environmental science experiments

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The Ultimate Environmental Science Project List: 50 Ideas for a Sustainable Future

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that explores the complex interactions between humans and the natural world. As our planet faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change, habitat destruction, and pollution, environmental science projects play a critical role in understanding and addressing these issues.

In this list, we’ve compiled 50 potential environmental science projects that cover a broad range of topics, from renewable energy and sustainable agriculture to wildlife conservation and waste management. These projects can serve as inspiration for students, curious kids, and anyone interested in making a positive impact on the environment. Whether you’re looking to tackle a local issue or contribute to global efforts, there’s no shortage of exciting and impactful projects to explore.

Investigating the impact of plastic waste on marine life: This project would involve studying the effects of plastic waste on marine ecosystems, including the ingestion of plastics by marine organisms and the accumulation of plastic debris in ocean gyres.
Examining the effects of air pollution on human health: This project would involve analyzing the health effects of exposure to air pollution, including respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease.
Developing a more efficient and sustainable water treatment system: This project would involve designing and testing a water treatment system that is energy-efficient and sustainable, with minimal environmental impact.
Evaluating the effectiveness of organic farming practices: This project would involve comparing the yields and environmental impacts of organic farming methods to conventional farming methods.
Creating a composting program for a community or school: This project would involve developing a composting program to reduce waste and produce nutrient-rich soil for gardening.
Investigating the environmental impact of mining operations: This project would involve studying the effects of mining on local ecosystems, including soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
Studying the biodiversity of a local ecosystem: This project would involve identifying and documenting the plant and animal species in a local ecosystem, and analyzing the interrelationships between them.
Analyzing the effects of deforestation on climate change: This project would involve studying the impact of deforestation on carbon storage and the release of greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change.
Creating a solar-powered water desalination system: This project would involve designing and testing a system that uses solar energy to desalinate seawater, providing a sustainable source of fresh water.
Evaluating the impact of climate change on wildlife habitats: This project would involve studying the effects of climate change on the habitats and migration patterns of wildlife, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Developing a sustainable transportation system for a city or town: This project would involve designing and implementing a transportation system that is energy-efficient and sustainable, with minimal environmental impact.
Investigating the potential of algae biofuels: This project would involve studying the potential of algae as a source of biofuel, and developing methods for cultivating and harvesting algae for energy production.
Analyzing the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of ocean acidification on marine organisms, including coral reefs and shellfish, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Creating an energy-efficient home design: This project would involve designing and building a home that is energy-efficient and sustainable, with minimal environmental impact.
Designing a sustainable urban agriculture system: This project would involve designing and implementing an urban agriculture system that is energy-efficient and sustainable, with minimal environmental impact.
Studying the effects of pesticides on local wildlife: This project would involve studying the impact of pesticides on local wildlife, including birds, bees, and other pollinators, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Developing a sustainable waste management program: This project would involve designing and implementing a waste management program that is energy-efficient and sustainable, with minimal environmental impact.
Analyzing the impact of land use changes on local ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of changes in land use, such as urbanization and agriculture, on local ecosystems, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Investigating the effectiveness of renewable energy sources: This project would involve analyzing the effectiveness of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, in meeting energy demands and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Creating a green roof or wall system for buildings: This project would involve designing and implementing a green roof or wall system that provides insulation, reduces heat absorption, and
Studying the effects of noise pollution on wildlife behavior: This project would involve studying the impact of noise pollution on wildlife behavior, including changes in communication and reproductive success, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Developing a sustainable tourism program for a local area: This project would involve designing and implementing a tourism program that is sustainable and minimizes the impact on local ecosystems and communities.
Investigating the impact of microplastics on the environment: This project would involve studying the impact of microplastics, including their sources and effects on wildlife and human health, and developing strategies to reduce their release into the environment.
Analyzing the effects of water scarcity on human communities: This project would involve studying the impact of water scarcity on human communities, including access to clean water and the effects on health and livelihoods, and developing strategies to address the issue.
Creating a sustainable food distribution system: This project would involve designing and implementing a food distribution system that is sustainable and minimizes the impact on the environment while ensuring food security for all.
Evaluating the impact of climate change on crop yields: This project would involve studying the impact of climate change on crop yields, including changes in temperature, rainfall, and soil quality, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Studying the effects of light pollution on nocturnal wildlife: This project would involve studying the impact of light pollution on nocturnal wildlife, including changes in behavior and ecological interactions, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Developing a sustainable fishing program: This project would involve designing and implementing a fishing program that is sustainable and minimizes the impact on fish populations and marine ecosystems.
Investigating the potential of geothermal energy sources: This project would involve studying the potential of geothermal energy as a source of renewable energy, and developing methods for harnessing and using it.
Analyzing the impact of invasive species on local ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of invasive species on local ecosystems, including changes in biodiversity and ecological interactions, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Creating a sustainable packaging system for products: This project would involve designing and implementing a packaging system that is sustainable and minimizes the environmental impact of products.
Studying the effects of climate change on ocean currents: This project would involve studying the impact of climate change on ocean currents, including changes in temperature and circulation, and the effects on marine ecosystems and global climate.
Developing a sustainable water supply system for a community: This project would involve designing and implementing a water supply system that is sustainable and provides access to clean water for all.
Investigating the impact of deforestation on soil quality: This project would involve studying the impact of deforestation on soil quality, including changes in nutrient content and erosion, and developing strategies to restore degraded soils.
Analyzing the effects of global warming on Arctic ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of global warming on Arctic ecosystems, including changes in ice cover and wildlife habitats, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Creating a sustainable urban planning system: This project would involve designing and implementing an urban planning system that is sustainable and minimizes the environmental impact of cities.
Studying the effects of climate change on water availability: This project would involve studying the impact of climate change on water availability, including changes in precipitation and water storage, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Developing a sustainable energy storage system: This project would involve designing and implementing an energy storage system that is sustainable and minimizes the impact on the environment.
Investigating the impact of ocean currents on marine life migration patterns: This project would involve studying the impact of ocean currents on the migration patterns of marine organisms, including changes in distribution and population dynamics, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Analyzing the effects of urbanization on local ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of urbanization on local ecosystems, including changes in biodiversity and habitat fragmentation, and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Creating a sustainable transportation infrastructure for freight: This project would involve designing and implementing a transportation infrastructure that is sustainable and minimizes the impact of freight transportation on the environment.
Studying the effects of climate change on bird migration patterns: This project would involve studying the impact of climate change on bird migration patterns, including changes in timing and range, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Developing a sustainable food production system for cities: This project would involve designing and implementing a food production system that is sustainable and provides fresh, healthy food for urban populations.
Investigating the impact of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems: This project would involve studying the impact of sea level rise on coastal ecosystems, including changes in erosion and flooding, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Analyzing the effects of drought on soil health: This project would involve studying the impact of drought on soil health, including changes in nutrient content and erosion, and developing strategies to restore degraded soils.
Creating a sustainable pest management system for agriculture: This project would involve designing and implementing a pest management system that is sustainable and minimizes the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides.
Studying the effects of air pollution on plant growth: This project would involve studying the impact of air pollution on plant growth and productivity and developing strategies to mitigate the impacts.
Developing a sustainable wildfire management program: This project would involve designing and implementing a wildfire management program that is sustainable and minimizes the impact on local ecosystems and communities.
Investigating the impact of climate change on insect populations: This project would involve studying the impact of climate change on insect populations, including changes in distribution and abundance, and developing strategies to adapt to the changes.
Analyzing the effects of e-waste on the environment: This project would involve studying the impact of electronic waste on the environment, including the disposal and recycling of electronic devices, and developing strategies to reduce the release of harmful materials into the environment.

In conclusion, environmental science projects are essential for understanding and addressing the challenges that our planet faces. From mitigating the effects of climate change to protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainability, these projects play a critical role in shaping our future.

The 50 projects we’ve listed provide a diverse range of options for individuals and groups looking to make a positive impact on the environment. Whether it’s through scientific research, engineering design, or community-based initiatives, there are countless ways to get involved and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world. By taking action and pursuing these projects, we can work towards a better future for ourselves and the planet we call home.

Top 17 Earth Science Experiments

Earth science, the study of our planet and its manifold natural phenomena, offers a world of discovery for curious minds.

We have handpicked a selection of the top 17 Earth science experiments for you to try. Our selection, suitable for a variety of age groups, covers a broad range of topics such as soil analysis, weather patterns, seismic activity, and more.

These hands-on, educational activities will not only deepen your understanding of our dynamic planet but also nurture a keen interest in environmental stewardship.

Get ready to unlock the secrets of our remarkable planet and have a blast along the way!

Earth Science Experiments

1. underwater volcanic eruption.

This experiment highlights the connection between geological processes and the delicate balance of life in our oceans. So, get ready to explore the hidden depths of our planet and witness the powerful spectacle of an underwater volcanic eruption.

Learn more: Underwater Volcanic Eruption

2. Ocean Layers in a Jar

This captivating experiment allows you to recreate and explore the diverse layers of the ocean right in front of your eyes.

By layering different liquids of varying densities, you’ll witness the formation of distinct oceanic zones, such as the surface zone, the twilight zone, and the deep-sea zone. So, why should you try this experiment?

3. Layers of the Earth Experiment

The Layers of the Earth Using Clay experiment offers a unique opportunity to visualize and understand the composition of our planet.

By sculpting the different layers of the Earth, including the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of their properties and interactions.

Learn more: Layers of the Earth Hands-on Experiment

4. Earthquake Epicenter Experiment

The Earthquake Epicenter Experiment offers a unique opportunity to understand the science of seismology and earthquake detection.

By simulating earthquake waves using simple materials, you’ll learn about the principles of wave propagation and how seismic waves travel through the Earth’s layers.

5. Orange Peel Plate Tectonic

The Orange Peel Plate Tectonic experiment offers a unique opportunity to visualize and understand the dynamics of plate tectonics.

By carefully removing the peel from an orange and observing how it fractures and moves, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the forces that shape our Earth’s crust.

Learn more: Orange Peel Plate Tectonic

6. Erosion at the Beach Experiment

This hands-on experiment will show students how wave action can cause erosion at the beach.

Weather-Related Experiments

Have you ever wondered about the forces that shape our everyday weather patterns? These engaging experiments offer a unique opportunity to explore and understand various aspects of weather phenomena.

So, why should you try this section of the earth science experiment? Let’s discover the reasons together.

7. The Greenhouse Effect Experiment

The Greenhouse Effect Experiment offers a unique opportunity to comprehend the mechanisms that contribute to the warming of our planet.

By constructing a miniature greenhouse and observing how it traps heat, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, can impact Earth’s climate.

8. Water Cycle in a Bag

The Water Cycle in a Bag experiment offers a unique opportunity to witness the dynamic nature of the water cycle in action.

By creating a self-contained system within a bag, you’ll simulate the various stages of the water cycle, including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Learn more: Water Cycle in A Bag

9. Create Your Own Cloud

Have you ever wondered how clouds form and what makes them float in the sky? This captivating experiment allows you to create your very own cloud right in the palm of your hand. So why should you try this experiment? Let’s discover the reasons together.

10. Rain in a Jar

The Rain in a Jar experiment offers a unique opportunity to learn about the process of rain formation. Through this hands-on activity, you’ll witness how water vapor condenses and transforms into droplets, ultimately leading to rainfall.

11. Instant Snow Experiment

This enchanting experiment allows you to experience the magic of snowfall right before your eyes. So, why should you try this experiment? Let’s uncover the reasons together.

12. Tornado in A Jar

The Tornado in a Jar experiment offers a unique opportunity to explore the science behind tornado formation.

By swirling water and observing the creation of a miniature tornado-like vortex, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the atmospheric conditions and dynamics that give rise to these powerful storms.

Soil Experiments

Through a series of engaging and hands-on experiments, we will unravel the mysteries of soil composition.

Join us as we explore the intricate world of soil through experiments that will ignite your curiosity and deepen your understanding of the vital role soil plays in sustaining life.

13. Build a LEGO Soil Layers

Lego! Join us on this hands-on journey to understand the composition and characteristics of soil layers.

Grab your Lego bricks and let’s start building an amazing understanding of the Earth beneath us!

Learn more: Build a LEGO Soil Layer

14. Testing Soil Experiments

Understanding soil composition and its properties is crucial for agriculture, environmental studies, and even construction.

By conducting these experiments, you will learn how to analyze soil samples, measure pH levels, assess fertility, and determine the best conditions for plant growth.

Learn more: Testing Soil Layers

15. The Science of Erosion

Through these experiments, we will explore the factors that contribute to soil erosion and discover ways to prevent it. Join us on this scientific adventure as we study erosion rates, simulate erosion processes, and learn about the importance of soil conservation.

Learn more: The Science of Erosion

16. Making Groundwater

Through hands-on exploration, you will learn about permeability, porosity, and the essential role of groundwater in our ecosystems. So, grab your tools, roll up your sleeves, and join us in making groundwater as we unravel the fascinating underground world beneath our feet.

17. Make Your Own Water Filter

This hands-on experience will empower you to explore the principles of filtration, observe how different soil components and materials contribute to the purification process, and gain valuable insights into water treatment methods.

Environmental Science Experiments

Studying the environment and how to overcome environmental problems is something every student should do. We all share this planet as our home, and it is up to all of us to become educated in the challenges facing it and how we need to change to protect it. Today we are sharing ideas for Environmental Science Experiments you can do with your students from elementary through high school.

Hands On Environmental Science for Students

What you will discover in this article!

Environmental Sciences was my original degree program when I first enrolled in University. I had always been passionate about wildlife management and conservation in particular, and it was my dream to work on protecting Canadian wildlife and their habitats as an environmental scientist. Sadly, after my second year I developed a number of severe health issues that forced me to change my degree program, but my passion for the environment has never waivered.

What is Environmental Science?

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field. What does that mean? It simply means that it brings together a number of different disciplines and studies to focus on one area, the environment. Specifically it integrates physics, biology, chemistry, and geography, ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geography, and atmospheric science. Certain environmental studies also integrate history, policy, politics, psychology, sociology and government studies. This is a very diverse field with a lot of demand as more and more we are focusing on finding ways to protect our planet.

Why is Environmental Science Important?

It is no secret, as societies have developed and grown throughout history, the impact on Earth and natural resources has not always been positive. For us to continue to develop and thrive on this planet it is important that we also focus on the environmental impacts of our actions.

Through environmental science studies, we see how our own health and the health of our environment are intertwined. We need to protect our planet to protect ourselves now and for future generations. Environmental science research and sustainable education for our students is crucial to keeping our ecosystems in balance, reversing damage done in the past, and preventing future damage and destruction.

Through environmental sciences we can find ways to continue to grow and thrive.

What do you learn in Environmental Sciences?

Environmental science is the study of nature, the environment, the planet, and everything living on this planet to identify and solve issues relating to the relationship we have with the natural world. It includes many subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, geology, oceanography, zoology and many more types of science, in order to inform our understanding of the Earth and how to protect it.

As you can see this field is extremely broad, so there are many, many activities we can do with our kids that can fall under the umbrella of Environmental Sciences and so we can start fostering that passion to protect our planet.

Environmental Science Experiments and Activities for Kids

In order to make the environment a priority, it is important that we start incorporating it into our children’s education from an early age. One of the best ways I have found to help raise Earth conscience kids with an understanding of environmental issues is by doing hands on activities that really make an impact. We can start this at a very early age by incorporating simple nature and eco-friendly activities into our lessons, then as students grow and mature, we can start doing more advanced experiments.

To simplify things I have started with the most simple environmental activities for young kids first, then gradually increase the complexity of the activities until we reach experiments for high schoolers. The goal is to keep the lessons about the environment age appropriate and to foster that curiosity and passion for learning how to care for planet Earth.

