Search Results (126)

Problem: Agriculture in India faces pressing challenges related to water scarcity, excessive pesticide use, and inefficient energy consumption, impacting both economic sustainability and environmental health. Methodology: This study integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Intelligent Management Models (IMMs), and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the economic and environmental benefits of UAV-based spraying in Indian agriculture. Data were collected from UAV service providers and field trials in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Results: UAV spraying achieved a 70% reduction in water use, 40% reduction in pesticide consumption, and a 50% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional spraying. DEA results showed higher efficiency scores for UAVs, while IMM optimization achieved 95% pesticide coverage and reduced drift by 80%. Implications: MCDA ranked government subsidies as the most effective policy intervention. These findings support UAV spraying as a viable, scalable solution for climate-smart agriculture in India, offering both productivity and sustainability gains. Full article

Urbanisation and land-use change are among the main pressures on soil health in periurban areas, but the multifunctionality of grassland soils is still not sufficiently recognised. In this study, the physical and chemical properties of soils under grassland, forest and croplands in the periurban area of Zagreb were investigated in a two-year period. Grasslands consistently exhibited multifunctional benefits, including high organic matter content (4.68% vs. 2.24% in cropland), improved bulk density (1.14 vs. 1.24 g cm⁻³) and an active carbon cycle indicated by increased CO₂ emissions (up to 1403 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ in 2021). Forest soils showed the highest aggregate stability (91.4%) and infiltration (0.0006 cm s⁻¹), while croplands showed signs of structural degradation with the highest bulk density and lowest water retention (39.9%). Temporal variation showed that grassland was particularly responsive to favourable climatic conditions, with soil porosity and water content improving yearly. Principal component analysis showed that soil structure, biological activity and moisture regulation were linked, with grassland plots favourably positioned along the axes of resilience. The absence of tillage and the presence of permanent vegetation cover contributed to their high capacity for climate and water regulation and carbon sequestration. These results emphasise the importance of protecting and managing grasslands as an important component of urban green areas. Practices such as mulching, minimal disturbance and continuous cover can maximise the ecosystem services of grassland soils. In addition, the results highlight the potential risk of trace metal accumulation in cropland and grassland soils located near urban and farming infrastructure, underlining the need for regular monitoring in periurban environments. Integrating grassland functions into urban planning and policy is essential for improving the sustainability and resilience of periurban landscapes. Full article

Understanding the trends and drivers of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is vital to making effective climate mitigation strategies and benefiting human health. In this study, we investigate carbon dioxide (CO₂) trends in the top three emitting states in the U.S. (i.e., Texas, California, and Florida) using column-averaged CO₂ concentrations (XCO₂) from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) from 2010 to 2022. Annual XCO₂ enhancements are derived by removing regional background values (XCO_{2, enhancement}), and their interannual changes (ΔXCO_{2, enhancement}) are analyzed against key influencing factors, including population, gross domestic product (GDP), nonrenewable and renewable energy consumption, and normalized vegetation difference index (NDVI). Overall, interannual changes in socioeconomic factors, particularly GDP and energy consumption, are more strongly correlated with ΔXCO_{2, enhancement} in Florida. In contrast, NDVI and state-specific environmental policies appear to play a more influential role in shaping XCO₂ trends in California and Texas. These differences underscore the importance of regionally tailored approaches to emissions monitoring and mitigation. Although renewable energy use is increasing, CO₂ trends remain primarily influenced by nonrenewable sources, limiting progress toward atmospheric CO₂ reduction. Full article

Physical activity allows people to obtain multidimensional benefits. Regular practice and following the recommendations can provide the benefits mentioned above. However, it has been evidenced that the variability in the environmental temperature is a determining factor to adhere to the regular practice of physical activity. From this point of view, it has become evident that researchers have joined criteria to explore the effects of climate change or global warming on physical activity or physical education. This study is the first bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature related to physical activity, physical education, global warming, and climate change. The objective of the present bibliometric review was to examine annual publication trends, identifying the categories, journals, and countries with the highest number of publications on this topic. In addition, the secondary objective was to identify the most productive and prominent authors, highlight the most cited articles, and determine the keywords most used by the authors. We analyzed 261 papers published in journals indexed in the Web of Science, examining the trend followed by annual publications, identifying prolific and prominent co-authors, leading countries and journals, most cited papers, and most used author keywords. The annual publications followed an exponential growth trend (R² = 90%), which means that there is great interest in the scientific community for this object of study. The Journal of Physical Activity & Health was the journal with the most published papers. M.S. Tremblay and E.Y. Lee were the most prominent co-authors, and as reference authors on the subject, M. Nieuwenhuijsen and H. Khreis were the most prominent authors. The three countries with the highest productivity are the USA, the UK, and Canada. Although a total of 29 keywords were identified, only 25 of them were commonly recurrent, with the most used being climate change and physical activity. Full article

