Examining the dynamics between economic development, tourism, renewable energy and life expectancy in the Nordic economies.

As the world struggles with pressing issues like climate change and sustainable development, affecting health outcomes and environmental quality, the Nordic regionsare at the forefront of major global challenges. This paper investigates the role of human capital, renewable energy use, tourism, natural resources, and economic growth in shaping life in the Nordic region i.e., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland).Utilizing panel data spanning from 1990 to 2020, the Driscoll and Kraay standard error (DSK) technique is employed to analyze this intricate interplay. The study reveals that in the Nordic context, sustainable economic growth, bolstered by investments in human capital and the widespread acceptance of renewable energy sources, has been positively associated with increased life expectancies. Furthermore, prudent management of natural resources has helped mitigate adverse health effects related to depletion, maintaining environmental and public health standards. The thriving tourism industry has also been shown to influence lifespan in this region positively. On the contrary, the empirical finding contended that an adverse correlation exists between carbon emissions and LEX. This research underscores the importance of a comprehensive and balanced approach that considers economic development, sustainable development, and public health in pursuing longer and healthier lives, providing valuable insights for policymakers and regions seeking to replicate these positive outcomes.The findings of this study are both conceptually reliable and empirically robust, providing important insights for the formulation of environmental and health policy.

Crude oil price volatility and environmental performance.

We study the relationship between crude oil price volatility and corporate environmental performance. Using an extensive dataset from 32 countries consisting of 18,464 firm-year observations, we provide strong evidence that oil price volatility significantly increases firms' environmental performance. Our main inference is robust when using alternative measures of oil price volatility and environmental performance, alternative econometric specifications and samples, and several approaches to control for endogeneity. In a set of additional analyses, we first conduct a difference-in-differences analysis that exploits the Arab Spring as an exogenous oil price volatility increase and document a stronger relationship between oil price volatility and environmental performance in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. We second identify (i) capital expenditures and (ii) alternative energy importation as two mechanisms through which oil price volatility influences environmental performance. We finally show that national culture plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between oil price volatility and environmental performance. Taken together, our empirical findings highlight the role of economic uncertainty in affecting firms' environmental performance and provide significant contributions to management and policymakers.

Forecasting synergistic pathways between rare earth elements, renewable energy, and product and economic complexities in achieving a low-carbon future.

Recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented transformation in the global energy landscape, driven by environmental concerns and the quest for sustainable economic growth. As the world grapples with the urgent need for decarbonization, the utilization of renewable energy technologies with the instrumental role of rare earth elements (REEs) has come to the forefront. However, empirical investigations into their synergistic pathways for product and economic complexities concerning achieving a low-carbon future remain scarce. Therefore, we forecast synergistic pathways between the REE supply, renewable energy, economic and product complexities, and GDP growth using a panel dataset of 11 REE-producing countries from 1990 to 2023. We used Common Correlated Effects and Temporal Causal Models as primary methods to estimate panel long-run elasticities and subsequently forecast mutual causal synergies between the variables. The results indicated that REE supply led to renewable energy and economic growth that further elevated the countries' product and economic complexities rankings. GDP growth increased REE production, economic complexity, and renewable energy directly, and consequently, product complexity and REE production through them. This underscores the positive role of REE production coupled with renewable energy technologies in achieving a low-carbon future based on economic diversification, enhanced industrial capabilities, and technological sophistication.

Beyond grassland degradation: Pathways to resilience for pastoralist households in alpine grassland ecosystems.

Sustaining the development of rural and pastoral communities' hinges on livelihood resilience. Pastoralist household resilience relies on resource availability and decision-making abilities. Despite extensive studies on pastoralist livelihoods, a significant knowledge gap remains in understanding the nuanced adaptive capacities of diverse households, particularly amid grassland degradation. Thus, this study investigates the household-based livelihood resilience of pastoralists in China's Three-River Headwater Region, offering policy recommendations for resilient livelihoods. Using stratified random sampling, 758 pastoralist household heads underwent semi-structured interviews to collect data. Five household characteristics, encompassing age, gender, energy use, well-being perception, and multi-household grazing participation, were evaluated. Looking ot the nature of data, descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were performed in this study to draw the valid inferences. The results revealed a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between household head age and livelihood resilience, with divergent resilience across age groups. Varied energy usage yielded distinct impacts; households employing solar or mixed energy sources exhibited heightened resilience (p < 0.05). Household well-being emerged as an invariant variable concerning resilience. Furthermore, engagement in multi-household grazing (an informal institution) significantly (p < 0.05) influenced pastoralist livelihood resilience. These insights advocate targeted support for young household heads and the adoption of clean energy. Exploring the deeper strategies and mechanisms of multi-household grazing can enhance understanding and policy integration, guiding eco-friendly progress within rustic landscapes for pastoral communities.

