Despite the fact that China’s economy has grown swiftly since the reform and opening up, the problem of environmental degradation in China has become increasingly significant. Therefore, this paper uses China as an example to examine the dynamic relationship between the highlighted variables (renewable energy consumption, economic growth, oil rent, and natural resources) and greenhouse gas emissions (a proxy for environmental sustainability). Using annual data over the period 1971–2018 and employing the auto-regressive distributed lag bounds approach to perform an empirical analysis, the results suggest that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the highlighted variables and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, renewable energy consumption and oil rent contribute to environmental sustainability because of their negative effects on greenhouse gas emissions. On the contrary, economic growth and natural resources hinder environmental sustainability due to their positive effects on greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, using the fully modified ordinary least squares approach and dynamic ordinary least squares approach to conduct a robustness test, the results also support the previous findings. To conclude, the findings of this paper may provide some solutions for China’s environmental sustainability.

Unlike previous papers on international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade, this paper sets Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as an example to explore the dynamic interaction between international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade. The panel data for the period 2000–2018 will be employed to perform an empirical analysis via a host of econometric techniques, such as panel unit root tests, panel cointegration tests, panel causality tests and the panel vector error correction model. Incorporating with other control variables, we find that there is a long-term relationship between international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade. Specifically speaking, in the long-run, international logistics has a positive and significant effect on cross-border e-commerce trade. However, in the short-run, international logistics has a negative and significant effect on cross-border e-commerce trade. Furthermore, the results suggest that deviation from a cointegration system of cross-border e-commerce trade and international logistics will lead to the cross-border e-commerce trade and international logistics changing within the range of approximately 2.2% to 47.2% in the next period. Therefore, referring to these findings, each OECD country’s government should take up corresponding policies to ensure the sustainable development of both international logistics and cross-border e-commerce trade.

Rural tourism has been developing vigorously, and rural community functions are becoming diversified in China. Therefore, this paper takes China as an example to explore how sustainable rural tourism affects rural community development in the long and short run over the period 1994–2020. Sustainable rural tourism can be measured using two indicators: total rural tourism revenue and number of rural tourists. Rural community development is measured by the number of rural community service institutions. Then, by incorporating other variables and using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds co-integration technique to perform an empirical analysis, we found that, whether in the long or short run, sustainable rural tourism always plays a positive and significant role in promoting rural community development. In particular, in the long run, rural infrastructure construction, rural ecological environment, agricultural fiscal expenditure, agricultural technological progress, and rural human capital are identified as the major forces behind rural community development. Meanwhile, in the short run, rural infrastructure construction, rural ecological environment, agricultural fiscal expenditure, agricultural technological progress, and rural human capital are also major drivers of rural community development. This paper contributes to the current literature by filling in the existing gaps in several aspects.

With the continuous promotion of China’s new rural construction, rural tourism is considered to be an important driving force to promote the sustainable development of rural economy. Sustainable farmers’ income is a major part of the sustainable development of rural economy. Therefore, this paper attempts to explore the effect of rural tourism on sustainable farmers’ income. Using China’s provincial panel data over the period of 2003 to 2020 and employing the mediation effect model to perform empirical analysis, four results are obtained: (1) rural tourism positively and significantly affects sustainable farmers’ income. However, among five kinds of farmers’ income, the coefficients in magnitude are different. (2) A mediation effect of rural ecological environment on the relationship between rural tourism and sustainable farmers’ income exists. (3) A mediation effect of urbanization on the relationship between rural tourism and sustainable farmers’ income also exists. (4) On the whole, the mediation effect of rural ecological environment on the relationship between rural tourism and sustainable farmers’ income is less than that of the mediation effect of urbanization. Based on the evidence this paper provides, corresponding suggestions are raised to promote sustainable farmers’ income.

This study delves into the intricate interplay between digitization, economic uncertainty, and environmental sustainability, aiming to shed light on their multifaceted roles. Using an approach, the analysis spans 28 Chinese provinces over the period from 2000 to 2020, employing linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag techniques to unveil symmetric and asymmetric impacts. The findings reveal the urgent need to address the challenges posed by economic uncertainty for effective environmental sustainability. Notably, a negative association between digitization and carbon dioxide emissions is identified, emphasizing its transformative potential in driving energy efficiency and sustainable practices. Furthermore, the study elucidates the detrimental influence of industrial structure on carbon dioxide emissions, highlighting the importance of balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability. The positive influence of urbanization on carbon dioxide emissions underscores the complexities of achieving sustainable development amidst rapid urbanization. By providing a comprehensive understanding of these dimensions, this study contributes to the scholarly discourse and aids in formulating evidence-based strategies for a greener and more sustainable future. The insights gained from this research can guide policymakers and stakeholders in navigating the complex dynamics between digitization, economic uncertainty, and environmental sustainability, fostering a more sustainable and resilient world.

This article investigates the interplay between renewable energy utilization and the implementation of circular economy frameworks and its role in shaping environmental sustainability across 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2023. When employing panel data methodologies, including fixed effects, dynamic ordinary least squares, and fully modified ordinary least squares, the results reveal that both the circular economy strategy and renewable energy utilization play significant roles in reducing CO₂ emissions. Renewable energy utilization has a strong negative association with CO₂ emissions, highlighting its transformative potential to decrease the reliance on fossil fuels and advance decarbonization. The circular economy strategy effectively enhances resource efficiency and minimizes waste, underscoring the efficacy of China’s Circular Economy Promotion Law in driving sustainable practices. The inclusion of control variables—industrialization, economic growth, urbanization, population density, and foreign direct investment—provides deeper insights into the diverse regional factors influencing emissions. These findings highlight the importance of implementing region-specific policy measures that integrate renewable energy transitions and the circular economy strategy to achieve environmental sustainability. While presenting robust evidence, this study acknowledges the need for future studies to overcome its limitations, such as studies exploring the function of technological advancements and the interprovincial spillover effects of policies, to further refine the strategies for sustainable development in rapidly industrializing economies.