Ready to dive into Environmental Sciences with your kids? Let’s go!

Nature Senses Detective

In this Nature Senses Detective activity young kids start to connect with nature using their senses. They start by going out into nature and intentionally and consciously use all of their senses to explore things in nature. Then, using items they discover in nature, have them see if they an identify the items by using only one sense.

Rewilding and Homemade Seed Bombs

Native seeding is a wonderful way to rewild areas that have been damaged due to human activity. They are also a lot of fun for kids to make and use. We have two different ways of making seed bombs , plus instructions for making seed paper . Don’t forget to make a seed bomb launcher !

Seed Bombs and Launcher DIY STEM Activity for Kids

Layers of the Earth Activity

Although Environmental Sciences tends to focus only on the crust and atmosphere of our planet, it is important to also understand the inner workings and layers of Earth. Our favourite activity for exploring this is to make beautiful Layers of the Earth Soap . We also have a version where kids can make a Layers of the Ocean soap for an Ocean Sciences study.

Layers of the Earth DIY Soap Project so kids can learn about our Earth in a sustainable way

Sky Science

The sky is something we all can see every day, but the colours of the sky varies depending on where you are and what time of day it is. It can be vibrant blue or pale blue, pink, orange and even red. These colours are caused by light moving through the atmosphere. In this Sky Science experiment we explore how particles in the atmosphere affect what colours we see in the sky.

Oil Spill Activity – How to clean up oil on water

This is a very simple oil spill cleanup experiment , but one that teaches an important lesson about oil spills and pollution in our oceans and waterways. All you need is a bowl of water, some oil (vegetable or baby oil all work fine), and a variety of tools to try and clean up the oil. Then challenge your students to try and clean up the oil.

Oil spill cleanup experiment for home or classroom

Water pollution and safety is a concern all over the world. In this Water Lab experiment students will collect samples from a variety of locally available water sources, then run some simple tests to compare the samples.

Water STEM Lab - An activity for kids exploring what makes water safe with hands on exploration and discovery. A great STEM and safe drinking water lesson.

Water Pollution Experiment

Water pollution has a big effect on living beings. Whether it is plants or animals. If it is alive on this planet, it requires water. So when water becomes polluted it can have a big effect on life. In this Water Pollution experiment we explore the effect of water pollution on plant life.

Weather Science

The weather is a big part of the study of the environment. There are a number of ways you can study the weather. Some rain related activities would be doing a water cycle experiment , building a rain gauge or making a DIY barometer .

Renewable Energy Activity – Build a Windmill

This activity has a wonderful book you can incorporate into a unit study, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It is a true story of a boy who taught himself how to build windmills to bring energy to his village. It is available in a variety of formats for all age ranges. Then challenge your kids to build their own windmill .

Natural Energy Sources – Building Food Batteries

A fun activity to do with kids is learning about natural energy sources, such as building batteries out of food. In the past we have built Potato Batteries , Lemon Batteries and even Pumpkin Batteries . This is a great way to get kids thinking differently about energy.

Build a potato battery that powers a light bulb. A fantastic STEM activity and science fair project exploring circuits and energy production.

Making Bioplastics

Plastic is a huge issue all over the world when it comes to environmental concerns. As part of studies into plastic, have your students learn how to make bioplastics. It is an incredible way to get hands on with this complex subject. Learn how to make bioplastics with Milk Plastic or Gelatin Plastic .

Make Plastic Toys From Milk - A chemistry STEM STEAM activity that is sure to delight www.STEAMPoweredFamily.com

Acid Rain Experiment

Acid rain is a major environmental concern across the planet. The impact of acid rain on various ecosystems is well documented, but it may be difficult for students to understand. In this acid rain science experiment we see the impact of acid rain on plants. The results are impactful and highly educational.

Greenhouse Effect Experiment

This Greenhouse Effect experiment is probably one of my favourite of all time that I did with my older kids. My kids often ask about climate change as they seek to better understand what is happening on our planet. In this experiment they were able to get hands on and develop a much greater understanding of the principles behind the Greenhouse Effect.

Studying the environment is a very important part of every child’s education. We all need to understand how our activities are impacting Earth and how we can lessen any damage we are causing. We also need more change makers in this area. Innovative and creative individuals who think outside of the box and will discover better ways to address the environmental issues affecting us all.

Want more activities learning about the Earth? Check out our comprehensive guide to Earth Day Activities for Kids .

Earth Day Activities For Kids in Elementary and Middle School

5 Days of Smart STEM Ideas for Kids

Get started in STEM with easy, engaging activities.

Environmental Science Fair Projects

Projects & Experiments
Chemical Laws
Periodic Table
Scientific Method
Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry
Medical Chemistry
Chemistry In Everyday Life
Famous Chemists
Activities for Kids
Abbreviations & Acronyms
Weather & Climate
Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Are you interested in doing a science fair project that involves the environment, ecology, pollution, or other environmental issues? Here are some science fair project ideas that involve environmental science problems.

Environmental Processes

Does the pH of rain or other precipitation (snow) vary according to the season?
Is the pH of rain the same as the pH of soil?
Can you use a plant to gauge the level of air pollution?
Can you use plants to remove air pollutants?
Can you use algae to remove water pollutants?
How does soil composition change with depth?
What organisms can you use as indicator organisms to alert you to a dangerous environmental condition in the environment?
How can you simulate acid rain?

Studying Environmental Damage

What effect does the presence of phosphates have, if any, on the oxygen level of water in a pond?
How does an oil spill affect marine life?
How much lead is in your soil? How much mercury is in your soil?
How much electronic pollution is there in your home? Can you find a way to measure it?
How much copper can plants tolerate?
How does the presence of soap or detergent in water affect plant growth? What about seed germination or propagation?
How far away from an animal pen do you need to be for there to be no fecal bacteria contamination of the soil or water?

Researching Solutions

Can you use gray water (water that has been used for bathing or washing) to water your plants? Does it matter what type of soap you used for your cleaning? Are some plants more tolerant of gray water than others?
Are carbon filters as effective with chlorinated or fluoridated water as they are with water that does not contain chlorine or fluoride?
How can you minimize the volume taken up by trash?
How much trash can be recycled or composted?
How can you prevent soil erosion?
What type of car antifreeze is most friendly to the environment?
What type of de-icer is most friendly to the environment?
Are there non-toxic methods that can be used to control mosquito populations?
Chemistry Science Fair Project Ideas
Plant and Soil Chemistry Science Projects
Science Fair Project Help
Science Fair Experiment Ideas: Food and Cooking Chemistry
Science Fair Project Ideas
College Science Fair Projects
Science Fair Project Ideas for 12th Graders
5th Grade Science Fair Projects
8th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas
3rd Grade Science Fair Projects
Sports Science Fair Project Ideas
Magnetism Science Fair Projects
7th Grade Science Fair Projects
Crystal Science Fair Projects
10th Grade Science Fair Projects
Household Product Testing Science Fair Projects

Top 101+ Amazing Environmental Science Project Ideas for High School

Environmental science is an interesting subject that lets high school students learn about important stuff like pollution, climate change, green technology, and taking care of the planet. Doing projects is a fun way for teens to understand the world and how people impact it.

In this blog, we made a list of over 100 ideas for hands-on projects about the environment that high schoolers can do alone or with friends. The projects we picked out range from easy experiments using basic materials at home to more complicated research topics.

Each idea explains the experiment, how to do it, what you need, and what you might discover in simple language. Whether you want to test air or water, learn about renewable energy, look at recycling programs, or explore another environmental issue.

You’ll find an awesome project that matches your skills and what you’re interested in. We aim to give high schoolers a list of meaningful environmental science projects that teach them about ecological challenges and solutions.

Note: Also read our blog “ What is MEP Engineering: The Best And Well-Explained Guide! “

Top 101+ Amazing Environmental Science Project Ideas For High School

Table of Contents

Here is a list of amazing environmental science project ideas related to different categories, First, we will discuss some of the best environmental science project ideas based on different topics, and then we will discuss the best environment science project ideas based on different science streams. Let’s take a look.

Environmental Science Project Ideas Based On Different Science Topics

Here are some ideas for an environmental science project based on the different and important science topics in high school.

Climate Change

Study how cutting down trees affects the weather nearby.
Look at old weather records to see if the weather has changed where you live.
Make a model to show how greenhouse gases warm up the Earth.
Check how acid in the oceans affects sea animals.
Come up with a plan to use less energy at your school or in your neighborhood.
Test the water in nearby rivers or lakes and see if it’s clean.
Check if dirty air affects how plants grow.
See how loud noises in different places affect people.
Look at how plastic garbage hurts animals in the ocean.
Find ways to make less trash at home or school.

Renewable Energy

Build and test a small windmill or solar panel.
Compare different things like wood or trash to see what makes the most energy.
See if your area can use heat from the ground to make energy.
Test different types of solar cookers to see which one works best.
Design a small house that can use energy from the sun or wind.

Biodiversity

Count all the different plants and animals in a nearby park or forest.
Look at how animals that don’t belong where you live affect other plants and animals.
Study how animals disappear when their homes are destroyed.
Make a garden that animals like to visit and see what comes to visit.
Look at how garbage affects the animals near where you live.

Conservation

Come up with a way to reuse things at your school.
Find ways to use less water at home or school.
See how animals are affected when their homes are taken away.
Make a plan to use less outdoor lights where you live.
Look at how making special places for animals helps them stay alive.

Environmental Health

Look at how dirty air inside can make people sick.
Study how bugs that help plants can’t live if there are too many chemicals around.
Check if old electronics can make people sick if they touch them.
Look at how too much noise can make people feel bad.
Make a plan to use things that don’t have bad chemicals.

Environmental Policy

Learn about the rules near where you live to keep the environment safe.
See if rules about pollution from factories help keep the air clean.
Look at how countries work together to help stop climate change.
See how groups of people who want things changed affect the rules.
Make a new rule for the environment where you live.

Sustainable Agriculture

Look at how different ways to farm affect the dirt.
See if food grown without chemicals is better than regular food.
Make a plan to help farmers use less water and chemicals.
See how farming up and down instead of side to side helps make more food.

Waste Management

Look at how different kinds of wrapping paper affect the environment.
See if turning old food into dirt helps the environment.
Study how getting money back for recycling helps people do it more.
Make a plan to have less food thrown away at your school.
Look at how old electronics hurt the environment and how to fix it.

Environmental Education

Make a program to teach little kids about the environment.
Make posters or books to teach people about the environment.
Have an event to teach people about a problem with the environment.
Make a plan for teachers to teach kids about keeping the environment safe.
Look at how learning about the environment makes kids act differently.

Renewable Resources

Look at how ocean waves can make energy.
See if different things like trash or corn can make power for cars.
Study how a special kind of water plant can make energy.
Make a model to show how to make hot water from underground heat.
See if a special kind of gas made from trash can make electricity.

Wildlife Conservation

Look at how animals are affected when their homes are broken into pieces.
Study how animals that move around a lot are affected by warmer weather.
Look at how a special road helps animals stay alive.
Make a plan to keep one kind of animal safe where you live.
Look at how things people do hurt frogs and toads near where you live.

Environmental Science Project Ideas According To Different Streams

Here is a list of some environmental science project ideas given according to the different science streams in the high school.

Check how well different solar panels turn sunlight into electricity.
Look at how small windmills make energy in different places.
Study how hot or cold water moves in the ocean.
Test different things to see what keeps buildings warm.
Make and try a model to get energy from ocean waves.
Look at how dirty stuff changes water.
Study how acid rain hurts soil and water.
Try using different things to clean up dirty water.
Look at what chemicals are in dirty air in cities.
Study how old food turns into dirt.
Count all the different plants and animals in a place.
Look at how dirty stuff hurts plants.
Study how different ways of farming change the dirt.
Look at how animals in cities survive.
Study how plants change with the weather.

Environmental Engineering

Make a thing to clean water with stuff from nature.
Study how to clean up dirty dirt.
Look at different ways to make less trash.
Design a building that doesn’t hurt the Earth.
Look at how cars and buses make dirty air.
Look at how dirt moves and changes the land.
Study how big events like earthquakes hurt nature and people.
Look at how water under the ground changes the dirt.
Study how rocks and minerals are made and used.
Look at how old the land is and how it’s used.
Count all the different plants and animals in a place and see how they change.
Look at how cities hurt animals’ homes.
Study how lots of different plants and animals help each other stay healthy.
Look at how the weather changes plants and animals.
Study how one animal helps a lot of others stay healthy.

Meteorology

Look at how the weather changes and hurts things.
Study how cities get hotter than other places.
Look at how the air in different places gets dirty.
Study how clouds make rain.
Look at how the weather changes how much food we grow.

Biotechnology

Look at how living things can clean up oil spills in water.
Study how changing plants’ genes helps them grow better.
Study how stuff made from living things can help the Earth.
Look at how tiny living things make electricity.
Study how to keep animals from going away forever.

Oceanography

Look at how water gets dirty and hurts animals in the ocean.
Study how small pieces of plastic hurt animals in the ocean.
Look at how water moves in the ocean and changes the weather.
Study how big ocean parts don’t have enough air for animals.
Look at how water moving in the ocean helps plants and animals.

Agricultural Science

Look at how farmers use water to grow food.
Study how bugs that help stuff farmers hurt plants use to kill bugs.
Look at how planting different crops helps the dirt.
Look at how the weather change hurts farmers and what they can do.
Look at how farm animals are cared for and how to do it better.

Doing an environmental science project enables high schoolers to understand better the complex environmental issues facing our planet.

Whether you are interested in conducting experiments to test air and water quality in your local area, analyzing solar panels’ efficiency, studying pollution’s effects on plants, or pursuing any of the 100+ project ideas outlined in this blog.

An environmental science project is a great way to satisfy your intellectual curiosity while making a positive impact. We hope the diverse selection of environmental science fair project ideas provided sparks your inspiration to come up with creative solutions to ecological problems.

Remember that small individual actions can add up to bring about tremendous change. The knowledge and experience you gain from these projects don’t end when high school does.

Let environmental science be a launching pad to make sustainability and conservation central tenets of your lifestyle, career, and community. Our future depends on environmentally-conscious leaders taking informed action today.

What are some more advanced environmental science fair project ideas?

More advanced projects could include modeling climate change effects using computers, testing the biodegradability of different packaging materials, analyzing contaminants in local land or water environments, designing sustainable devices like a solar oven, creating bioplastics from renewable materials, or testing remediation techniques on contaminated soil or water samples.

Where can students find inspiration for an interesting environmental science project?

They can find ideas from environmental websites, scientific journals for high school students, books with environmental project guides, previous environmental science fair displays at their school, talking to their teacher or environmental professionals, browsing lists like this one, or brainstorm real-world environmental problems in their community that interest them.

How can a high school student find the expertise to complete an advanced environmental science fair project?

They can recruit help from science teachers, contact local scientists or companies through email to serve as mentors, use university laboratories and equipment if available in their area, look to government environmental agencies like EPA/DEP for resources, connect with environmental nonprofits, or search online for consultants with science expertise willing to advise students.

What kind of environmental topics make good science fair projects?

Any testable environmental question where data can be collected makes a good project. Popular topics include alternative energy, recycling/reuse studies, air/water quality testing, sustainability practices, habitat restoration, biodegradability of wastes, environmental engineering solutions, remediation of toxins, and using technology to monitor ecological issues.

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10 Hands-On Science Projects to Teach About Pollution

And then there is plastic pollution. According to an article by National Geographic, some 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the oceans every year from coastal regions. The problem is, this plastic destroys local habitats and is known to be a contributing factor to animal mortality. Clearly, something drastic needs to be done about the surge of pollution. And these are just a few examples.

