspect, Local solar zenith angle (LSZA) and Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) for two seasons of the year in a mountain ecosystem at the North of Mexico. Normalized Land Surface Temperature (NLST) was estimated using environmental and topographical variables. LSZA was calculated from slope to consider the effect of solar position. NSTLR was estimated through simple linear models. Observed NSTLR was 9.4 °C km−1 for the winter and 14.3 °C km−1 for the summer. Our results showed variation in NSTLR by season. In addition, aspect, LSZA and ESI also influenced NSTLR regulation. In addition, Northwest and West aspects exhibited the highest NSTLR. LSZA angles closest to 90° were related with a decrease in NSTLR for both seasons. Finally, ESI values associated with less evaporative stress were related to lower NSTLR. These results suggest potential of Landsat-8 LST and ECOSTRESS ESI to capture interactions of temperature, topography, and water stress in complex ecosystems.

Germany’s Agricultural Land Footprint and the Impact of Import Pattern Allocation

Footprints are powerful indicators for evaluating the impacts of a country’s bioeconomy on environmental goods, both domestic and abroad. We apply a hybrid approach combining a multi-regional input-output model and land use modelling to compute the agricultural land footprint (aLF). Furthermore, we added information on land-use change to the analysis and allocated land conversion to specific commodities. Using Germany as a case study, we show that the aLF abroad is 2.5 to 3 times larger compared to impacts within the country. When allocating land conversion of natural and semi-natural land-cover types in 2005 and 2010 to import increases by Germany, conversion rates were found to be 2.5 times higher than for the global average. Import increases to Germany slowed down in 2015 and 2020, reducing land conversion attributed to the German bioeconomy as well. Our results indicate that looking at a static import pattern is not sufficient to draw a realistic picture of the land footprint of a country. For a more detailed assessment that also considers temporal dynamics and impacts of biomass use and trade, our newly developed set of indicators also captures changes of import patterns over time. The case study shows that our enhanced land footprint provides clear and meaningful information for policymakers and other stakeholders.

MARINE HARDBOTTOM ENVIRONMENTS IN THE BEACHES OF CEARÁ STATE, EQUATORIAL COAST OF BRAZIL

This paper is a literature review on marine hardbottom environments (MHE) that emerge in coastal regions in the Brazilian state of Ceará. This stretch of the Brazilian coast houses several rock formations, which are widely distributed in the intertidal zone. These formations have various origins and composition, ranging from crystalline rocks to biogenic structures, but most are composed by sandstones. These substrates support biodiverse ecosystems that produce valuable environmental goods and services, which have historical and socioeconomic relevance for the state. Despite their importance, they are currently threatened by various types of local and global stressors, and a consistent government effort to protect them is still lacking. There are many knowledge gaps regarding these formations and new studies are needed to support conservation actions involving these ecosystems. Keywords: reef, beachrock, sandstone, intertidal zone, benthos

Racionalidad y Justicia Ambiental: La Elusiva Injusticia de la Vida

Law is not justice, says the Manifesto for Life. The justice system established in modernity (the legality of a positive law) does not manage to contain the will to dominate exercised by the ontological regime of modernity over the degradation of life and to adjust human behavior within the conditions of life. . Environmental justice transcends the order of the economy (even of the ecological economy) as a mechanism of the social distribution of human justice of environmental goods and services of nature, to institute another idea of ​​fairness under the principles of human dignity and in the immanence of life. Environmental justice seeks to establish a criterion of fairness for the construction of other possible worlds based on the principles that sustain the disjunctive category of environmental rationality: an ontology of the diversity of life, a politics of difference, and ethics of otherness.

