Search Results (130)

The article addresses the question of the relative importance of human population size and growth in relation to the environmental problems of planetary heating and biodiversity loss in the current, Anthropocene era. To what extent could policies to encourage lower fertility be justified, while observing that this subject is an inherently contested one. It is proposed that a helpful distinction can be made between specific threats to habitats and biodiversity, as opposed to those related to global energy use and warming. Pressures of over-population can be important in relation to the former. But with regard to the latter—rising per capita energy usage—reduced fertility has historically been positively, not negatively correlated. A case can be made that the high-fertility nations of sub-Saharan Africa could benefit from culturally respectful fertility reduction policies. However, where planetary heating is concerned, it is the hydrocarbon-based, per capita energy-consumption patterns of already low-fertility populations on the other five inhabited continents that is rather more critical. While it will be helpful to stabilise global human population, this cannot be viewed as a solution to the climate crisis problem of this century. That requires relentless focus on reducing hydrocarbon use and confronting the rising inequality since c.1980 that has been exacerbating competitive materialist consumerism. This involves the ideological negotiation of values to promote a culture change that understands and politically embraces a new economics of both human and planetary balance, equity, and distribution. Students of populations can contribute by re-assessing what can be the appropriate demographic units and measures for policies engaging with the challenges of the Anthropocene. Full article

Water, an essential asset for life and growth, is under growing pressure due to climate change, overpopulation, pollution, and industrialization. At the same time, water distribution within cities relies on piping networks that are over 30 years old and thereby prone to leaks, cracking, and losses. Taking this into account, non-revenue water (i.e., water that is distributed to homes and facilities but not returning revenues) is estimated at almost 50%. To this end, intelligent water management via computational advanced tools is required in order to optimize water usage, to mitigate losses, and, more importantly, to ensure sustainability. To address this issue, a case study was developed in this paper, following a step-by-step methodology for the city of Heraklion, Greece, in order to introduce an intelligent water management system that integrates advanced technologies into the aging water distribution infrastructure. The first step involved the digitalization of the network’s spatial data using geographic information systems (GIS), aiming at enhancing the accuracy and accessibility of water asset mapping. This methodology allowed for the creation of a framework that formed a “digital twin”, facilitating real-time analysis and effective water management. Digital twins were developed upon real-time data, validated models, or a combination of the above in order to accurately capture, simulate, and predict the operation of the real system/process, such as water distribution networks. The next step involved the incorporation of a hydraulic simulation and modeling tool that was able to analyze and calculate accurate water flow parameters (e.g., velocity, flowrate), pressure distributions, and potential inefficiencies within the network (e.g., loss of mass balance in/out of the district metered areas). This combination provided a comprehensive overview of the water system’s functionality, fostering decision-making and operational adjustments. Lastly, automatic meter reading (AMR) devices could then provide real-time data on water consumption and pressure throughout the network. These smart water meters enabled continuous monitoring and recording of anomaly detections and allowed for enhanced control over water distribution. All of the above were implemented and depicted in a web-based environment that allows users to detect water meters, check water consumption within specific time-periods, and perform real-time simulations of the implemented water network. Full article

Studies at the intersection of climate change and futures research are needed. In response, we interviewed Icelanders (n = 63) to understand individuals’ visions of the future. Linguistic analysis revealed that participants expressed themselves informally with moderate confidence, high authenticity, and a negative tone. Deductive thematic analysis revealed three overarching visions of the future: (1) a utopian future characterized by environmental and social harmony where people return to nature; (2) a stable future reminiscent of today with improved infrastructure, connectivity, and continued sustainability and adaptation practices that maintain a rural lifestyle; and (3) a dystopian future marked by climate disruptions, overpopulation, and new environmental hazards requiring more emergency management resources alongside cultural barriers to adaptation that lead to the decay of infrastructure. The findings underscore the need to understand community-specific values and concerns for developing culturally sensitive and sustainable climate change adaptation strategies. Full article

The Tibetan Plateau is a critical ecological habitat where the overpopulation of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), a keystone species, accelerates grassland degradation through excessive burrowing and herbivory, threatening ecological balance and human activities. To address the inefficiency and high costs of traditional pika burrow monitoring, this study proposes an intelligent monitoring solution that integrates drone remote sensing with deep learning. By combining the lightweight visual Transformer architecture EfficientViT with the hybrid attention mechanism CBAM, we develop an enhanced YOLOv11-AEIT algorithm: (1) EfficientViT is employed as the backbone network, strengthening micro-burrow feature representation through a multi-scale feature coupling mechanism that alternates between local window attention and global dilated attention; (2) the integration of CBAM (Convolutional Block Attention Module) in the feature fusion neck reduces false detections through dual-channel spatial attention filtering. Evaluations on our custom PPCave2025 dataset show that the enhanced model achieves a 98.6% mAP@0.5, outperforming the baseline YOLOv11 by 3.5 percentage points, with precision and recall improvements of 4.8% and 7.2%, respectively. The algorithm enhances efficiency by a factor of 15 compared to manual inspection, while seamlessly meeting real-time drone detection requirements. This approach provides high-precision yet lightweight technical support for plateau ecological conservation and serves as a valuable methodological reference for similar ecological monitoring tasks. Full article

