This paper examines the impact of green finance on urban carbon emission performance by utilizing panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2012 to 2022. The results indicate that the development of green finance can improve carbon emission performance. Mechanism analysis reveals that green finance enhances carbon emission performance by promoting industrial structure upgrades and green technological innovation, and this conclusion is confirmed through a series of robustness tests. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of green finance on carbon emission performance is more significant in non-resource-based cities and in eastern regions. Based on these findings, this paper offers relevant policy recommendations, providing useful insights for improving urban carbon emission performance in China.
Urbanization has caused a great burden in waste management, along with the introduction of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technology and the development of related waste treatment and renewable energy production. This paper perceived global WtE technology in respect of decarbonization of the power industry by comparing incineration, anaerobic digestion, gasification, and pyrolysis. It highlighted the necessity to shift the conventional landfill practices to the use of WtE plants, which would reduce the landfill amounts and generate biogas, syngas, and digestate as by-products with a high level of nutrients. This article evaluated the energy value of waste materials and provided an account of the adoption of WtE energy infrastructure both in Europe and Asia-Pacific. It dealt with the problems of developing economies like population growth, lack of sufficient regulations, a high cost of capital markets and other technological issues. The carbon capture and life cycle analysis to sustain WtE, as well as its implications on the environment and employment were discussed. The paper concluded with recommendations on policies, research, and development by emphasizing the imperatives of well-established cooperation among stakeholders, technological adjustments as well as investments in innovations.
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