Phytotoxicity in Seedlings of Rhizophora mangle (L.) Exposed to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid under Experimental Conditions

Mangroves are considered one of the most productive ecosystems worldwide, providing multiple environmental goods and services; however, in recent years, there have been modifications and deterioration in the structure and function of these ecosystems, caused by various natural events and anthropic activities, such as the construction of roads, wastewater discharge, unsustainable livestock, and agricultural practices, as well as the impact of chemicals, such as heavy metals, oil spills, and the use of herbicides. In this research, phytotoxic effects on seedlings of Rhizophora mangle were evaluated at an exposure of five dilutions w/v (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) of the commercial presentation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). Propagules grown in a greenhouse under local tidal regimes were used, so the growth of stem diameter, height, biomass production in root, leaves, and stems, as well as the concentration of chlorophyll a of the exposed seedlings were measured. The comparison of these parameters in seedlings with only seawater presented significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) and inhibitory effects on growth (diameter), the stem concentration of chlorophyll a, and the production of biomass of leaves, stems, and roots. The inhibitory effect of exposure to 2,4-D on chlorophyll production and root biomass is highlighted, with an average decrease of 45% relative to the control. The sensitivity of the Rhizophora mangle seedlings to the applied concentrations of herbicide evidence the inhibitory effects on the morphological variables of biomass production and chlorophyll a production in mangrove leaves.

Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Market-based Instruments and Trade Policies for Environmental Goods: Evidence from Malaysia

This article investigates policy constraints for the environmental goods sector in Malaysia based on the dimensions of market-based (including regulatory) instruments and trade policies. In-depth structured interviews with the government and key industry players are conducted, and six overarching themes constraining the efficacy of the instruments and policies were identified. The findings suggest that incentives and loans for this sector are skewed to manufacturers and low-risk projects, respectively. The major policy gaps in this sector are mostly related to procedural issues, namely non-transparent information, non-uniformity of requirements and complex documentation for certification, licensing and permits.

Germany’s Agricultural Land Footprint and the Impact of Import Pattern Allocation

Footprints are powerful indicators for evaluating the impact of the bioeconomy of a country on environmental goods, domestically and abroad. In this study, we apply a hybrid approach combining a Multi-Regional Input-Output model and land use modelling to compute the agricultural land footprint (aLF). Furthermore, we added information on land-use change to the analysis and allocated land conversion to specific commodities. The German case study shows that the aLF abroad is larger by a factor of 2.5 to 3 than the aLF in Germany. In 2005 and 2010, conversion of natural and semi-natural land-cover types abroad allocated to Germany due to import increases was 2.5 times higher than the global average. Import increases to Germany slowed down in 2015 and 2020, reducing land conversion attributed to the German bioeconomy to the global average. The case study shows that the applied land footprint provides clear and meaningful information for policymakers and other stakeholders. The presented methodological approach can be applied to other countries and regions covered in the underlying database EXIOBASE. It can be adapted, also for an assessment of other ecosystem functions, such as water or soil fertility.

Re-forming property to address eco-social fragmentation and rift

Two concepts that bridge the nature-human divide may help to diagnose and address some of the present and future problems of eco-social change in a legal context. ‘Fragmentation’ refers to loss and degradation of the habitat of nonhuman life. It is also a useful concept for understanding the fracturing of the material conditions for human life in a modern globalised world. The notion of ‘metabolic rift’, derived from Marx by John Bellamy Foster, refers to a break in the human-nonhuman circulation of natural materials, brought on by industrial agriculture and urbanisation. These related ideas provide a frame for exploring the connections between social and environmental justice and the role played by legal forms such as private property. In keeping with the imperative to re-form legal concepts to account for eco-social existence, the article presents a view of property as human and nonhuman habitat. This approach aims to use law to help recreate the conditions for the constructive inter-dependence of social and environmental goods.

The Impact of Environmental Regulations on Trade Flows: A Focus on Environmental Goods Listed in APEC and OECD

This paper aims to investigate the impact of environmental regulations on trade patterns, in terms of trade in environmental goods listed in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Environmental goods are defined here as those that enable sustainable growth and reduce pollution from human activity. For this reason, issues on environmental goods can be put at the forefront to analyze the linkage between environmental regulations and trade flows in the perspective of international institutions. Within the framework of a gravity model, panel data on 112 exporter countries and 53 importer countries is used at a bilateral level over the period of 1989–2013 to gain an understanding of this trade-environmental regulation nexus. This paper proxies the environmental policies by employing the z-score, which includes three comprehensive environmental indicators. The findings indicate that the strict environmental policies impede the trade, and this effect is greater in terms of the environmental goods listed in APEC compared to the ones listed in OECD. Finally, although these stringent environmental regulations reduce the trade flows, they can help to foster the demand for environmentally-friendly products.