Overpopulation’s central role in environmental degradation is intermittently challenged. This article assesses the impact of mounting demographic pressures on six critical global sustainability challenges: deforestation, climate change, biodiversity loss, fishery depletion, water scarcity, and soil degradation. By synthesizing findings from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies, the article offers a comprehensive review of the effects of expanding human populations on the most pressing current environmental problems. Although the rate of population growth worldwide is slowing, human numbers are expected to continue increasing on Earth until the end of the century. Current research confirms that overpopulation causes substantial and potentially irreversible environmental impacts that cannot be ignored if international sustainability policy is to be effective. Full article

Climate action represents the most comprehensive of the 2015 United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in that climate change impacts all other goals. Urban overpopulation is a primary cause, as energy consumption is a significant source of carbon dioxide emissions directing climate change. The population increase origin is attributable to the agricultural/urban developments that became geographically widespread approximately 6000 years ago. Simultaneously, religious belief stressed multiple children, with women obligated to produce them. This female duty created gender inequality and reduced the health and well-being of women, as pregnancy is a noted risk factor for decreased lifetime health. Regardless of the detrimental risk to their health and well-being, the gender inequality, and the adverse effects of birthing multiple children regarding climate action, women today continue to feel obliged to reproduce appropriately. This burden requires change to meet the three sustainable development goals of good health and well-being (SDG 3), gender equality (SDG 5), and climate action (SDG 13). An author-developed mindfulness-based psychoanalytic narrative research method presents a means for promoting such change based on a qualitative narrative analysis of the responses of several participants regarding its success in clarifying the values of these women in overcoming career-related burnout. Full article

Rodents play a role in the spread of disease and cause immense damage to produce and infrastructure, leading to food safety risks and economic losses for farmers. Farmers typically control rodent populations using rodenticide baits, which are expensive, and, when used incorrectly, are inefficient, and pose a risk to children, pets and wildlife. Cats may offer a safer, more efficient and cheaper option for farmers, but concerns for cats’ impact on wildlife and possible negative outcomes for their own welfare may lead to them being underutilized. Through semi-structured interviews with 15 people from 9 dairy farms in two regions, we explored the value cats have to dairy farmers and the perceived impact of the Australian Tax Office making working cat care tax deductible. The data gathered during interviews indicated that uncontrolled rodent populations have a detrimental impact on dairy farms and showed that farmers valued having cats due to their efficiency in pest control, monetary savings and companionship. They struggled to cover the cost of cat care, however, particularly costs like sterilization and vaccination, which are necessary to enhance cat welfare and protect native wildlife from diseases and cat overpopulation. Our findings demonstrate that dairy farmers value the working cats on their farms for rodent control. Allowing cat care to be tax deductible may enable farmers to provide care such as sterilization, vaccination and food, potentially improving farmers’ wellbeing and cat welfare whilst reducing cats’ impact on wildlife. It is strongly recommended that relevant industry bodies gather additional evidence from both dairy and other types of farming operations, and if results are consistent with the findings from our study, they lobby state and federal governments to consider that cats kept on farms for rodent control be considered tax deductible as they are in the US and UK and are also exempt from state cat registration and permit costs as working dogs are in Australia. Full article

Urban settlements in Poland have developed over time, leading to problems such as overpopulation and spatial expansion, which threaten the environment and create spatial chaos. Changes in the demographic structure in Poland led to the need for systematized settlement development. Since 1989, Polish urban areas have undergone significant metamorphosis, with some becoming depopulated and others becoming metropolitan areas. The high autonomy of municipalities allowed for uncontrolled growth of the settlement network, also in typically rural directions. The 2006 Act mandated regional development strategies and urban spatial development plans for voivodship self-governments, but this has not produced adequate results. Cities continue to grow, often causing problems for society, local authorities, and natural ecosystems. This study examined the potential for urban settlement development using k-means cluster analysis to calculate the buildable area, taking in the detail of three case studies: Warsaw, Lodz, and Olsztyn. This allowed the classification of towns into zones corresponding to their level of urbanization. The k-means method used in the study gave similar and even more efficient results than the manual classification. This may contribute to stopping the growing urban expansion into rural areas inadequately prepared for the change in urban structure. This research can help to maintain sustainability and compensate for the problems of pollution in urban and rural areas. Full article

