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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 54799

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lingyun Mi

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Guest Editor

School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: pro-environmental behavior; green consumption and marketing; low-carbon management and policy; energy saving; sustainable development; organizational behavior

Prof. Dr. Jianmimg Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Business Administration, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
Interests: green consumption; green management and government regulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is currently facing increasingly serious environmental problems such as climate change, rapid deforestation, and land desertification, which are seriously troubling and threatening human life and health. Countries around the world continue to set new demands and goals for environmental issues, making environmental sustainability one of the most central challenges faced by the global community. In response to this challenge, the participation of all sectors of society is required.

According to the Emissions Gap Report 2020 released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), carbon emissions from individual daily life account for approximately two-thirds of the total emission globally. Environmental issues are largely rooted in human behavior, and it is therefore important to understand how to influence and change human behavior in response to environmental issues. Although there is already a growing body of research in academia focusing on environmental sustainability, further research is still necessary as more countries commit to the new goal of net-zero emissions or carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on environmental management and pro-environmental behaviors. In this Special Issue, we will accept manuscripts from different disciplines including environmental science, ecology, management, psychology, behavioral science, and other social sciences. New high-quality original research articles (quantitative and qualitative) or systematical reviews are welcome for submission to this Special Issue; papers dealing with new approaches to behavioral and environmental management are also welcome.

Potential topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

Sustainable behaviors in environmental management
Theoretical progress of pro-environmental behaviors
Green lifestyle (individual or household)
Public policies and effectiveness evaluation for environmental sustainability
Environment and psychological processes that occur in a specific domain (e.g., workplace, school, community, and public space)
Organizational resilience in environmental management
Cross-cultural comparison of pro-environmental behaviors
Behavior management under carbon peaking and carbon neutral targets
Green consumption and low-carbon development
Green marketing (brands/products/services)
Consumer recycling and conservation behavior
Pro-environmental behavior on the Internet
Environmental management and behavior in the context of big data
The role of social media in environmental information and education program
Attitudes, values, and norms that relate to environmental behavior
Corporate environmental responsibility and green development
Energy conservation and environmental sustainability

Prof. Dr. Lingyun Mi
Prof. Dr. Jianmimg Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

environmental management
green lifestyle
sustainable development
pro-environmental behavior
environmental psychology and behavior
online green behavior
environmental policy
green consumption and green marketing
low-carbon development
recycling and conservation behavior

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1078 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Human Capital on Green Technology Innovation—Moderating Role of Environmental Regulations

by Jie Zhang and Shilong Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(6), 4803; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064803 - 9 Mar 2023

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

Green technology innovation can bring about dual benefits, i.e., technological progress and energy conservation, as well as emission reduction, which are regarded as effective means to achieve economic development and environmental protection. The influencing factors of green technology innovation have been studied from multiple angles. In order to promote the level of green technology innovation in China from a new perspective, this paper selected human capital as the independent variable, and empirically investigated the direct impact of educational and healthy human capital on green technology innovation, based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Tibet) from 2006 to 2016. Meanwhile, considering the current environmental policy system in China, this paper took environmental regulations as moderating variables, and analyzed the moderating role of three environmental regulations, namely, command-and-control environmental regulations, market-incentivized environmental regulations, and public voluntary environmental regulations, in the impact of human capital on green technology innovation. It was found that (1) educational human capital, with a three-period lag, and healthy human capital significantly promotes green technology innovation; (2) command-and-control environmental regulations, with a one-period lag, and market-incentivized environmental regulations promote green technology innovation, while public voluntary environmental regulations have an insignificant impact on green technology innovation; (3) the moderating effect of command-and-control and market-incentivized environmental regulations in the impact of human capital on green technology innovation is not significant. For public voluntary environmental regulations, the moderating effect between educational human capital and green technology innovation is significantly negative, while the moderating effect of healthy human capital on green technology innovation is not significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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15 pages, 1360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Social Class and Private-Sphere Green Behavior in China: The Mediating Effects of Perceived Status and Environmental Concern

by Long Niu, Chuntian Lu and Lijuan Fan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4329; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054329 - 28 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1857

Abstract

Green behavior is traditionally considered as an effective way to ameliorate environmental degradation and requires an individual to make sacrifices of their social resources. However, few studies have focused on its status signaling. In this study, we draw on the theory of social class and the concept of status signaling theory to empirically investigate the effect of objective social class and perceived social status on private-sphere green behavior in China. Using national comprehensive survey data from China General Survey Data (CGSS) in 2021 subjected to ordinary least-square regression model and step regression models, we present the following results: (1) higher-class individuals, both objectively and subjectively, tend to engage in more private-sphere green behavior than their lower-class counterparts; (2) the effect of objective social class on private-sphere green behavior is mediated by individual’s perceived social status in the class hierarchy; (3) environmental concern significantly correlates with private-sphere green behavior, and it also mediates the effect between objective social class and private-sphere green behavior. The present research provides insights into how social class and its psychological manifestations (i.e., perceptions of status) correlate with private-green behavior in China. Our results suggest that more social context factors should be considered when identifying the factors promoting pro-environmental behavior in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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21 pages, 969 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Environmental Information Disclosure Enhance Firm Value?—An Analysis Based on Textual Characteristics of Annual Reports

by Rongjiang Cai, Tao Lv, Cheng Wang and Nana Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054229 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2590

