Examination of the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa

The relationship between environmental degradation and poverty has increasingly become the focus of national strategic decision-making in recent years.However,despite several theoretical explorations on the nexus,a dearth of empirical literature on the poverty-environmental degradation nexus,specifically on Sub-Saharan Africa(SSA),still exists.In this study,we investigated the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in SSA.We hypothesized that poverty is both a cause and effect of environmental degradation,and this relationship is explained as a vicious cycle.Unlike previous studies,we employed several alternative indicators of environmental degradation to examine the poverty-environmental degradation nexus in this study.We used data from 41 countries of SSA between 1996 and 2019 and employed the generalized method of moments(GMM)approach.The findings suggest a cyclical relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in SSA,which confirms that an increase in poverty leads to an increase in environmental degradation,especially in deforestation and PM2.5 emissions.Similarly,the increase in environmental degradation positively affects poverty in SSA.We also confirmed that exogenous conditioning factors such as population growth rate,education,industrialization,and income inequality,institutional quality indicators such as governance effectiveness,control of corruption,freedom ad civil liberty,and democracy,and endogenous factors including fossil fuel energy use,fuelwood energy use,household health expenditure,infant mortality rate,and agriculture productivity influence the nexus between poverty and environmental degradation.The findings on the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in SSA are a testimonial evidence that both poverty and environmental degradation are significant issues in SSA.Hence,poverty alleviation policies in SSA should not lead to PM2.5 emissions and deforestation,which may as well force people into a poverty-environmental degradation trap.Instead,poverty reduction policies should simultaneously achieve environmental conservation.

Environmental and Climate Justice in Palestine

To have a clean, safe, and functional environment is not only essential for the purpose of preservation, but also imperative for safeguarding the most fundamental of human rights. Resolution 45/94 of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly also stresses and acknowledges that: “all individuals are entitled to live in an environment adequate for their health and wellbeing” (United Nations Digital Library System, 1991). Environmental and climate justice, which: “emerged in the context of the local environmental struggles of directly oppressed groups”, is a global movement dedicated to ensuring equal protection of people’s human rights (i.e., water, health, life, etc.) in the face of the climate crisis. Moreover, health, environment and human rights are part of the 2030 agenda (in particular, SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 13, SDG 16, SDG 17). Individually, both environmental and climate justice are rooted in an intersectional outlook, by which they highlight the common threads between communities and the people’s inclusion, irrespective of race, class, or gender, in the pursuit of justice. On the other hand, they recognise and acknowledge the role and consequences of climate change in economic, social, and political dimensions;thus, drawing emphasis on the rights of people under the emerging inequities. In the case of Palestine, the Palestinian community is increasingly becoming vulnerable to these effects and the resulting inequalities of climate change. This vulnerability stems from: 1) The right to life;clean WASH;equitable work opportunities;access to resources;and free movement;are all examples of human rights that the Israeli colonial regime infringes upon;2) Infrastructure is essential for climate adaptation: 61% of the West Bank is ultimately barred from building infrastructure (B’Tselem, 2019) and Gaza Strip has major gaps in infrastructure due to intentional destruction by Israel;3) Palestinian deprivation of the sovereign right to natural resources by Israel;4) Apartheid system in water accessibility: Israeli water usage per person is over three times higher than that of Palestinians (their usage is under the WHO recommended minimum per day) (B’Tselem, 2023);and 5) Violent settler attacks. In 2022 alone, the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) recorded 1527 settler attacks that targeted land, properties, livestock, agriculture and even Palestinian civilians. The ongoing neglect of these concerns and the persistent colonization of Palestine by Israel unequivocally and unwaveringly affect the human rights of Palestinians. The power dynamics at play especially hamper the Palestinian ability to exercise and fulfill their inalienable human rights and to tackle the obstacles to justice in their environment.

