Environmental and Earth Sciences

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of resident associations on the enhancement of neighborhood infrastructure in Aule residential estate, Akure, Nigeria. A total of 351 questionnaires were distributed to the residents, landlords and tenants who are finan-cial members of the resident association. However, only 248 questionnaires were re-turned, and they were deemed appropriate for analysis. The data was analyzed using a simple descriptive method of percentage and weighted mean score (WMS). Results revealed that resident participation in infrastructure provision and management cor-relates with improved neighborhood facilities such as water, solar power, and security. The study identifies potential benefits for government, non-profit organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, and recommends amendments to local government laws to enable resident associations to contribute maximally to infrastructure provision and management in their neighborhoods.

Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital services is transforming how information is produced, processed, and used across scientific, institutional, and societal contexts. However, existing sustainability assessment methods—such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Product En-vironmental Footprint (PEF), and Carbon Footprint (PCF)—remain insufficient to capture the full contribution of data-driven digital services, as they primarily focus on direct impacts rather than systemic benefits. This paper proposes a novel value-based framework for evaluating digital service sus-tainability. The approach distinguishes between the sustainability of digital services (SD), which refers to direct environmental, economic, and social impacts, and the sustainability enabled by digital services, expressed through the Digital Sustainability Value (VDS). The VDS captures the broader benefits generated by digital services, including improved decision-making, risk reduction, enhanced efficiency, and increased societal resilience. The framework is formalized through a mathematical model that aggregates normalized and weighted indicators, incorporating non-linear transformations to reflect complex dynamics. The VDS is decomposed into environmental, economic, and social components, ensuring a transparent and multidimensional assessment aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. A case study on an earthquake hazard digital service within the EPOS platform demonstrates the applicability of the method, highlighting how enabled benefits can significantly exceed direct impacts. The proposed framework provides a flexible tool for evaluating and optimizing digital services as drivers of sustainable development.

Abstract: Tree cover near buildings has become a growing concern for homeowner insurance companies in hurricane-prone areas due to the potential for storm damage. Policies requiring the removal of trees located near or overhanging homes as a precondition for new coverage are not new to Florida, but they have become increasingly common as a risk-mitigation strategy. In this study, visual canopy analysis was used to interpret 3,500 random points across Florida, United States, in order to assess the potential statewide impacts of these tree-removal policies. Results indicate that insurance-related pruning and removal mandates could reduce Florida’s overall canopy coverage in developed areas by 588.5 square kilometers. Using ecosystem service models, this reduction was estimated to result in the loss of approximately 6,074 tonnes of air-pollutant removal capacity, more than 11.1 billion liters of avoided stormwater runoff, and 294,250 tonnes of carbon sequestration annually. These findings may help guide public policy and insurance industry practices by highlighting the broader ecological and economic consequences of large-scale tree removal in developed areas.

Abstract: Despite growing interest in sustainable construction materials, unfired clay bricks still ex-hibit limited thermal insulation performance. This study investigates the enhancement of perforated raw earth bricks through the integration of a bio-based phase-change material (PCM) derived from coconut oil to improve thermal damping and heat storage capacity. A numerical analysis was conducted on several configurations, including a solid reference brick, a hollow brick with air-filled cavities, and bricks incorporating one, two, or three rows of PCM encapsulated in polylactic acid (PLA) tubes. Results show a progressive im-provement in thermal performance with increasing PCM content showing that the three-row PCM configuration achieved the best dynamic thermal behavior. Thermal gra-dient and enthalpy analyses revealed the combined effects of the thermal conductivity of PLA and raw earth and the latent heat storage capacity of the PCM. Replacing 17 PCM tubes with a single container of equivalent volume further improved performance while reducing system complexity and cost, decreasing the decrement factor by nearly 50% compared with the three-row configuration. These findings demonstrate the potential of PCM-enhanced raw earth bricks for passive thermal regulation in sustainable buildings, although experimental validation remains necessary.