Protein plant factories: production and resource use efficiency of soybean proteins in vertical farming.

BACKGROUND: Controlled environment agriculture, particularly vertical farms (VF), also called plant factories, is often claimed as a solution for global food security due to its ability to produce crops unaffected by weather or pests. In principle, essential macronutrients of the human diet, like protein, could technically be produced in VF. This aspect becomes relevant in the era of protein transition, marked by an increasing consumer interest in plant-based protein and environmental challenges faced by conventional farming. However, the real question is: what does the cultivation of protein crops in VF imply in terms of resource use? To address this, a study was conducted using a VF experiment focusing on two soybean cultivars. RESULTS: With a variable plant density to optimize area use, and because of the ability to have more crop cycles per year, protein yield per square metre of crop was about eight times higher than in the open field. Assuming soy as the only protein source in the diet, the resources needed to get total yearly protein requirement of a reference adult would be 20 m2 of crop area, 2.4 m3 of water and 16 MWh of electricity, versus 164 m2, 111 m3 and 0.009 MWh in the field. CONCLUSIONS: The study's results inform the debate on protein production and the efficiency of VF compared to conventional methods. With current electricity prices, it is unlikely to justify production of simple protein crops in VF or promote it as a solution to meet global protein needs. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Advanced technological adaptations can improve the energy-cum-carbon-efficiency of diverse rice production systems.

Worldwide, there is an urgent need to develop energy-cum-carbon smart and cost-effective rice production systems for farmer's adoption. Data were collected from 280 farmer's fields representing the South Asia rice production system. Out of these 75 fields following transplanted rice (TPR), 55 fields of wet direct seeded rice (WDSR), 60 fields of drill sown direct seeded rice in line (DSR L), 60 fields of traditional direct seeded rice (DSR) and 30 fields of DSR + beushning (DSR + B). Results show that grain and straw yields in the TPR were 6056 and 7752 kg ha-1, respectively; however, they were neither profitable, energy efficient, or eco-friendly. At the same time, the grain and straw yields in DSR L were recorded by 5832 and 7757 kg ha-1, respectively. It was profitable with the highest net returns (1111.5 US$ ha-1), energy use efficiency (12.77), energy productivity (0.41 kg MJ-1), energy profitability (11.77 US$ MJ-1), energy output efficiency (1314.3 MJ day-1) environment friendly in terms of carbon efficiency 7.20, carbon sustainability index (6.20) and had most diminutive carbon footprint (0.14 kg CO2 eq kg-1 grain) with a comparable carbon credit. DSR L is productive, economically viable, energy efficient, and environmentally safer among rice production systems.

Management of soil cover and tillage regimes in upland rice-sweet corn systems for better system performance, energy use and carbon footprints.

This study investigates the effects of tillage and mulching regimes on rice-sweet corn systems in the lower Gangetic plains, focusing on region-specific and crop-specific impacts on soil-crop-environmental parameters. The experiment consisted of three levels of tillage: conventional (CT), minimum (MT), and zero (ZT), and four levels of mulching: live, leaf litter, paddy straw, and no mulching. The results show that ZT tillage resulted in higher bulk density (BD) compared to other treatments, despite an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC). Live and leaf litter mulching led to slight reductions in BD in the upper soil layers. CT resulted in net depletion of SOC whereas ZT registered a positive sequestration rate of 1.19 Mg ha-1 yr-1. Live and leaf litter mulching increased SOC sequestration by 42.6% and 38.8% compared to paddy straw mulching, respectively. Initially, ZT resulted in a 10.3% reduction in system productivity compared to CT, while MT yields were comparable to CT. However, mulching regimes consistently improved production by 16.4%-25.2% as compared to no mulch. ZT and MT were found to be more affordable than CT, with cost savings of 18.2% and 6.8%, respectively. ZT had the highest B: C ratio, indicating better economic efficiency. Among the mulching treatments, live mulching was the most economical. Both ZT and MT saved input energy by approximately 22.9% and 13.5%, respectively compared to CT. Live mulching resulted in the highest net energy and energy output. Compared to CT, ZT reduced carbon footprint (CF) by 41.5 and 22.2% in rice and sweet corn, respectively. MT scored midway between ZT and CT in all parameters. CT exhibited several limitations, including high input energy requirements, high cost of cultivation, poor economic efficiency, negative environmental impacts, and loss of SOC. ZT initially experienced yield reduction and lower net returns in the early years. Therefore, MT was identified as the best alternative in the initial years before transitioning completely to ZT, as it provided comparable yields to CT with better overall benefits. Among the soil cover regimes, live mulching was found to be the most favorable option across all dimensions.