Education is certainly part of improving the situation. Teachers can educate their students so they can make a difference – whether it be in their own personal lives, or as the environmental scientists and inventors in the future.

To spark the inner environmentalist in students, we’ve compiled a list of the best hands-on science projects that teach kids about pollution. We have also suggested what grades each activity is suitable for. However, these are just a guide, so feel free to use your discretion and adapt each activity to the grade you are teaching.

1. Oil Spill Simulation

Oil spills are devastating for the environment, and cost millions of dollars to clean up. Videos and images of oil spill disasters can be an effective teaching tool since they can be so emotional. Although caution is advised when showing pictures of affected animals!

Nevertheless, a hands-on oil spill simulation will help your students to understand why oil spills affect the environment so badly and how difficult they are to clean up. You can find specific instructions for this activity here . In a nutshell, the activity requires students to simulate an oil spill in a tray of water, examine the potential effects on wildlife, and suggest clean-up methods using household items.

Suitable for: 3 – 6

2. Real-World Testing of Biodegradability

If objects and materials were more biodegradable, this would help with pollution since the discarded objects would break down more quickly. Some of the materials we use, however, never break down, and they end up clogging up our waterways and littering our soil. In this activity, students will conduct an experiment that establishes what materials really are biodegradable.

You can find instructions here . It essentially involves burying a range of objects (an apple core, leaves, plastic packaging, and Styrofoam) underneath the ground and leaving them there for a month. Students then return to the burial site and dig down to see what has broken down and what has not. The activity also comes with some excellent discussion questions.

Suitable for: K – 6

For more ideas, see Activity # 14 Renewable or Not? in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

3. “Happy Earth, Sad Earth” Sorting Game

This activity is a very simple sorting exercise for younger children. It involves putting pictures of things that are beneficial for the Earth, and those that are not, into the appropriate category. The activity could be conducted in groups, or as a class.

For this activity, you will need to print out and laminate (optional) the cards and objects found here (courtesy of www.totschooling.net ). How you encourage your students to sort the objects is entirely up to you, but displaying them on a big piece of cardboard that can be put up on the wall when finished is ideal!

Suitable for: K – 2

For more ideas, see Activity # 24 Nature’s Recyclers in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

4. Modeling Pollution Uptake by Plants Using Celery

Pollution can also end up in food chains, including our own, which can have a negative on health and wellbeing. This activity is a great way to kick off a discussion about pollution and food chains. It involves creating a simple model that demonstrates how pollution can be drawn up into plants.

To do this activity, place a piece of celery in a jar or beaker of diluted food dye. Over time, the food dye moves up the celery, and there it remains. The food dye represents pollution, and the celery could represent any number of plants that are used for food. You can find specific instructions for this activity here .

Suitable for: K – 3 (NOTE – A knife is needed to cut the celery, so just be aware of that. Probably best if adults did that part).

For more ideas, see Activity # 27 Every Tree for Itself in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

5. Polluted Display Jars

This activity enables students to “see” pollution in the classroom — a great teaching or memory aid when discussing the topic. And it’s super easy too! In summary, students collect samples of air and water (even snow), put them in clear glass or plastic jars, and then manually “pollute” them.

You can find some instructions and ideas here . But here are some quick suggestions regarding what could be added to your jars to pollute them: For your jar of air, you could drop a lit match into the jar, and quickly put the lid on, so that the smoke is caught in the jar. That will certainly give that nice clean air a brown/grey tinge! (Only adults should handle the matches.) For the jar of water, dirt and bits of plastic will suffice. Remember to have jars of clean water, air, and snow so students can compare the clean ones with the polluted ones.

Suitable for: K – 5

For more ideas, see Activity # 28 Air Plants and Activity # 36 Pollution Search in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

6. Sea Turtle Fate Game

From the moment they are born, various species of sea turtles have a tough time making it through to adulthood. Although sea turtles die of natural causes or as the result of predator attacks, they also die as a result of human activity and pollution. This game allows students to explore the effects of humans on sea turtles, and the true scope of the problem.

You can find a detailed explanatory video here . The activity involves drawing plastic eggs out of a bowl of sand, with each plastic egg having a “fate” message inside. The message describes whether the figurative sea turtle in that egg survived or not, and if it didn’t survive, why not. Students then sort each ill-fated turtle egg into categories related to whether its death was as a result of man-made or natural causes.

Suitable for: Grades 2 – 5 (it could be used with younger students, depending on the make-up of your class. The themes may be a little too deep for some).

7. Watering Plants with “Acid Rain”

Acid rain is a significant threat to the environment and is caused by pollutants in the atmosphere mixing with rain as it falls. The topic of acid rain is something students may learn about in both science and geography. This activity allows students to create their own “acid rain” and to asses its effects.

You can find detailed instructions here . In this experiment, students water three separate plants with either water, a little bit of acid, and a lot of acid. Use either vinegar or lemon juice as the acid. After leaving the plants in the sun to grow for a few days, watering them as they go, students will assess the effects of the acid on the plants. (You will need to be prepared to lose two plants. All for the sake of science of course!)

Suitable for: Grades 5 – 8 (depending on how in depth you go with the theory).

NOTE – You may like to have the children wear lab glasses when handling the lemon juice or vinegar. This can help avoid some stinging eyes, and of course, will make them feel like real little scientists!

8. Water Pollution Detection Experiment

This activity gives students an opportunity to get up close and personal with water “pollution” and explores some of the simple ways we can tell if pollution is present. This activity is excellent because it engages many senses.

The activity involves giving each student/group in your class a cup of clean water. You will then go around the class, adding a few drops of food coloring to each cup of water. The kids then stir the solution, making note of the fact that they can see the “pollution.” The same process is repeated, this time adding vinegar to the fresh water. This illustrates how sometimes we can smell “pollution”. The third time around, add salt and the students’ mix. This highlights that not all pollutants can be seen or smelled (once the salt has dissolved).

You can find detailed instructions for this “Playing Hide and Seek…with Pollution” activity here . There are also some additional questions, activities and suggested teaching strategies.

Suitable for: Grades 2 – 5

For more ideas, see Activity # 44 Water Wonders in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

9. Climate Change Sensory Play

In lessons about pollution, teachers often discuss how it contributes to climate change, and this is a great activity to explore this concept using their sense of touch. You can find instructions here .

Essentially the activity involves using frozen shaving cream (as snow/glaciers), blocks of ice, beads, and plastic animals to simulate a polar environment. Allow students to spend time playing on their own with everything in the environment. After some time, everything begins to melt. The activity dramatically demonstrates the impact of melting ice caps and glaciers. A discussion of pollution and climate change can follow. Be warned: this activity will require a bit of clean up!

Suitable for: Grades K – 3

For more ideas, see Activity # 84 The Global Climate in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide .

Are you planning on trying any of these activities? What are some other ways you teach your students about pollution? Let us know in the comments!

Rebecca Reynandez

3 comments on “ 10 hands-on science projects to teach about pollution ”.

Where and how do we download these activities, they look good. I am a facilitator for Wild B.C. and took the online PLT course.

Thank you for sharing! I teach AP Environmental Science to Junior and Senior level students in High School. We just did a lesson on Biomagnification during our pollution unit. I plan to use the celery activity as a demonstration/visual aid to help them SEE Bioaccumulation then review over Biomagnification. Next year I’ll do your celery demo before the activity.

P.S. I have been through the PLT workshop and appreciate your efforts.

Thank you for these. I have a 7year old who is doing a project on energy and pollution. Some great ideas to share with him!

Boost Student Creativity With Art Projects in Nature

Creating art in nature is about connecting with your environment, being inspired by nature, and leaving it right where it was found. Explore activities that use tools and materials found in nature to show children that anything can be art if you’re creative enough!

Environmental Education Resources

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STEM: Plant a Tree

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PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide – Activity 51, Make Your Own Paper

Students investigate the papermaking process by trying it themselves. Students are thrilled to find that they can make paper and that their product is practical, as well as beautiful. Watch a video of the paper-making process used in this activity.

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Science Fair Environmental Project Ideas

Need an idea for a science fair project or some help? Check out the resources below.

Ideas for Science Fair Projects on Surface Water Quality Topics for Middle Schools Students and Teachers - Ideas for science fair projects on surface water quality from EPA's Office of Water. These projects address real-life water issues occurring in streams, rivers, lakes, and other types of surface waters across the United States.

Science Fair Fun: Designing Science Fair Projects - This EPA booklet provides students in grades 6-8 with ideas and resources for developing environmental science fair projects about reducing, reusing, and recycling waste materials.

Energy Kids: Science Fair Experiments - Want to learn about energy or do a science fair project on energy? This site will give you project ideas and throw in some fun things as well. From the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Science Fair Projects for Kids - Links to tons of science fair project ideas! From USA.gov.

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Environmental science.

Environmental Science is the study of relations between organisms and their environment. This includes interactions among chemical, biological, and physical components of the environment. Environmental science also takes into account non-scientific studies such as law, social science, and economics.

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To compare the rise of water by capillarity in sandy, clayey, and loamy soil

To demonstrate how there is carbon in the atmosphere

To determine whether vinegar is just as effective as a cleaning agent as a chemical-based supermarket cleaner.

To replicate the effects of an oil spill and apply an effective system to clean it up.

To determine if the external color of a structure can affect the internal temperature of the structure under different environmental conditions.

To make a soil erosion simulator and be able to answer the question “How do we prevent soil erosion?”

To observe what happens in area that is overly populated and be able to answer the question “What are the effects of a big population on resources.”

To make a compost pile and explain how a compost pile can help aid the environment by recycling used items rather than trashing them and sending them to a landfill.

Learn to find the time of the day without the help of a clock!

To determine the amount of foreign particles in the air in a specific area.

To demonstrate the effect that an oil spill will have on marine life.

To determine what percentage of an orange is made up of water and what percentage is made up of solids. When you're done with this experiment you'll be able to answer the question "how much water is in my orange?"

To show that oxygen gas is released during photosynthesis

To observe how seeds germinate and be able to answer the question, “Why do seeds need wet soil to germinate?”

To determine the pH level of both city water and well water to determine which is more basic and which is more acidic.

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3 Eco-Friendly Science Projects That Will Make Your Students Smile

Published May 23 2022, 3:36 p.m. ET

One of many school-age student experiences is the science fair, which asks inquiring minds to pick a testable question and do some research. Students then present their findings to a group of judges and can win prizes such as medals or even money for college. Choosing an eco-friendly science project is a great way to get your student invested in the world around them as much as possible!

Here are three suggestions for eco-friendly projects that are fun, informative, and related to climate studies.

The plants and soil erosion project

This project, adapted from Ben Finio, Ph.D. of Science Buddies , asks: can plants stop soil erosion? You will need six aluminum bread pans (8x3x3) and two aluminum cake pans (12x8x1), soil for all six bread pans, radish seeds, a metric ruler, sticky notes, a permanent marker, scissors, a watering can, a sunny window or outside area for the plants, an object that can prop up the bread pan at least 3 centimeters, a kitchen scale, and an outdoor test area with a flat surface.

Don't forget your lab notebook!

First, fill each of the bread pans with soil, but not all the way to the top. Then, plant radish seeds in three of the bread pans. Finally, label each of the bread pans with a trial number and whether or not the pan has seeds. You will need three bread pans with seeds and three without.

Next, use scissors to make small holes along the bottom of each bread pan to allow excess water to drain out of the pans. Then, place each of the bread pans inside the two cake pans. Based on the measurements, three bread pans should fit in each cake pan. Don't mix and match! Put all of the bread pans with seeds together. Put both cake pans in the sun. Finally, for 7-10 days, water all the bread pans gently once a day. Once the seeds are 8 to 10 centimeters tall, the next phase begins.

Use the kitchen scale to measure the mass of an empty cake pan and write it down. Then, cut two vertical lines down one short end of each cake pan to expose the soil. Next, empty the cake pans, then use your object (could be a book or lunchbox) to prop up the bread pan, so the cut side is facing down into the cake pan. Fill up the watering can to a measured amount (any amount, just keep it the same each time!) and count to five while slowly pouring water over the bread pan.

Lift up the bread pan out of the cake pan, making sure not to spill any soil. You're left with a cake pan full of soil and water. Drain the water and measure the cake pan using your kitchen scale. Write down the mass of the pan with the soil. You can subtract the mass of the empty cake pan from the pan + soil to get the mass of the soil. Then, repeat the experiment using all the other bread pans!

The results should show that the pans with plants reduce the amount of soil lost — or the "erosion" crated in the pan.

Energy transfers

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jess l Sustainability Science (@thoughtfullysustainable)

This project is adapted from Jess of Sustainability Science , who performs small-scale science experiments on her Instagram. In this experiment, students need three clear jars with lids. After filling each jar with one cup of water, measure and record the temperature of each sample with a thermometer. Then, put the lids back on. Put one jar in a sunny area, one in a dark closet, and one in a room with artificial light.

After 4 to 5 hours, remove the jars and measure the individual temperatures. Ask your student to predict which one would change the most, or the least, and why.

The landfill emissions project

This experiment from the blog Honestly Modern will demonstrate to students how food decomposition and greenhouse gases work in a landfill. You will need roughly four "test bottles" (these can be used water bottles!), four balloons, and four different kinds of food scraps. As always, don't forget a lab notebook for recording findings!

First, fill three food containers with food scraps and water, but fill the fourth with only water. Then, cover each of the bottle mouths with a balloon and seal the edges with tape if the balloons aren't covering the whole lid. Observe over the course of a few days to a week as the balloons will inflate with the methane gas caused by the decomposition.

A variation on this experiment could include testing different types of food scraps against one another, to see which decomposes the fastest.

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72 Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand

Because science doesn’t have to be complicated.

Easy science experiments including a "naked" egg and "leakproof" bag

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to get your students excited, it’s a good science experiment! While some experiments require expensive lab equipment or dangerous chemicals, there are plenty of cool projects you can do with regular household items. We’ve rounded up a big collection of easy science experiments that anybody can try, and kids are going to love them!

Easy Chemistry Science Experiments

Easy physics science experiments, easy biology and environmental science experiments, easy engineering experiments and stem challenges.

Skittles form a circle around a plate. The colors are bleeding toward the center of the plate. (easy science experiments)

1. Taste the Rainbow

Teach your students about diffusion while creating a beautiful and tasty rainbow! Tip: Have extra Skittles on hand so your class can eat a few!

Learn more: Skittles Diffusion

2. Crystallize sweet treats

Crystal science experiments teach kids about supersaturated solutions. This one is easy to do at home, and the results are absolutely delicious!

Learn more: Candy Crystals

3. Make a volcano erupt

This classic experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid), which produces carbon dioxide gas, water, and sodium acetate.

Learn more: Best Volcano Experiments

4. Make elephant toothpaste

This fun project uses yeast and a hydrogen peroxide solution to create overflowing “elephant toothpaste.” Tip: Add an extra fun layer by having kids create toothpaste wrappers for plastic bottles.

Girl making an enormous bubble with string and wire

5. Blow the biggest bubbles you can

Add a few simple ingredients to dish soap solution to create the largest bubbles you’ve ever seen! Kids learn about surface tension as they engineer these bubble-blowing wands.

Learn more: Giant Soap Bubbles

Plastic bag full of water with pencils stuck through it

6. Demonstrate the “magic” leakproof bag

All you need is a zip-top plastic bag, sharp pencils, and water to blow your kids’ minds. Once they’re suitably impressed, teach them how the “trick” works by explaining the chemistry of polymers.

