Environmental Sustainability and Applications
A section of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Section Information
Environmental sustainability is a broad concept that brings together the ecological and socio-economic components of sustainability. Environmental sustainability is closely related to the maintenance of environmental security, defined by Müller and colleagues in 2008 as: [environmental security], in an objective sense, aims to evaluate the level of threats in order to acquire and sustain ecosystem values in terms of ecosystem goods and services at multiple scales, and in a subjective sense, it represents a level of fear that such values will be attacked and possibly lost.
Over the last decades, the use of primary resources has increased due to the growing global population, economic improvements, and new life styles, which are changing the habits of populations in both high-income and developing countries. However, non-renewable ecosystem goods (i.e., fossil fuels, fertile lands, metals, and mineral reserves) and services (i.e., climate regulation, pollination, and disturbance regulation) are commonly mismanaged and at risk. As a result, the sustainable use of natural resources is becoming mandatory for the development of current economies and the support of human well-being, and to guarantee long-term environmental sustainability and security.
Since the second half of the 20th century, research and studies have focused their interest on environmental concerns such as air pollution, water and soil contamination, excessive mine extraction, deforestation, waste mismanagement, and unplanned land use changes. In this context, a social–ecological perspective of environmental sustainability is based on a system’s adaptability to environmental change in terms of its ability to cope with human and natural disturbances in a changing world. However, to enhance environmental sustainability, it is mandatory to deal with threats and hazards and with human responses to environmental risks.
In this context, this section focuses on original research and reviews regarding the current state of our understanding of how to measure and manage the environmental sustainability of socio-ecological systems to enhance their resilience and security through different applications at different spatial (urban, regional, national, and worldwide) and temporal (short-, medium-, and long-term) scales. Spatial and remote sensing approaches, subjective assessments based on human perception and values, and scenario building are all welcome. The proposal and use of new environmental sustainability metrics can help assessing and supporting environmental planning and management towards sustainability.Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Groundwater, Soil and Sustainability (2nd Edition) (Deadline: 20 May 2025)
- Environmental Economics and Ecological Transformations from a Sustainability Perspective (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Sustainable Development and Land Use Change in Tropical Ecosystems (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Remote Sensing in Landscape Quality Assessment (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Sustainable Lighting: Design for Human Wellbeing and Technological Development (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Soil Microorganisms, Plant Ecology and Sustainable Restoration (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Nature-Based Solutions for Wastewater Treatment and Polluted/Degraded Ecosystem Restoration (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Innovative Green Water Technologies for Effective Environmental Pollution Control (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Digital Solutions for Promoting a Circular Economy and Sustainability (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Environmental Performance and Efficiency Evaluation of Enterprises (Deadline: 31 May 2025)
- Dynamic Strategies for Sustainable Landscape Conservation and Cultural Legacy (Deadline: 15 June 2025)
- Nuclear Energy and Technology and Its Environmental Impact, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 16 June 2025)
- CO2 Capture and Utilization: Sustainable Environment (Deadline: 18 June 2025)
- Land Use Change, Air Quality and Environmental Pollution Governance—2nd Edition (Deadline: 20 June 2025)
- Wastewater Treatment Technology Under Sustainable Environmental Monitoring (Deadline: 21 June 2025)
- Design for Sustainability in the Minerals Sector (Deadline: 30 June 2025)
- Sustainability and Indoor Environmental Quality (Deadline: 30 June 2025)
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Sustainability (Deadline: 30 June 2025)
- Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution (Deadline: 30 June 2025)
- Sustainable Urban Mobility, Transport Infrastructures and Services (Deadline: 1 July 2025)
- Air Quality Characterisation and Modelling—2nd Edition (Deadline: 1 July 2025)
- Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development (Deadline: 10 July 2025)
- Challenges and Future Trends in Integrating Adaptation to Climate Change and Green Infrastructure in Planning Practice (Deadline: 12 July 2025)