Abstract: The unique production life cycles of perennial crops make them vulnerable to predicted future climate changes. This paper presents how a new framework specific to perennial crops was developed and integrated into an existing spatio-temporal agricultural land sequencer (STALS) to generate real-world land use insights for a case study region, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, Australia. Model outputs illuminate the role of perennials in a water-constrained future and highlighted the benefit of the operational tactic of deficit irrigation in maintaining the feasibility of perennial crops in the mid-to long range planning horizon. Furthermore, diversity of life-cycle in land use was shown to maintain economically viable agriculture in the study region. The future of perennial crops as a proportion of land use area in a climate-smart landscape may need to be reevaluated.

Abstract: This study examines whether young consumers translate environmental awareness into climate-friendly dietary behavior by combining individual-level dietary carbon-footprint calculations with survey-based measures of sustainability awareness. Primary data were collected from 400 undergraduate students at Bursa Uludağ University, Türkiye, during April-June 2025. Dietary carbon footprints were estimated by matching self-reported consumption frequencies for selected food groups with emission coefficients drawn from the literature (Poore and Nemecek, 2018; FAO, 2013; Ritchie and Roser, 2021). The empirical strategy integrates descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, ANOVA and post-hoc tests, multivariate analysis, and exploratory factor analysis to identify the behavioral and awareness dimensions of responsible consumption. The average daily dietary carbon footprint was calculated as 5.15 kg CO2-eq per capita. The results show that animal-based foods, particularly red meat and poultry, are the dominant contributors to dietary emissions. Male students exhibit significantly higher carbon footprints than female students, mainly because of greater consumption of animal-based and convenience foods. Age-related differences are more limited, although fish-related emissions differ significantly between the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups. The factor analysis indicates that environmental awareness is multidimensional, with general sustainability attitudes, knowledge-oriented awareness, behavioral awareness, and personal food-waste practices emerging as distinct components. Despite relatively high awareness of local consumption and food-waste prevention, the findings reveal a persistent awareness-behavior gap: students’ stated concern for sustainability does not consistently translate into low-carbon dietary choices. By providing micro-level evidence from Türkiye, the study contributes to the literature on cleaner and responsible consumption, sustainable lifestyles, and climate-change mitigation through food choices. The findings suggest that universities can play a central role in reducing dietary carbon footprints by combining sustainability education with affordable plant-based options, food-waste prevention initiatives, eco-labeling, and gender-sensitive behavioral interventions.

Abstract: Biochar, a carbon-rich product resulting from the thermochemical transformation of organic biomass feedstocks in the absence or limited availability of oxygen, is currently drawing much worldwide attention due to its multiple applications in carbon sequestration, soil improvement, environmental remediation, and biomass waste management. Initially, the focus of research was primarily on the technical possibilities of biochar production, its economic aspects, and its contribution to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, recent research indicates the high complexity and dynamics of biochar interactions with the environment, driven by a combination of feedstock type, process conditions, biochar properties, and other-er factors. While biochar exhibits multiple positive effects, including improving soil structure, enhancing nutrient retention, promoting microbial activities, and remediating contaminants, several environmental risks associated with biochar application have also been identified, namely the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metal contamination, creation of persistent free radicals, changes in soil chemistry, and modification of soil microbial community structure. Such risks are greatly related to production process parameters, treatment methods, and biochar application practices. Moreover, differences in feedstock choice, pyrolysis temperature, reactor design, biochar application rate, and analytical methods used make comparative analysis of results difficult.

Abstract: Methane emissions from plugged and unplugged abandoned wells dilute rapidly with air, causing conventional detection methods to underestimate methane leaks. We introduce here a new method for outdoor testing and show how the flux chamber detection limit is progressively reduced from 700 g/h to 2 g/h and ultimately to 1 g/h, meeting the US Department of the Interior (DOI) standard for monitoring equipment used on abandoned wells. Field deployment on an actual abandoned well also revealed intermittent emissions, which may serve as an indicator of deteriorating well integrity over time when monitored periodically. To forecast the emission event timing and intensity, a Liquid Time-Constant (LTC) and a gated recurrent neural network were trained on methane concentration time series collected during field deployment. As available well sites for physical testing are limited and atmospheric conditions are not controllable, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation framework integrated with machine learning (ML) was developed to optimize wellhead chamber geometry and size for both detectability and safety.