Learn more: Leakproof Bag

Several apple slices are shown on a clear plate. There are cards that label what they have been immersed in (including salt water, sugar water, etc.) (easy science experiments)

7. Use apple slices to learn about oxidation

Have students make predictions about what will happen to apple slices when immersed in different liquids, then put those predictions to the test. Have them record their observations.

Learn more: Apple Oxidation

8. Float a marker man

Their eyes will pop out of their heads when you “levitate” a stick figure right off the table! This experiment works due to the insolubility of dry-erase marker ink in water, combined with the lighter density of the ink.

Learn more: Floating Marker Man

Mason jars stacked with their mouths together, with one color of water on the bottom and another color on top

9. Discover density with hot and cold water

There are a lot of easy science experiments you can do with density. This one is extremely simple, involving only hot and cold water and food coloring, but the visuals make it appealing and fun.

Learn more: Layered Water

Clear cylinder layered with various liquids in different colors

10. Layer more liquids

This density demo is a little more complicated, but the effects are spectacular. Slowly layer liquids like honey, dish soap, water, and rubbing alcohol in a glass. Kids will be amazed when the liquids float one on top of the other like magic (except it is really science).

Learn more: Layered Liquids

Giant carbon snake growing out of a tin pan full of sand

11. Grow a carbon sugar snake

Easy science experiments can still have impressive results! This eye-popping chemical reaction demonstration only requires simple supplies like sugar, baking soda, and sand.

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake

12. Mix up some slime

Tell kids you’re going to make slime at home, and watch their eyes light up! There are a variety of ways to make slime, so try a few different recipes to find the one you like best.

Two children are shown (without faces) bouncing balls on a white table

13. Make homemade bouncy balls

These homemade bouncy balls are easy to make since all you need is glue, food coloring, borax powder, cornstarch, and warm water. You’ll want to store them inside a container like a plastic egg because they will flatten out over time.

Learn more: Make Your Own Bouncy Balls

Pink sidewalk chalk stick sitting on a paper towel

14. Create eggshell chalk

Eggshells contain calcium, the same material that makes chalk. Grind them up and mix them with flour, water, and food coloring to make your very own sidewalk chalk.

Learn more: Eggshell Chalk

Science student holding a raw egg without a shell

15. Make naked eggs

This is so cool! Use vinegar to dissolve the calcium carbonate in an eggshell to discover the membrane underneath that holds the egg together. Then, use the “naked” egg for another easy science experiment that demonstrates osmosis .

Learn more: Naked Egg Experiment

16. Turn milk into plastic

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but don’t be afraid to give it a try. Use simple kitchen supplies to create plastic polymers from plain old milk. Sculpt them into cool shapes when you’re done!

Student using a series of test tubes filled with pink liquid

17. Test pH using cabbage

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing pH test strips! Simply boil some red cabbage and use the resulting water to test various substances—acids turn red and bases turn green.

Learn more: Cabbage pH

Pennies in small cups of liquid labeled coca cola, vinegar + salt, apple juice, water, catsup, and vinegar. Text reads Cleaning Coins Science Experiment. Step by step procedure and explanation.

18. Clean some old coins

Use common household items to make old oxidized coins clean and shiny again in this simple chemistry experiment. Ask kids to predict (hypothesize) which will work best, then expand the learning by doing some research to explain the results.

Learn more: Cleaning Coins

Glass bottle with bowl holding three eggs, small glass with matches sitting on a box of matches, and a yellow plastic straw, against a blue background

19. Pull an egg into a bottle

This classic easy science experiment never fails to delight. Use the power of air pressure to suck a hard-boiled egg into a jar, no hands required.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle

20. Blow up a balloon (without blowing)

Chances are good you probably did easy science experiments like this when you were in school. The baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment demonstrates the reactions between acids and bases when you fill a bottle with vinegar and a balloon with baking soda.

21 Assemble a DIY lava lamp

This 1970s trend is back—as an easy science experiment! This activity combines acid-base reactions with density for a totally groovy result.

Four colored cups containing different liquids, with an egg in each

22. Explore how sugary drinks affect teeth

The calcium content of eggshells makes them a great stand-in for teeth. Use eggs to explore how soda and juice can stain teeth and wear down the enamel. Expand your learning by trying different toothpaste-and-toothbrush combinations to see how effective they are.

Learn more: Sugar and Teeth Experiment

23. Mummify a hot dog

If your kids are fascinated by the Egyptians, they’ll love learning to mummify a hot dog! No need for canopic jars , just grab some baking soda and get started.

24. Extinguish flames with carbon dioxide

This is a fiery twist on acid-base experiments. Light a candle and talk about what fire needs in order to survive. Then, create an acid-base reaction and “pour” the carbon dioxide to extinguish the flame. The CO2 gas acts like a liquid, suffocating the fire.

I Love You written in lemon juice on a piece of white paper, with lemon half and cotton swabs

25. Send secret messages with invisible ink

Turn your kids into secret agents! Write messages with a paintbrush dipped in lemon juice, then hold the paper over a heat source and watch the invisible become visible as oxidation goes to work.

Learn more: Invisible Ink

26. Create dancing popcorn

This is a fun version of the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment, perfect for the younger crowd. The bubbly mixture causes popcorn to dance around in the water.

Students looking surprised as foamy liquid shoots up out of diet soda bottles

27. Shoot a soda geyser sky-high

You’ve always wondered if this really works, so it’s time to find out for yourself! Kids will marvel at the chemical reaction that sends diet soda shooting high in the air when Mentos are added.

Learn more: Soda Explosion

28. Send a teabag flying

Hot air rises, and this experiment can prove it! You’ll want to supervise kids with fire, of course. For more safety, try this one outside.

Learn more: Flying Tea Bags

Magic Milk Experiment How to Plus Free Worksheet

29. Create magic milk

This fun and easy science experiment demonstrates principles related to surface tension, molecular interactions, and fluid dynamics.

Learn more: Magic Milk Experiment

Two side-by-side shots of an upside-down glass over a candle in a bowl of water, with water pulled up into the glass in the second picture

30. Watch the water rise

Learn about Charles’s Law with this simple experiment. As the candle burns, using up oxygen and heating the air in the glass, the water rises as if by magic.

Learn more: Rising Water

Glasses filled with colored water, with paper towels running from one to the next

31. Learn about capillary action

Kids will be amazed as they watch the colored water move from glass to glass, and you’ll love the easy and inexpensive setup. Gather some water, paper towels, and food coloring to teach the scientific magic of capillary action.

Learn more: Capillary Action

A pink balloon has a face drawn on it. It is hovering over a plate with salt and pepper on it

32. Give a balloon a beard

Equally educational and fun, this experiment will teach kids about static electricity using everyday materials. Kids will undoubtedly get a kick out of creating beards on their balloon person!

Learn more: Static Electricity

DIY compass made from a needle floating in water

33. Find your way with a DIY compass

Here’s an old classic that never fails to impress. Magnetize a needle, float it on the water’s surface, and it will always point north.

Learn more: DIY Compass

34. Crush a can using air pressure

Sure, it’s easy to crush a soda can with your bare hands, but what if you could do it without touching it at all? That’s the power of air pressure!

A large piece of cardboard has a white circle in the center with a pencil standing upright in the middle of the circle. Rocks are on all four corners holding it down.

35. Tell time using the sun

While people use clocks or even phones to tell time today, there was a time when a sundial was the best means to do that. Kids will certainly get a kick out of creating their own sundials using everyday materials like cardboard and pencils.

Learn more: Make Your Own Sundial

36. Launch a balloon rocket

Grab balloons, string, straws, and tape, and launch rockets to learn about the laws of motion.

Steel wool sitting in an aluminum tray. The steel wool appears to be on fire.

37. Make sparks with steel wool

All you need is steel wool and a 9-volt battery to perform this science demo that’s bound to make their eyes light up! Kids learn about chain reactions, chemical changes, and more.

Learn more: Steel Wool Electricity

38. Levitate a Ping-Pong ball

Kids will get a kick out of this experiment, which is really all about Bernoulli’s principle. You only need plastic bottles, bendy straws, and Ping-Pong balls to make the science magic happen.

Colored water in a vortex in a plastic bottle

39. Whip up a tornado in a bottle

There are plenty of versions of this classic experiment out there, but we love this one because it sparkles! Kids learn about a vortex and what it takes to create one.

Learn more: Tornado in a Bottle

Homemade barometer using a tin can, rubber band, and ruler

40. Monitor air pressure with a DIY barometer

This simple but effective DIY science project teaches kids about air pressure and meteorology. They’ll have fun tracking and predicting the weather with their very own barometer.

Learn more: DIY Barometer

A child holds up a pice of ice to their eye as if it is a magnifying glass. (easy science experiments)

41. Peer through an ice magnifying glass

Students will certainly get a thrill out of seeing how an everyday object like a piece of ice can be used as a magnifying glass. Be sure to use purified or distilled water since tap water will have impurities in it that will cause distortion.

Learn more: Ice Magnifying Glass

42. String up some sticky ice

Can you lift an ice cube using just a piece of string? This quick experiment teaches you how. Use a little salt to melt the ice and then refreeze the ice with the string attached.

Learn more: Sticky Ice

Drawing of a hand with the thumb up and a glass of water

43. “Flip” a drawing with water

Light refraction causes some really cool effects, and there are multiple easy science experiments you can do with it. This one uses refraction to “flip” a drawing; you can also try the famous “disappearing penny” trick .

Learn more: Light Refraction With Water

44. Color some flowers

We love how simple this project is to re-create since all you’ll need are some white carnations, food coloring, glasses, and water. The end result is just so beautiful!

Square dish filled with water and glitter, showing how a drop of dish soap repels the glitter

45. Use glitter to fight germs

Everyone knows that glitter is just like germs—it gets everywhere and is so hard to get rid of! Use that to your advantage and show kids how soap fights glitter and germs.

Learn more: Glitter Germs

Plastic bag with clouds and sun drawn on it, with a small amount of blue liquid at the bottom

46. Re-create the water cycle in a bag

You can do so many easy science experiments with a simple zip-top bag. Fill one partway with water and set it on a sunny windowsill to see how the water evaporates up and eventually “rains” down.

Learn more: Water Cycle

Plastic zipper bag tied around leaves on a tree

47. Learn about plant transpiration

Your backyard is a terrific place for easy science experiments. Grab a plastic bag and rubber band to learn how plants get rid of excess water they don’t need, a process known as transpiration.

Learn more: Plant Transpiration

Students sit around a table that has a tin pan filled with blue liquid wiht a feather floating in it (easy science experiments)

48. Clean up an oil spill

Before conducting this experiment, teach your students about engineers who solve environmental problems like oil spills. Then, have your students use provided materials to clean the oil spill from their oceans.

Learn more: Oil Spill

Sixth grade student holding model lungs and diaphragm made from a plastic bottle, duct tape, and balloons

49. Construct a pair of model lungs

Kids get a better understanding of the respiratory system when they build model lungs using a plastic water bottle and some balloons. You can modify the experiment to demonstrate the effects of smoking too.

Learn more: Model Lungs

Child pouring vinegar over a large rock in a bowl

50. Experiment with limestone rocks

Kids love to collect rocks, and there are plenty of easy science experiments you can do with them. In this one, pour vinegar over a rock to see if it bubbles. If it does, you’ve found limestone!

Learn more: Limestone Experiments

Plastic bottle converted to a homemade rain gauge

51. Turn a bottle into a rain gauge

All you need is a plastic bottle, a ruler, and a permanent marker to make your own rain gauge. Monitor your measurements and see how they stack up against meteorology reports in your area.

Learn more: DIY Rain Gauge

Pile of different colored towels pushed together to create folds like mountains

52. Build up towel mountains

This clever demonstration helps kids understand how some landforms are created. Use layers of towels to represent rock layers and boxes for continents. Then pu-u-u-sh and see what happens!

Learn more: Towel Mountains

Layers of differently colored playdough with straw holes punched throughout all the layers

53. Take a play dough core sample

Learn about the layers of the earth by building them out of Play-Doh, then take a core sample with a straw. ( Love Play-Doh? Get more learning ideas here. )

Learn more: Play Dough Core Sampling

Science student poking holes in the bottom of a paper cup in the shape of a constellation

54. Project the stars on your ceiling

Use the video lesson in the link below to learn why stars are only visible at night. Then create a DIY star projector to explore the concept hands-on.

Learn more: DIY Star Projector

Glass jar of water with shaving cream floating on top, with blue food coloring dripping through, next to a can of shaving cream

55. Make it rain

Use shaving cream and food coloring to simulate clouds and rain. This is an easy science experiment little ones will beg to do over and over.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Rain

56. Blow up your fingerprint

This is such a cool (and easy!) way to look at fingerprint patterns. Inflate a balloon a bit, use some ink to put a fingerprint on it, then blow it up big to see your fingerprint in detail.

Edible DNA model made with Twizzlers, gumdrops, and toothpicks

57. Snack on a DNA model

Twizzlers, gumdrops, and a few toothpicks are all you need to make this super-fun (and yummy!) DNA model.

Learn more: Edible DNA Model

58. Dissect a flower

Take a nature walk and find a flower or two. Then bring them home and take them apart to discover all the different parts of flowers.

DIY smartphone amplifier made from paper cups

59. Craft smartphone speakers

No Bluetooth speaker? No problem! Put together your own from paper cups and toilet paper tubes.

Learn more: Smartphone Speakers

Car made from cardboard with bottlecap wheels and powered by a blue balloon

60. Race a balloon-powered car

Kids will be amazed when they learn they can put together this awesome racer using cardboard and bottle-cap wheels. The balloon-powered “engine” is so much fun too.

Learn more: Balloon-Powered Car

Miniature Ferris Wheel built out of colorful wood craft sticks

61. Build a Ferris wheel

You’ve probably ridden on a Ferris wheel, but can you build one? Stock up on wood craft sticks and find out! Play around with different designs to see which one works best.

Learn more: Craft Stick Ferris Wheel

62. Design a phone stand

There are lots of ways to craft a DIY phone stand, which makes this a perfect creative-thinking STEM challenge.

63. Conduct an egg drop

Put all their engineering skills to the test with an egg drop! Challenge kids to build a container from stuff they find around the house that will protect an egg from a long fall (this is especially fun to do from upper-story windows).

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge Ideas

Student building a roller coaster of drinking straws for a ping pong ball (Fourth Grade Science)

64. Engineer a drinking-straw roller coaster

STEM challenges are always a hit with kids. We love this one, which only requires basic supplies like drinking straws.

Learn more: Straw Roller Coaster

65. Build a solar oven

Explore the power of the sun when you build your own solar ovens and use them to cook some yummy treats. This experiment takes a little more time and effort, but the results are always impressive. The link below has complete instructions.

Learn more: Solar Oven

Mini Da Vinci bridge made of pencils and rubber bands

66. Build a Da Vinci bridge

There are plenty of bridge-building experiments out there, but this one is unique. It’s inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old self-supporting wooden bridge. Learn how to build it at the link, and expand your learning by exploring more about Da Vinci himself.

Learn more: Da Vinci Bridge

67. Step through an index card

This is one easy science experiment that never fails to astonish. With carefully placed scissor cuts on an index card, you can make a loop large enough to fit a (small) human body through! Kids will be wowed as they learn about surface area.

Student standing on top of a structure built from cardboard sheets and paper cups

68. Stand on a pile of paper cups

Combine physics and engineering and challenge kids to create a paper cup structure that can support their weight. This is a cool project for aspiring architects.

Learn more: Paper Cup Stack

Child standing on a stepladder dropping a toy attached to a paper parachute

69. Test out parachutes

Gather a variety of materials (try tissues, handkerchiefs, plastic bags, etc.) and see which ones make the best parachutes. You can also find out how they’re affected by windy days or find out which ones work in the rain.