Although the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is well underway and expected to continue in global car markets, most vehicles on the world’s roads will be powered by internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and fossil fuels for the foreseeable future, possibly well past 2050. Thus, good environmental performance and effective emission control of ICE vehicles will continue to be of paramount importance if the world is to achieve the stated air and climate pollution reduction goals. In this study, we review 228 publications and identify four main issues confronting these objectives: (1) cheating by vehicle manufacturers, (2) tampering by vehicle owners, (3) malfunctioning emission control systems, and (4) inadequate in-service emission programs. With progressively more stringent vehicle emission and fuel quality standards being implemented in all major markets, engine designs and emission control systems have become increasingly complex and sophisticated, creating opportunities for cheating and tampering. This is not a new phenomenon, with the first cases reported in the 1970s and continuing to happen today. Cheating appears not to be restricted to specific manufacturers or vehicle types. Suspicious real-world emissions behavior suggests that the use of defeat devices may be widespread. Defeat devices are primarily a concern with diesel vehicles, where emission control deactivation in real-world driving can lower manufacturing costs, improve fuel economy, reduce engine noise, improve vehicle performance, and extend refill intervals for diesel exhaust fluid, if present. Despite the financial penalties, undesired global attention, damage to brand reputation, a temporary drop in sales and stock value, and forced recalls, cheating may continue. Private vehicle owners resort to tampering to (1) improve performance and fuel efficiency; (2) avoid operating costs, including repairs; (3) increase the resale value of the vehicle (i.e., odometer tampering); or (4) simply to rebel against established norms. Tampering and cheating in the commercial freight sector also mean undercutting law-abiding operators, gaining unfair economic advantage, and posing excess harm to the environment and public health. At the individual vehicle level, the impacts of cheating, tampering, or malfunctioning emission control systems can be substantial. The removal or deactivation of emission control systems increases emissions—for instance, typically 70% (NO_x and EGR), a factor of 3 or more (NO_x and SCR), and a factor of 25–100 (PM and DPF). Our analysis shows significant uncertainty and (geographic) variability regarding the occurrence of cheating and tampering by vehicle owners. The available evidence suggests that fleet-wide impacts of cheating and tampering on emissions are undeniable, substantial, and cannot be ignored. The presence of a relatively small fraction of high-emitters, due to either cheating, tampering, or malfunctioning, causes excess pollution that must be tackled by environmental authorities around the world, in particular in emerging economies, where millions of used ICE vehicles from the US and EU end up. Modernized in-service emission programs designed to efficiently identify and fix large faults are needed to ensure that the benefits of modern vehicle technologies are not lost. Effective programs should address malfunctions, engine problems, incorrect repairs, a lack of servicing and maintenance, poorly retrofitted fuel and emission control systems, the use of improper or low-quality fuels and tampering. Periodic Test and Repair (PTR) is a common in-service program. We estimate that PTR generally reduces emissions by 11% (8–14%), 11% (7–15%), and 4% (−1–10%) for carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (NO_x), respectively. This is based on the grand mean effect and the associated 95% confidence interval. PTR effectiveness could be significantly higher, but we find that it critically depends on various design factors, including (1) comprehensive fleet coverage, (2) a suitable test procedure, (3) compliance and enforcement, (4) proper technician training, (5) quality control and quality assurance, (6) periodic program evaluation, and (7) minimization of waivers and exemptions. Now that both particulate matter (PM, i.e., DPF) and NO_x (i.e., SCR) emission controls are common in all modern new diesel vehicles, and commonly the focus of cheating and tampering, robust measurement approaches for assessing in-use emissions performance are urgently needed to modernize PTR programs. To increase (cost) effectiveness, a modern approach could include screening methods, such as remote sensing and plume chasing. We conclude this study with recommendations and suggestions for future improvements and research, listing a range of potential solutions for the issues identified in new and in-service vehicles. Full article

