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Industry 4.0 and Circular Economy: Opportunities of MENA Countries on the Path to the Sustainable Development
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
Pages:
59-81
Received:
7 April 2023
Accepted:
27 May 2023
Published:
11 July 2023
Abstract: For decades, countries have strived to boost their economies through industrial expansion at the expense of natural capital, resulting in major environmental risks. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have switched the emphasis on resilient economic development that consider environmental sustainability. Against this backdrop, the circular economy has emerged as a vital tool for rectifying industrial progress regarding environmental sustainability. Integrating digital technologies (e.g., Industry 4.0) into circular economy applications has recently gained enthusiasm as a solvent for sustainability and climate change challenges. The current study examines approaches to integrating Industry 4.0 technologies and innovations into the circular economy to fully realize the benefits of both tackling climate change and attaining sustainable development goals in MENA countries. This is done through examining the associations between the circular economy, climate change, and sustainable development, as well as their associated indicators, followed by a scrutiny of the role of the Industry 4.0 pillars in applying the circular economy, a discussion of the challenges and obstacles to applying Industry 4.0 techniques to the circular economy, and finally an examination of Egypt's efforts to integrate the circular economy into the industrial system, as a representative of the MENA region. The article delivers an obvious array of policy implications through thoroughly investigating the Egyptian case, including: developing a comprehensive national strategy for Egypt's industrial revolution; developing traditional industrial cities; establishing the Egyptian Council for the Circular Economy; and establishing a legal and tax structure that fosters the transition to a circular economy, among several others.
Abstract: For decades, countries have strived to boost their economies through industrial expansion at the expense of natural capital, resulting in major environmental risks. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have switched the emphasis on resilient economic development that consider environmental sustainability. Against this backdrop, the circular eco...
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An Empirical Study on the Impact of Industrial Structure Change on Environmental Level in China
Jun Yan,
Danyi Liu,
Sichang Yao,
Jieli Li
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
Pages:
82-90
Received:
19 June 2023
Accepted:
10 July 2023
Published:
13 July 2023
Abstract: The development experience of major developed countries in the world shows that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution, namely the environmental Kuznets curve. China has entered the stage of middle-income development, and in order to achieve sustainable development, China attaches great importance to environmental issues. As China effectively combines industrial structure transformation with ecological environment protection, changes in industrial structure will play an important role in improving the environment. In order to explore the relationship between the industrial structure and China's environmental level, this paper constructs environmental level indicators to measure the degree of comprehensive environmental pollution, and uses industrial structure rationalization and upgrading to express the level of industrial structure optimization. Based on the provincial Panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2017, this paper studies the relationship between industrial structure changes and environmental level by constructing a regression model. The results indicate that the optimization of industrial structure plays a positive role in promoting environmental levels. Therefore, each province should adjust measures to local conditions and optimize industrial structure to reduce adverse factors of environmental pollution, in order to achieve the goal of effectively integrating innovation and green.
Abstract: The development experience of major developed countries in the world shows that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution, namely the environmental Kuznets curve. China has entered the stage of middle-income development, and in order to achieve sustainable development, China attaches great import...
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The Fall in Gas Exports, International Reserves and Economic Growth in Bolivia
Cesar Daniel Vargas Diaz,
Hernan Delgadillo Dorado,
Eloy Wilson Villca Copali
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
Pages:
91-98
Received:
31 May 2023
Accepted:
25 June 2023
Published:
5 August 2023
Abstract: The objective of this article is to offer an overview of the deterioration of Bolivia's economic growth, in the period 2013 to 2022, mainly of the macroeconomic variables of study such as gross domestic product, natural gas exports, net international reserves, external debt and imports of diesel and gasoline fuels. Each of these variables are dependent on the foreign currency dollars. In this understanding, the deterioration is mainly due to the fall in gas exports since 2015 that the country's gas production falls because the government on duty, allocated more investment to exploitation than to exploration, generating a decrease in foreign exchange earnings dollars to the country, failing to cover subsidies for diesel and gasoline fuels imported in dollar foreign currency. This is mainly due to the fact that half of Bolivia's GDP growth in the last 15 years is due to the sale of gas to Brazil and Argentina in foreign currency in dollars, since it does not cover the subsidies of imported fuels with gas, net international reserves are used to exhaust them at their maximum level. At the same time, the gradual increase in external debt in foreign currency dollar. The fall in gas exports and the increase in imports of diesel and gasoline fuels due to the growth of the vehicle fleet, as reflected in historical data and where we identify the four stages of inflection. In the last stage, it was characterized with a shortage of dollars and a high demand for it by citizens and the government, added to the lack of transparency in the disclosure of information of net international reserves and dependence on non-renewable resources results in a deterioration of the economic growth of the gross domestic product. In addition, Bolivia is characterized by not promoting science, knowledge, qualified human capital, research, development and technological innovation, which led to a high level of informal employment and insufficient productive sustainability in foreign currency.
Abstract: The objective of this article is to offer an overview of the deterioration of Bolivia's economic growth, in the period 2013 to 2022, mainly of the macroeconomic variables of study such as gross domestic product, natural gas exports, net international reserves, external debt and imports of diesel and gasoline fuels. Each of these variables are depen...
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Research and Application of Production Enhancement Technology for Offshore Low Permeability Reservoirs
Du Weigang,
Gu Bing,
Ji Peng,
Hao Dawei,
Liu Yong
Issue:
Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
Pages:
99-103
Received:
4 May 2023
Accepted:
2 August 2023
Published:
5 August 2023
Abstract: Offshore oil and gas fields are slow to develop offshore low permeability reservoirs due to the high pre-development costs and post maintenance costs due to the development environment and technical inputs. Due to the low yield of low permeability reservoirs, resulting in some oil and gas wells producing even less than the development cost yield, it is difficult to achieve commercial exploitation of low permeability oil and gas wells without effective reservoir modification to increase production. However, it is difficult to implement large fracturing modifications on land, as usual, to achieve increased production from oil and gas wells due to the small space for offshore operations, the high influence of sea conditions, and high environmental requirements. To realize the development of offshore low-permeability reservoirs, two low-permeability oil wells were selected as test wells to explore the development path of offshore low-permeability reservoirs. Firstly, by analyzing the volumetric fracturing process in onshore oil fields and the main difficulties of offshore construction, the packer + differential pressure slip segmental fracturing technology was optimized and selected as the fracturing solution for offshore low permeability wells. Secondly, according to the drilling situation and post-fracturing release spraying requirements, an integrated process of in-casing packer-stratified slip-on multi-stage injection fracturing and post-fracturing release spraying was formed. Finally, on-site implementation was carried out according to the operating platform situation of the well, offshore production safety and environmental protection, and sea conditions during operation. It successfully achieved the first large-scale segmental fracturing construction in Bohai Bay offshore, and the post-release spraying sought production with the obvious effect of increasing production. Although the process has shortcomings, it still provides new ideas and exploration for the development of offshore low-permeability reservoir.
Abstract: Offshore oil and gas fields are slow to develop offshore low permeability reservoirs due to the high pre-development costs and post maintenance costs due to the development environment and technical inputs. Due to the low yield of low permeability reservoirs, resulting in some oil and gas wells producing even less than the development cost yield, i...
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