Abstract: The escalating impacts of climate change and anthropogenic pressures on vulnerable ecosystems demand digital tools that make advanced modeling more accessible to conservation practitioners. This study presents a TRL-4 prototype that integrates a configurable Digital Twin core with a generative AI conversational interface for conservation-oriented modeling in Doñana National Park, Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage site facing significant environmental challenges. The main contribution is not the training of specific ecological forecasting models, but the validation of an end-to-end workflow that allows users to configure, execute, inspect, and interpret a predictive system through natural language. The architecture connects a structured YAML configuration, heterogeneous environmental and biological datasets, automated machine-learning training, database-backed traceability, dashboard visualization, and SHAP-based interpretability. Through representative executions, the prototype demonstrates that non-technical users can select target and explanatory variables, configure preprocessing options, launch model training, generate predictions, and review their outputs without directly editing configuration files or running code. Although the predictive metrics obtained in selected runs remain preliminary and should be interpreted as diagnostics rather than evidence of general forecasting skill, the results show that conversational Digital Twins can substantially reduce technical barriers to ecological modeling. By combining generative AI, cloud infrastructure, reproducible machine-learning workflows, and explainable AI, the proposed architecture provides a strong foundation for future conservation decision-support systems that augment expert judgment while preserving human oversight, transparency, and critical interpretation.

Abstract: Communal rangelands are increasingly threatened by degradation due to overgrazing which result in persistent feed shortages for livestock. Fodder production has been widely promoted as a sustainable strategy to alleviate grazing pressure; however, its adoption among livestock farmers remains low and poorly understood. This study employed a cross-sectional survey using semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from 120 crop-livestock farmers, examining the socioeconomic factors associated with adoption, determinants and perceived constraints to adopt fodder production. The Pearson Chi-square test revealed that education level, household income and land ownership significantly influence the farmer’s adoption decisions (p < 0.05). The Probit regression model results indicated that years of farming experience, knowledge of fodder production, salary and farm generated income, herd size, farmer group membership and access to extension services significantly increased the likelihood of adoption. The Principal Component Analysis showed that farmers perceived constraints as low institutional support, lack of resources, lack of knowledge, shortage of water and farmer intensions. Dialogue between stakeholders responsible for developing policies and programs which foster enabling environments should target improving extension services, capacity building, financial support and land tenure security as interventions aimed at increasing adoption of fodder production within the communal and smallholder systems.

Abstract: Reprocessing historical lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) slag offers a circular-economy pathway for secondary metal recovery, yet it can remobilize legacy contaminants where con-tainment is inadequate, transferring risk to the surrounding land. Sustainable man-agement of such sites requires frameworks that link contamination assessment to ac-tionable remediation. We integrated ICP-OES geochemistry, native-plant biomonitor-ing, and US EPA RAGS-based risk modeling at an active Pb–Zn slag reprocessing site in Shymkent, Southern Kazakhstan. Twenty-four soil samples along four cardinal transects, two reference samples, and four composite plant samples (Centaurea pseu-dosquarrosa + Plantago lanceolata) were analyzed for ten metals by ICP-OES. UCC-referenced indices classified six metals as geoaccumulation Class 6 at most points (enrichment factors up to 90,871, confirming an exclusively anthropogenic origin). Peak concentrations reached 9,350 mg·kg⁻¹ Pb, 290 mg·kg⁻¹ Cd, and 10,900 mg·kg⁻¹ As — exceeding Kazakhstan MPC by 72×, 290×, and 5,450×. Worst-case carcinogenic risk reached 4.3 × 10⁻³ (43× above the US EPA threshold), driven almost entirely by arsenic (93%); ecosystem risk (RCRtotal = 223) was dominated by cadmium (43%), arsenic (27%), and mercury (16%) — a disconnect between mass-based and toxicity-based prioritiza-tion. On this basis we propose a three-tier remediation framework (engineered con-tainment, phytostabilization, monitored attenuation) that couples resource recovery with contamination control, is transferable to analogous Pb–Zn legacy sites, and sup-ports sustainable land use, urban resilience, and responsible secondary-resource use.