It is essential to emphasize the significant impacts of climate change, which are evident in the form of severe and prolonged droughts, hurricanes, snowstorms, and other climatic disturbances. These challenges are particularly pronounced in urban environments and among human populations. The situation is further aggravated by the increasing utilization of available open spaces for residential and industrial development, leading to heightened energy consumption, elevated pollution levels, and increased carbon emissions, all of which negatively affect public health. The primary objective of this review article is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of current research, with a particular focus on the innovative use of residual biomass from urban vegetation for biochar production in the United States. This research entails an exhaustive review of existing literature to assess the implementation of a carbon-negative wood biomass biochar system as a strategic approach to sustainable urban management. By transforming urban wood waste—including tree trimmings, construction debris, and storm-damaged timber—into biochar through pyrolysis, a thermochemical process that sequesters carbon while generating renewable energy, we can leverage this valuable resource. The resulting biochar offers a range of co-benefits: it enhances soil health, improves water retention, reduces stormwater runoff, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions when applied in urban green spaces, agriculture, and land restoration projects. This review highlights the advantages and potential of converting urban wood waste into biochar while exploring how municipalities can strengthen their green ecosystems. Furthermore, it aims to provide a thorough understanding of how the utilization of woody biomass biochar can contribute to mitigating urban carbon emissions across the United States. Full article

In the Mediterranean region, countries grapple with a mix of environmental pressures, such as air pollution and climate vulnerability, alongside economic disparities and migration issues. In this context, we aim to highlight the interaction between migration (NMIG), economic growth (GDP), foreign direct investments (FDI), fossil fuel (FF) usage, consumption from renewables (RENC), CO₂ emissions, and life expectancy (LE). This is important for gaining insights into how policies in areas like energy, environment, migration, and FDI influence long-term health outcomes. Our research examines the determinants of LE in two groups of Mediterranean countries (EU-Med8 and Non-EU-Med4) using a panel ARDL approach. The long-run results for Med8 indicate that RENC positively influences LE, while FF has a significant negative effect. Economic growth and migration also play important roles, with GDP positively affecting LE. The error correction term (ECT) confirms convergence toward long-run equilibrium. For Med4, FF consumption and CO₂ negatively affect LE, while migration and FDI exhibit mixed results. These findings suggest that while renewable energy transitions benefit LE in EU Mediterranean countries, challenges persist in non-EU countries, where energy infrastructure and investment patterns may not yet support positive health outcomes. Full article

Climate change has become one of the biggest challenges for farmers, advisors, researchers, and policymakers in recent years. Concerns about food security and the economic future have led these groups to search for methods to adapt to and mitigate climate change. In this context, cover crops have emerged as an important tool to improve soil health, prevent nitrate leaching, and increase crop productivity. The main objective of this review is to explore the multiple benefits of cover crops, including their role in improving soil health, sequestering CO₂, fixing N₂, and enhancing gas exchange, all of which contribute to the sustainability of agricultural systems under climate change conditions. One of the key findings of this research is that cover crop cultivation must be carefully tailored to the specific site, farm, intended purpose, and top priority, taking into account factors such as species selection, crop duration, and termination methods. Certain cover crop species have the potential to mitigate important climate change factors, such as soil erosion and nitrogen leaching, while increasing soil organic matter. However, many studies often focus on only one aspect of cover crops, overlooking the full range of ecosystem services they provide. In addition, future research must also address the economic challenges associated with cover crops. Full article

Food systems are difficult to model, given the challenge of defining socially desirable food system outcomes. Research that aims to advance agri-food systems must reveal opportunities for integrated food systems planning and assess its outcomes. The climate, biodiversity, health, and justice (CBHJ) nexus provides such a lens, and it is a potentially useful tool for understanding how (or whether) food systems planning and policy studies employ a systems-based, integrated perspective. Further, it may be used to identify how agri-food systems planning and policy engage with local objectives and co-benefits related to climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, community health, and social justice. This research proposes an indicator framework to operationalize the CBHJ nexus, by undertaking a scoping review of over one hundred local agri-food planning and policy studies. Outcomes from this work reveal the nature and degree to which agri-food systems research adopts a systems lens that comprehensively models resilience, sustainability, and justice. Outcomes related to biodiversity, procedural justice, and mental wellbeing were not common in the dataset. Recommendations from the work include guidance on how the nexus can broaden the quantitative and qualitative data-driven measurements of food system outcomes. Future work is required to define appropriate CBHJ outcomes and their possible measurements across scales beyond just local levels. Full article

