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The Interaction among Environmental, Climatic, and Socioeconomic Aspects and Their Effects on Society

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 4796

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Washington Luiz Félix Correia Filho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics (IMEF), Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande 96203-900, Brazil
Interests: climatology; urban climate; renewable energy; spatial statistics; environmental degradation; remote sensing; satellite image processing; sprawl urban
Dr. José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), Maceió 57072-970, Brazil
Interests: mountain meteorology; fire meteorology, climatology; biometeorology; urban climate

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global urbanization has dramatically increased since the mid-twentieth century, mainly in developing countries. In 1957, 30% of the world's population lived in cities; by 2050, it is expected that 70% will live in urbanized areas near coastal areas. This population expansion accelerates Land Use and Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), leading to rising air temperatures and Urban Heat Island (UHI) formation. Furthermore, these LULCC effects cause several socioenvironmental problems, such as deforestation and wildfires that cause the worsening in air quality (increasing in GHG gas emissions), frequent endemic outbreaks (e.g., water-borne diseases such as dengue fever, cholera, and leptospirosis), and climatic extremes (e.g., droughts, floods, and landslides), resulting in human losses. In this way, this Special Issue will focus on the interactions between environmental, climatic, and socioeconomic aspects and their effects on society. Authors are encouraged to submit original studies on Topics that will include (but are not limited to):

  • Air quality;
  • Environmental degradation;
  • Impacts of the climate extremes events;
  • Land use and land cover changes;
  • Urban sprawl associated with urban climate.

Studies related to environmental, climatic, and socioeconomic themes are also welcome.

Dr. Washington Luiz Félix Correia Filho
Dr. José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • air pollution
  • climate extremes events
  • droughts
  • environmental degradation
  • meteorology
  • spatial statistics
  • sprawl urban
  • thermal comfort
  • urban climate

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 4564 KiB  
Article
Exploring Climate and Air Pollution Mitigating Benefits of Urban Parks in Sao Paulo Through a Pollution Sensor Network
by Patrick Connerton, Thiago Nogueira, Prashant Kumar, Maria de Fatima Andrade and Helena Ribeiro
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(2), 306; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020306 - 18 Feb 2025
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Ambient air pollution is the most important environmental factor impacting human health. Urban landscapes present unique air quality challenges, which are compounded by climate change adaptation challenges, as air pollutants can also be affected by the urban heat island effect, amplifying the deleterious [...] Read more.
Ambient air pollution is the most important environmental factor impacting human health. Urban landscapes present unique air quality challenges, which are compounded by climate change adaptation challenges, as air pollutants can also be affected by the urban heat island effect, amplifying the deleterious effects on health. Nature-based solutions have shown potential for alleviating environmental stressors, including air pollution and heat wave abatement. However, such solutions must be designed in order to maximize mitigation and not inadvertently increase pollutant exposure. This study aims to demonstrate potential applications of nature-based solutions in urban environments for climate stressors and air pollution mitigation by analyzing two distinct scenarios with and without green infrastructure. Utilizing low-cost sensors, we examine the relationship between green infrastructure and a series of environmental parameters. While previous studies have investigated green infrastructure and air quality mitigation, our study employs low-cost sensors in tropical urban environments. Through this novel approach, we are able to obtain highly localized data that demonstrates this mitigating relationship. In this study, as a part of the NERC-FAPESP-funded GreenCities project, four low-cost sensors were validated through laboratory testing and then deployed in two locations in São Paulo, Brazil: one large, heavily forested park (CIENTEC) and one small park surrounded by densely built areas (FSP). At each site, one sensor was located in a vegetated area (Park sensor) and one near the roadside (Road sensor). The locations selected allow for a comparison of built versus green and blue areas. Lidar data were used to characterize the profile of each site based on surrounding vegetation and building area. Distance and class of the closest roadways were also measured for each sensor location. These profiles are analyzed against the data obtained through the low-cost sensors, considering both meteorological (temperature, humidity and pressure) and particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5 and PM10) parameters. Particulate matter concentrations were lower for the sensors located within the forest site. At both sites, the road sensors showed higher concentrations during the daytime period. These results further reinforce the capabilities of green–blue–gray infrastructure (GBGI) tools to reduce exposure to air pollution and climate stressors, while also showing the importance of their design to ensure maximum benefits. The findings can inform decision-makers in designing more resilient cities, especially in low-and middle-income settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interaction among Environmental, Climatic, and Socioeconomic Aspects and Their Effects on Society)
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19 pages, 6636 KiB  
Article
Thermal Comfort Conditions and Mortality in Brazil
by Weeberb J. Requia, Reizane Maria Damasceno da Silva, Leonardo Hoinaski and Heresh Amini
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(9), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21091248 - 20 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1421
Abstract
Conventional temperature-based approaches often overlook the intricate nature of thermal stress experienced by individuals. To address this limitation, climatologists have developed thermal indices—composite measures designed to reflect the complex interaction of meteorological factors influencing human perception of temperature. Our study focuses on Brazil, [...] Read more.
Conventional temperature-based approaches often overlook the intricate nature of thermal stress experienced by individuals. To address this limitation, climatologists have developed thermal indices—composite measures designed to reflect the complex interaction of meteorological factors influencing human perception of temperature. Our study focuses on Brazil, estimating the association between thermal comfort conditions and mortality related to respiratory and circulatory diseases. We examined four distinct thermal indices: the discomfort index (DI), net effective temperature (NET), humidex (H), and heat index (HI). Analyzing a comprehensive dataset of 2,872,084 deaths from 2003 to 2017, we found significant variation in relative risk (RR) based on health outcomes, exposure lag, percentile of exposure, sex/age groups, and specific thermal indices. For example, under high exposure conditions (99th percentile), we observed that the shorter lags (3, 5, 7, and 10) had the most robust effects on all-cause mortality. For example, under lag 3, the pooled national results for the overall population (all ages and sexes) indicate an increased risk of all-cause mortality, with an RR of 1.17 (95% CI: 1.13; 1.122) for DI, 1.15 (95% CI: 1.12; 1.17) for H, 1.15 (95% CI: 1.09; 1.21) for HI, and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.13; 1.22) for NET. At low exposure levels (1st percentile), all four distinct thermal indices were linked to an increase in all-cause mortality across most sex and age subgroups. Specifically, for lag 20, we observed an estimated RR of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.14; 1.23) for DI, 1.12 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.16) for H, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.12; 1.22) for HI, and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.14; 1.23) for NET. These findings have important implications for policymakers, guiding the development of measures to minimize climate change’s impact on public health in Brazil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interaction among Environmental, Climatic, and Socioeconomic Aspects and Their Effects on Society)
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Review