Abstract: This study aims to develop decision-making methods for equalizing urban electric vehicle (EV) charging services and apply them to the improvement of Wuhan’s charging infrastructure. Using grid units as the basic analytical units, the study constructs measurement models for two scenarios—daily commuting and weekend travel—including a spatial demand index based on classified population-distribution prediction, a spatial supply index derived from regional charging-facility statistics, and a supply–demand balance index. Grading systems are established for single-scenario demand, layout thresholds, and supply, together with an integrated classification combining both scenarios. According to the suitability of grid units for service improvement, three optimization strategies are proposed: adding charging stations, expanding existing stations, and converting parking lots. Evaluation methods using residential quarters and commercial/service POIs are designed to assess spatial equilibrium pre- and post-optimization. An empirical study of Wuhan’s main urban area shows that service satisfaction reaches 88.68% for residential quarters and 75.93% for commercial/service POIs under current conditions. The proposed scheme recommends 8 new stations, 31 station expansions, and 114 parking-lot conversions, increasing satisfaction to 99.24% and 92.35%, respectively. The model provides a feasible technical framework for urban EV charging-station planning.

Abstract: Bangladesh confronts a structural paradox: it is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations while simultaneously depending on resource-intensive industries — chiefly ready-made garments and agro-aquatic value chains — whose linear production logic accelerates the very environmental degradation that threatens its development gains. Direct transplantation of Scandinavian circular economy models is poorly matched to Bangladesh’s conditions of land scarcity, dense population, fragmented infrastructure, and constrained regulatory capacity. This article proposes an alternative conceptual framework, industrial symbiosis and deltaic resource optimization, which re-engineers circular economy principles around five resource streams intrinsic to Bangladesh’s geography and industrial structure: (1) structural valorization of textile residues (jhut) into high-performance composite building materials; (2) aquavoltaic systems integrating floating photovoltaics with pond-based aquaculture; (3) coastal seaweed bio-refineries producing biofuels and blue carbon credits; (4) integrated mangrove-shrimp cultivation generating premium organic seafood and carbon market revenue; and (5) decentralized urban anaerobic digestion combined with jute-based biopolymer manufacturing. Drawing on a narrative review of peer-reviewed studies, technical reports, and policy documents, the article synthesizes technical performance data, economic projections, and institutional barriers for each pathway. Evidence indicates that all five pathways are technically feasible with existing technologies and that pilots already demonstrate promising performance when embedded in supportive governance environments. The dominant barriers are institutional rather than technological: fragmented regulation, chronic under-enforcement of existing mandates, inadequate access to climate finance, and incentive structures that allow linear industrial models to externalize environmental costs. The article concludes with a phased implementation roadmap and targeted policy recommendations emphasizing coherent national strategy, enforcement capacity, and systematic engagement with global climate finance instruments.