Interest in co-benefits—the multiple benefits from mitigating climate change while addressing other sustainability challenges—has grown as policymakers seek to lower the costs of decarbonization. Much of this interest stems from data-driven models that quantify how much improved air quality, better health, and other co-benefits can offset those costs. However, co-benefits research often features transport, residential energy, and other solutions that face greater social and institutional barriers than economic barriers to achieving estimated gains. Few studies have assessed the costs of overcoming these barriers. The main objective of this study was to develop and apply methods for estimating these costs. Toward that end, this study developed a mixed method approach that used original survey and budgetary data to estimate the costs of clearing social and institutional barriers to implementing transport and residential energy solutions in Thailand. The results revealed that the costs of overcoming key social and institutional barriers were approximately USD 170–270 million per year from 2022 to 2032 for the transport sector in Thailand. The costs of overcoming social and institutional barriers for residential energy solutions are approximately USD 0.07–0.1 million per year over a comparable period. The results suggested that the costs of overcoming barriers were likely lower than the benefits for all solutions and greater for transportation (driven by the implementation of inspection and maintenance programs) than residential energy in Thailand. More generally, the results underlined a need for greater integration between work on co-benefits and transaction costs to assist policymakers in understanding how much investing in institutional capacity building, coordination, awareness raising, and other enabling reforms can help align a healthier climate with other development priorities. Full article

Climate change poses a significant threat to human health and wellbeing, yet its health impacts can be mitigated through effective local action. Green spaces offer numerous climate benefits to cities, including improving air quality, water management and providing local cooling effects, with subsequent health benefits. Despite such benefits, the current municipal policy and practice faces challenges in aligning climate, health and greenspace interventions on the ground. This paper looks at the municipal evidence base in London. Employing a policy-engaged approach, it draws on semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with London boroughs to unpack what greenspace indicators are measured and why; what feeds into municipal evaluation frameworks; and how greenspace, climate adaptation and health are integrated across London’s municipalities. The findings reveal limited and fragmented approaches to measuring the multiple benefits of greenspace interventions, with weak links to climate and health outcomes, and little policy alignment at the municipal level. This has broader implications for data-driven governance models pursued by cities worldwide and for integrating greenspace–climate–health policy and practice within the spatial and political context of cities. The paper concludes by summarising research findings, presenting policy recommendations and highlighting areas of future research. Full article

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) represent an opportunity to use stormwater management as a mechanism to deliver multiple co-benefits. They can play a key role in urban climate change adaptation, restoring nature, and increasing health and social wellbeing. Despite these benefits, their uptake is limited with many practitioners reporting barriers to implementation. To explore these barriers, and to define actions to unlock scaling, our mixed-methods study explored comparative perceptions of SuDS practitioners within the UK. Survey research (n = 48) provided an overview of broad experiences across a range of SuDS practitioners. Main barriers described were access to funds, difficulty retrofitting, cost to maintain, and the ownership of SuDS. Main issues having the least available information to support SuDS scaling were conflicts with corporate identity, cost to maintain, and collaboration between various stakeholders. Follow-up interviews (n = 6) explored experiences among a contrasting subset of survey respondents: those who experienced the highest number of perceived barriers and those who experienced the fewest barriers to SuDS implementation. From these interviews, key themes were identified that categorized the barriers for SuDS implementations: people-related elements; limiting practicalities; and informational factors. The findings were differentiated between indirect barriers (i.e., soft barriers, such as individual practitioner knowledge and capacity gaps linked to poor knowledge exchange) and direct barriers (i.e., hard barriers including specific gaps in SuDS data and knowledge experienced more universally). The importance of differentiating between knowledge-based (indirect) barriers that can be unlocked by improved information-transfer solutions and actual (direct) barriers that need further considered approaches and the generation of new knowledge to overcome is highlighted. Evidence-based policy recommendations for governmental and SuDS-based organisations are presented. Full article

Elevated carbon dioxide (eCO₂) levels can enhance crop yields but may simultaneously reduce quality, impacting both macronutrient and micronutrient concentrations, and potentially decreasing protein content in cereal grains. This study examined the effects of elevated CO₂ (eCO₂) and nitrogen (N) fertilization on crop growth, yield, and soil nitrogen cycling through a glass greenhouse experiment using Eutric Regosol soil. The experimental design incorporated two CO₂ gradients: ambient CO₂ (aCO₂) at approximately 410 ppm during the day and 460 ppm at night, and eCO₂ at approximately 550 ppm during the day and 610 ppm at night. Additionally, two nitrogen fertilization treatments were applied: no fertilizer (N0) and 100 mg N kg⁻¹ dry weight (DW) soil (N100). Crops were cultivated under two cropping systems: the monoculturing of fababean (Vicia faba L.) or wheat (Triticum aestivum Yunmai) and the intercropping of both species. The results demonstrated that eCO₂ significantly enhanced the growth and yield of both fababean and wheat, particularly when nitrogen fertilization was applied. Nitrogen fertilizer application did not always enhance crop yield, considering the complexity of nitrogen management under elevated CO₂ conditions. Furthermore, the intercropping of fababean and wheat presented multiple advantages, including improved crop yields, enhanced soil health, and increased ecosystem services. These findings suggest that intercropping can serve as a sustainable strategy to boost productivity and ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change. The changes in nitrogen application and CO₂ concentration affect the gene copy number of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea, which may affect the nitrogen cycling process in soil. There are complex interactions between crop biomass, nitrogen accumulation, transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance with soil properties (e.g., pH, organic matter, nitrogen content) and microbial community structure. The interaction between CO₂ concentration, nitrogen application level and crop intercropping pattern had significant effects on crop growth, soil properties and microbial communities. Future research should prioritize investigating the long-term effects of intercropping on soil productivity and the development of management strategies that optimize the benefits of this cropping system. Full article