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35 pages, 13972 KiB  
Review
Environmental Challenges in Southern Brazil: Impacts of Pollution and Extreme Weather Events on Biodiversity and Human Health
by Joel Henrique Ellwanger, Marina Ziliotto, Bruna Kulmann-Leal and José Artur Bogo Chies
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(2), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020305 - 18 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1844
Abstract
The Amazon rainforest plays a fundamental role in regulating the global climate and therefore receives special attention when Brazilian environmental issues gain prominence on the global stage. However, other Brazilian biomes, such as the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil, have [...] Read more.
The Amazon rainforest plays a fundamental role in regulating the global climate and therefore receives special attention when Brazilian environmental issues gain prominence on the global stage. However, other Brazilian biomes, such as the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil, have been facing significant environmental challenges, either independently or under the influence of ecological changes observed in the Amazon region. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is located in the extreme south of Brazil and in 2024 was hit by major rainfalls that caused devastating floods. The Pampa is a non-forest biome found in Brazil only in Rio Grande do Sul. This biome is seriously threatened by loss of vegetation cover and many classes of pollutants, including pesticides and plastics. Mining ventures are also important sources of soil, water and air pollution by potentially toxic elements in Rio Grande do Sul, threatening both the Pampa and the Atlantic Forest. Furthermore, southern Brazil is often affected by pollution caused by smoke coming from fires observed in distant biomes such as the Pantanal and the Amazon. Considering the significant environmental challenges observed in southern Brazil, this article revisits the historical participation of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazilian environmentalism and highlights the main environmental challenges currently observed in the state, followed by an in-depth analysis of the effects of pollution and extreme weather events on biodiversity and human health in the region. This review encompassed specifically the following categories of pollutants: potentially toxic elements (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, titanium), air pollutants, plastics, and pesticides. Pathogen-related pollution in the context of extreme weather events is also addressed. This article emphasizes the critical importance of often-overlooked biomes in Brazilian conservation efforts, such as the Pampa biome, while also underscoring the interconnectedness of climate change, pollution, their shared influence on human well-being and ecological balance, using Rio Grande do Sul as a case study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interaction among Environmental, Climatic, and Socioeconomic Aspects and Their Effects on Society)
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