Abstract: Humanity faces not isolated problems but a PolyCrisis, which is a set of 26 tightly interwoven existential crises spanning ecological collapse, planetary overheating, chronic disease epidemics, institutional fragility and social breakdown. Each crisis amplifies the others through cascading feedback loops, and sixteen possess the independent capacity to cause human extinction. We are not entering an emergency, but we are already in a state of emergency. Multiple planetary boundaries have been transgressed, and climate tipping points are being crossed now. Extinction rates match historical great mass extinction events, while our food systems, primarily responsible for almost half these crises, simultaneously drive hunger, obesity and chronic diseases. This PolyCrisis is not the result of isolated failures, but the predictable outcome of Planet A, the Operating System of our mainstream civilization, characterized by economics of unbounded extraction and hoarding, violence-based and profit-based food systems, short-term thinking, and unlimited growth imperatives on a finite planet. Planet B is our proposed PolySolution framework, a complete alternative Operating System grounded in empirical reality and proven solutions. It integrates animal-free food systems releasing up to 5 billion hectares for rewilding, regenerative economics measuring non-violence and biocapacity, circular economy minimizing waste, technological restraint with democratic governance, seven-generation thinking, and PolyCommunity coordination, collaboration and co-creation of the PolySolution. It calls for the immediate emergency implementation of two planetary-scale MegaSolutions: a) Hungerless, implementing universal, free access to gourmet whole-foods, plant-based Vegan meals worldwide, eliminating hunger and accelerating food and health systems transformation, and b) Cool, halting planetary overheating through agricultural emissions elimination, massive rewilding for carbon sequestration, and comprehensive stabilization of the life-support systems of our planet.

Abstract: The introduction of sustainable practices into waste management can have favorable environment impact, increase resource value, and economic gains. Hydrothermal technologies have strong potential for the production of up-cycled ingredients from biowaste (amino acids, sugars, phenols, pharmacologically-active compounds, etc.), enabling additionally high energy recovery (50-80%) from biowaste with net-negative carbon emission. This review discusses the use of subcritical and supercritical water technologies for sustainable valorization of biowaste and conversion of biomass into high-value chemicals and biofuels. The potential for the extraction/generation of bioactive compounds from plant and animal waste is presented, emphasizing the efficiency, compound stability, and bioactivity of fractions obtained. The possibilities of simultaneous extraction of added-value compounds and hydrolysis of feedstock biopolymers by said technologies are elaborated. The review further addresses the production of biofuels through hydrothermal carbonization for solid fuels, hydrothermal waste liquefaction for liquid fuels, and supercritical water gasification for gaseous fuels. The paper highlights the environmental and economic advantages of technologies based on sub- and supercritical water, over conventional chemical and fermentative routes, emphasizing their contribution to circular bioeconomy by converting biowaste into value-added products and sustainable energy sources.

Abstract: This paper examines how the body of research and innovation on electric cooking for low and middle income countries has evolved to the extent that electric cooking is now influencing energy system performance. Methods: The paper synthesises recent evidence from pilots, market developments, and system-level analysis across Africa and Asia, focusing on demand patterns, utility economics, carbon finance mechanisms, and emerging digital and financing models. Results: Electric cooking is increasingly acting as a system-strengthening demand, rather than a system stressor. Two reinforcing mechanisms are identified: (i) an electricity revenue loop, in which increased consumption improves utility and mini-grid viability and supports further investment; and (ii) a carbon finance loop, enabled by metered methodologies and measurable emissions reductions, which can improve household affordability and accelerate adoption. The analysis also highlights the importance of diversified demand (household, commercial, and institutional), which improves load factors and aligns demand with generation. However, a persistent planning blind spot remains, with cooking demand largely excluded from energy models. Conclusions: Electric cooking is moving from proof of concept toward system integration, but scale is constrained by affordability, reliability, tariff design, fuel stacking, institutional fragmentation, and carbon market uncertainty. The findings suggest that electric cooking should be treated as a core component of energy system design, requiring coordinated policy, planning, and financing to realise its full potential.

Abstract: The current trajectory of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development represents a critical phase transition from a tenable academic pursuit to an untenable industrial behemoth, and ultimately toward an unsustainable environmental burden. In this review, we redefine waste management in sensu lato, encompassing digital redundancy, cognitive underutilization, and the physical e-waste generated by rapid hardware obsolescence. We argue that the current AI paradigm suffers from a ‘Curse of Dimensionality’ not only in its feature space but in its ecological footprint, necessitating a return to Algorithmic Parsimony—rooted in the Minimum Description Length principle [1] and William of Ockham’s razor—as a fundamental pillar of international sustainability standards. By analyzing the interplay between the outcry over blatantly unsustainable data centers [2–5] and emerging green AI frameworks [6,7], this paper provides a roadmap for a mutually uplifting synergy. We further introduce The Symbiotic Policy Covenant—a concrete policy intervention framework comprising f ive pillars: Algorithmic Parsimony Standards, Expanded Waste Taxonomy, AI Equity Safeguards, Paradigm Transition Investment, and International Regulatory Alignment. We conclude that true sustainability in the age of AI requires a holistic adherence to global standards [8,9] that transcend mere climate concerns, fostering a safer, more equitable, and durable integration of machine intelligence with ecological stewardship.