Learn more: Parachute Drop

Students balancing a textbook on top of a pyramid of rolled up newspaper

70. Recycle newspapers into an engineering challenge

It’s amazing how a stack of newspapers can spark such creative engineering. Challenge kids to build a tower, support a book, or even build a chair using only newspaper and tape!

Learn more: Newspaper STEM Challenge

Plastic cup with rubber bands stretched across the opening

71. Use rubber bands to sound out acoustics

Explore the ways that sound waves are affected by what’s around them using a simple rubber band “guitar.” (Kids absolutely love playing with these!)

Learn more: Rubber Band Guitar

Science student pouring water over a cupcake wrapper propped on wood craft sticks

72. Assemble a better umbrella

Challenge students to engineer the best possible umbrella from various household supplies. Encourage them to plan, draw blueprints, and test their creations using the scientific method.

Learn more: Umbrella STEM Challenge

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Science doesn't have to be complicated! Try these easy science experiments using items you already have around the house or classroom.

16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs

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Meet students who spent their summer pursuing sustainability research

Through programs offered by the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, undergraduate students from Stanford and institutions across the U.S. worked on projects that tackled pressing environmental challenges and advanced fundamental knowledge about our planet. Here’s an inside look at their experiences.

A large group of students smiling outside a Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability building

This year, more than 70 undergraduate students engaged in summer research to develop new skills and deepen their understanding of Earth, climate, and society. Through five programs part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability , undergraduates explored sustainability-related issues in disciplines ranging from energy and civil engineering to oceans and social sciences.

The five programs include Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR), organized by the Woods Institute for the Environment ; Summer Undergraduate Program on Energy Research (SUPER), organized by the Precourt Institute for Energy ; Sustainability, Engineering and Science - Undergraduate Research (SESUR); Hopkins Internships - Summer Undergraduate Research Funds (HI-SURF); and Sustainability Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering Program (SURGE).

The SURGE program is funded by the National Science Foundation and welcomes students from other U.S. institutions, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds doing research for the first time. The other programs receive funding from the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE).

Across all the programs, undergraduates contributed directly to research projects under the guidance of Stanford scholars. They also participated in shared group activities such as research seminars and graduate school workshops.

The large cohort allowed participants to learn from each other in addition to a variety of mentors. Building this community of support, in contrast with the sometimes isolating nature of individual research, was one of the main goals of bringing the five programs together last year.

Whether pursuing a scientific interest, trying out new tools, or discerning a potential career path, students used this summer to grow both academically and personally. Many hope to expand on the work they started, while others are moving forward with newfound clarity on their discipline. As they wrapped up their projects, three undergraduates shared insights about their research, personal growth, and how they made the most of the experience.

Evelyn Pung, ’27, SESUR participant

For Evelyn Pung, the motivation to research the link between environmental quality and human health was a personal one.

She grew up 10 minutes away from the ocean in Long Beach, California, but she rarely took trips to the beach. “The pollution at our beaches had gotten so bad, my parents didn’t want me to go, out of health concerns,” she said.

This summer through the SESUR program, Pung got involved in a project in the lab of civil and environmental engineering Professor Nick Ouellette . With her mentor, PhD student Sophie Bodek , she studied the movement of tiny plastic particles in bodies of water. Understanding how these pollutants travel through water in different environments can inform efforts to limit their spread.

Pung said that the freedom to actively control the experiment, combined with supportive mentorship from Bodek, made the research especially fulfilling.

“This whole experience has been a gratifying learning opportunity,” she said.

Trent La Sage, ’25, SURGE participant

Trent La Sage, an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, conducted research that brings together physics, Earth science, and materials science.

His project tackled a common problem in materials science: Insights about certain materials are not easily accessible to researchers. While findings about materials at ambient conditions can be uploaded to a public database for other scientists to reference, no such platform exists for materials at extreme conditions.

To address this, La Sage and other scholars worked on a program that uses computer vision and large language models like Chat GPT to pull data from published research papers, which can then be applied to work on future computational models.

The opportunity to collaborate on a large team was a highlight for La Sage, who appreciated the variety of viewpoints. He brought his own distinct perspectives to the group – both in discipline, as the only physics and astrophysics major, and in experience, having started his undergraduate education after several years in the workforce.

“It was very helpful to have people from other backgrounds. And we’ve been able to get a lot of things done that I wouldn’t have been able to get done myself,” he said.

Juan Martín Cevallos López, ’26, HI-SURF participant

After recurring moments of awe and discovery in his oceans-related classes at Stanford, Juan Martín Cevallos López, who prefers to be referenced by his first and middle name, discovered a passion for ocean science. He knew he wanted to get involved in research at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove and applied to the HI-SURF program.

Juan Martín contributed to three different projects – studying the impacts of ocean acidification on a particular species of seaweed, the development of bat star larvae in various temperatures, and the role of crustose coralline, a key component of coral reefs, in temperate environments such as Monterey Bay.

Throughout his research, Juan Martín was thrilled to be able to combine his knowledge of oceanography with other scholars’ expertise in marine biology and ecology, and he is eager to continue studying the ocean.

“I’m excited to see where it takes me, because it can literally take you anywhere,” he said.

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Spotlight: Christine Baker

"I remember daycare trips to coastal parks, and for most of my childhood I fell asleep at night to a sound machine playing the sound of breaking waves. My parents are geologists who really enjoy nature, so we spent a lot of time outdoors. Most families have family portraits hanging on the walls, but we had vials of sand samples clustered along ours."

Engineering

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Scientists seek to invent a safe, reliable, and cheap battery for electricity grids

Stanford, SLAC, and 13 other research institutions, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, seek to overcome the major limitations of a battery using water as the primary component of its electrolyte.

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Researchers discover a surprising way to jump-start battery performance

Charging lithium-ion batteries at high currents just before they leave the factory is 30 times faster and increases battery lifespans by 50%, according to a study at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center.

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Electrical circuit can be created with lemons to power a small light source. A chemical reaction between the copper and zinc plates and the citric acid produces a small current, thus powering a light bulb. Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images hide caption

We're going "Back to School" today, revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries — powerful enough to turn on a clock or a small lightbulb. But how does the science driving the "lemon battery" show up in those household batteries we use daily?

We get into just that today with environmental engineer Jenelle Fortunato about the fundamentals of electric currents and the inner workings of batteries.

You can build your very own lemon battery using Science U's design here , written by Fortunato and Christopher Gorski of Penn State College of Engineering.

A reminder: Do NOT play with household batteries. Be safe out there, scientists!

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Open access
Published: 02 September 2024

The carbon emission reduction effect of green fiscal policy: a quasi-natural experiment

Shuguang Wang 1 ,
Zequn Zhang 1 ,
Zhicheng Zhou 2 &
Shen Zhong 2

Scientific Reports volume 14 , Article number: 20317 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Carbon emission reduction is crucial for mitigating global climate change, and green fiscal policies, through providing economic incentives and reallocating resources, are key means to achieve carbon reduction targets. This paper uses data covering 248 cities from 2003 to 2019 and applies a multi-period difference-in-differences model (DID) to thoroughly assess the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction ( ECER ) fiscal policies on enhancing carbon emission ( CE 1 ) reduction and carbon efficiency ( CE 2 ). It further analyzes the mediating role of Green Innovation ( GI ), exploring how it strengthens the impact of ECER policies. We find that: (1) ECER policies significantly promote the improvement of carbon reduction and CE 2 , a conclusion that remains robust after excluding the impacts of concurrent policy influences, sample selection biases, outliers, and other random factors. (2) ECER policies enhance CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in pilot cities by promoting green innovation, and this conclusion is confirmed by Sobel Z tests. (3) The effects of ECER policies on CE 1 reduction and the improvement of CE 2 are more pronounced in higher-level cities, the eastern regions and non-resource cities. This research provides policy makers with suggestions, highlighting that incentivizing green innovation through green fiscal policies is an effective path to achieving carbon reduction goals.

Green taxation, regional green development and innovation: Mechanisms of influence and policy optimization

The impact of China’s energy saving and emission reduction demonstration city policy on urban green technology innovation

Can place-based policy reduce carbon emissions? Evidence from industrial transformation and upgrading exemplary zone in China

Introduction.

Efforts to mitigate global climate change through the reduction of CE 1 have emerged as a shared objective among nations globally 1 . From the initiation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to the enactment of the Kyoto Protocol and the adoption of the Paris Agreement, these pacts reflect the unified resolve of nations to tackle global climate change 2 , 3 . With the acceleration of global industrialization and the continuous increase in energy demand, there has been a significant rise in the emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, posing an unprecedented challenge to the Earth’s climate system 4 . These issues encompass the escalation of average global temperatures, a surge in severe weather occurrences, accelerated glacier melt, and a persistent increase in sea levels 5 , 6 , 7 , which threaten the balance of natural ecosystems and have profound impacts on the economic development and well-being of human societies. Therefore, adopting effective carbon reduction strategies to slow these climate change trends has become an urgent task faced globally.

In the current field of CE 1 reduction research, the focus is mainly on implementing policies such as carbon emission trading 8 , smart city pilot policies 9 , and low-carbon city pilot policies 10 . Among these policies, green fiscal policy, as a core strategy to mitigate the impact of climate change, is increasingly recognized by the academic community and policymakers for its importance in promoting CE 1 reduction 11 , 12 . This policy directly impacts CE 1 in economic activities through adjustments in the tax system, provision of fiscal subsidies, and increased investments in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies 13 . Green fiscal policies differ from traditional environmental protection measures by employing a mechanism that combines incentives and constraints, aiming to encourage enterprises to adopt emission reduction measures. In the implementation process of green fiscal policies, governments encourage enterprises to reduce CE 1 by adjusting tax policies 14 . Specifically, the ECER policy impacts the carbon emissions of demonstration cities through a combination of financial incentives and target constraints. The demonstration period lasts for three years, during which the central government provides reward funds for demonstration projects. The amount of these rewards is determined by the category of the city: 600 million RMB annually for municipalities and city clusters, 500 million RMB annually for sub-provincial cities and provincial capitals, and 400 million RMB annually for other cities. Local governments have the discretion to decide how to utilize these funds, while the central government is responsible solely for project record management. Additionally, the central government conducts annual and overall target assessments of the demonstration cities. The results of the annual assessment influence the reward funds for the following year: cities that perform excellently will receive an additional 20% of reward funds, while those that fail to meet the standards will have 20% of their funds withdrawn. The overall assessment results are linked to the demonstration qualification and reward funds; cities that fail to meet the overall targets or have serious issues will lose their demonstration status and have all reward funds withdrawn. This financial incentive mechanism ensures that local governments have sufficient financial support when implementing green technologies and projects, promoting increased energy efficiency and the widespread adoption of clean energy. Simultaneously, through the target constraint mechanism, the central government strictly supervises and incentivizes local governments’ efforts to reduce emissions, ensuring effective policy implementation. Under the dual pressure of financial incentives and performance assessments, local governments actively adopt various measures to promote energy conservation and emission reduction, including investing in green infrastructure, promoting energy-saving technologies, and optimizing energy structures, thereby achieving significant reductions in carbon emissions.

Furthermore, innovation and technological breakthroughs significantly enhance the effectiveness of green fiscal policies in reducing carbon emissions. Specifically, technological advancements improve energy efficiency, reducing the energy consumption per unit of output; they lower the production costs of clean energy, promoting its widespread adoption; and they advance carbon capture and storage technologies, directly reducing industrial carbon dioxide emissions. These technological improvements bolster the impact of green fiscal policies, making them more effective in achieving carbon reduction targets. However, the implementation of green fiscal policies also faces some challenges. Firstly, balancing the relationship between economic development and environmental protection to avoid potential negative impacts such as job losses and industrial relocation during policy execution is an issue that policymakers need to consider. Secondly, the effective implementation of green fiscal policies requires strong policy support and regulatory mechanisms to ensure that policy measures are effectively executed and can adapt to constantly changing economic and environmental conditions. Therefore, evaluating the carbon reduction effect of such policies is of significant importance for achieving long-term environmental sustainability and promoting the green economic transformation.

This paper analyzes the impact of green fiscal policies on carbon emissions and carbon efficiency. Relevant research mainly focuses on the following two areas: studies on the factors influencing carbon emissions, and research related to environmental regulations and energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies.

Firstly, a substantial body of literature focuses on the factors influencing carbon emissions, with some studies specifically examining the impact of government intervention and environmental regulation on CO2 emissions. These studies are closely related to the theme of this paper. From an economic perspective, numerous studies have demonstrated that economic growth significantly impacts carbon emissions 15 , 16 , 17 . Generally, increased economic activity is associated with higher energy consumption, leading to higher carbon emissions. However, as economies reach a certain level of development, the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) phenomenon may occur, where carbon emissions begin to decrease after reaching a certain economic threshold 18 , 19 . Research has also confirmed that economic growth increases the ecological footprint, leading to environmental degradation 20 . For example, economic growth, income inequality, and energy poverty have increased environmental pressure in BRICS countries 21 . In Pakistan, institutional quality has led to higher CO 2 emissions, but economic development can help reduce these emissions 22 . From a social perspective, the acceleration of urbanization is typically accompanied by increased energy consumption, thereby raising carbon emissions. There is a long-term and short-term U-shaped relationship between urbanization and the environment 23 . Upgrading existing infrastructure can enable various sectors to produce minimal waste that impacts emissions 24 . Changes in consumption levels and population structure also significantly affect carbon emissions 25 . From a policy perspective, government-enacted environmental regulations and policies, such as carbon taxes, carbon trading markets, emission standards, and renewable energy subsidies, play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions. Innovations and environmental policies contribute to emission reductions both in the long and short term. Additionally, carbon pricing can reduce emissions in specific regions, although its impact is often more targeted at specific countries 26 . Carbon taxes and mitigation technologies are helping to achieve sustainable development goals for carbon mitigation 27 . Green energy investments are significantly associated with greenhouse gas emissions and support environmental quality 28 . However, these studies often overlook the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies on carbon emissions.

Secondly, there is a body of literature focusing on environmental regulation, which can be divided into two main areas: the impact of environmental regulation on the environment and its impact on the economy. On the one hand, extensive research has explored the environmental impact of regulation. Studies generally agree that stringent environmental regulations help reduce pollutant emissions and improve environmental quality. Environmental regulations significantly enhance the synergy between carbon reduction and air pollution control 29 . Target-based pollutant reduction policies effectively constrain the sulfur dioxide emissions of regulated enterprises, lowering their sulfur dioxide emission intensity, thereby demonstrating that stringent environmental regulations facilitate green transitions for businesses 30 . However, in some developing countries or regions with weak enforcement, the effectiveness of environmental regulations may be compromised. Despite strict regulatory policies being in place, inadequate enforcement or a lack of regulatory capacity may result in actual pollutant reduction falling short of expectations. On the other hand, part of the literature examines the economic impact of environmental regulation. Some studies suggest that environmental regulation can drive technological innovation and industrial upgrading, thereby promoting economic growth 31 . Strict environmental standards force companies to improve production processes and develop new environmental technologies, which can create new economic opportunities and growth points 32 . Environmental regulations significantly enhance green technological innovation 33 , and they have notably promoted green innovation across European countries 34 . Conversely, environmental regulations may increase operational costs for businesses, particularly in the short term due to compliance costs, which could inhibit economic growth. This is especially true for regions or countries that rely heavily on high-pollution, high-energy-consumption industries, where environmental regulation might lead to a slowdown in economic growth. Given that energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies are a form of environmental regulation, it is necessary to evaluate their effectiveness.