Abstract

This study examines the impact of environmental information disclosure quality on firm value for Chinese listed companies in heavily polluting industries from 2010 to 2021. By controlling for the level of leverage, growth, and corporate governance, a fixed effects model is constructed to test this relationship. Furthermore, this study analyzes the moderating effects of annual report text features, such as length, similarity, and readability, on the relationship between environmental information disclosure and firm value and the heterogeneous impact of firm ownership on this relationship. The main findings of this study are as follows: There is a positive correlation between the level of environmental information disclosure and firm value for Chinese listed companies in heavily polluting industries. Annual report text length and readability positively moderate the relationship between environmental information disclosure and firm value. Annual report text similarity negatively moderates the relationship between environmental information disclosure and firm value performance. Compared with state-owned enterprises, the impact of environmental information disclosure quality on the firm value of no-state-owned enterprises is more significant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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18 pages, 617 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Corporate Environmental Protection Behavior and Sustainable Development: The Moderating Role of Green Investors and Green Executive Cognition

by Jie Zhou and Shanyue Jin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4179; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054179 - 26 Feb 2023

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3205

Abstract

Faced with serious environmental problems, companies have become important participants in environmental protection efforts. By assuming environmental responsibilities and pursuing environmental protection, enterprises can create a good image, gain public and government support, and expand their influence. Simultaneously, green executive cognition and green investors play important roles in enterprises and the market economy. This study examines whether the environmental protection behavior of enterprises has a positive impact on their sustainable development, and how green investors and green executive cognition affect the relationship between environmental protection and sustainable development. This study adopts a fixed effects regression method to research Chinese A-share listed companies in 2011–2020. The results show that enterprises’ performance regarding environmental responsibilities or investment promotes sustainable development. The higher the participation of green investors or the higher the awareness of green executives, the more the environmental responsibility performance and environmental investment promote enterprises’ sustainable development. This study enriches the literature on the environmental protection behavior of enterprises and the sustainable development of enterprises as well as provides a theoretical foundation for related research. Moreover, the role of green investors and green executive cognition in promoting environmental protection and the sustainable development of enterprises will inspire investors and executives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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20 pages, 1626 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Whether and How Public Health Event Information Frameworks Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior

by Lingyun Mi, Jiali Han, Ting Xu, Xuejiao Wang, Lijie Qiao, Tianwen Jia and Xiaoli Gan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3721; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043721 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

The major public health emergencies (PHEs) represented by the COVID-19 pandemic, while posing a serious threat to human health, have led people to rethink about the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. It is worthy to explore whether and how the framework effect of event information can be used to turn crises into opportunities to promote public pro-environmental behavior (PEB). Through a pre-and post-test control experiment, this study took the COVID-19 pandemic as a case, to explore the effects of four PHE information frameworks on promoting PEB, coupled with two information loss–gain frameworks and two information content frameworks. The results showed that all four information frameworks contribute to the public PEB. However, there are differences: only the environmental gain information effect is significant for PEB in the private sphere. The environmental loss and health gain information are effective for PEB in organizations. However, in the public sphere, all four information frameworks significantly motivate PEB. Further factorial analysis revealed that the interaction between the information content and loss–gain framework was not significant, with the latter playing the dominant role. These findings provide a new approach to how to develop the information framework effect and turn crises into opportunities to promote public PEB in the context of major PHEs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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14 pages, 1019 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Impact of Environmental Perception on the Health Status of Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Study Based on CFPS 2020 Data

by Tingyi Liu, Huake Liu and Shibing You

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2422; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032422 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2340

Abstract

Health risks and hazards caused by the environment have long been one of the most important public issues of concern to the state, society, and the public. At the same time, population aging is becoming a global issue, and residents’ health is the most important component of people’s livelihood, and residents can only pursue other rights and interests if they can protect their own health. Therefore, based on the micro data from the fifth round of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this paper uses binary logistic regression with propensity score matching (PSM) to analyze the effect of environmental perception on the health status (including mental health and physical health) of middle-aged and older adults. It was found that environmental perceptions significantly affect the depressive state and sickness status of middle-aged and older adults. Among them, middle-aged and older adults who were female, of rural households, with low education and relatively low income were more affected by environmental shocks on their health. Therefore, we should pay attention to the mental and physical health of middle-aged and older adults and change the existing design concept of aging policy: the government should formulate effective policies and increase corresponding social support; and society and families should also give corresponding care and encourage middle-aged and older adults to exercise more and provide reasonable psychological guidance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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17 pages, 1788 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Green Management and Sustainable Performance of Small- and Medium-Sized Hospitality Businesses: Moderating the Role of an Employee’s Pro-Environmental Behaviour

by Ibrahim A. Elshaer, Alaa M. S. Azazz and Sameh Fayyad

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2244; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032244 - 27 Jan 2023