Abstract: This paper reviews how far national laws in Africa acknowledge the communal lands of communities as their property, as compared to family house and farm plots. This is examined in context of the role which commons ownership by communities could and should play in lessening rural poverty. These include rangelands, forest/bushlands, marshlands and other off-farm resource lands, often with lucrative extractive and non-extractive potentials. These are generally developed without community partnership. Findings suggest resistance to acknowledgement of communal lands as lawfully owned in over half of all 55 states. In effect, governments sustain their colonial designation as unowned wastelands, albeit lawfully used. Yet the one quarter of African states which do now acknowledge community ownership of resource commons also suggest the tide may be turning. There is need to promote this lawful possession is entrenched as a sustained stake in new takings and exploitation of these lands, not merely for fairer compensation for losses incurred, but towards adoption of economic growth path which are more directly inclusive of the rural poor. Inter alia, it is timely for post-2030 sustainable development goals to promote this.

Abstract: Global water scarcity due to climate change coupled with environmental pollution from artificial fertilizers threatens sustainable agricultural productivity. To address these challenges, innovative circular and sustainable agricultural practices are being sought after globally. Two promising sustainable approaches are the utilization of biochar coupled treated wastewater (TWW). In our experiment, maize biochar (MB) was locally produced by pyrolysis of maize stover waste in a Top-Lit-Up-Draft (TLUD) biochar kiln and characterized using FTIR, SEM, AAS, UV-vis and adsorption isotherms. Then, the performance of beetroots (Beta vulgaris) in terms of the germination rate, growth rate and yield in the cultivation soils fertilized with MB under drip irrigation with TWW was investigated. Post-hoc analysis (Bonferroni correction, α = 0.01667) revealed that cultivation soils fertilized with MB produced beetroots with significantly longer leaves and larger-heavier bulbs than the control. However, doubling MB fertilization dosage from 10 g to 20 g in the cultivation soils did not yield statistically significant improvement in the average leave height, mass and circumference of beetroot bulbs. Therefore, the findings demonstrated that combining MB with TWW enhanced beetroot growth and yield, highlighting a sustainable and circular agricultural system.

Abstract: Transitioning to a circular bioeconomy in agro-environmental systems requires decision-support approaches able to address interdependencies across water, energy, food, and ecosystems (WEFE), especially in Mediterranean regions affected by climate variability, water scarcity, land degradation, and fragmented governance. However, the practical operationalization of the WEFE Nexus remains limited by methodological constraints and insufficient integration of dynamic analysis. This study presents an AI-enabled decision-support tool designed to support the implementation of circular bioeconomy solutions within the WEFE Nexus. The framework integrates participatory multi-criteria assessment, compensation mechanisms, and artificial intelligence-based scenario analysis within the NECADA digital twin environment, enabling the assessment of elements under uncertainty. Developed and applied within the “Ensuring fair NEXUS transition for climate change adaptation and sustainable development implementation based on coupled nature-based systems and bioeconomy (SureNexus)” project, the tool was used to assess two circular bioeconomy solutions, biochar and agroforestry, across Mediterranean agro-environmental contexts. Results show complementary performance profiles: biochar provides targeted benefits for soil restoration, water regulation, and climate mitigation, whereas agroforestry generates broader system-level effects that enhance ecosystem services, resilience, and long-term sustainability. These findings highlight the value of context-specific solution portfolios and show that AI-enabled WEFE tools can support evidence-based policy and planning for sustainability transitions.