Vahid Mohamad Taghvaee

Bio: Vahid Mohamad Taghvaee is an academic researcher from Tarbiat Modares University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Environmental pollution & Sustainability. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 20 publications receiving 203 citations. Previous affiliations of Vahid Mohamad Taghvaee include Persian Gulf University.

Environmental pollution, economic growth, population, industrialization, and technology in weak and strong sustainability: using STIRPAT model

Abstract: The recent decades have witnessed an alarmingly phenomenal rise in population and economic growth, increasing the global resource demand and environmental degradation. The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between population, industrialization, affluence, technology, and sustainability. Approaching sustainability, a couple of viewpoints including weak and strong sustainability establish two different priorities, albeit with possibly the same factors as in the IPAT and STIRPAT models. This paper employs STIRPAT equation to estimate the relationships between population, industrialization, affluence, technology, and sustainability in MENA and OECD countries during 1975–2015. The results suggest that weak and strong sustainability, albeit slightly, is affected negatively by population and industrialization, and positively by technology and international agreements on environment, in MENA and OECD countries during 1975–2015. Therefore, the policy-makers in sustainability are advised to develop preventive and qualitative strategies for population and industrial activities, but inflationary ones for technology; besides the governments are suggested to confirm, join, and sign the international treaties on environmental conservation.

Alkali-Activated Materials and Geopolymer: a Review of Common Precursors and Activators Addressing Circular Economy

Abstract: The vast increase in CO2 and waste generation in recent decades has been a major obstacle to sustainable development and sustainability. In construction industry, the production of ordinary Portland cement is a major greenhouse gas emitter with almost 8% of total CO2 production in the world. To address this, Alkali-activated materials and geopolymer have more recently been introduced as a green and sustainable alternative of ordinary Portland cement with significantly lowered environmental footprints. Their use to replace Portland cement products generally leads to vast energy and virgin materials savings resulting in a sustainable concrete production. In doing so, it reuses the solid waste generated in industrial and manufacturing sectors, which is aligned with circular economy. In turn, it reduces the need for ordinary Portland cement consumption and its subsequent CO2 generation. To provide further insight and address the challenges facing the substitution of ordinary Portland cement, this article reviews different types, mechanisms, and result of mechanical and durability properties of alkali-activated materials and geopolymer reported in literature. Finally, it discusses future projections of waste materials that have cementitious properties and can replace ordinary Portland cement and be used in alkali-activated materials and geopolymer.

Sustainable concrete for circular economy: a review on use of waste glass

Abstract: As a result of socio-economic growth, major increase in solid waste generation is taking place which can lead to resource depletion and environmental concerns. To address this inefficient cycle of make, use and dispose, the concept of circular economy has recently been proposed that de-linearizes the current relationship between economic growth, environmental degradation and resource consumption thorough its 6Rs (Reuse, Recycle, Redesign, Remanufacture, Reduce, Recover). In the construction sector, currently the production of binding agents and transportation of virgin aggregates is associated with considerable environmental pollution. As a result, major attempts are taking place to substitute such ingredients with more sustainable and potentially cheaper materials. With waste glass having a production of roughly 100 million tons annually, and its low recycling rate of 26%, there is a growing number of studies unlocking its potential as an eco-friendly substitute for Portland cement (with particle size of below $$100\ \upmu \hbox {m}$$ ) or fine aggregate (with size of below 4.75 mm) in concrete. As a result, this article intends to review the connection of construction sector and circular economy with recycled glass in its center. Accordingly, by partially replacing cement or aggregate with recycled glass, on average, up to 19% greenhouse gas, and 17% energy consumption reduction as well as major cost savings can be made. Additionally, in technical concrete terms, better fresh properties and fire resistance, as well as lower permeability, and in fine grades, favorable cementitious properties are reported as major benefits of using waste glass as a sustainable construction material.