Residents’ perspectives and responses to environmental degradation in the upper Dadu River, eastern Tibetan Plateau

Environmental degeneration in the Tibetan Plateau attracts worldwide attention, whereas case studies on how the residents understand and respond to environmental degeneration are scarce. Using a Participatory Rural Appraisal method, this paper investigates how the people in different regions in the upper Dadu River understand and respond to environmental degeneration, based on comparative field surveys in three villages, in which Danzamu village is chosen from villages in the valley region, Kerma village from mountainside region, Rico village from the mountain and plateau region. The results show that： （1） although awakened to environmental degeneration, the residents in different regions have different responses. As agricultural labors have been transferred to the secondary and tertiary industries, population pressure in Danzamu and Kerma villages is mitigated. Residents in Danzamu village actively respond to natural disasters and forest degradation, as their livelihoods never rely on forests and rangelands again. Whereas the residents in Kerma village negatively respond to natural disasters, forest and meadow degradation and the ruin of wildlife resources, as their livelihoods still rely on stockbreeding. Labors in Rico village are hard to transfer to the secondary and tertiary industries, so they have to raise more livestock to make a living. Active measures are just taken to avoid livestock loss, not to avoid forest and meadow degradation and the ruin of wildlife resources. So the most fragile region is the mountain and plateau region and mountainside region, not the valley region. （2） Livelihood strategy is the key factor affecting the residents to respond to population pressure and environmental degeneration. So the framework of sustainable livelihood strategy should be used to explain and intervene in issues of population pressure and environmental degradation in ecotones. （3） Transferring agricultural labors to the secondary and tertiary industries were favorable to improving people＇s livelihood. It is necessary to reduce the education fees to speed up the pace of labors transferring in the mountainside region. In the mountain and plateau region, preferable ways also include the development of towns, highways, education equipment and other establishments.

Natural resources deterioration,environmental degradation and sustainable resetlement in Southwest China

As a consequence of increased population growth and environmental degradation, a particular type of population mobility-environmental migration-has emerged in the Third World. In this paper environmental migration is defined and previous practices in some developing countries are reviewed. A case study of the Karst Region of Southwest China is used to illustrate the phenomenon, including root causes, restrictive factors, nature of the migration, desires of migrants, strategies of response and optional policies. It is argued that a comprehensive approach to the prevention of environmentally caused displacement should be developed.

Water Environmental Degradation of the Source Area of the Yellow River on Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The issue on water environmental degradation in the source area of the Yellow River has been one of very serious ecological and socially economic problems. The temporal-spatial changes of water environment led to the decreasing of land capacity and river disconnecting. The status of water environmental degradation in this paper was analyzed based on the data and field investigation. The results indicated that the surface water area in the region has obviously decreased owing to the climate changes and human irrational use of water resources and the continuous lowering of the regional groundwater table and the steadily decreasing tendency of the flow rate in the source areas of the Yellow River.

Urban Agriculture:A Transitional Mechanism for Reducing Environmental Degradation and Fossil Fuel over Dependence

With the increasing population in the urban cities of the world,the demand for food from distant areas has been on the rise but at the expense of scarce natural resources like oil,water and forest,etc.However,producing food locally in urban centers provides a sustainable mechanism of reducing the carbon,food or ecological footprints of these cities in particular and environmental degradation in general.It creates a circular metabolic system in which the natural inputs are efficiently harnessed rather than the linear metabolic system in which resources flow in and wastes flow out.This article analyzes some urban agricultural local initiatives in urban centers of the worlds that promote a circular metabolic systems and proposes the procedure that can be adopted to promote urban agriculture.

Environmental Degradation Resulting from Oil Exploitation, and Population Displacement in the NigerDelta, Nigeria

Oil and gas exploration in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria began some fifty four （54） years ago. Since the early sixties till now, oil from this region of the Nigeria has been the major foreign exchange earner for the sustenance of the economy. Unfortunate to note is the fact that since oil exploration and exploitation began in the country in the Niger Delta, the region had not been at peace. The region had suffered all forms of environmental degradation resulting from crude oil spillage and gas flares. The peoples＇ source of livelihood has been destabilized thereby leading to high rate of poverty, social crises/conflict and involuntary migration of people for both security and succour. The people of the region are thus in severe pains and risk of extermination should the present trend of environmental degradation and negligence persist. Thus, this paper addresses the plight of the Niger Delta as a case study of the effect of environmental degradation on human vulnerability. It is believed that continuous existence of the Niger Delta people as a social sect is dependent on how prompt efforts are made to combat the environment nuisance in the region.