Energy use in residential buildings for sustainable development: The fifth Solar Decathlon Europe revelations.

This research focuses on achieving sustainable development in residential buildings with energy use. Under the influence of the energy crisis and related problems, research on residential buildings for less energy use has great potential. The literature review, according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, and including VOSviewer analysis, shows the research is increasing and meaningful. Solar Decathlon buildings are used as the main objects in this research. The fifth Solar Decathlon Europe energy use technologies are examined through onsite investigation and online searching. The Analytic Hierarchy Process method for multi-criteria decision analysis is used for sustainability assessment. Moreover, the Ladybug and ClimateStudio plugins simulated respectively the annual solar radiation and the best angle for receiving it. The main findings show that 34 kinds of technologies used in these buildings can be classified into two categories in three directions. Passive technologies should be applied and prioritized, but generating renewable energy is also important. Some infrequently used technologies are not insignificant. The research shows that the combination of technologies decides sustainability performance, but the quantity used does not. Furthermore, energy use also needs to be balanced and coordinated in combination with architectural aesthetics. This research on energy use in residential buildings is beneficial for achieving sustainable development.

Dose effect of Actisaf Sc 47 yeast probiotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) supplementation on production, reproduction, and negative energy balance in early lactation dairy cows.

The study evaluated the dose effect of dietary supplementation with yeast probiotic Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CNCM I-4407, 1010 CFU/g, Actisaf Sc 47; Phileo by Lesaffre, France) on production, energy metabolism, and reproduction in lactating dairy cows. About 117 multiparous Holstein cows from 3 to 60 d in milk held in a barn with an automatic milking system were enrolled in a randomized complete block design and blocked according to calving day, parity, and previous milk yield. The cows were assigned to a basal diet (15% CP, 22% starch) plus either 5 g (Y5 group, n = 39), 10 g (Y10 group, n = 39), or 0 g (CON, n = 39) of yeast probiotic, presented on top of concentrate fed in the robot. Milk yield and body weight were recorded daily, milk composition, and somatic cell count (SSC) every 2 wk, and body condition score (BCS) was estimated at days -14, 14, and 40 post-calving. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The Y10 group showed an increased average daily yield of energy-corrected milk (ECM) over CON (+3.5 kg, P < 0.05) and Y5 (+0.8 kg). There were no significant differences between the groups in milk fat, milk protein, milk SCC linear score, milk urea, blood beta-hydroxy-butyric acid levels, and BCS. Body weight loss from 3 to 90 d in milk was numerically lower (13.8 kg) in Y5 than in CON (25.3 kg), and the success rate from the first insemination was the highest in YP5 and YP10 groups (39%) than in Control (26%). The yeast probiotic supplementation to early lactation high-producing dairy cows showed a clear effect of the high dose (10 g) on ECM milk production, although the lower dose (5 g) showed only numerical ECM production increase, both doses displayed better use of energy from the diet than the control and suggest a better resource efficiency.

Dataset of smart heat and water meter data with accompanying building characteristics.

The data presented were sourced from 34,884 commercial smart heat meters and 10,765 commercial smart water meters, spanning a timeframe of up to 5 years (2018-2022). All data primarily originated from single-family houses in Aalborg Municipality, Denmark. Furthermore, comprehensive building characteristics were collected for each building, where available, from the Danish Building and Dwelling Register (BBR) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) input data. This effort yielded an extensive pool of up to 86 distinct characteristics per building. All smart meter data were processed employing a well-established methodology, resulting in equidistant hourly data without any erroneous or missing values. The building characteristics derived from the EPCs were additionally filtered using rule sets to improve the data quality. This dataset holds substantial value for researchers involved in the domains of the built environment, district heating, and water sectors.

High loadings of carbonaceous aerosols from wood smoke in the atmosphere of Beijing from 2015 to 2017: Implications for energy transition policy.