This article reads Karl Marx’s Capital (volume 1, 1867) as the Bildungsroman of a congenital criminal: its eponymous character, Capital. Following Friedrich Engels’s The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845), Marx detects and dissects capitalism’s crimes. Capital has been called Marx’s ‘Victorian novel’ and compared to English realism’s triple-deckers. Yet his indispensable informants include factory inspectors whose reports, according to Fredric Jameson, provide testimony beyond anything realism can represent. How, then, does Marx’s apparently realist aesthetic convey Capital’s criminal deeds and criminogenic drive? To address this matter, the article examines the Gothicism of Marx’s realism. It highlights his development of Engels’s Gothic realism, demonstrates how Capital begins in media res—its first sentence presenting an immense, monstrous collection of evidence of Capital’s cannibalism—and links this opening crime scene to Marx’s portrayal of the 1863 case of Mary Anne Walkley. Murdered in her workplace, Walkley inhabits an underworld overpopulated by fellow workers killed by wage-labour. The article argues that, because actuality under the rule of Capital is structurally and monstrously criminal, Marx’s Gothic constitutes a realistic medium to represent criminal monsters and structures. Full article

The loss of functions in Spanish rural areas has triggered territorial inequalities and injustices in a highly complex geographical environment. After the COVID-19 pandemic and in a context of overpopulation in large cities, the rural area emerged as a space of opportunity for more sustainable territorial rebalancing. Despite the evident tendency towards their population emptying, they are places endowed with their own qualities and specific values, currently in danger, especially in border areas between the regions, which are far from centralised nuclei and generate conflicts due to the transfer of powers to them from the State. Among these values is cultural heritage, the safeguarding and enrichment of which depends on the balance between the landscape and the society that hosts it. This work focuses on access to archaeological sites—an important form of heritage prior to the establishment of actual regional divisions, in the depopulated frontier between Cantabria and Castile and Leon—whose potential is presented by their intrinsic relationship with the territory and their ability to identify historical landscapes, advocating for future sustainability on a territorial scale. With all of the above, a cultural landscape delimitation is proposed between both regions that share common characteristics and problems, promoting synergies and territorial readings by analysing the territorial assets of these interior areas so that their potential is not diminished. Full article

Agricultural loss due to the overpopulation of Sika deer poses a significant challenge in Japan, leading to frequent human–wildlife conflicts. We conducted a study in Muroran, Hokkaido (42°22′56.1″ N–141°01′51.5″ E), with the objective of monitoring Sika deer and notifying farmers and locals. We deployed a Sika deer detection model (YOLOv8-nano) on a Raspberry Pi, integrated with an infrared camera that captured images only when a PIR sensor was triggered. To further understand the timing of Sika deer visits and potential correlations with environmental temperature and humidity, respective sensors were installed on Raspberry Pi and the data were analyzed using an ANOVA test. In addition, a buzzer was deployed to deter Sika deer from the study area. The buzzer was deactivated in the first 10 days after deployment and was activated in the following 20 days. The Sika deer detection model demonstrated excellent performance, with precision and recall values approaching 1, and a bounding box creation latency of 0.82 frames per second. Once a bounding box was established after Sika deer detection, alert notifications were automatically sent via email and the LINE messaging application, with an average notification time of 0.32 s. Regarding the buzzer’s impact on Sika deer, 35% of the detected individuals reacted by standing upright with alert ears, while 65% immediately fled the area. Analysis revealed that the time of day for Sika deer visits was significantly correlated with humidity (F = 8.95, p < 0.05), but no significant association with temperature (F = 0.681, p > 0.05). These findings represent a significant step toward mitigating human–wildlife conflicts and reducing agricultural production losses through effective conservation measures. Full article

Cultured meat produced using satellite cells has emerged to address issues such as overpopulation, the ethical conundrums associated with the breeding environment, and the methane gas emissions associated with factory farming. To date, however, the challenges of maintaining satellite cells in vitro and reducing the costs of the culture media are still substantial. Gelatin, collagen, and fibronectin are commonly used extracellular matrices (ECMs) that facilitate signal integration with the cells and promote cell adhesion. In this study, we compared the proliferation, cell cycle, immunocytochemistry, and expression levels of Pax7, Pax3, Myf5, MyoD1, and MyoG genes in bovine satellite cells (BSCs) cultured on gelatin-, collagen- and fibronectin-coated dishes as part of short- and long-term cultures. We observed that BSCs cultured on gelatin-coated dishes showed higher levels of Pax7 expression than BSCs cultured on collagen- and fibronectin-coated dishes in both short- and long-term cultures, indicating that BSCs cultured on gelatin effectively maintained the satellite cell population in both the short- and long-term cultures. Our study highlights that gelatin is an effective ECM for the maintenance of BSCs and the production of cultured meat. Full article