Sustainable Environmental Management:A Case of Assessment of Land Degradation Using Space Technologies in Longido District,Arusha Tanzania

This study was conducted to assess land degradation in Longido District,Arusha,Tanzania using remote sensing techniques.Biophysical degradation indicators i.e.land use/land cover,land productivity level and soil erosion were used.Specifically,Landsat Satellite images of 1995 and 2015,together with soil data and digital elevation model were applied.Land cover maps of the study area over the study years were produced by supervised classification method.Soil erosion was assessed using RUSLE(Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation)model producing soil erosion map of Longido district,the inputs into the RUSLE model were rainfall,erosivity factor,soil erodibility factor,slope steepness and slope length factor,cover management factor and support practice factor.Biophysical land degradation map was produced by applying weighted overlay technique whereby soil erosion was given more weight followed by land use/land cover of 2015 and land productivity level of 2015.The findings show that about 38% of Longido district areas are highly vulnerable to land degradation which is above the international allowable level.It is being concluded that Longido District is at high risk of failure to sustain livelihood of and resilient for its communities,the earth in general,so it is timely for the district authorities to take steps towards mitigating further land degradation.It is being recommended that sustainable conservation and management strategies as well as policies must be affected by district authorities including farmers and pastoralists to improvise land degradation friendly cultivation and grazing methods.

Evaluation of Effluent Discharge from Steel Manufacturing Industries on the Proliferating Environmental Degradation in Nairobi Metropolitan in the Republic of Kenya

The overall objective of this study was to establish the effects of steel industrial effluent on Nairobi metropolitan water system and its impact to the society. The study sought to identify various types of wastes produced by factories, assess how the waste generated is managed and disposed, examine the effects of effluent discharge on Nairobi River and finally propose mitigation measures. The research adopted a qualitative design and employed a number of methods: direct observations, document reviews to content analysis of the past studies, which in the end generated invaluable data. The study revealed that there are four categories of waste generated: solid waste, liquid waste, footbath chemicals as well as thermal wastes. It was also found that waste management in place was not effective enough leading to water and soil pollution. Other causes of pollution were found out to emanate from gasses contamination to the air and chemicals used during steel processing. The findings will inform the community of the harmful effects of untreated water and how it impacts on their health and productivity. It will also help the stakeholders in the environmental conservation to articulate issues of policy and influence agenda setting in the national and sub-national levels.

Economic complexity and environmental sustainability in eastern European economies:Evidence from novel Fourier approach

Globally,economies have become complex and new technologies have transformed and facilitated the modernization of economies.In the previous literature,economic complexity approach has become one of the popular tools in the development and innovation studies of economic geography.Researchers have found that green technology and eco-innovation approaches should be used to decisively reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment.However,debates about the impact of economic complexity on environment remain unsettled since some emerging production technologies have far-reaching pollution effects.This study explored the impacts of economic complexity on environmental sustainability in Turkey using the novel Fourier-based approaches,namely:Fourier Augmented Dickey-Fuller(FADF)and Fourier Autoregressive-Distributed Lag(FARDL)models.The Fourier-based approaches indicated that all variables(economic complexity index(ECI),GDP,energy consumption,and CO_(2)emission(CO_(2)E))are cointegrated in the long run.Additionally,the FARDL model implied that(i)in the long run,the effect of ECI(as a proxy for economic complexity),GDP(as a proxy for economic growth),and energy consumption on CO_(2)E(as a proxy for environmental quality)are important;(ii)economic complexity decreases environmental degradation in Turkey;and(iii)economic growth and energy consumption negatively affect environmental quality.The results also showed that economic complexity could be used as a policy tool to tackle environmental degradation.The findings also revealed that the fossil fuelbased economy will continue to expand and undermine Turkey’s efforts to meet its net zero emission target by 2053.Therefore,policy-makers should take actions and establish diversified economic,environmental,and energy strategies.For policy insights,the Turkish governments can use the combination of tax exemptions and technical support systems to support knowledge creation and the diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies The governments can also impose strict environmental regulations on the knowledge development phases.

Poverty Reduction,Environmental Protection and Ecosystem Services:A Prospective Theory for Sustainable Development

Poverty reduction and environmental protection are two global tasks for sustainable development.The study perspective has changed over time,from narrowly focusing on poverty reduction to comprehensively strengthening human-welfare.We reviewed key references targeting the theoretical content and practical approach relying on poverty,environment protection and ecosystem services.We discussed the contradicting views on the relationship of poverty and environmental degradation,and then illustrated the study progress of a cutting-age topic-ecosystem services which pave a way to address poverty reduction and environmental protection together.At last,we investigated essential factors that affect the development and environmental protection.Considering the evolution of the concept of poverty,we found that the environment has occupied an increasing proportion in the cognizance of poverty.The relationship between poverty and environmental degradation is regional uniqueness.In practical aspect,projects based on the management and valuation assessment of ecosystem services draw researchers′attention all over the world.The appropriate scale,essential economic incentives,morality,law and social equality are key factors affecting individuals′decisions which directly relate to the sustainable development.