Thirdly, some literature evaluates the governance effectiveness of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies. From an environmental perspective, these policies can reduce pollutants and enhance efficiency. On average, such policies have reduced industrial SO2 (sulfur dioxide) emissions by 23.8% and industrial wastewater discharge by 17.5% 35 . Additionally, energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies can effectively improve green total factor carbon efficiency 36 . From an economic perspective, these policies can promote investment and economic growth 37 . They have significantly improved green credit for enterprises and can facilitate sustainable urban development 38 .

In summary, there are two significant gaps in the existing literature. Firstly, although numerous studies have extensively explored the factors influencing carbon emissions from economic, social, and policy perspectives, relatively few have examined the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions. Specifically, most of the existing literature focuses on the impact of macroeconomic policies, industrial structure adjustments, and technological innovation on carbon emissions. However, there is a lack of systematic empirical analysis on how specific fiscal incentives directly affect carbon emissions, limiting our comprehensive understanding of the actual effects of fiscal policies on emission reduction. Secondly, most of the existing studies investigate carbon dioxide emissions from a single perspective, such as focusing on total carbon emissions, carbon intensity, or carbon efficiency. These studies lack a multi-faceted exploration of the relationship between a single policy and carbon emissions. Typically, research adopts a specific metric to measure policy effects, but this approach overlooks how different metrics might reveal various aspects of policy impact. Consequently, these studies fail to capture the multi-dimensional effects of policies on reducing carbon emissions comprehensively. This single-perspective research methodology cannot adequately reflect the multiple impacts of policies on carbon emissions across different scenarios and time periods. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of the ECER policy, jointly introduced by the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission in 2011, on CE1 and CE2. Given that the ECER policy was implemented in three batches of pilot cities, this study employs a multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) model for analysis. The advantage of this model lies in its ability to compare the effects of the policy before and after its implementation across multiple time points, thereby capturing the dynamic impacts of the policy. Furthermore, this article explores the mediating role of green innovation in the impact process of the ECER policy, revealing the policy’s varying effects on CE 1 and CE2 across different regions through heterogeneity analysis.The marginal contributions of this article: Firstly, this paper evaluates the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions, addressing a significant gap in the existing research. Although numerous studies have explored various factors influencing carbon emissions from different perspectives, there is a lack of systematic research on the actual effects of specific fiscal policies on energy conservation and emission reduction, particularly their direct impact on carbon emissions. Through empirical analysis and data validation, this study thoroughly investigates the specific mechanisms and effects of ECER policies on carbon emissions in practice, thus filling this research gap. Secondly, this paper systematically assesses the relationship between ECER policies and carbon emissions from two key perspectives: total carbon emissions and carbon efficiency. By considering these two important indicators, this study not only examines the impact of ECER fiscal policies on overall carbon emissions but also analyzes their role in improving carbon efficiency. Through an in-depth analysis of these two metrics, this paper provides a more comprehensive and multi-dimensional view, systematically evaluating the effectiveness and mechanisms of ECER policies.

The remainder of the article is organized as follows: the second part discusses the policy background and theoretical analysis; the third part details the model settings and variable explanations; the fourth part presents the empirical analysis; the fifth part analyzes regional heterogeneity; and the last part concludes with conclusions and policy recommendations.

Policy background and theoretical analysis

Policy background.

In 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Notice on Conducting Comprehensive Demonstration Work of Fiscal Policies for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction,” deciding to carry out comprehensive demonstrations of fiscal policies for ECER in some cities during the “Twelfth Five-Year” period. Beijing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Changsha, Guiyang, Jilin, and Xinyu were selected as the first batch of demonstration cities. In the subsequent years of 2013 and 2014, 10 and 12 cities were respectively chosen as pilot cities for the fiscal policies on ECER . Specifically, this policy uses cities as platforms and integrates fiscal policies as a means to comprehensively carry out urban ECER demonstrations in various aspects, including industrial decarbonization, transportation clean-up, building greening, service intensification, major pollutant reduction, and large-scale utilization of renewable energy. Its main goal in terms of CE 1 reduction is to establish a concept of green, circular, and low-carbon development in the demonstration cities, achieve widespread promotion of low-carbon technologies in industries, construction, transportation, and other fields, lead the pilot cities in ECER efforts across society, and significantly enhance their capacity for sustainable development. Figure 1 presents the spatial distribution of ECER policy pilot cities in the years 2011, 2013, and 2014 (This figure was created using ArcMap software).

Distribution of ECER Policy Pilot Areas (Plan Approval Number GS(2019)1822).

Theoretical analysis

Carbon emission reduction effect of green fiscal policy.

Green fiscal policy, as a significant environmental governance tool, promotes the transformation of the economic and social system towards low-carbon, sustainable development through fiscal measures 39 . Its CE 1 reduction effects can be described from the following aspects. Firstly, green fiscal policy encourages the research and application of green technologies through economic incentives (such as tax reductions and fiscal subsidies) 40 . These technologies include energy efficiency improvement technologies, clean energy technologies, and carbon capture and storage technologies, which directly reduce energy consumption and CE 1 in economic activities. Secondly, green fiscal policy influences the behavior of consumers and producers by affecting the price mechanism. The imposition of a carbon tax raises the cost of CE 1 , reflecting the external cost of CE 1 on the environment, encouraging enterprises to take emission reduction measures, and prompting consumers to prefer low-carbon products and services 41 . The change in price signals promotes the transformation of the entire society’s energy consumption structure towards more efficient and low-carbon directions. Furthermore, green fiscal policy can support CE 1 reduction-related infrastructure construction and public service improvements through the guidance and redistribution of funds. This includes the construction and optimization of public transportation systems, urban greening, and forest conservation projects, which not only directly or indirectly reduce CE 1 but also enhance the carbon absorption capacity of cities and regions. Lastly, green fiscal policies, by raising public environmental awareness and participation, create a conducive atmosphere for all sectors of society to join in carbon reduction efforts 42 . Governments can increase public awareness of climate change and inspire a low-carbon lifestyle through the promotion and education of fiscal policies, providing broader social support for carbon reduction 43 .

Green fiscal policies not only drive a reduction in CE 1 but also stimulate sustainable economic growth. By taxing high-carbon activities, offering financial subsidies and incentives for green projects, these policies channel capital towards low-carbon and green industries. This not only mitigates negative environmental impacts but also fosters the development of emerging green technologies and sectors. As the green industry expands and low-carbon technologies become more widespread, economic growth increasingly relies on clean and efficient energy use 44 , thereby enhancing the CE 2 . Thus, the implementation of green fiscal policies demonstrates a commitment to transitioning towards a low-carbon economy, playing a crucial role in the global response to climate change, achieving a win–win for environmental protection and economic growth.

Based on this, the article proposes hypothesis 1: Green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and enhance CE 2 .

Mechanism analysis

Green innovation is a key factor in driving sustainable development, particularly playing a significant role in CE 1 reduction and efficiency enhancement. By introducing and adopting new environmentally friendly technologies and processes, green innovation not only significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions but also enhances the efficiency of energy use and resource management, thus promoting a harmonious coexistence between economic activity and environmental protection. Green innovation, through the development and adoption of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and biomass energy, directly reduces reliance on fossil fuels and the corresponding CE 1 . The application of these technologies not only reduces the carbon footprint but also promotes the diversification of energy supply and enhances energy security 45 . Green innovation also plays an essential role in improving energy efficiency. By adopting more efficient production processes and energy-using equipment, businesses and households can accomplish the same tasks or meet the same living needs with lower energy consumption, thus reducing CE 1 46 . Additionally, green innovation encompasses the concepts and practices of the circular economy, which encourages the reuse, recycling, and recovery of materials, reducing the extraction and processing of new materials and further lowering CE1s in the production process 47 . Green innovation includes the development of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, which can directly capture carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and either convert it into useful products or safely store it, thereby reducing the carbon content in the atmosphere 48 . On the policy and management level, green innovation also involves establishing and refining mechanisms such as carbon pricing, green taxes, and carbon trading, which promote the adoption of low-carbon and environmentally friendly technologies and behaviors among businesses and individuals through economic incentives 49 . Based on this, the article proposes hypothesis H2: Green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and CE 2 by fostering green innovation.

In conclusion, the theoretical framework, as shown in Fig. 2 .

Theoretical framework.

Model setting and variable description

To address the limitations faced by traditional regression models in evaluating policy implementation effects, this study utilizes DID model for analysis. Given the variation in the policy implementation years in this paper, the traditional DID model cannot be used 50 . Accordingly, this paper draws on the approach of Beck et al. 51 , employing a DID with multiple time periods to assess the policy effects, with the model set up as follows:

Y in the model is the explained variable, indicating CE 1 and CE 2 of the city i in the annual t . Treated i is the group variable, where it takes the value 1 if city i belongs to the treatment group, and 0 if it belongs to the control group; Post it is the post-treatment period dummy variable, where it takes the value 1 for city i in year t if ECER policy has been officially implemented, and 0 if it has not been officially implemented. This study investigates the impact of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies on urban CE 1 and CE 2 by examining the effect of the interaction term Treated × Post it on the dependent variable. The coefficient β 1 measures the impact of the policy on the dependent variable. Controls in this study represent control variables, specifically urbanization rate ( lnur ), foreign direct investment level ( lnfdi ), industrial structure ( lnis ), level of scientific and technological expenditure ( lnsst ), and fiscal revenue and expenditure level ( lnfre ), among others. \(\nu\) , \(\tau\) and \(\varepsilon\) represent city fixed effects, time fixed effects, and random error terms, respectively.

Considering the three-year implementation period of green fiscal policies, it is necessary to establish an exit mechanism for the treatment group. Drawing on existing literature 12 , this paper constructs the following treatment groups: the first batch of pilot cities from 2011 to 2014 is set to 1; the second batch of pilot cities from 2013 to 2016 is set to 1; the third batch of pilot cities from 2014 to 2017 is set to 1, with other years set to 0. The pilot cities are shown in Fig. 3 .

ECER policy implementation period.

Variables and data sources

Explained variables.

Carbon Emissions: Drawing from existing literature, this article utilizes current CE 1 data to calculate CE 1 52 , 53 . It follows the guidelines on greenhouse gas emission allocations by the IPCC , taking into account the emissions of carbon dioxide within the administrative boundaries of each city. Territorial emissions refer to emissions occurring within the managed territory and maritime areas under the jurisdiction of a region 54 , including emissions from socio-economic sectors and direct residential activities within regional boundaries 55 .

Carbon Efficiency: Following existing literature, this paper measures CE 2 using the ratio of CE 1 to GDP 56 .

In examining the correlation between CE 1 and economic efficiency, Fig. 4 a provides an overview of the evolution of CE 1 from 2003 to 2019, while Fig. 4 b offers a detailed portrayal of the progress in CE 2 over the same period. Figure 4 a reveals a steady increase in total CE 1 beginning in 2002, with a notable acceleration post-2009, peaking in 2017. Despite some fluctuations and a slight dip in 2018, the figures for 2019 remained just below the peak, overall indicating an upward trajectory. In contrast, Fig. 4 b demonstrates a year-on-year improvement in CE 2 , measured in tens of thousands of yuan output per ton of carbon emitted, starting in 2003. The pace of growth accelerated significantly after 2011, reaching its zenith in 2019. This signifies a substantial rise in the economic output efficiency per unit of carbon emitted, revealing a reduction in carbon dependency within economic activities. The combined analysis of both figures indicates that, alongside economic growth, there has been a notable advancement in optimizing CE 2 .

Trends in CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ) (2003–2019).

Control variables

To eliminate the interference of omitted variables on the research results, this article selects the following control variables 57 , 58 : Urbanization rate ( lnur ), which refers to the ratio of urban population to total population; Level of foreign direct investment ( lnfdi ), the ratio of actual foreign investment to the GDP ; Industrial structure ( lnis ), the proportion of the secondary industry in GDP ; Level of science and technology expenditure ( lnsst ), the ratio of science and technology expenditure in ten thousand to GDP in hundred billion; Fiscal revenue and expenditure level ( lnfre ), the sum of local fiscal budget revenue and expenditure to GDP . To reduce heteroscedasticity in the data, this article takes the logarithm of all control variables. Table 1 reports the definitions of the main variables in this paper.

Sample selection and data source

We selects cities at the prefecture level in China from 2003 to 2019 as the research sample. Considering that missing data can affect the results, this paper excludes samples with missing data, ultimately obtaining 3134 samples. The CE 1 data in this paper comes from the China Emissions Accounts and Datasets (CEADs), which provides CE 1 data from 1997 to 2019, so the sample period for this paper ends in 2019. The control variable data are all sourced from the China City Statistical Yearbook covering the years 2004 to 2020. Table 2 provides descriptive statistics for the main variables in this paper.

Eliminating interference

In a quasi-natural experiment, various factors may influence the relationship between the implementation of green fiscal policies and the reduction of carbon emissions. To address this, we employed multiple methods to control for these potential confounding variables. Firstly, we introduced control variables to eliminate or reduce the interference of external factors on the main research relationship, ensuring the accurate estimation of the effects of green fiscal policies. Secondly, we adopted a two-way fixed effects model to control for time-invariant city characteristics and potential common time trends. Thirdly, we conducted parallel trend tests to verify whether the trends of the treatment and control groups were consistent before the policy implementation, ensuring the validity of the Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimates. Additionally, we performed multiple robustness checks, including propensity score matching and excluding the effects of other concurrent policies, to test the robustness of the results. Finally, we confirmed the reliability of the results through placebo tests. These methods collectively help to effectively reduce the interference of external variables, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the research findings.

Empirical results

Benchmark regression analysis.

We employs a two-way fixed effects model for the empirical analysis of the CE 1 reduction effects of ECER policies, with the estimation results presented in Table 3 . Columns (1) to (3) of Table 3 report the estimation results of green fiscal policies on CE 1 . The results show that, when the model does not include control variables, the implementation of green fiscal policies has an estimated coefficient of − 0.070 for CE 1 , significant at the 1% level, indicating that the CE 1 of pilot cities are 7.0% lower than those of non-pilot cities. After adding control variables, the results do not change significantly. Columns (4) to (6) report the estimation results of green fiscal policies on CE 2 . The results indicate that, when the model does not include control variables, the implementation of green fiscal policies has an estimated coefficient of 0.099 for CE 2 , significant at the 1% level, suggesting that the CE 2 of pilot cities is 9.9% higher than that of non-pilot cities. After including control variables, the results remain largely unchanged. This provides evidence for Hypothesis 1: ECER policies have a significant CE 1 reduction effect and also significantly promote CE 2 .

To further illustrate the step-by-step changes in the coefficients, this paper presents Fig. 5 . The horizontal axis of Fig. 5 represents the number of control variables, while the vertical axis indicates the coefficients, with the grey area denoting the error bars. As evident from Fig. 5 , the coefficients and error bars exhibit minimal variation with the increase in control variables, indicating a negligible impact of the number of control variables on the coefficients and highlighting their stability. This finding suggests that the primary regression coefficients remain consistent even when more control variables are included in the analysis, underscoring the model’s robustness.

Plot of coefficient variation based on the step by step method.

Parallel trend test

The prerequisite for using DID model to evaluate policies is the parallel trends assumption. This implies that, before the policy intervention, the treatment group and the control group should exhibit similar trends without systematic differences. After the policy intervention, the trends between these two groups should diverge significantly. Following existing literature 50 , 59 , 60 , this paper employs an event study approach to analyze the effects before and after the policy implementation.

