The number of countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)has been increasing since its official launch in 2013.Although the number of BRI participating countries has reached 145,only some are dir...The number of countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)has been increasing since its official launch in 2013.Although the number of BRI participating countries has reached 145,only some are directly connected with China through land,sea,and other trade routes developed under the BRI project.Because of their direct links with China,these countries have significantly increased their trade with China.In addition to increased trade,these countries have also been undergoing financial development(FD).Since trade and financial development are closely related to the production of goods and services,therefore;both of these are expected to have environmental impact.The current study examines the effect of trade and FD on carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions in selected BRI countries for the period 2001–2019.This study follows a proper estimation strategy based on preliminary tests,cointegration analysis,and coefficient estimation.The results suggest that trade between China and selected BRI countries has no significant effect on CO2 emissions,whereas,financial development has significantly increased CO2 emissions in these countries.Moreover,BRI countries’imports from China significantly reduce CO2 emissions,whereas their exports to China significantly increase CO2 emission in the BRI countries.The policy recommendations suggest that these BRI countries should leverage their direct connections with China for technology transfer.By utilizing environmentally friendly technology,these countries could also reduce the pollution associated with their exports to China and the rest of the world.Furthermore,their financial sectors should divert funds to industries advancing trade in environmental rather than pollution-intensive goods.展开更多
Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are tiny plastic particles resulting from plastic product degradation. Soil MNPs have been identified as potential influential factors affecting various soil properties and crop biomass...Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are tiny plastic particles resulting from plastic product degradation. Soil MNPs have been identified as potential influential factors affecting various soil properties and crop biomass productivity. This mini-review provides a synthesis of recent findings concerning their effects on soil physicochemical properties, microorganisms, organic carbon content, soil nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, soil fauna, and their impacts on plant ecophysiology, growth, and production. The results indicate that MNPs may markedly impede soil aggregation ability, increase porosity, decrease soil bulk density, enhance water retention capacity, influence soil pH and electrical conductivity, and escalate soil water evaporation. Exposure to MNPs may predominantly induce changes in soil microbial composition, reducing the diversity and complexity of microbial communities and microbial activity while enhancing soil organic carbon stability, influencing soil nutrient dynamics, and stimulating organic carbon decomposition and denitrification processes, leading to elevated soil respiration and methane emissions, and potentially decreasing soil nitrous oxide emission. Additionally, MNPs may adversely affect soil fauna, diminish seed germination rates, promote plant root growth, yet impair plant photosynthetic efficacy and biomass productivity. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the impacts and mechanistic foundations of MNPs. Future research avenues are suggested to further explore the impacts and economic implications.展开更多
文摘The number of countries participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)has been increasing since its official launch in 2013.Although the number of BRI participating countries has reached 145,only some are directly connected with China through land,sea,and other trade routes developed under the BRI project.Because of their direct links with China,these countries have significantly increased their trade with China.In addition to increased trade,these countries have also been undergoing financial development(FD).Since trade and financial development are closely related to the production of goods and services,therefore;both of these are expected to have environmental impact.The current study examines the effect of trade and FD on carbon dioxide(CO2)emissions in selected BRI countries for the period 2001–2019.This study follows a proper estimation strategy based on preliminary tests,cointegration analysis,and coefficient estimation.The results suggest that trade between China and selected BRI countries has no significant effect on CO2 emissions,whereas,financial development has significantly increased CO2 emissions in these countries.Moreover,BRI countries’imports from China significantly reduce CO2 emissions,whereas their exports to China significantly increase CO2 emission in the BRI countries.The policy recommendations suggest that these BRI countries should leverage their direct connections with China for technology transfer.By utilizing environmentally friendly technology,these countries could also reduce the pollution associated with their exports to China and the rest of the world.Furthermore,their financial sectors should divert funds to industries advancing trade in environmental rather than pollution-intensive goods.
文摘Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are tiny plastic particles resulting from plastic product degradation. Soil MNPs have been identified as potential influential factors affecting various soil properties and crop biomass productivity. This mini-review provides a synthesis of recent findings concerning their effects on soil physicochemical properties, microorganisms, organic carbon content, soil nutrients, greenhouse gas emissions, soil fauna, and their impacts on plant ecophysiology, growth, and production. The results indicate that MNPs may markedly impede soil aggregation ability, increase porosity, decrease soil bulk density, enhance water retention capacity, influence soil pH and electrical conductivity, and escalate soil water evaporation. Exposure to MNPs may predominantly induce changes in soil microbial composition, reducing the diversity and complexity of microbial communities and microbial activity while enhancing soil organic carbon stability, influencing soil nutrient dynamics, and stimulating organic carbon decomposition and denitrification processes, leading to elevated soil respiration and methane emissions, and potentially decreasing soil nitrous oxide emission. Additionally, MNPs may adversely affect soil fauna, diminish seed germination rates, promote plant root growth, yet impair plant photosynthetic efficacy and biomass productivity. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the impacts and mechanistic foundations of MNPs. Future research avenues are suggested to further explore the impacts and economic implications.