Recently, biomass has been regarded as a promising option for solid energy in China, which is promoted in the residential sector and firing power plants. We collected 200 PM2.5 samples (particulate matter with a aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 µm) at multi-sites across Beijing from three individual sampling cases from 2015 to 2017. The levels of OC, OC fractions, EC, EC fractions, as well as K+ were measured. Then, we adopted the Positive Matrix Factorization 5.0 to apportion the sources of carbonaceous aerosols. The source apportionment results were compared with the estimates of source contribution using the bottom-up technical method with the latest emission inventories after the Action Plan was put into effect in 2013. Our results demonstrate that high pollution of carbonaceous aerosols originated from wood smoking based on the receptor modeling and bottom-up technical method in Beijing from 2015 to 2017. Future energy transition policy should focus on the technologies and regulations for reducing emissions from renewable biomass fuel combustion. This study highlights the importance of regulations that address emissions controls on fuels replacing coal combustion to meet the needs to mitigate air pollution from primary energy use.

Energy dynamics affecting the US economy; natural energy investments, carbon emissions, production, exports and GDP per Capita.

This study investigates how carbon dioxide emissions, natural gas, energy consumption, energy investment, coal and crude oil, and per capita exports affected the economic growth of the United States from 1993 to 2023 using the Vector Error Correction (VEC) model. The findings highlight the importance of exports and energy investment in driving both short- and long-term economic growth, while also highlighting interactions between carbon emissions, coal use and crude oil. It was determined that changes in natural gas and exports affected energy investment in the short term, while coal and exports affected natural gas. These results provide valuable information about the dynamics of the American economy and contribute to our understanding of the complex interactions between various factors and their effects on economic growth, offering implications for further research and policy development to promote sustainable economic development.

Enhancing wastewater treatment efficiency: A hybrid technology perspective with energy-saving strategies.

The study aimed to investigate how hybrid technology, combined with various intermittent aeration (IA) strategies, contributes to reducing the energy costs of wastewater treatment while simultaneously ensuring a high treatment efficiency. Even with IA subphases lasting half as long as those without aeration, and oxygen levels reduced from 3.5 to 1.5 mg O2/L, pollutants removal efficiency remains robust, allowing for a 1.41-fold reduction in energy consumption (EO). Hybrid technology led to a 1.34-fold decrease in EO, along with improved denitrification efficiency from 74.05 ± 4.71 to 81.87 ± 2.43 % and enhanced biological phosphorus removal from 35.03 ± 4.25 to 87.32 ± 3.64 %. The high nitrification efficiency may have been attributed to the abundance of Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Rhodococcus, which outcompeted the genera of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria, suggesting that the hybrid system is favorable for the growth of heterotrophic nitrifiers.

Did carbon emission trading scheme improve energy use in China? An integrated approach based on SCM and threshold regression.

The analysis of energy use not only sheds light on lightening the increasing pressures from energy systems but also improves the flexibility and reliability of power systems. As the highest carbon emission country in the world, detailed evaluation of China's carbon emission trading scheme (ETS) on the energy use is sensitive to energy sectors and highlights the importance of energy utilization in current society. Yet, because of the presence of a possible discontinuity caused by policy implementation, this study uses synthetic control method (SCM) to confirm whether there is a cutoff for energy use after the ETS implementation. Furthermore, threshold regression model is integrated to estimate the causal relationship when there is a discontinuity. SCM is used to verify which has caused the discontinuity for threshold regression model, and threshold regression model is used to quantify and estimate the causal relationship which SCM cannot evaluate. Through the data analysis, it is found that ETS makes effect on energy use deduction in most of pilot ETS regions while the effect is affected by economic development, population, industry, and research. Some suggestions on how to reduce energy use conclude this paper.

Intermodal travel planning and decision support integrated with transportation and energy systems.

