Most environmental policy studies focus on the technical pathway effect but ignore the non-technical pathway. This paper analyzes the synergistic governance effects of three types of environmental policies on the technical and non-technical pathways. The super-efficient slacks-based measure-data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) assesses the green total factor productivity, while the Malmquist index decomposes into pure technical efficiency. The findings indicate that: (1) command-and-control policy has the \'too-little-of-a-good-thing\' effect, but the policy intensity in most Chinese provinces is strong enough to reduce air pollution, while market-based incentive policy may be \'too-much-of-a-good-thing\', but Chinese provinces have not reached the inflection point; (2) there are considerable differences in the environmental effects of different policies through technical and non-technical pathways; (3) different policies have various focuses. Command-and-control policy focuses on the non-technical pathway, whereas market-based incentive policy can induce technological progress.

The Ayeyarwady River Basin in Myanmar is grappling with severe environmental challenges, including soil erosion and water pollution, primarily driven by unsustainable agricultural practices. This study aims to evaluate farmers\' awareness of environmental policies and identify barriers to their effective implementation. In-depth interviews were conducted with 45 stakeholders, encompassing farmers, government officials, and researchers. The findings highlight a significant lack of policy awareness among farmers, exacerbated by socio-cultural, economic, and institutional obstacles. These barriers impede the successful application of environmental policies, perpetuating environmental degradation. The study advocates for integrative strategies that encompass education, community engagement, and adaptive policy frameworks to address these complex issues. Detailed policy implications are provided, offering insights into potential solutions for enhancing the region\'s environmental governance and sustainable development. This research contributes to understanding the critical interplay between policy awareness and ecological management, underscoring the importance of targeted interventions to mitigate environmental threats.

Well-designed environmental regulatory tools are essential for environmental, economic, and social sustainability. This paper explores the effects of different types of environmental supervision policies on green economic efficiency in China from 2003 to 2021. In the first stage, the environmental supervision policies are divided into four types based on the governmental behavioral patterns and the composite index of environmental supervision policies is constructed based on multiple criteria, and the super-efficiency DEA-SBM model is used to measure green economic efficiency. In the second stage, the Tobit model is used to explore the effects of four different types of environmental supervision policies on green economic efficiency. The results show that: (1) Command policies inhibit green economic efficiency in the short term, while the long-term effect increases green economic efficiency. (2) Collaboration policies increase green economy efficiency from the second to the fifth year of implementation, but the subsequent long-term effects show a dampening effect. (3) Planning policies inhibit green economy efficiency in the short term, while they increase green economy efficiency after two years of implementation. (4) Guidance policies inhibit green economic efficiency in the short term but can enhance green economic efficiency after three years of implementation. The result provides theoretical guidance for the rational formulation and implementation of environmental supervision policies by environmental administrations in the future.

The frequent trade within and beyond the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has prospered the economy but has also expanded carbon emissions. Here, through a multi-regional environmental input-output analysis framework, we explore the patterns and inter-sectoral linkage of trade-embodied carbon emissions among BRI countries during 2015-2019. Then, a dynamic data envelopment analysis model considering carbon inequality as a non-discretionary input is constructed to assess the carbon emission efficiency of the identified key sector. We find that trade-embodied carbon emissions in the BRI steadily increased during 2015-2019. The manufacturing sector was identified as the key sector, exhibiting an overall efficiency of 0.6268 on average, with significant efficiency disparities. Moreover, we validate the positive role of efficiency enhancement in carbon emission mitigation, as well as the negative moderating effect of carbon inequality. Overall, this study provides optimal collaboration and initiatives to mitigate trade-embodied carbon emissions among BRI countries deeply.

Economic sectors are pivotal in achieving China\'s dual carbon goals; nevertheless, the combined impact of industrial and energy consumption structures on sectors\' peak pathways remains unresolved. We extend the optimization of separate industrial and energy structures to a multi-objective dynamic input-output optimization model. Findings indicate the following. (1) China\'s energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to peak in 2028, reaching a volume of 10.06-10.25 Gt. The contribution of industrial structure upgrading to this peak is three times greater than that of energy structure transformation. (2) Approximately 40% of sectors can delay their peaks until after 2030 without impeding China\'s overall peaking before 2030. (3) Compared with the single objective of minimizing CO2 emissions, China can not only achieve its carbon peak earlier but also enhance its average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates by more than 0.26 percentage points and increase the non-fossil energy use\'s share by at least 2.78%.