The environmental prospects of cultured meat in China

To deal with concerns in China about environmental degradation and a growth in population accompanied by increased consumption of livestock products, a meat alternative is required. This study compared the environmental impacts of producing different protein sources for nutrition, including crops, livestock products, and cultured meat. The results showed that cultured meat has the lowest land use per unit of protein and unit of human digestible energy. China＇s crops have the lowest energy use and greenhouse gas（GHG） emissions per unit of energy and protein. The energy use in cultured meat production is slightly higher than that of current pork production in China, whereas GHG emissions are lower. It is concluded that the overall impact of replacing livestock products with cultured meat would be beneficial for China＇s environment and would potentially improve food security because less land is needed to produce the same amount of protein and energy.

Could Acid Sulfate Soils Be a Potential Environmental Threat to Estuarine Ecosystems on the South China Coast?

Acid sulfate soils (ASS) contain considerable amounts of reduced sulfur compounds (mainly pyrite) which produce sulfuric acid upon their oxidation. ASS-derived environmental degradation widely occurs in the coastal lowlands around the world, especially in the tropical and subtropical areas. The presence of ASS in the South China has been recognized but their distribution may be largely underestimated because the soil survey data concerning ASS are based on unreliable methods and techniques. ASS in the South China have been traditionally used for rice cultivation and this practice has been proved sustainable if appropriate improvement measures are adopted. Recently, the rapid economic growth in the region has resulted in intensified coastal development which frequently involves activities that may disturb ASS. Construction of roads, foundations and aquaculture ponds may cause the exposure of ASS to air and bring about severe environmental acidification. There is currently insufficient awareness of the problems among the researchers, policy-makers and land managers in the South China. More atteation must be paid to the possible ASSderived environmental degradation in order to ensure a sustainable development of the coastal lowlands in the South China region.

Extent and Consequences of Tropical Forest Degradation： Successive Policy Options for Bangladesh

This paper is conceived at a time when new paradigms are sought for the development of a framework to deal with the problem of forest resources degradation. Deforestation in Bangladesh, has reached an alarming rate in recent years. The forest coverage of Bangladesh is one of the lowest and the deforestation rate is the highest of any country in the world. Coupled with the process of deforestation, flawed afforestration programmes have seriously exposed Bangladesh to environmental vulnerability. Considering this situation various strategies should be taken at different levels. The main objective of this paper is to suggest the possible steps that Bangladesh could halt and reverse the trend of deforestation. An extensive literature review and structured interviews of key informants have been used to collect relevant information to understand the reasons and consequences of forest degradation in the country. Based on the information gathered, this paper suggests some positive steps where the Government could be the main mitigating actor by implementing integrated programmes, which will also ensure mass awareness and wider impact.

The status and protection of the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district

This article discusses the status of the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district, and points out that the decline of the forest coverage, the degradation of the pasture and the shrinking back of the glacier, the increased soil erosion and other phenomena are the main ecological and environmental problems in this area. The main reason is the natural and man-made results. This article proposes the specific measures to protect the ecological environment in Heihe River water source district.

Environmental impact of energy imports:Natural resources income and natural gas production profitability in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Countries

Environmental degradation is a pressing global concern,with the energy sector being one of the major contributors to this issue.The environmental impact of energy imports,particularly regarding natural resources income and natural gas production profitability,cannot be ignored.Countries must assess the environmental consequences of their energy choices and take steps to minimize their impact.By transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable energy sources,countries can ensure a better future for the environment and their economies.This study examines the impact of energy imports and natural resources income on environmental degradation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC)countries from 1990 to 2020,using revenue minus the production cost of natural gas and electricity production from renewable sources as moderating variables.Long-run estimates are derived using the Generalized Method of Moments and robust least squares.Our findings elucidate that importing energy from countries specializing in renewable energy can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels.This diversification of energy sources decreases the overall carbon footprint and contributes to a cleaner environment.Natural gas production often involves infrastructure construction,such as drilling rigs and pipelines,which can disrupt natural habitats and wildlife corridors.This destruction of ecosystems can have long-term consequences on biodiversity and ecological balance.The environmental impact of energy imports,particularly related to natural resource income and natural gas production profitability,requires BRICS countries to take proactive measures.These nations can address the environmental challenges associated with their energy demands by implementing policies prioritizing sustainable resource management,carbon pricing,stringent regulation,and investment in research and development.By doing so,they can balance economic growth and environmental sustainability,ensuring a greener future for the BRICS countries.