The fast urbanization in China makes it all the more important to find sustainable solutions that are both comprehensive and energy-efficient. Because of its important role in lowering logistical expenses and pollutant emissions, intermodal transport is generally seen as an effective method of coordinating transportation operations, helping to address the growing economic and environmental issues. Considering the characteristics of a growing city, this article lays out a multi-criteria method for selecting which new initiatives for China's public transportation system should be prioritized. "Electric municipality bus," "light rail system," and "modernization to the current fleet and optimization" are the three enhancement initiatives that are outlined. Using transportation-related economic, social, and environmental sub-criteria, this research applies TOPSIS, an analytic hierarchy method and fuzzy approach for order preference by resemblance to ideal circumstance application, to prioritize transportation projects. The study aims to improve city life in Chongqing, China, by identifying the most environmentally friendly development projects. Applying the analytical hierarchy method (AHP), the relative importance of several sustainability criteria was established for use in making strategic decisions. The alternative projects for the given city have been ranked using the fuzzy TOPSIS approach. However, the investigated results show the supportive response of hybrid to environmental sustainability and vice versa for non-hybrid vehicles. However, the energy consumption in public transport remains a leading hurdle in sustainability across the three modes of transport: taxis, rail transit and buses. Finally, computer trains in public transport also surprisingly deal with environmental sustainability to keep the current & forthcoming generation from ecological harm. However, theoretical and empirical policy suggestions have been proposed to become clean & green shortly.

Population-specific responses to pollution exposure suggest local adaptation of invasive red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii along the Mediterranean French coastline.

Anthropogenic stressors can have an impact in a broad range of physiological processes and can be a major selective force leading to rapid evolution and local population adaptation. In this study, three populations of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii were investigated. They are geographically separated for at least 20 years, and live in different abiotic environments: a freshwater inland lake (Salagou lake) with no major anthropogenic influence and two other coastal wetlands regularly polluted by pesticides along the Mediterranean coast (Camargue region and Bages-Sigean lagoon). Collected adults were genetically characterized using the mitochondrial COI gene and haplotype frequencies were analyzed for genetic variability within and between populations. Results revealed a higher genetic diversity for these invasive populations than any previous report in France, with more than seven different haplotypes in a single population. The contrasting genetic diversity between the Camargue and the other two populations suggest different times and sources of introduction. To identify differences in key physiological responses between these populations, individuals from each population were maintained in controlled conditions. Data on oxygen consumption rates indicate that the Salagou and Bages-Sigean populations possess a high inter-individual variability compared to the Camargue population. The low individual variability of oxygen consumption and low genetic diversity suggest a specific local adaptation for the Camargue population. Population-specific responses were identified when individuals were exposed to a pesticide cocktail containing azoxystrobin and oxadiazon at sublethal concentrations. The Salagou population was the only one with altered hydro-osmotic balance due to pollutant exposure and a change in protease activity in the hepatopancreas. These results revealed different phenotypic responses suggesting local adaptations at the population level.

The need for scientific-area-related indicators for effective energy planning in higher education institutions.

The quest for improving energy efficiency is transversal to all areas of society. Higher education institutions represent an important sector in this quest due to their high demand, but also for the role model that they can play in educating energy-efficient citizens and piloting new approaches and experiences. Thus, decreasing energy consumption in higher education institutions, in addition to reducing the carbon footprint, contributes to ameliorating countries' energy bills, and, most importantly, contributes to a more sustainable society. The purpose of the paper, based on the energy consumption of the University of Minho, Portugal, between 2007 and 2022, is threefold: first, to evaluate how energy consumption and associated carbon footprint indicators have performed under a sustainable strategy program, second to reflect on total energy and specific energy indicators, and lastly to emphasize the need to improve energy metering and planning systems to account for the distinctive needs of the different scientific area buildings. This is not only relevant but also rare to find in scientific literature. Findings suggest that UMinho's energy consumption is in line with the numbers reported in the literature. Moreover, detailed indicators, specified by scientific area building, show diverse patterns in energy use, demonstrating the limitations of an overall analysis of buildings in the university campi. The results show that energy efficiency improved as a result of the implemented action plan, and demonstrate the need for detailed and specific indicators that reflect the different needs of each scientific area. The results provided by this refinement call for the design of tailored initiatives to decrease energy consumption, since they allow the planning of specific measures and programs for different energy use patterns, and therefore improve their efficiency. Finally, the preliminary results of the analysis of building specific energy use point to the need for more detailed data on hourly and daily consumption and academic term given the relative contribution of users' behaviour.

Enhancing insights: exploring the information content of calorespirometric ratio in dynamic soil microbial growth processes through calorimetry.

