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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 October 2022

Daaki Sadat Ssekibaala, Muhammad Irwan Ariffin and Jarita Duasa

This study investigates the relationship between economic growth, international trade, and environmental degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focusing on the validity of the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the relationship between economic growth, international trade, and environmental degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), focusing on the validity of the environmental Kuznets hypothesis (EKC), the pollution havens hypothesis (PHH), and the factor endowment hypothesis (FEH).

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses annual data for 41 SSA countries between 1990 and 2017 and employs the bias-corrected least square dummy variable (LSDVC) estimation techniques. Environmental degradation is indicated by carbon dioxide (CO2), delicate particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions, and deforestation.

Findings

The results confirm the validity of the EKC hypothesis for PM2.5 emissions and deforestation but not for CO2 emissions. The results also indicate that international trade reduces deforestation and that both the PHH and FEH are valid for CO2 emission but not for PM2.5 emissions and deforestation.

Practical implications

In this paper, the authors are able to illustrate that both economic growth and international trade can harm the environment if unchecked. Therefore, the conclusion of this study offers policy options through which SSA countries can achieve desired economic growth goals without affecting environmental quality. The study can be a benchmark for environmental policy in the region.

Originality/value

The authors provide an in-depth discussion of the growth-trade-environmental degradation nexus in SSA. The EKC, PHH, and FEH’s validity confirm that economic growth remains a threat to the local natural environment in SSA. Hence, the need for a trade-off between economic growth needs and environmental degradation and understanding where to compromise to achieve SSA's economic development priorities.

Details

Journal of Economics and Development, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1859-0020

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 April 2022

Mekou Youssoufa Bele, Denis Jean Sonwa and Anne-Marie Tiani

This study aims to identify opportunities and constraints of community forestry in the context of forest decentralization in Cameroon and what can be capitalized on for sound…

1237

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify opportunities and constraints of community forestry in the context of forest decentralization in Cameroon and what can be capitalized on for sound REDD+ design and implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach to data collection was used through content analysis of 1994 forestry law, reports and publications related to decentralized forest management, community forestry and REDD+ in Cameroon. Principles that govern community forest and REDD+ were highlighted and opportunities and constraints of community forestry for REDD+ projects were discussed.

Findings

Community forestry was developed principally to protect forests in order to support the subsistence and income-generating extractive activities of forest-dependent communities. Community forestry governance arrangements were not designed with the objective of achieving verifiable emissions reductions or carbon stock values. Hence, existing community forestry institutions may not address all the specific demands of REDD+ programs. However, existing community institutions and practices can be strengthened or modified to align better with climate change mitigation goals and to achieve REDD+ objectives in community forestry sites. On the other hand, REDD+ was developed principally to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation principally within developing countries where the livelihoods of forest-dependent people are a central component of all forest management policies. However, despite fundamental differences between community forestry and REDD+, there is substantial synergy between their objectives, and the dual forest conservation and livelihood development focus of both programs means that policies that strengthen and support existing community forestry institutions and sites will advance REDD+ objectives. As such, REDD+ will likely to be more successful if it builds on lessons learned from community forestry.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates how REDD+ is more likely to succeed if it builds on the lessons learned from community forestry over the past 20-plus years in Cameroon. It also discusses how REDD+ can benefit from community forestry and how some of the many challenges related to community forestry can be directly addressed by the REDD+ mechanism. Further, this paper also argues how the congruence between community forestry and REDD+ can effectively facilitate the direct use of community forestry as a tool to achieve REDD+ goals.

Details

Forestry Economics Review, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3030

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 14 December 2016

Maria Teresa Uribe-Jaramillo

The purpose of this chapter is to give an interpretation to the limits of Indonesia’s forestry policy through the sustainable development approach analyzing the crossroads between…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this chapter is to give an interpretation to the limits of Indonesia’s forestry policy through the sustainable development approach analyzing the crossroads between economic development and environmental sustainability. There is an expansion and intensification of industrial plantations such as palm oil, as part of the economic development strategy, which must coexist with ongoing efforts of conservation of forest resources in the pursuit of environmental sustainability, including policies such as the Forest Moratorium.

Design/methodolgy/approach

The study explores the influence of the economic development of the palm oil industry in the environmental sustainability of the Forest Moratorium during the period 2011–2014. A case study on the Forest Moratorium is presented analyzing the operativeness of sustainable development principles in the discourse and concrete actions of this specific policy.