Price and Income Elasticities of Gasoline Demand in Iran: Using Static, ECM, and Dynamic Models in Short, Intermediate, and Long Run

Abstract: Price and income elasticities of gasoline demand show whether the price policy, pursued by the Iranian government, can decrease the high gasoline consumption sufficiently or not. Since the two oil price shocks in 1970 and 1973, interest in the study of oil products demand has increased considerably, especially on gasoline. High gasoline consumption is a serious crisis in Iran, posing economically, politically, and environmentally threats. In this study, the elasticities are estimated over three intervals, short run, intermediate run, and long run in Iran during 1976-2010, by putting the estimates of Error Correction Model (ECM), static model, and dynamic model in an increasing order, respectively. The short run, intermediate run, and long run price elasticities are -0.1538, -0.1618, and -0.3612 and the corresponding income elasticities are 0.2273 - 0.3581, 0.4636, and 0.7284, respectively. Not only do these elasticities imply that the gasoline demand is price and income inelastic but also the adjustment velocity, estimated by ECM, is a low point at -0.1942. Based on the estimations, the gasoline demand responds to the changes of price and income slightly and slowly. Therefore, policy makers should develop more strategies to reduce gasoline consumption, for example, substitute goods, public transportation systems, and environmental standards settings.

Economic growth and energy consumption in Iran: an ARDL approach including renewable and non-renewable energies

Abstract: Iran experiences a high level of energy consumption which is threatening not only economically but also politically and environmentally. This study aims to estimate the relationship between the economic growth with the various kinds of energies, non-hydroelectric, renewable, non-renewable, and total energies in Iran during 1967–2012, using an autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) model. The results show the ineffective relationship between the economic growth and energy consumption in Iran, considering non-hydroelectric energy, renewable energy, non-renewable energy, and total energy, one by one as the energy proxy. It implies the ineffectiveness of both the quantitative and qualitative deflationary policies over the energy sector. In another word, neither decreasing energy consumption nor changing energy portfolio affects the economic growth. Therefore, the policy makers are advised to formulate those policies which reduce the quantity of energy consumption or increase the segment of renewable energies in the portfolio of energy consumption because they do not lead to the considerable negative consequence on the economic growth, while they increase both the environmental quality and energy security.

Age-Structure, Urbanization, and Climate Change in Developed Countries: Revisiting STIRPAT for Disaggregated Population and Consumption-Related Environmental Impacts

Abstract: We focus on three environmental impacts particularly influenced by population age-structure—carbon emissions from transport and residential energy and electricity consumption—as well as aggregate carbon emissions for a panel of developed countries, and take as our starting point the STIRPAT framework. Among our contributions is to further disaggregate population into three particularly key age groups: 20-34, 35-49, and 50-64, and by doing so demonstrate that population’s environmental impact differs considerably across age-groups, with the older age-groups (ones typically associated with larger households) actually exerting a negative influence. Furthermore, those age-specific population influences are different (in absolute and relative terms) for the different environmental impacts we analyze. Also, we find that urbanization, in developed countries, best measures access to a country’s power grid, and thus, is positively associated with energy consumption in the residential sector. Lastly, we suggest some modelling and methodological improvements to the STIRPAT framework.

Environmental Performance Index

Abstract: Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) has emerged as the premier framework of national-scale metrics for global environmental policy analysis. Data and indicators from 180 countries gauge progress on 20+ environmental public health and ecosystem vitality goals. The framework offers a policy-relevant scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance, gives insight on best practices, and provides guidance for countries that aspire to be leaders in sustainability. The Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy (YCELP) is looking for research assistants to contribute to the 2018 release of the next EPI report. For more information, visit epi.yale.edu.

Empirical Study on the Environmental Kuznets Curve for CO2 in France: The Role of Nuclear Energy

Abstract: This paper attempts to estimate the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in the case of France by taking the role of nuclear energy in electricity production into account. We adopt the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration as the estimation method. Additionally, we examine the stability of the estimated models and investigate the Granger causality relationships between the variables in the system. The results from our estimation provide evidence supporting the EKC hypothesis and the estimated models are shown to be stable over the sample period. The uni-direction running from other variables to CO2 emissions are confirmed from the casualty tests. Specifically, the uni-directional causality relationship running from nuclear energy to CO2 emissions statistically provides evidence on the important role of nuclear energy in reducing CO2 emissions.