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 7070

Abstract

As green management practices (GMPs) matter not only for improving the organizations’ tribble line performance (environmental, economic, and social) but also can sustain a competitive advantage. Since the tourism and hospitality industry is subject to environmental expectations from visitors, governments, and the community, it is vital to understand what motivates GMPs to overcome environmental obstacles and satisfy those demands. However, the current literature fails to comprehensively justify how small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) tackle green management difficulties when implementing their plans, even though these SMEs could be a leading contributor to environmental concerns. Although many scholars assert that employees’ pro-environmental behaviours are decisive in boosting efforts of green management to improve corporate sustainable performance, only limited studies probed the importance of employees’ pro-environmental behaviours in SMEs in developing countries. To fill this research gap, the data was gathered from 304 small- and medium-sized hotels and travel agency middle managers using a self-administered survey approach. The collected data was analysed using the Smart PLS-structural equation modelling technique. The PLS-SEM results demonstrated that GMPs can improve environmental, economic, and social performance and these relationships can be strengthened through the moderating effects of employees’ pro-environmental behaviour. The study findings revealed that small- and medium-sized hospitality businesses should focus on creating a culture of environmental stewardship and actively involve employees in green initiatives to enhance sustainable performance. The study is important as it helps to understand the role of employee pro-environmental behaviour in green management and sustainable performance in small- and medium-sized hospitality businesses and can help the industry to adopt more sustainable practices. Several theoretical and practical implications were discussed and opportunities for further research were elaborated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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13 pages, 5078 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Study on Farmers’ Participation in Environmental Protection in the Context of Rural Revitalization: The Moderating Role of Policy Environment

by Hao Dong, Yang Zhang and Tianqing Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1768; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031768 - 18 Jan 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2155

Abstract

This study investigates the environmental protection behavior of farmers in the Guanzhong Plain region and the factors influencing their participation, in order to improve the enthusiasm of farmers’ participation and promote the formation of “good governance” in rural ecological environments. Based on interviews with 295 farmers, the influence of psychological cognitive factors on farmers’ intention and behavior to participate in environmental protection was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling under the extended theory of planned behavior, and the moderating effect of policy environment in the relationship between farmers’ intention to participate and participation behavior was revealed. The research results show that: (1) The current situation of farmers’ participation in environmental protection is generally characterized by “strong intentions and weak actions”. (2) Participation consciousness and benefit perception have a greater impact on farmers’ intention to participate in environmental protection, perceived behavioral control has a smaller impact, and subjective norms do not have a significant impact. (3) Perceived behavioral control and participation intention have a greater influence on farmers’ participation in environmental protection behavior, subjective norms have less influence, and there is no direct influence of perceived benefits and participation awareness on farmers’ participation behavior, i.e., farmers’ participation intention has indirect influence on participation behavior. (4) The moderating effect of policy environment indicates that policy environment has a significant positive effect on the relationship between farmers’ participation intention and participation behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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13 pages, 657 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acceptance Intention and Behavioral Response to Soil-Testing Formula Fertilization Technology: An Empirical Study of Agricultural Land in Shaanxi Province

by Hao Dong, Yang Zhang, Tianqing Chen and Juan Li

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020951 - 4 Jan 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1949

Abstract

Soil-testing formula fertilization technology is a powerful tool for preserving arable land and ensuring food security. The purpose of this study was to investigate farmers’ acceptance intentions and behavioral responses to soil-testing formula fertilization technology. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this paper adopts the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method, with 295 farmers in the high-standard farmland project area of Shaanxi Province as samples. The research results show that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) all had a significant positive influence on farmers’ behavioral intentions. The order of impact effects from large to small is ATT > SN > PBC. The ecological rationality of farmers, communication and demonstration between neighbors, and effective technical training, as well as consulting and guidance services, can better enhance farmers’ intentions to apply soil-testing formula fertilization technology. This study could help to provide references for policymaking to improve the adoption of soil-testing formula fertilization technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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Review

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16 pages, 1319 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Engagement in Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review

by Paweł Bryła, Shuvam Chatterjee and Beata Ciabiada-Bryła

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(24), 16637; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416637 - 11 Dec 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 26973

Abstract

Social media have progressed drastically in building successful consumer engagement both in brand building and sustainable consumption. This paper is a review of the articles concerning the influence of social media marketing on consumer engagement in sustainable consumption practices published over the last 8 years. We follow the PRISMA technique as a methodological approach. The review investigates 70 empirical research articles published between 2014 and 2022. A total of 70% of the reviewed articles were published during the last two years. The most influential theories in this field of study are relationship marketing and consumer engagement (16 articles), social exchange (10), and sustainable consumption (8). The most commonly used methods are quantitative (in as many as 61 of the 70 reviewed articles). A careful analysis of the reviewed articles suggests that the tools that are consistently contributing to sustainable consumption are influencer marketing along with creating meaningful content with the right balance of content design, quality, and creativity, as well as the use of emojis. Consumer involvement with a brand relationship quality is key to a sustainable lifestyle. Young individuals with an entrepreneurial vision and a high drive for increased social status demonstrate the highest social media engagement in sustainable consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Management and Pro-Environmental Behaviors)

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