Unveiling the global nexus: Pandemic fear, government responses, and climate change-an empirical study.

This study examined the relationships between pandemic fear, government responses, and climate change using a time-series dataset from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. By employing an auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach, the results revealed that pandemic fear significantly impacts climate change, while government responses to COVID-19 negatively influence climate change in the long run. Climate change and government responses significantly positively affect pandemic fear in the long run. Moreover, we found a bidirectional causality between government responses and climate change, unidirectional causality from government responses to pandemic fear, and no Granger causality between pandemic fear and climate change. Our findings have some important policy implications. Governments must encourage coordination, enhance crisis responses, and consider revising economic metrics to maintain environmental sustainability. The COVID-19 experience can inform strategies for reducing CO2 emissions and investing in green economies and healthcare to prepare for future challenges.

COVID-19 pandemic and financial market volatility: A quantile regression approach.

The study examined the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and the market volatility of the global markets. For this purpose, a 30-country sample was used based on the most COVID-19 cases and deaths during the study period, from January 1 to December 12, 2020. We employed panel quantile regression and Panel Estimated Generalized Least Square (Panel-EGLS) frameworks to analyze the influence of COVID-19 on volatility in the whole sample and subsamples of emerging and developed markets. Our results of Panel-EGLS showed that the new cases and deaths positively impact volatility in the naïve and control models. The results from quantile regression also illustrated that new deaths and cases have positively influenced market volatility at the 50th and 75th quantiles. From the subsamples, our results demonstrate almost similar signs and significance for the impact of COVID-19 on market volatility in developed and emerging markets in both the naïve and control models. Both the results illustrate that any increase in COVID-19 positively caused volatility in the whole and subsamples at the mean and upper quantile levels. Our results necessitate coordinated global government actions to stabilize markets, mitigate volatility's impact by proactive policies in future health crises, and underscore a monetary policy for stability.

Empirical nexus between financial inclusion and carbon emissions: Evidence from heterogeneous financial economies and regions.

We aim to investigate the empirical nexus between carbon emissions and financial inclusion for a panel of 74 countries from 2004 to 2020 based on the environment kuznets curve (EKC). Using the advanced panel data analysis framework of Driscoll-Kraay, Generalised linear model, and Prais-Winsten test for the entire sample and heterogeneous subsamples, we document an inverted U-shape relationship between carbon emissions and inclusive financial system. Notably, an inverted U-shape relationship is established in developed, emerging and frontier economies except in standalone economies. Furthermore, the analysis of region-wise subsamples reveals that nonlinear relationship varies across regions. The heterogeneous response of financial inclusion in curtailing environmental degradation provides vital policy insights. It suggests that financial inclusion can be used as a mitigation measure based on well-structured and robust regulatory and legal frameworks. These frameworks would create synergy effects of financial inclusion in designing policies and addressing issues related to sustainable development and climate change.

Smart molecularly imprinted polymers: recent developments and applications.

The use of the molecular imprinting technique to produce polymers with high specificity for a given "molecular template" has undergone a rapid and expansive evolution since the inception of the idea over half a century ago. It was only a matter of time before the seemingly inevitable "marriage" of this concept with another modern research obsession, the generation of "smart" polymers, capable of reacting quickly, accurately and reproducibly to changes in their environment. Many advances have since been made, concerning the quality and diversity of these systems and polymers responsive to temperature, pH and a host of other environmental cues now exist. This article provides a succinct overview of the process and outcomes of "smart" molecular imprinting, followed by a detailed assessment of recent developments and applications in such field.