Catalytic activity of microbial communities maintains the services and functions of soils. Microbial communities require energy and carbon for microbial growth, which they obtain by transforming organic matter (OM), oxidizing a fraction of it and transferring the electrons to various terminal acceptors. Quantifying the relations between matter and energy fluxes is possible when key parameters such as reaction enthalpy (∆rH), energy use efficiency (related to enthalpy) (EUE), carbon use efficiency (CUE), calorespirometric ratio (CR), carbon dioxide evolution rate (CER), and the apparent specific growth rate (µapp) are known. However, the determination of these parameters suffers from unsatisfying accuracy at the technical (sample size, instrument sensitivity), experimental (sample aeration) and data processing levels thus affecting the precise quantification of relationships between carbon and energy fluxes. To address these questions under controlled conditions, we analyzed microbial turnover processes in a model soil amended using a readily metabolizable substrate (glucose) and three commercial isothermal microcalorimeters (MC-Cal/100P, TAM Air and TAM III) with different sample sizes meaning varying volume-related thermal detection limits (LODv) (0.05-1mW L-1). We conducted aeration experiments (aerated and un-aerated calorimetric ampoules) to investigate the influence of oxygen limitation and thermal perturbation on the measurement signal. We monitored the CER by measuring the additional heat caused by CO2 absorption using a NaOH solution acting as a CO2 trap. The range of errors associated with the calorimetrically derived µapp, EUE, and CR was determined and compared with the requirements for quantifying CUE and the degree of anaerobicity (ηA). Calorimetrically derived µapp and EUE were independent of the instrument used. However, instruments with a low LODv yielded the most accurate results. Opening and closing the ampoules for oxygen and CO2 exchange did not significantly affect metabolic heats. However, regular opening during calorimetrically derived CER measurements caused significant measuring errors due to strong thermal perturbation of the measurement signal. Comparisons between experimentally determined CR, CUE,ηA, and modeling indicate that the evaluation of CR should be performed with caution.

Experimental Analysis of Moisture-Dependent Thermal Conductivity, and Hygric Properties of Novel Hemp-shive Insulations with Numerical Assessment of Their In-Built Hygrothermal and Energy Performance.

The use of lime as a binder in hemp-lime considerably increases the drying time of hemp-lime after casting. Furthermore, lime is a non-renewable mineral resource. As such, this paper explores the effectiveness of using an alternative non-mineral binder instead of lime to formulate a novel hemp-shive insulation. The moisture-dependent thermal conductivity, adsorption isotherm, vapour diffusion resistance factor, and in-built hygrothermal performance of four variants of a novel bio-based insulation were investigated. The hygrothermal performance of the novel hemp-shive insulation was compared with that of a previously developed novel hemp-lime insulation. No significant variation in thermal conductivity of hemp-shive insulations between the equilibrium moisture contents (EMC) at 0% and 50% relative humidity (RH) was observed, but there was a substantial increase in thermal conductivity hemp-shive insulations when the material reached the EMC at 98% RH. The average dry thermal conductivity values of hemp-shive and hemp-lime insulations were also similar. The adsorption isotherms of hemp-shive insulations were determined at 0%, 20%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 98% relative humidity steps. At 98% RH, the moisture adsorption capacity of hemp-shive insulations was 4-to-5-times higher than that of hemp-lime insulation. Hemp-shive insulations' vapour diffusion resistance factor (µ value) was about double the µ value of hemp-lime insulation. Hemp-shive insulations exhibited 4-to-5-times higher water absorption resistance than that of hemp-lime insulation. Numerically determined porosity values of hemp-shive agree with the values of wood-based insulation materials of similar density. Finally, using all experimentally acquired data as inputs, dynamic whole-building hygrothermal simulations were carried out and the results show that novel hemp-shive insulation materials perform at a similar level to the hemp-lime insulation in terms of heating and cooling energy demand but require 45% less energy for humidification. However, the relative humidity inside the hemp-shive wall remains higher than 70%, which can potentially induce mould growth.

Striving towards 2050 net zero CO2 emissions: How critical are clean energy and financial sectors?

The development of clean energy and financial sectors have been highlighted as critical factors in tackling climate change and achieving net zero emissions goals. Hence, using a dataset for the top 20 emitter countries from 1990 to 2019, this study examines whether clean energy consumption, financial development, human capital, population, and economic growth are connected with environmental quality through a reduction in carbon emissions. The long-run estimates show that renewable energy utilization, financial development, and human capital are significant in reducing CO2 emissions in the quest for net zero emissions. Contrarily, economic growth and population have a increases CO2 emissions. The results of the causality test show a two-way causality between renewable energy use, financial development, economic growth, population, and CO2 emissions. Moreover, one incidence of unidirectional causality is observed from CO2 emissions to human capital. Based on the findings, policy implications are suggested.