As in the rest of Europe, the Belgian boar population has been tending to increase, posing new challenges to management by hunting. Moreover, in autumn 2018, the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus penetrated Belgian territory. In response to this so-called overpopulation and to this health crisis, wild boars were massively culled by hunters and other nature managers. The wild boar was then debated by some stakeholders as a sensitive animal and that its welfare mattered even if it must still be killed. In this article, we explore the management of wild boar through a qualitative sociological survey focusing on damage to the welfare of wild animals and ways of limiting it. This survey is part of an innovative process launched by the Walloon Region and the Walloon Council for Animal Welfare (CWBEA). It was conducted in order to qualitatively describe current hunting practices and their impact on animal welfare; it then integrated knowledge from the human sciences into the CWBEA’s work; and, finally, those from the hunting world were invited to debate with the usual animal welfare advocates and managers. By identifying, based on the knowledge of hunting stakeholders and wildlife specialists, a multitude of issues and avenues for action to limit the harm to the welfare of wild boars, this paper highlights the relevance of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to the welfare issues of wild animals. It supports the hypothesis that animal welfare advocates can work toward establishing new norms in human/nonhuman relationships in collaboration with hunters but also to include wild animals—wild boars in this case—as sentient beings whose welfare must be considered and debated in discussions on global health. Full article

The urban landscape of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, faces significant mobility challenges, primarily stemming from rapid urbanization, overpopulation, and outdated infrastructure. These challenges necessitate the exploration of modern smart mobility concepts to improve traffic flow, road safety, and sustainability. This study investigates the potential of solutions such as Mobility-as-a-Service, car sharing, micro-mobility, Vehicle-as-a-Service, and electric vehicles in addressing these challenges. Through a comparative analysis of global implementations, this research identifies key success factors and barriers that inform the feasibility of integrating these solutions into Kinshasa’s unique socio-political and infrastructural context. The study presents a conceptual framework, supported by stakeholder analysis, for adapting these solutions locally. A detailed feasibility analysis considers technological, economic, social, environmental, and regulatory factors, offering a clear roadmap for implementation. Drawing on lessons from cities facing similar urban mobility challenges, the paper concludes with actionable recommendations and insights for policymakers and urban planners in Kinshasa. This research not only highlights the viability of smart mobility solutions in Kinshasa but also contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable urban development in rapidly growing cities. While smart mobility studies have largely focused on cities with developed infrastructure, there is a gap in understanding how these solutions apply to cities like Kinshasa with different infrastructural and socio-political contexts. Previous research has often overlooked the challenges of integrating smart mobility in rapidly urbanizing cities with underdeveloped transportation systems and financial constraints. This study fills that gap by offering a feasibility analysis tailored to Kinshasa, assessing smart mobility solutions for its traffic congestion and road safety issues. The smart mobility solutions studied—Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), car sharing, electric vehicles (EVs), and micro-mobility—were chosen for their ability to address Kinshasa’s key mobility challenges. MaaS reduces reliance on private vehicles, easing congestion and improving public transport. Car sharing offers affordable alternatives to vehicle ownership, essential in a city with income inequality. EVs align with sustainability goals by reducing emissions, while micro-mobility (bikes and e-scooters) improves last-mile connectivity, addressing public transit gaps. These solutions are adaptable to Kinshasa’s context and offer scalable, sustainable improvements for urban mobility. Full article

Most cats entering animal shelters in Australia are less than 12 months old and emanate from low socioeconomic areas. Many are unidentified and may be either owned or semi-owned cats (cats cared for by someone who does not consider themselves the owner). In Australia, approximately 33% of cats entering shelters and pounds are euthanized annually, adversely affecting the mental health of staff involved. Our study investigated cat ownership and caregiving behaviors of cats enrolled in the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation’s Community Cat Program, which included free sterilization, microchipping, and preventive healthcare. The suburbs targeted in Ipswich, Australia had a high per capita cat intake into animal shelters. We surveyed 1094 cat owners and semi-owners. Most cats were under 12 months old (79%), primarily domestic short-haired (69%), and acquired through informal channels such as friends, family, or as strays. Veterinary care was limited, with only 15% of cats having visited a veterinarian and 28% being vaccinated. Prior to hearing about the free sterilization program, 88.5% of participants identified as owners, while 11.5% were semi-owners. Before completing the survey, these semi-owners transitioned from an informal caregiving relationship to becoming owner of the cat/s. Of the semi-owners, 93% indicated that their transition to ownership was driven by feelings of responsibility, emotional attachment, and access to free sterilization services. These findings suggest that targeted interventions, such as accessible veterinary care and sterilization programs, are crucial in encouraging semi-owners to take full ownership of cats, improving cat welfare, and reducing unplanned breeding. Supporting this transition helps curb overpopulation and fosters improved caregiving, benefiting both cats and communities. Full article