ent in cleaner production and sustainable finance, supporting Saudi Arabia’s sustainable development goals.

31:T42b,

Although wastewater can be considered a significant resource for augmenting domestic, agricultural, and industrial water supplies, drawbacks in its management result in environmental pollution. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study focused on understanding the realization of urban governance in wastewater management in Tema, Ghana. The key findings indicate that wastewater management is conducted in a restrictive environment, dictated by a lack of strategic and infrastructural planning, inadequate finances, and the public’s unwillingness to pay for improved services. It is further characterized by decentralization bottlenecks and an inability to stimulate private sector interest and investment. Improving urban environmental governance and practices, including wastewater management in African cities, requires city authorities and key actors in the water and wastewater management sector to deepen community engagement, create awareness, and strengthen partnerships and collaborations to improve the proper handling and disposal of wastewater.

32:T47b,

Public participation in strategic environmental decision-making has become increasingly complex amid contemporary social, economic, and political turbulence, placing greater scrutiny on the effectiveness of participation practices in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). This study examines the added value of public participation in SEA, particularly for marginalised communities, where public input does not always translate into decision change and may generate resistance. Drawing on framing theory, stakeholder salience, and public participation models, the study employs a dual-method approach. First, a Public Participation Influence Score (PPIS) was developed through qualitative coding of input framing and stakeholder salience. Second, a binary logistic regression model assesses whether different framing types and stakeholder groups vary in their influence on decision outcomes. The findings show that both the framing of stakeholder input (informational, diagnostic, or prognostic) and stakeholder salience attributes (power, legitimacy, and urgency) significantly shape the likelihood of decision change in SEA processes.

33:T40f,

While higher levels of education are typically associated with more environmental concern, and there is widespread concern for protecting the environment globally, there is less research on how educational spending impacts CO₂ emissions. We aim to assess how national education spending per student impacts CO₂ emissions. To examine this, we estimate a two-way fixed effects regression model with robust standard errors clustered by country and find that education spending per student at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels reach statistical significance with regards to the level of CO₂ emissions in nations. This finding highlights the importance of national investments in education for improving access to sustainable livelihoods and overcoming the climate crisis. We conclude by offering policy recommendations, such as examining the ways that western educational frameworks encourage (over)consumption and working to counteract them, rather than merely increasing spending in general.

34:T43b,

Achieving the low-carbon transformation of energy consumption structure is central to carbon-neutral development, yet how artificial intelligence (AI) contributes to sustained structural change remains insufficiently understood. Addressing this gap, this study examines not only whether AI facilitates the green and low-carbon transformation of energy consumption structure in China, but also through which mechanisms and under what conditions this effect is sustained. Using provincial panel data for 2013–2022, we estimate the direct effect of AI and test the mediating role of green innovation resilience and the moderating role of green finance. The results show that AI significantly prom