Findings

The study evidences that there is a basic problem in Indonesia’s forestry policy and the sustainable development approach, not only because of its inherent contradictions, but also due to the flaws in its interpretation and implementation. It is necessary to rethink the sustainable development, its scopes and limitations, taking into consideration its hybridity, dynamism, and constant transformation. It is also necessary to consider the feasibility of a paradigm shift or a search for sustainable solutions based on other parameters. One way of doing it should include a more participatory approach with a joint work by the government, local communities, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and academia.

Research limitations/implications

First, as this is a case study the findings are not generalizable; and second, the social dimension of sustainable development is not incorporated in its entirety, as this study focuses mainly on the economic and environmental dimensions.

Practical implications

The findings contribute to the discussion in the theoretical and public policy fields, on the crossroads between economic development and environmental sustainability in the international agenda for sustainable development.

Originality/value

The study allows capturing the discussion in a concrete case and learning from the experience of Indonesia, its institutional failures, and the causes of its environmental problems.

Details

Climate Change and the 2030 Corporate Agenda for Sustainable Development
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-819-6

Keywords

Content available

Abstract

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 24 September 2021

Amy Molotoks and Chris West

Background: Commodity-driven deforestation is a major driver of forest loss worldwide, and globalisation has increased the disconnect between producer and consumer countries…

Abstract

Background: Commodity-driven deforestation is a major driver of forest loss worldwide, and globalisation has increased the disconnect between producer and consumer countries. Recent due-diligence legislation aiming to improve supply chain sustainability covers major forest-risk commodities. However, the evidence base for specific commodities included within policy needs assessing to ensure effective reduction of embedded deforestation.

Methods: We conducted a rapid evidence synthesis in October 2020 using three databases; Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus, to assess the literature and identify commodities with the highest deforestation risk linked to UK imports. Inclusion criteria include publication in the past 10 years and studies that didn't link commodity consumption to impacts or to the UK were excluded. The development of a review protocol was used to minimise bias and critical appraisal of underlying data and methods in studies was conducted in order to assess the uncertainties around results.

Results: From a total of 318 results, 17 studies were included in the final synthesis. These studies used various methodologies and input data, yet there is broad alignment on commodities, confirming that those included in due diligence legislation have a high deforestation risk. Soy, palm oil, and beef were identified as critical, with their production being concentrated in just a few global locations. However, there are also emerging commodities that have a high deforestation risk but are not included in legislation, such as sugar and coffee. These commodities are much less extensively studied in the literature and may warrant further research and consideration.

Conclusion: Policy recommendations in the selected studies suggests further strengthening of the UK due diligence legislation is needed. In particular, the provision of incentives for uptake of policies and wider stakeholder engagement, as well as continual review of commodities included to ensure a reduction in the UK's overseas deforestation footprint.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Thomas Cuckston

This paper seeks to examine how the biodiversity comprising a tropical forest ecosystem is being protected as a result of having its conservation brought into financial accounting…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine how the biodiversity comprising a tropical forest ecosystem is being protected as a result of having its conservation brought into financial accounting calculations by constructing a greenhouse gas emissions offset product to sell on the voluntary over‐the‐counter carbon markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The research examines a single embedded case study of a biodiversity conservation project in Kenya. The resulting discussion builds upon the existing accounting and organisation studies literature regarding the construction of markets.

Findings

Whilst the case examined does successfully bring tropical forest biodiversity conservation into the financial accounting calculations of the sellers and buyers of the offset product, via processes of objectification and singularisation, there are considerable accounting obstacles to constructing a calculative mechanism capable of achieving this on a global scale to facilitate financing of the conservation of all the world's remaining tropical forest biodiversity.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the debate on accounting for biodiversity by examining market construction as a theoretical framework for turning the loss/conservation of biodiversity from an externality into an entity that is taken into account in organisations' calculations of profit and loss.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1990

Timothy C. Weiskel and Richard A. Gray

The ecological decline of ancient Near Eastern civilizations and the violent and explosive characteristics of post‐Columbian colonial ecologies might well remain comfortably…

Abstract

The ecological decline of ancient Near Eastern civilizations and the violent and explosive characteristics of post‐Columbian colonial ecologies might well remain comfortably remote from us in our twentieth century world were it not for the disturbing parallels that such case histories seem to evoke as we consider our contemporary global circumstance. Just as in ancient times and in the age of colonial expansion, it is in the “remote environments,” usually quite distant from the centers of power, that the crucial indicators of environmental catastrophe first become apparent within the system as a whole. These regions are frequently characterized by weak economies and highly vulnerable ecosystems in our time, just as they were in the past. Accordingly, the environmental circumstances in these regions constitute for the modern world a kind of monitoring device that can provide early warnings of ecological instabilities in the global ecosystem.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Article
Publication date: 9 December 2021