In Eq. ( 2 ), the variable Treated still represents cities that have been approved to establish pilot ECER policies. To avoid perfect multicollinearity, this paper uses the year before policy implementation as the baseline group, meaning that k = − 1 is not included in the regression equation, and the other parts of the model are consistent with the baseline model. If the coefficient is not significant when k < 0 , it indicates that the estimated results satisfy the parallel trends assumption. Figure 6 shows that, before the implementation of the policy, all coefficients are not significant, and in the fifth year after policy implementation, the coefficients start to become significant. This indicates that the implementation of ECER policies has a significant promotional effect on CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in the pilot areas, but this effect has some lag.

Parallel trend test of CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ).

Robustness test

Exclusion of contemporaneous policies.

The smart city construction policy began with the “Notice on Carrying out the National Smart City Pilot Work” issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development in 2012, with smart city pilots being established in 2012, 2013, and 2014 61 . This paper excludes all smart pilot cities and re-runs the regression, with results shown in columns (1) and (2) of Table 4 . The results indicate that contemporaneous policies during the sample period caused some interference with the estimated coefficients, but the extent is very limited. The implementation of ECER policies still has statistically and economically significant effects on promoting CE 1 reduction and CE 2 in pilot cities.

We employs the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to process the data, aiming to reduce data bias and the impact of confounding factors 62 , 63 . Through PSM-DID analysis, the results show that after matching, the absolute bias (|bias|) of all variables decreases by more than 70%, and the p -values are not statistically significant. This comparative analysis reveals the effectiveness of PSM in reducing the initial bias between the treatment and control groups. Therefore, the matching process successfully achieves balance in characteristics between the two groups across key indicators, making the assessment of the treatment effect more accurate and reliable.

Table 4 reports the results of the PSM. The propensity score matching results show a substantial decrease in |bias| for variables, highlighting an enhanced balance between treated and control groups post-matching. For instance, the absolute bias for “lnur” dropped from 86.0% to just 3.3%, showcasing a 96.2% reduction in bias, which underscores the effectiveness of the matching process. Similarly, other variables like “lnfdi”, “lnis”, and “lnsst” experienced significant reductions in bias. The p >|t| values, mostly above 0.05 post-matching, indicate that the differences between groups are not statistically significant, affirming the success of the matching in minimizing discrepancies and improving comparability.

Figure 7 displays the matching results of PSM. The results indicate that after the matching process, the percentage bias (%bias) for the control variables all remain below 10%. This finding fully confirms the effectiveness of the PSM method in balancing key characteristics between the experimental and control groups, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of subsequent analyses.

Balance test.

This paper conducts an empirical analysis using matched data, with the results shown in columns (3) and (4) of Table 5 . The results indicate that ECER policy still has a significant CE 1 reduction effect and also significantly promotes CE 2 . This suggests that there is no significant impact of self-selection bias on the regression results in this study.

To reduce the impact of outliers on regression analysis, this paper adopts a winsorization process 39 , 64 , which involves replacing observations below a certain threshold with the 1st percentile and those above the threshold with the 99th percentile before conducting the regression. Columns (5) and (6) of Table 5 display the analysis results after this treatment, showing that the impact of outliers on the regression results is not significant.

Replacement sample time

Considering the potential unique impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CE 1 and CE 2 in 2019, this paper decided to exclude data from 2019 to ensure the robustness of the research results, thus avoiding the interference of pandemic-related outliers in the analysis. Subsequently, the paper conducted an empirical analysis based on the updated dataset, with the analysis results presented in columns (7) and (8) of Table 5 . The analysis results indicate that after excluding the special impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CE 1 reduction effect of the green fiscal policy remains significant, and there is still a significant promotional effect on CE 2 .

Placebo test

The DID model is based on the common trends assumption, which posits that, in the absence of an intervention, the trends of the treatment and control groups would have been similar 65 . By conducting a placebo test on data from before the intervention, this assumption can be tested for validity. If significant ‘intervention effects’ are also found during the placebo test conducted before the intervention or at irrelevant time points, this indicates that the effects estimated by DID are actually caused by other unobserved factors, rather than the intervention itself 66 . Referencing the placebo practices in existing literature 59 , this paper tests for the impact of unobservable factors on the estimation results. The study randomizes the impact of ECER policies across cities, selecting treatment groups randomly from 248 cities, with the remaining cities serving as control groups. This randomization process is repeated 500 times to generate a distribution graph of the regression coefficients, where the dashed line in the graph represents the actual regression coefficient, as specifically shown in Fig. 8 . Figure 8 a represents the placebo test for CE 1 , and Fig. 8 b for CE 2 . From Fig. 8 , it is evident that after randomizing the core explanatory variables, the mean of the coefficients is close to 0, and the mean of the coefficients after randomization significantly deviates from their true values. This indicates that, excluding the interference of other random factors on the empirical results, the green fiscal policy has a significant effect on CE 1 reduction and significantly promotes CE 2 .

Placebo test of CE 1 ( a ) and CE 2 ( b ).

Mechanism test

The analysis results presented earlier indicate that the ECER policy has significantly promoted CE 1 reduction and the improvement of CE 2 in pilot cities. Accordingly, this study will further explore the mechanism of action of ECER policy and has constructed the following model:

GI refers to green innovation. Following existing literature, this study uses the number of green invention patent grants ( lngi_invention ) and the total number of green patents per 10,000 people ( lnpgi_total ) as proxy variables for green innovation 67 , 68 . Due to the evident causal inference flaws in the three-stage mediation mechanism test 69 , this study refers to the mediation effect test model by Niu et al. 70 and employs the Sobel test to further evaluate the regression results, thereby enhancing the completeness and credibility of the mechanism test 71 . The regression results are shown in Table 6 . Columns (1) and (4) report the impact of the ECER policy on green innovation, with significant results. This confirms hypothesis H2: green fiscal policies can promote CE 1 reduction effects and CE 2 by fostering green innovation. Moreover, the Sobel Z coefficients are greater than 2.58, indicating that the mediating variable has a sufficiently strong explanatory power for the total effect.

Heterogeneity analysis

By city grade.

In the process of urbanization and industrialization, a city’s level often reflects its level of economic development, capacity for technological innovation, infrastructure completeness, and the comprehensiveness of its public services. This paper categorizes the sample cities based on their tier into higher-level cities (provincial capitals, sub-provincial cities, and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and general cities, and conducts regression analysis. The regression results shown in Table 7 , specifically in columns (1), (2), (6), and (7), indicate that in higher-tier cities, the coefficients of the ECER policy on CE 1 and CE 2 for pilot cities are -0.098 and 0.118, respectively, significant at the 1% level. However, in general cities, the absolute values of the coefficients are smaller and not significant. From this, we can conclude that the ECER policy’s effect on CE 1 reduction and the enhancement of CE 2 is more significant in higher-tier cities compared to general cities. Higher-level cities, with their advanced economic structures, abundant fiscal resources, high levels of technological innovation, and strong policy enforcement capabilities, make the green fiscal policy more effective in these areas in terms of CE 1 reduction and the promotion of CE 2 . Firstly, economically developed higher-tier cities have more sufficient fiscal funds and investment capacity, which can support large-scale green infrastructure construction and green technology R&D, thereby directly reducing urban CE 1 and improving energy use efficiency. Secondly, technological innovation is a key factor in improving CE 2 . As centers of technological innovation and information exchange, higher-level cities are more likely to attract and gather high-tech companies and research institutions, promoting the development and application of green technologies, and effectively reducing CE 1 . Additionally, higher-tier cities usually have more comprehensive laws, regulations, and policy enforcement mechanisms, ensuring the effective implementation and regulation of green fiscal policies. Also, residents in these cities often have higher environmental awareness and a preference for green consumption, which helps to create a favorable social atmosphere for the implementation of green fiscal policies. Finally, due to their strong regional influence and exemplary role, higher-tier cities can promote green transformation and low-carbon development in surrounding areas and even the entire country through policy guidance and market incentives, further amplifying the CE 1 reduction effect and enhancing the impact on CE 2 of green fiscal policies.

By geographic location

Given the significant differences in economic development levels, resource endowments, and institutional environments across regions in China, the implementation effects of the ECER policy may exhibit heterogeneity. Therefore, this paper divides the sample into eastern, central, and western regions for analysis and conducts regressions separately. The regression results are presented in Table 7 . Columns (3) to (5) and (8) to (9) of Table 7 show the regression results for CE1s and CE 2 , respectively, with columns (3) and (8) representing the results for the eastern region. The analysis indicates that, in the eastern region, the ECER policy significantly promotes carbon reduction and CE 2 . Although the policy’s effects in the central region are less than those in the eastern region, they still exhibit a positive impact. In contrast, in the western region, the ECER policy’s promotional effects on carbon reduction and CE 2 are not significant.

This analysis reveals that, within the regional development pattern of China, the eastern regions exhibit more significant outcomes in terms of the CE 1 reduction effect and the enhancement of CE 2 under green fiscal policies compared to the central and western regions. Firstly, as the most economically developed area in China, the eastern region, with its leading total economic output, industrialization, and urbanization levels, provides a solid fiscal support and technological foundation for the implementation of green fiscal policies. This economic advantage enables the eastern region to allocate more resources to the research, development, and application of green technologies, as well as related infrastructure construction, thereby effectively promoting CE 1 reduction and energy efficiency improvement. Secondly, environmental policies and regulations in the eastern region are generally stricter and more advanced. Coupled with a higher public awareness of environmental protection, this creates a favorable social environment and policy atmosphere for the implementation of green fiscal policies and carbon reduction. Additionally, the industrial structure in the eastern region is more optimized and high-end compared to the central and western regions, with a larger proportion of the service industry and high-tech industries, which typically have lower energy consumption intensity and CE 1 , facilitating the improvement of overall CE 2 . Furthermore, as an important gateway for international trade and investment, the eastern region is more open to adopting and introducing advanced green technologies and management practices from abroad, accelerating the pace of green transformation. Lastly, the dense urban network and well-developed transportation and logistics systems in the eastern region provide convenient conditions for the effective implementation of green fiscal policies. Therefore, due to comprehensive advantages in economic development level, industrial structure, policy environment, technological innovation capability, and infrastructure, the eastern region demonstrates more significant performance in the CE 1 reduction effect and the promotion of CE 2 under green fiscal policies.

Figure 9 reports the main regression coefficients and error bars from the heterogeneity analysis, clearly illustrating the distribution of coefficients.

Results of heterogeneity analysis.

Classification by resource-based city

Resource-based cities center on industries involved in the extraction and processing of local natural resources, including minerals and forests 72 , 73 , 74 . Due to their unique urban characteristics, these cities may have a specific impact on the efficacy of ECEP policy. Consequently, this paper follows the guidelines set forth by the State Council in the “National Plan for Sustainable Development of Resource-based Cities (2013–2020),” dividing the sample into resource-based and non-resource-based cities for separate regression analyses, the results of which are presented in Table 8 . Columns (1) and (2) detail the regression outcomes for CE 1 , while columns (3) and (4) address CE 2 . The findings reveal that, compared to resource-based cities, the effect of ECEP policies on carbon reduction is more pronounced in non-resource-based cities, with a similarly more substantial impact on the promotion of CE 2 .

Upon conducting a thorough analysis of the disparities in how non-resource-based cities and resource-based cities respond to ECER policies, a significant finding emerges: non-resource-based cities, due to their diversified industrial structures and lower reliance on highly polluting and energy-intensive heavy industries and mineral resource extraction, demonstrate a stronger capacity to adopt and promote new energy, clean energy, and energy-efficient technologies. This characteristic of their industrial structure not only facilitates effective carbon reduction efforts but also propels a shift in economic growth models towards services, high-tech industries, and innovation-driven sectors, which are associated with lower energy consumption and carbon intensities. Therefore, the potential for ECER policies to enhance CE 2 and reduce CE 1 is greater in these cities. In contrast, resource-based cities, due to their long-standing dependence on resource extraction, exhibit significant inertia in their economic structure, technological levels, and employment opportunities. This inertia not only complicates their transition and industrial restructuring but also increases the associated costs. Against this backdrop, non-resource-based cities are more likely to achieve notable successes in implementing ECER policies compared to their resource-based counterparts.

Conclusions and policy recommendations

Conclusions.

Based on the city-level dataset from 2003 to 2019, this paper employs a multi-time point difference-in-differences model to thoroughly explore the impact of the ECER policy on CE 1 reduction and CE 2 , reaching the following conclusions:

The ECER policy is confirmed to play a significant role in promoting the reduction of CE 1 and enhancing CE 2 . This conclusion remains robust even after controlling for factors that might affect the accuracy of the assessment, such as contemporaneous policy interferences, sample selection biases, extreme value treatments, and other random factors. This indicates that the ECER policy has important practical implications in mitigating climate change impacts, and its effects are not significantly influenced by the aforementioned potential interferences. The ECER policy effectively promotes CE 1 reduction and CE 2 improvements by incentivizing the research and application of green technologies. This finding underscores the mediating role of green innovation in environmental policies, highlighting that fiscal incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies are crucial for promoting technological innovation and application, and further achieving environmental benefits. The CE 1 reduction effect and CE 2 enhancement of the ECER policy are more pronounced in economically developed, higher-tier cities and in the eastern regions. This may be due to these areas having better infrastructure, higher technological innovation capabilities, more abundant fiscal resources, and stronger public environmental awareness, which all provide strong support for the effective implementation of the ECER policy. Moreover, this variation also suggests that policymakers need to consider regional characteristics when implementing relevant policies to maximize policy effectiveness.

Existing literature has explored the role of energy conservation and emission reduction fiscal policies in environmental protection, such as green credit 37 , ESG performance 75 , green total factor carbon efficiency 36 , and sustainable urban development 38 . These studies report the positive impact of such policies on the environment. However, they do not directly examine the impact of these policies on pollutants. Our study extends the existing literature by investigating the relationship between these policies and carbon emissions. Green fiscal policies significantly promote the reduction of carbon emissions (CE1) and the improvement of carbon efficiency (CE2) through economic incentives, price mechanisms, infrastructure support, and increasing public environmental awareness. Specifically, these policies encourage the research and application of green technologies, change consumer and producer behavior, optimize energy consumption structures, support related infrastructure construction, and increase public participation in low-carbon living. Additionally, green fiscal policies promote sustainable economic growth by directing funds towards low-carbon and green industries, fostering the development of green technologies and industries. Overall, green fiscal policies have not only achieved significant environmental protection results but also played a crucial role in realizing the dual goals of economic growth and environmental protection.

Despite the significant findings, our study has some limitations. Firstly, the data is limited to 248 cities from 2003 to 2019, which may not fully capture the long-term impact of ECER policies. Secondly, reliance on existing data may introduce biases, as not all relevant factors could be considered. Future research could address these limitations by expanding the dataset, including more diverse regions, and employing alternative methods to validate these findings.

Policy recommendations

Based on the above analysis, the policy recommendations of this paper are as follows:

Continue to increase fiscal support. The government should continue to enhance fiscal support for the ECER policy, including expanding the scope of tax reductions and increasing the level of fiscal subsidies, especially for those projects and technologies that can significantly improve energy efficiency and reduce CE 1 . This will further stimulate the innovation motivation of enterprises and research institutions, accelerating the research and development (R&D) and application of low-carbon technologies.

Optimize policy design and implementation mechanisms. Considering the robustness of the ECER policy effects, the government should further refine the policy design to ensure that measures precisely target sectors and aspects with high CE 1 . Concurrently, it is crucial to establish and enhance the supervision mechanism for policy execution, ensuring effective implementation of policy measures. This approach also necessitates timely adjustments and optimizations of the policy to tackle new challenges effectively.