Remote Sensing and GIS Application in the Detection of Environmental Degradation Indicators

The main aim of this research is to highlight the environment change indicators during the last 20 years in a representative area of the southern part of Iraq （Basrah Province was taken as a case） to understand the main causes which led to widespread environment degradation phenomena using a 1：250000 mapping scale. Remote sensing and GIS＇s software were used to classify Landsat TM in 1990 and Landsat ETM＋ in 2003 imagery into five land use and land cover （LULC） classes： vegetation land, sand land, urban area, unused land, and water bodies. Supervised classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index （NDVI）, Normalized Difference Build-up Index （NDBI）, Normalized Difference Water Index （NDWI）, Normalized Difference Salinity Index （NDSI）, and Topsoil Grain Size Index （GSI） were adopted in this research and used respectively to retrieve its class boundary. The results showed a clear deterioration in vegetative cover （514.9 km2） and an increase of sand dune accumulations （438.6 km2）, accounting for 10.1, and 10.6 percent, respectively, of the total study area. In addition, a decrease in the water bodies＇ area was detected （228.9 kin2）. Sand area accumulations had increased in the total study area, with an annual increasing expansion rate of （33.7 km2 · yr^-1） during the thirteen years covered by the study. It is therefore imperative that Iraqi government undertake a series of prudent actions now that will enable to be in the best possible position when the current environmental crisis ultimately passes.

ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC REHABILITATION IN THE KARST OF SOUTHWEST CHINA

The Karst of Southwest China is a typical representative of poverty stricken region with impoverishment-degradation spiral. To essentially break away from this vicious circle, the local ecology, economy and society should be rehabilitated, and hence to strengthen the self-development capacity building of the localities. Two considerations are stressed in this article: (1) Poverty alleviation is a system project with great complexities. Any single approach is difficult to success and integrated measures should be taken. (2) Some typical and feasible areas should be selected to demonstrate the project of poverty alleviation and ecological, socio-economic reconstruction. Then, they can be used as a model to promote the sustainable development of the whole region. Based upon these ideals, a project entitled “Reversal of Impoverishment-Degradation Spiral in the Karst of Southwest China' was proposed and has been listed in 《Priority Programme for China's Agenda 21》.

Driving forces of land use and land cover change (LUCC) in the Zoige Wetland, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Zoige Wetland is located in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which is highly sensitive to global environment change and human disturbance because of its high elevation and cold environment, thus, it＇s a hotspot for land use and land cover change （LUCC） research. We used Landsat MSS images from 1975, Landsat ETM images from 2000, and Landsat TM images fi：om 1990 and 2005 to assess the LUCC in the study area, using GIS techniques, as well as topographic, vegetation, and soil maps combined with field investigations. The monitoring result shows that the study area＇s environment degraded rapidly between 1975 and 2005, including wetland shrinkage from 5,308 km2 to 4,980 lan2, sandy land expansion from 112 krn2 to 137 krn2, forest land decreasing from 5,686 km2 to 5,443 km2, and grassland degradation from 12,309 km2 to 10,672 km2. According to the analysis of meteorological data and social-economic statistical data, we concluded that the LUCC in the Zoige Wetland was caused by both natural and anthropogenic factors, but human activities were primarily responsible for the observed LUCC, thereby, we suggest human behaviors must be adjusted to control environmental degradation.

The valuation of China’s environmental degradation from 2004 to 2017

This paper aims to evaluate the cost of environmental degradation by adopting the conventional environmental economic methodology in China from 2004 to 2017 and summarize the change in both the causes and costs of China’s environmental degradation.Results from this study revealed the following:i.The environmental degradation cost in China increased from 511 billion yuan to 1,892 billion yuan from 2004 to 2017,and its share in the GDP decreased from 3.05% to 2.23%;ii.The environmental degradation cost growth rate was lower than the GDP growth rate.The environmental degradation cost growth rate decreased sharply,by dropping from 10% in 2014 to 2% in 2017.The environmental benefits of industrial transformation have emerged;iii.The provinces of Shandong,Hebei,Jiangsu,Henan,and Guangdong had the highest environmental degradation costs.The annual average growth rate of the environmental degradation costs in Jiangsu,Guangdong,and Zhejiang were lower than their growth rate of the GDP respectively;iv.Consideration of environmental degradation cost in decision-making could contribute to the high-quality development of China.