- Sustainable Water Resource Availability and Pollution: Characterization, Future Scenarios and Solutions (Deadline: 16 July 2025)
- Heavy-Metal Soil Contamination: Sources, Opportunities, and Sustainable Solutions (Deadline: 25 July 2025)
- Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Promoting Sustainable Geoenvironment (Deadline: 27 July 2025)
- Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Sustainability: Innovative Approaches for a Greener Future (Deadline: 31 July 2025)
- Circular Economy and Green Innovation for Sustainable Business Development (Deadline: 31 July 2025)
- Sustainable Environmental Science and Water/Wastewater Treatment: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 July 2025)
- Global Hydrological Studies and Ecological Sustainability (Deadline: 25 August 2025)
- Towards Sustainability: Applications of Machine Learning in Water Management and Environmental Monitoring (Deadline: 30 August 2025)
- Advancing Landscape Ecology Within Sustainability and Resilience Perspectives (Deadline: 31 August 2025)
- Sustainable Development and Emerging Pollutants: Innovations in Detection, Management, and Environmental Protection (Deadline: 31 August 2025)
- Sustainable Approaches to Biodeterioration/Biodegradation and Biotreatment in Cultural Heritage Environments (Deadline: 31 August 2025)
- Sustainable Remediation of Organic Pollution (Deadline: 1 September 2025)
- Soil Ecology and Carbon Cycle (Deadline: 5 September 2025)
- Environmental Assessment in Sub-Saharan Africa—Innovation, Perspectives and Practice (Deadline: 19 September 2025)
- Sustainable Urban Understanding and Planning: Principle and Application of Earth Observation and Geoinformation (Deadline: 20 September 2025)
- Advances and Applications in Sustainable Built Environments: Energy Systems, Technologies and Building Design (Deadline: 26 September 2025)
- Sustainable and Regenerative Ecologies for the Management of Mountain Forestscapes (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Asset-Level Modelling to Achieve a Better Understanding of Climate-Related Impacts (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Water Environmental Control of Pollutants and Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Innovation and Sustainable Development of Remote Sensing Technology—2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 September 2025)
- Innovation and Low Carbon Sustainability in the Digital Age (Deadline: 16 October 2025)
- Recent Development of Nanomaterials for Wastewater Treatment and Sustainable Environmental Protection (Deadline: 28 October 2025)
- Advancing Sustainable Development Through Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Deadline: 28 October 2025)
- Sustainable Wood Product Management and Forest Bioeconomy under Climate Change (Deadline: 28 October 2025)
- Sustainable Solutions for Nano and Microplastic Pollution: Challenges and Innovations (Deadline: 31 October 2025)
- Air Pollution: Causes, Monitoring and Sustainable Control (Deadline: 3 November 2025)
- Environmental Education for Sustainable Futures: Past Lessons and Looking Ahead (Deadline: 5 November 2025)
- Economic and Environmental Concerns Regarding Agri-Food Products Within the Context of Sustainability (Deadline: 12 November 2025)
- Applications and Advances of Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Environment Management and Education (Deadline: 15 November 2025)
- Sustainable Solutions for the Microplastic Pollution: Challenges and Innovations (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Sustainable Land Use and Management, 2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Innovations in Environment Protection and Sustainable Development (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Transforming Landscapes: Sustainable Land Use, Environmental Protection, and Innovations in Landscape Research (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Sustainable Architecture, Structural Design, and Environmental Engineering (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Ecosystemic Services and Landscape Perspectives on Sustainable Urban Forest Planning (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
- Ecosystem Services in the Planning and Sustainable Development of Urban Green Spaces (Deadline: 15 December 2025)
- Sustainable Treatment of Organic Pollutants and Microbial Degradation for Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 24 December 2025)
- Sustainable Development of Low-Carbon Energy Transition and Climate Change Adaptation (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Sustainability and Advanced Research on Microbiology (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Land Use and Sustainable Environment Management (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Energy Use, Storage and Emission Analysis for Industrial Decarbonization (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Remote Sensing for Sustainable Environmental Ecology (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Ecology, Environment, and Watershed Management (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- The Nexus Between Environment, Economy, Policy and Sustainable Development—a Needed Global Systems Optimization to Stay Below 1.5 Degrees (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Environmental Policy as a Tool for Sustainable Development: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Natural Resource Economics and Environment Sustainable Development (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Waste Management for Sustainability: Emerging Issues and Technologies (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Innovative Approaches for Monitoring Water Quality and Environmental Health (Deadline: 31 December 2025)