Mineral extraction is regarded as a pollution-intensive industry and is confronted with multiple environmental sustainability challenges. This issue poses an existential crisis for mineral extraction due to continued global pressure to adopt more sustainable practices in their functioning. Despite its importance, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding how these companies encounter financial challenges, particularly in the context of high-risk, long development cycles, and the unique double externalities associated with green innovation. This research, leveraging panel data from 2016 to 2023, aims to fill this gap by examining whether Chinese mineral extraction companies demonstrate distinct preferences for specific financing sources and by evaluating the role of government in facilitating their green innovation activities. Our findings indicate that such companies utilize a mix of internal and external financing to support their green innovation projects. It is observed that the influence of external finances channels, namely government subsidies, equity financing and debt financing, on green innovation progressively weakens, a conclusion supported by multiple robustness checks. Furthermore, the study highlights the crucial role of government subsidies in motivating publicly listed companies to enhance their green innovation activities through debt and equity financing, thereby contributing to a more equitable and sustainable development paradigm in the Global South.

The establishment of green finance reform and innovation pilot zone (GFRIPZ) is a pivotal strategy for harmonizing the twin goals of economic prosperity and environmental preservation. By applying panel data on Chinese A-share listed firms from 2011 to 2022, this study examines the influence of China\'s green finance pilot policy on corporate environmental social responsibility (ESR) using a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The study\'s findings indicate that the green finance pilot policy promotes corporate environmental social responsibility. The results remain robust after a series of robustness tests. Moreover, mechanism analysis reveals that the pilot policy promotes firms\' ESR through three key channels: financing constraints, green innovation, and corporate governance mechanisms. Additionally, analyst attention can positively moderate the promotional effect of the green finance pilot policy on corporate ESR. Furthermore, this study reveals that the green finance pilot policy\'s impact on corporate ESR is more pronounced among large-scale firms and firms operating in regions characterized by stringent environmental regulations and greater marketization. The empirical findings present evidence for enhancing ESR through the implementation of the green finance pilot policy in China and offer insights for refining the green finance system.

This study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge of the SDGs and public policy support for the SDGs. By categorizing knowledge into objective and subjective knowledge, we examine the impact of these two types of knowledge on public support. And we further explores the moderating role of public trust in international/environmental organizations and the mediating role of individuals\' perceptions of SDGs\' relevance. By conducting an online survey in China (n=3089), we analyze the dataset using (generalized) logistic regression model and mediation analysis. This study finds that 1) both individuals\' objective and subjective knowledge of SDGs are significantly associated with policy support for SDGs, an inverted U-shaped relationship is identified for objective knowledge, while subjective knowledge and policy support are positively correlated; 2) for publics who trust international/environmental organizations, their support for the SDGs will be boosted by their increased level of knowledge; 3) individuals\' perceptions of SDGs\' relevance to their personal life mediates the relationship between individual\'s knowledge of SDGs and policy support for the SDGs. This study applies several sampling and modelling techniques for robustness check. This study extends our understanding of the relationship between knowledge and policy support in the context of the SDGs.

Carbon sequestration is vital to maintaining carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change\'s impact on humans and the environment. As the government\'s role in eco-advocacy is primarily designed to safeguard the environment, this paper discusses the impact of government environmental regulations on carbon sequestration. By analyzing 286 cities from 2000 to 2019 in China, we propose that government environmental regulation can lead to a 0.77% increase in carbon sequestration. Additionally, industrial agglomeration and industrial structure advancement are regarded as viable channels. As a result of the differences in city types, government intervention, and public concern across different cities, the impact is likely to vary as well.

The coordination of heterogeneous environmental regulations (HER) is crucial for promoting regional green synergistic development. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of various heterogeneous environmental regulations (HER) on the green economic transformation (GET) of cities in China. We developed a comprehensive index system to measure the GET across three dimensions: the level of economic green development, the capacity for resource and environmental support, and the level of support for green transformation. This study examines 284 Chinese cities during the period from 2011 to 2020. Applying a dynamic panel model, a dynamic Durbin model, and a synergy model, we explore direct effects, spatial effects, and asymmetry of synergistic effects of HER on the GET of Chinese cities. We find that, in terms of direct effects, all environmental regulations can promote urban GET, though the magnitude of effects is heterogeneous. In terms of spatial spillover effects, market-incentive and public-participation environmental policies in a given region inhibit green transformation in neighboring regions, while overall environmental regulation and command-and-control regulation have significant positive effects on neighboring regions\' green transformation. Furthermore, the total short-term effect of HER is significantly higher than the total long-term effect. The synergistic effect of HER is positive for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster and the Yangtze River Delta city cluster. This study can provide valuable policy implications for regional coordinated development with a low-carbon focus.