Nexus between biomass energy, economic growth, and ecological footprints: empirical investigation from belt and road initiative economies.

Several emerging economies, including economies in belt and road initiative (BRI), are experiencing difficulty attaining sustainable development goals. The efficient utilization of biomass energy sources plays an essential role in attaining sustainable development goals, especially among developing economies. This study empirically investigates the ecological footprints, biomass energy demand, and per capita income association for 30 BRI economies from 1995 to 2021. The study incorporates cointegration and panel quantile regression (PQR) to identify the relationship among discussed variables. Empirical outcomes indicate a negative significant biomass energy demand and ecological footprints relationship, especially among the economies with high traits of ecological footprints. Moreover, the empirical findings also confirm the negative significant per capita income and ecological footprints relationship, while the square of per capita income approves a significant positive association with ecological footprints. These estimates confirm the EKC hypothesis among per capita income and ecological footprints. The findings of the current study help to determine the optimum level of modern biomass energy consumption, which helps to attain economic growth without compromising ecological sustainability.

An analysis of the environmental impacts of ethnic diversity, financial development, economic growth, urbanization, and energy consumption: fresh evidence from less-developed countries.

Improving the quality of environmental indicators has become a global concern that necessitates the identification of possible channels through which environmental welfare can be enhanced worldwide. Against this backdrop, this current study aims to elucidate the environmental effects of ethnic diversity, controlling for financial development, urbanization, economic growth, and energy consumption in the context of 51 less-developed countries during the period from 1996 to 2016. For measuring the environmental impacts, we use both the ecological footprint and carbon dioxide emission figures of these countries. Overall, the cointegration analysis confirms the existence of long-run relationships among the study variables. Besides, the regression analysis reveals that ethnic diversity deteriorates environmental quality by surging the ecological footprint and carbon dioxide emission levels of the selected nations. Similarly, financial development and energy consumption are found to impose identical adversities on the environment while urbanization is evidenced to ensure environmental welfare. Lastly, for both the environmental indicators considered in this study, the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is verified from the findings. Hence, considering these key outcomes, a set of relevant environmental welfare-related policy interventions are recommended in the context of less-developed countries.

Exploring rural inhabitants' perceptions towards food wastage during COVID-19 lockdowns: Implications for food security in Pakistan.

The lessening of food wastage, specifically among nations where about half of its worldwide quantity is produced, has turned to be a mammoth challenge for environmental, social and economic sustainability, and represents one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) within the Agenda 2030. The quantity of food being thrown away in spite of being in an edible condition has become alarming in middle and high income countries. The COVID-19 lockdown strategy, both at local and international levels, has expressively altered work, life and food consumption behaviors globally, directing to food wastage as a multi sectoral issue. Pakistan has no exception to such manifestations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the perceptions of rural people of Pakistan regarding food wastage during the COVID-19 pandemic. To evaluate whether behavior about food wastage among rural households varied or not during the pandemic, a descriptive survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and 963 responses were selected for further empirical investigations. The findings of the study reveal that food waste actually decreased in spite of an increased amount of purchased food during the lockdown. Our results highlight that the effect of the pandemic has led to reduction in food wastage among rural respondents, an increased consciousness for the morals of food waste, and awareness of environmental impacts of food wastage. The conclusions of this study highlight that rural consumers of Pakistan are emerging with a new level of responsiveness about food wastage with possible positive impact on the environment in terms of decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and other pollutants. The study findings imply that this pandemic time provides a suitable window to raise awareness about food wastage among rural as well as urban households while contemplating effective strategies to overcome the issue of food wastage in the country.

Assessing the impact of diversity and ageing population on health expenditure of United States.

BACKGROUND: At the biological level, ageing results from a plodding decline in physical and mental capability, an emergent menace of malady, and eventually, fatality. Even though a few of the geriatric's health changes are hereditary, to a great extent is due to individual's physical and societal surroundings and their residence, locality, societies, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic status. The current debate is well popular by the relationship between increasing diversity and the ageing population with healthcare expenditure in the United States. Higher diversity in society and increasing ageing population have various socio-economic consequences. A good policy in this regard helpful to managed and get fruitful outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine the direct effects of diversity and ageing population on healthcare spending. The assortment observed in geriatrics is not arbitrary. A huge portion emerges from individual's physical and social settings and the influence of these environs on their prospect and well-being demeanour. METHOD: This study used the Bayesian-vector autoregressive model, impulse response analysis, and variance decomposition and data over the period 1990-2018 for empirical analysis of the United States. RESULTS: The empirical findings indicate that diversity and ageing population are more persistent with health expenditure in the United States. This study concludes that an increase in diversity and ageing population will rely on the long-term healthcare facility. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that cohesive society and effective health intervention might aid in curtailing expenditure pressure linked with elderly population. Furthermore, a recommendation of this study is a good opportunity for healthcare policymakers and further researches.

Forestation, renewable energy and environmental quality: Empirical evidence from Belt and Road Initiative economies.

The project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was initiated by China to enhance the level of economic cooperation among partner economies. The study empirically evaluates the link between renewable energy consumption, forest area and emissions of CO2 among 33 partner economies of BRI for the period of 1986-2018. Study utilizes cointegration and heterogeneous Granger causality framework to explore the long-run and causal linkage among variables. Empirical evidence suggests that expansion in renewable energy consumption and increase in forestation will help to reduce the emissions of CO2 among the economies of BRI. However, the estimated findings of Granger causality reveal feedback causation between renewable energy consumption and forest area and unidirectional causation running from per capita income to environmental quality. The study signifies the importance of investment in renewable energy projects and forest management areas among the partner economies of BRI.