- Environmental Economics in Sustainable Social Policy Development (Deadline: 5 January 2026)
- Strategies for Sustainable Soil, Water and Environmental Management (Deadline: 7 January 2026)
- Smart Technologies Toward Sustainable Eco-Friendly Industry (Deadline: 13 January 2026)
- Assessing the Nexus of Climate Change, Water Security, and Human Mobility Towards Sustainability (Deadline: 20 January 2026)
- Innovating the Circular Future: Pathways to Sustainable Growth (Deadline: 26 January 2026)
- Towards Sustainable Agroecosystems: Innovations in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Carbon Sequestration (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Extremophilic Plants and Microorganisms in Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Recent Advances in Biomass Conversion, Renewable Energy, and Biomaterials—2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 January 2026)
- Climate-Functional EcoEngineering Design (Deadline: 1 February 2026)
- Sustainable Development of Green Chemistry and Environmental Technology (Deadline: 25 February 2026)
- Innovative Approaches in Water Quality Monitoring and Ecosystem Health (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Green Landscape and Ecosystem Services for a Sustainable Urban System (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Sustainable Application and Functional Roles of Microbial Communities in Soil, Sludge and Sediments (Deadline: 28 February 2026)
- Environmental Behavior and Climate Change (Deadline: 1 March 2026)
- Freeze-Thaw Cycles of Rock and Soil in the Sustainable Ecological Environment and Engineering Safety (Deadline: 20 March 2026)
- Blue Carbon Ecosystems and Ecological Response to Climate Change (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- The Impact of Insects on Various Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Environmental Practices (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Pro-Environmental Behavior and Sustainable Development in Organizations (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Environmental Change from a Social Science Perspective (Deadline: 31 March 2026)
- Prevention of Thermodynamic Disasters in Mines and Environmental Sustainability (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Applications of Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence in Land Cover Mapping and Ecosystem Monitoring (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Innovative Green Technologies and Sustainable Solutions for Environmental Challenges (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Solid Waste Management and Sustainable Environmental Remediation (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- Advancements in Solid Waste Valorization for Clean Energy and Environmental Protection (Deadline: 30 April 2026)
- AI-Optimized Design and Management in Environmental Engineering Towards Climate-Neutral Infrastructure (Deadline: 2 May 2026)
- Environmental Management and Sustainable Agriculture: Soil, Water and Crops: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Advances in Plant Sciences: Climate-Smart Innovations for Sustainability and Resilient Ecosystems (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Advances in Indoor Environmental Quality Control and Green Buildings (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Awareness, Understanding, and Mitigation Measures of Climate Change Towards Sustainable Development (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
Topical Collections
Following topical collections within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Advances in Biomass Waste Valorization
- Aquaculture and Environmental Impacts
- Circular Economy and Sustainable Strategies
- Climate Change, Landscape in Transition and Tools for Sustainable Landscape Planning (Closed)
- Efficient Use and Recovery of Resources for the Purpose of Circular Economy and Sustainability
- Environmental Assessment, Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainability
- Eutrophication and Sustainable Management of Water (Closed)
- Feature Papers in Sustainable Use of the Environment and Resources
- Fisheries Economics and Management
- Impact of COVID-19 on the Environment, Energy and Economics (Closed)
- Landscape Approaches in Era of Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework: Sustainable Forestry and Agriculture, Close-to-Nature Forestry, and Conservations in OECMs
- Modeling and Simulations for Sustainable Water Environments
- Organic Waste Management
- Reviews, Advances and Applications in Environmental Sustainability
- Risk Assessment and Management
- Sustainable Consumption and Production
- Sustainable Integrated Clean Environment for Human & Nature
- Trends in Municipal Solid Waste Management (Closed)