Establish a dedicated Green Technology Innovation Fund. This fund aims to provide financial support specifically for R&D and promotion of green technologies with high CE 2 . By offering startup capital, R&D subsidies, and rewards for the successful commercialization of green technologies, the fund can not only stimulate the innovation drive of enterprises and research institutions but also accelerate the transformation of green technologies from theory to practice. Consequently, this will promote CE 1 reduction and CE 2 enhancement on a broader scale. This initiative directly responds to the importance of fiscal incentive measures for promoting technological innovation and application emphasized in the research, ensuring the ECER policy maximizes its benefits in promoting green development.

Differentiated policy design. Given the variations in the effects of the ECER policy across different regions, policymakers should design and implement differentiated energy-saving and emission reduction policies based on regional factors such as economic development level, industrial structure, and resource endowment. For economically more developed areas with a stronger technological foundation, CE 1 reduction can be promoted by introducing higher standards for environmental protection and mechanisms for rewarding technological innovation. For regions that are relatively less economically developed, the focus should be on providing technical support and financial assistance to enhance their capacity for CE 1 reduction.

Green fiscal policies play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable economic growth, but their impact on social and income inequality needs careful consideration. Firstly, while policies like carbon taxes are effective in reducing emissions, they may place a significant burden on low-income households, as a larger proportion of their income goes towards energy and basic necessities. To mitigate this inequality, governments can implement redistributive measures, such as using carbon tax revenues for direct subsidies or tax reductions for low-income families, ensuring social equity while achieving emission reductions. Secondly, green fiscal policies encourage investment in green technologies and the implementation of green projects. However, these incentives often favor businesses and wealthy families capable of making such investments, potentially widening income disparities. Therefore, policy design should consider inclusive growth by providing green job training and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in green projects, ensuring that various social strata benefit from the green economy. Furthermore, in terms of public investment, governments should prioritize low-income and marginalized communities, ensuring they also benefit from the construction of green infrastructure. This includes prioritizing the development of public transportation and renewable energy projects in these areas, thereby reducing living costs and improving the quality of life for these communities. By adopting these redistributive measures and inclusive policy designs, green fiscal policies can achieve the goals of environmental protection and economic growth while effectively mitigating their negative impacts on social and income inequality, promoting sustainable and inclusive development.

When evaluating various policy tools for achieving carbon reduction goals, it is evident that carbon taxes, renewable energy subsidies, ECER policies, emissions trading systems, and energy efficiency standards each have their unique advantages (see Table 9 ). Carbon taxes leverage price mechanisms to encourage emissions reduction and provide redistribution opportunities, while renewable energy subsidies promote technological advancement and market development. ECER policies offer direct incentives and support for infrastructure, resulting in long-term environmental benefits. Emissions trading systems combine cap-and-trade controls with market flexibility, and energy efficiency standards provide direct pathways to emissions reduction. In practical applications, the integrated use of multiple policy tools, fully utilizing their respective advantages, can more effectively achieve carbon reduction goals and drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. Policymakers must consider equity, economic impact, and public acceptance when designing these policies to balance environmental protection with economic growth. Through careful integration and balanced implementation, green fiscal policies can significantly reduce carbon emissions while promoting sustainable and inclusive economic development.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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This study is supported by the National Social Science Fund Major Project: “Research on the Policy System and Implementation Path to Accelerate the Formation of New Productive Forces,” Project Number: 23&ZD069.

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Wang, S., Zhang, Z., Zhou, Z. et al. The carbon emission reduction effect of green fiscal policy: a quasi-natural experiment. Sci Rep 14 , 20317 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-71728-1

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Artificial intelligence in net-zero carbon emissions for sustainable building projects: a systematic literature and science mapping review.

1. Introduction

Analyze the annual publication trends of published articles and select peer-reviewed journals on AI in NZCEs for sustainable building projects.
Apply a science mapping approach to analyze influential keywords and document analyses of AI in NZCEs for sustainable building projects.
Identify and discuss mainstream research topics related to AI in NZCEs for sustainable building projects.
Develop a framework for depicting research gaps and future research directions on AI in NZCEs for sustainable building projects.

2. Research Methods

2.1. search strategy, 2.2. selection criteria, 2.3. science mapping analysis, 2.4. qualitative discussion, 3.1. annual publication trend, 3.2. selection of relevant peer-reviewed journals, 3.3. co-occurrence analysis of keywords.

Building eco-friendly, efficient, and energy-efficient structures can significantly reduce the problems associated with excessive carbon emissions. It has been shown that quantifying and analyzing the carbon footprint of public buildings over their life cycle can reduce negative environmental impacts [ 73 ]. Tushar et al. [ 74 ] applied sensitivity analysis to reduce the carbon footprint, thus improving energy efficiency. Developing implicit databases is also a good way to reduce carbon emissions and can be combined with machine and deep learning algorithms to combat climate change and resource scarcity [ 75 ]. It has also been reported that embodied carbon can be used throughout the life cycle of a building to improve the safety and environmental impact of a building project [ 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 ]. Additionally, the heating and cooling aspects of buildings consume more energy; therefore, the development of intelligent control systems is necessary. To reduce emissions, scalability should be the focus [ 69 ].
The use of AI to minimize carbon emissions in construction projects is the second cluster of research. AI can be used to create smart energy networks and reduce energy costs [ 80 ]. By applying AI techniques, building energy and carbon footprints can be used to predict energy consumption and CO 2 emissions [ 81 , 82 , 83 ]. Deep learning and ML are branches of AI techniques that are widely used as data analytics techniques for reducing NZCEs for sustainable building projects. For example, ANN has been used to quantify environmental costs in residential buildings and optimize commercial building design [ 84 , 85 ]. To achieve this goal, Palladino [ 86 ] studied the use of ANN in specific energy strategies in the Umbria Region. It has been reported that the application of ML can reduce the power consumption of buildings and help optimize building performance in the design and development of smart buildings [ 87 , 88 ].
A multi-objective optimization technique is proposed to reduce residential construction carbon emissions, accomplishing the dual goals of economic development and environmental conservation, and conforming to the sustainable development principle [ 89 ]. Multi-objective optimization combined with AI technology, can contribute to the development of sustainable buildings in terms of building material selection, retrofitting energy systems, and decision-making in building construction [ 90 ]. For example, the combination of an ANN with a multi-objective genetic algorithm can optimize the design of residential buildings [ 91 , 92 ]. Clustering techniques are integrated with multi-objective optimization to identify urban structures based on their energy performance. This strategy can be replicated in other cities to increase energy efficiency and execute carbon-cutting initiatives [ 70 ]. Multiple goals can help sustainable buildings achieve NZCEs.
Improving energy consumption efficiency and strengthening building energy management are critical for mitigating the greenhouse effect and global warming trend [ 93 ]. Reduced carbon emissions, green buildings, and sustainable development have emerged as major concerns worldwide [ 2 , 94 ]. On the one hand, renewable energy-driven building systems based on solar and wind resources can reduce environmental effects and costs [ 95 , 96 ]. Building carbon emissions must be minimized to achieve energy sustainability [ 97 ]. However, focusing on building carbon emissions throughout their life cycle, including the design, transportation, construction, and operation stages, and quantifying them as environmental and carbon costs, can contribute to the long-term development of the construction industry [ 98 ]. In summary, reducing energy consumption can contribute to economic benefits and achieve sustainable development [ 77 , 99 ].
In the face of serious problems posed by climate change, efficient ways to minimize carbon emissions in the construction sector are receiving considerable attention. China is attempting to assess the feasibility of NZCEs, provide a path to reduce emissions, adjust and optimize the industrial structure, and achieve the policy goals of green development and carbon neutrality [ 1 , 100 ]. The prediction of carbon emission intensity in different countries can help policymakers devise environmental policies to address the adverse environmental effects of climate change [ 101 , 102 ]. Enhancing building management systems and promoting smart buildings will also help reduce the energy footprint and continuously optimize building performance [ 88 ]. Carbon capture and storage technologies currently play an essential role in lowering carbon dioxide emissions; however, they face problems such as high costs and regulatory issues, and related technologies still need to be developed [ 103 ].
Consider a structural design scheme for upgrading a building based on the decision support system (DSS). Carbon capture and storage technologies have been demonstrated in previous studies [ 104 ]. On the other hand, environmental considerations can be evaluated to assess building sustainability. As a result, the entire decision-making process can be optimized [ 105 ]. Simultaneously, DSS, combined with the predictive capabilities of ML to investigate the proper concrete mix proportions, can aid in assessing the impact of a building over its full life cycle, both in terms of environmental and financial expenses [ 72 , 106 ].

3.4. Document Analysis

4. discussion, 4.1. mainstream research topics on ai in nzces for sustainable building projects, 4.1.1. life cycle assessment and carbon footprint, 4.1.2. practical applications of ai techniques in sustainable buildings, 4.1.3. multi-objective optimization, 4.1.4. energy management and energy efficiency, 4.1.5. carbon emissions from buildings, 4.1.6. decision support system (dss) and sustainability, 4.2. research gaps of ai in nzces for sustainable buildings, 4.2.1. existing problems of the life cycle assessment method, 4.2.2. opportunities and challenges faced by ai techniques in sustainable buildings, 4.2.3. scope of application of multi-objective modeling, 4.2.4. improvements in energy management and efficiency, 4.2.5. raise awareness of reducing carbon emissions, 4.2.6. sustainable development of buildings, 4.3. research trends of ai in nzces for sustainable building projects.

Various factors, such as energy savings, emissions reduction, and the feasibility of financial costs, should be considered when adopting LCA methods.
Improving the legal framework and international regulatory regime for the application of AI techniques to reduce carbon emissions.
Balancing carbon emission reduction with other sustainability objectives in response to changes in building parameters.
Empirical research on energy optimization strategies for different building scenarios.
Construction industries and practitioners should actively implement carbon-neutral policies.
Countries can share their experiences and work together to promote the development of sustainable buildings.
Using DSS to provide data analyses and forecasts should incorporate more environmental parameters to enable decision-makers to make sustainable development decisions.
Increased attention to decision-making processes and the implementation of program design to reduce carbon emissions.

5. Conclusions

5.1. study implications and contributions, 5.2. limitations and future research directions, author contributions, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Journal Name	Number of Relevant Articles	% Total Publications
Journal of Cleaner Production	24	15.58
Applied Energy	17	11.04
Energy and Buildings	13	8.44
Energy	10	6.49
Sustainability (Switzerland)	9	5.84
Building and Environment	5	3.25
Buildings	5	3.25
Energies	5	3.25
Sustainable Cities and Society	5	3.25
Construction and Building Materials	3	1.95
Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence	3	1.95
Sensors	3	1.95
Computers and Industrial Engineering	2	1.30
International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies	2	1.30
Journal of Building Engineering	2	1.30
Others	46	29.87

Keywords	Occurrences	Average Publication Year	Links	Average Citations	Average Normalized Citations	Total Link Strength
Machine learning	14	2021	12	29.79	1.08	14
Artificial intelligence	15	2022	9	16.40	0.67	10
Life cycle assessment	8	2019	7	28.25	0.79	9
Sustainability	9	2020	8	32.78	1.31	9
Optimization	5	2020	7	19.00	1.65	7
Carbon footprint	6	2019	4	28.00	0.78	6
Energy consumption	4	2019	6	55.00	1.96	6
Artificial neural network	12	2021	5	28.25	1.47	6
Sensitivity analysis	4	2021	5	29.25	1.46	5
Concrete	3	2021	4	33.67	1.78	5
Energy efficiency	12	2020	5	19.83	0.69	5
Renewable energy	3	2023	4	0.67	0.54	4
Carbon emission	6	2021	3	14.83	1.45	4
Climate change	5	2016	4	36.40	0.88	4
Embodied carbon	5	2021	3	16.60	0.70	3
Buildings	3	2018	3	25.67	0.71	3
Building energy performance	3	2020	1	58.00	2.19	2
Sustainable development	3	2018	2	8.33	0.94	2
Energy conservation	3	2020	2	14.33	0.86	2
Multi-objective optimization	3	2023	2	0.67	0.54	2
Decision support system	3	2012	1	118.00	1.80	1
Thermal energy storage	3	2017	1	11.00	1.18	1
Compressive strength	3	2020	1	19.33	0.78	1

Article	Title	Total Citations	Normalized Citations
[ ]	Green IoT and edge AI as key technological enablers for a sustainable digital transition toward a smart circular economy: An industry 5.0 use case	65	3.60
[ ]	A hybrid decision support system for sustainable office building renovation and energy performance improvement	238	2.88
[ ]	Modeling carbon emission intensity: Application of artificial neural network	125	2.82
[ ]	An integrated approach of BIM-enabled LCA and energy simulation: The optimized solution toward sustainable development	48	2.66
[ ]	Comparison of linear regression and artificial neural networks models to predict heating and cooling energy demand, energy consumption, and CO emissions	100	2.63
[ ]	Modeling heating and cooling energy demands for building stock using a hybrid approach	47	2.61
[ ]	Machine learning modeling for predicting non-domestic buildings energy performance: A model to support deep energy retrofit decision-making	73	2.54
[ ]	Designing sustainable concrete mixture by developing a new machine learning technique	66	2.29
[ ]	Prediction of engine performance and exhaust emissions for gasoline and methanol using artificial neural network	115	2.25
[ ]	Developing novel 5th generation district energy networks	63	2.19
[ ]	Design and implementation of cloud analytics-assisted smart power meters considering advanced artificial intelligence as edge analytics in demand-side management for smart homes	97	2.19
[ ]	Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of polylactic acid, bio-derived polyethylene, and fossil-derived polyethylene	58	2.02
[ ]	A machine-learning-based approach to predict residential annual space heating and cooling loads considering occupant behavior	55	1.91
[ ]	Grading buildings on energy performance using city benchmarking data	84	1.9
[ ]	Analyzing the influence factors of the carbon emissions from China’s building and construction industry from 2000 to 2015	81	1.83
[ ]	The hourly life cycle carbon footprint of electricity generation in Belgium, bringing a temporal resolution in life cycle assessment	84	1.76
[ ]	Comparative study of machine learning-based multi-objective prediction framework for multiple building energy loads	47	1.63
[ ]	Development of electrochromic evacuated advanced glazing	49	1.38
[ ]	Low-carbon cold chain logistics using ribonucleic acid-ant colony optimization algorithm	61	1.38
[ ]	Data-driven strategic planning of building energy retrofitting: The case of Stockholm	50	1.13
[ ]	Life cycle assessment of a wooden single-family house in Sweden	48	1.08
[ ]	Development of a model for urban heat island prediction using neural network techniques	69	1.00

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Li, Y.; Antwi-Afari, M.F.; Anwer, S.; Mehmood, I.; Umer, W.; Mohandes, S.R.; Wuni, I.Y.; Abdul-Rahman, M.; Li, H. Artificial Intelligence in Net-Zero Carbon Emissions for Sustainable Building Projects: A Systematic Literature and Science Mapping Review. Buildings 2024 , 14 , 2752. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092752

Li Y, Antwi-Afari MF, Anwer S, Mehmood I, Umer W, Mohandes SR, Wuni IY, Abdul-Rahman M, Li H. Artificial Intelligence in Net-Zero Carbon Emissions for Sustainable Building Projects: A Systematic Literature and Science Mapping Review. Buildings . 2024; 14(9):2752. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092752

Li, Yanxue, Maxwell Fordjour Antwi-Afari, Shahnawaz Anwer, Imran Mehmood, Waleed Umer, Saeed Reza Mohandes, Ibrahim Yahaya Wuni, Mohammed Abdul-Rahman, and Heng Li. 2024. "Artificial Intelligence in Net-Zero Carbon Emissions for Sustainable Building Projects: A Systematic Literature and Science Mapping Review" Buildings 14, no. 9: 2752. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14092752

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