Flash floods are a concerning social issue that affect urban areas all over the world. Flash floods can disrupt vital services, damage infrastructure, have socio-economic impacts on the earth’s surface, and significantly impact the community near the water body. Household and commercial damage, physical health issues from contaminated floodwater, mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, and even fatalities are some of these common effects. Additionally, it is anticipated that climate change, continuous population growth, and urbanisation will increase flood events and flood risk exposure. Nature-based solutions (NbS) for flood management that lower flood risks include sustainable, economical methods that improve biodiversity, ecosystem resilience, and community well-being. This in-depth study analyses research and literature that previous researchers conducted related to flood management around ASEAN countries, as all these countries are closely located and share similarities in climate and temperature. This survey focuses on identifying the most suitable and effective NbS to overcome the problem and appropriate non-structural measures to support it in solving the flood problem in Malaysia. NbS provide a multi-benefit approach by improving ecosystem resilience, cutting costs, and offering co-benefits, including biodiversity conservation and better water quality, in contrast to conventional methods that put infrastructure before environmental sustainability. This survey also looks at the weaknesses in the existing flood management system and provides recommendations to overcome these problems. Additionally, this survey offers practical policy suggestions to help incorporate NbS into regional and national flood control frameworks, guaranteeing that the solutions are not only socially just but also ecologically sound. Full article

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) in the atmosphere and the substrate for the photosynthetic fixation of carbohydrates in plants. Increasing GHGs from anthropogenic emissions is warming the Earth’s atmospheric system at an alarming rate and changing its climate, which can affect photosynthesis and other biochemical reactions in crop plants favorably or unfavorably, depending on plant species. For the substrate role in plant carbon reduction reactions, CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) in air potentially enhances photosynthesis. However, N uptake and availability for protein synthesis can be a potential limiting factor in enhanced biomass synthesis under enriched [CO₂] conditions across species. Legumes are C₃ plants and symbiotic N fixers and are expected to benefit from enhanced [CO₂] in the air. However, the concurrent increase in air temperatures with enhanced [CO₂] demands more detailed investigations on the effects of [CO₂] enhancement on grain legume growth and yield. In this article, we critically reviewed and presented the online literature on growth, phenology, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, productivity, soil health, and insect behavior under elevated [CO₂] and temperature conditions. The review revealed that specific leaf weight, pod weight, and nodule number and weight increased significantly under elevated [CO₂] of up to 750 ppm. Under elevated [CO₂], two mechanisms that were affected were the photosynthesis rate (increased) and stomatal conductivity (decreased), which helped enhance water use efficiency in the C₃ legume plants to achieve higher yields. Exposure of legumes to elevated levels of [CO₂] when water stressed resulted in an increase of 58% in [CO₂] uptake, 73% in transpiration efficiency, and 41% in rubisco carboxylation and decreased stomatal conductance by 15–30%. The elevated [CO₂] enhanced the yields of soybean by 10–101%, peanut by 28–39%, mung bean by 20–28%, chickpea by 26–31%, and pigeon pea by 31–38% over ambient [CO₂]. However, seed nutritional qualities like protein, Zn, and Ca were significantly decreased. Increased soil temperatures stimulate microbial activity, spiking organic matter decomposition rates and nutrient release into the soil system. Elevated temperatures impact insect behavior through higher plant feeding rates, posing an enhanced risk of invasive pest attacks in legumes. However, further investigations on the potential interaction effects of elevated [CO₂] and temperatures and extreme climate events on growth, seed yields and nutritional qualities, soil health, and insect behavior are required to develop climate-resilient management practices through the development of novel genotypes, irrigation technologies, and fertilizer management for sustainable legume production systems. Full article