Paul Adjei Kwakwa, Vera Acheampong and Solomon Aboagye

Agricultural development still constitutes an integral part of Ghana's drive towards job creation, industrial development and economic growth with various growth policies placing…

Abstract

Purpose

Agricultural development still constitutes an integral part of Ghana's drive towards job creation, industrial development and economic growth with various growth policies placing the agricultural sector at the core. While there are likely environmental effects of agricultural activities, evidence in Ghana remains scanty. The study focused on examining, empirically, the effects of the development of the agricultural sector on carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employed the Stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology (STIRPAT) framework to test for the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for agriculture and carbon dioxide emission as well as the effect that the changing structure of Ghana's agricultural development has on carbon dioxide emission for the 1971–2018 period. Regression analysis, variance decomposition and causality analysis were performed.

Findings

The regression results revealed a U-shaped relationship between agricultural development and carbon emission, implying a rejection of the EKC hypothesis between the two variables. In addition, the Structural Adjustment Programme was found to positively moderate the effect agriculture has on carbon emission.

Practical implications

The study recommends the need for policy-makers to facilitate the large-scale adoption and use of modern technology and environmentally friendly agricultural methods.

Originality/value

The study is among the few works to assess the EKC hypothesis between agriculture and carbon dioxide emission in Africa. The direct and indirect effect of structural adjustment programme on carbon emission is estimated.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 January 2014

Tehmina Khan

The purpose of this article is to explore the current and historical state of accounting for biodiversity in Kalimantan (Borneo). It is also to evaluate various models for…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore the current and historical state of accounting for biodiversity in Kalimantan (Borneo). It is also to evaluate various models for stand-alone biodiversity reporting in the context of the work undertaken in Kalimantan by the United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (the REDD program). Economics and politics play a dominant role in hindering biodiversity conservation in the region. This article develops and presents an integrated biodiversity measuring, monitoring and reporting model with the aim of undermining the biodiversity damaging activities in the region. The model enables the provision of comprehensive information on biodiversity to support and inform stakeholders' decision-making and economic activities in relation to Kalimantan.

Design/methodology/approach

Kalimantan was selected as a case study site to identify the destruction of biodiversity caused by businesses driven by narrow and selfish economic motives. A number of measuring, monitoring and reporting models for biodiversity are analysed under Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD's) Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership's reporting framework.

Findings

Various social, political and economic impediments to the conservation of Kalimantan's biodiversity currently exist. A comprehensive and multifaceted framework of biodiversity reporting and disclosure needs to be implemented in order to promote accountability for Kalimantan's biodiversity. Such a framework is needed to ensure transparency in relation to the activities of stakeholders that impact biodiversity in the region. Biodiversity reporting can also promote the monitoring and control of the use of Kalimantan's land and labour by businesses. It can inform the economic decision-making at both the international and regional levels that needs to occur in order to protect and rehabilitate Kalimantan's biodiversity and biodiversity habitat.

Practical implications

In this article an integrated biodiversity measuring, monitoring and reporting model is presented. In addition to Kalimantan, this model can also be applied to biodiversity reporting in any economically developing region that requires international intervention, investment and guidance to ensure the protection of its biodiversity. The framework developed expands on the current REDD reporting framework for Kalimantan.

Originality/value

This is an original research paper.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 January 2020

Kia Hamid Yeganeh

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and classify sources, manifestations and implications of environmental degradation.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and classify sources, manifestations and implications of environmental degradation.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the typological analysis is used to conceptualize environmental degradation and its components. Then, the concepts are disaggregated into some dimensions organized in row-and-column variables and a cross-tabulated matrix is constructed. Finally, different types of environmental degradation are identified, labeled and discussed.

Findings

The study distinguishes between two types of degradation as pollution and deterioration and accordingly identifies ten types (five pairs) of environmental degradation. Furthermore, the paper presents a conceptual framework and offers insights into the dynamic interchange between the causes and effects of environmental degradation.

Originality/value

The originality/value of this study resides in reducing the ambiguities associated with the concept of environmental degradation and offering a multidimensional framework that can be used in empirical research to organize propositions, test hypotheses, analyze data and construct indexes.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

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