Search Results (145)

Background/Objectives: The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, together with accelerating environmental degradation, highlights the urgent need for sustainable dietary patterns that promote both human and planetary health. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), traditionally followed in countries bordering the Mediterranean basin, has gained recognition as a model of sustainable nutrition due to its well-documented health benefits and relatively low environmental impact. However, its broader role within sustainable food systems requires comprehensive and interdisciplinary evaluation. The aim of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art synthesis of the evidence on the MedDiet as a sustainable dietary pattern, integrating its health, environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. Methods: This state-of-the-art narrative review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed literature on the MedDiet and sustainability. Relevant studies were identified through major scientific databases, focusing on publications addressing nutritional, environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. Both observational and interventional studies, as well as modeling and life cycle assessment analyses, were included. Additional sources from international organizations and policy reports were incorporated to contextualize global trends and challenges. Results: High adherence to the MedDiet is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and all-cause mortality. From an environmental perspective, the MedDiet is associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced land and water use, and enhanced biodiversity conservation compared with Western dietary patterns. Economically, it may represent a cost-effective dietary model and support local food systems when grounded in traditional practices, although affordability varies across contexts. Socio-culturally, the MedDiet promotes food heritage, culinary skills, and social cohesion. Nevertheless, globalization, urbanization, and the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods have contributed to declining adherence, posing significant challenges to its sustainability and scalability. Moreover, the sustainability benefits of the MedDiet seem to be context-dependent rather than intrinsic, raising several challenges and limitations for its adoption. Conclusions: The MedDiet should be viewed not as a definitive solution to global food-system challenges but as a valuable reference model that illustrates how dietary practices can contribute simultaneously to human health, environmental sustainability, and cultural continuity. Modern sustainable dietary strategies should build upon the strengths of the MedDiet while recognizing its limitations, embracing contextual adaptation, and addressing the structural determinants that shape food choices. Full article

Accurate simulation of landfalling typhoons is essential for urban resilience in the densely populated Pearl River Delta. Using Super Typhoon Mangkhut (2018) as a case study, this paper evaluates the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model through a contribution analysis designed to disentangle the roles of surface layer, planetary boundary layer (PBL), urban canopy model (UCM), and eddy-coefficient/diffusion closure parameterizations in wind-hazard prediction. Model results are validated against observations at the Hong Kong Observatory headquarters (HKO) and King’s Park (KP) stations, demonstrating that the hierarchy of physical controls is strongly metric-dependent. Substantial and structured spread is found among the tested configurations. Controlled comparisons show that PBL selection is the primary driver of variability in peak timing and high-wind persistence, whereas surface-layer formulation and diffusion closure exert secondary but systematic influences by shifting distributional centers and reshaping variability and upper tails. Urban canopy effects are comparatively weaker in aggregate but become more apparent during the impact and recovery phases. Overall, the results confirm that no single parameterization is consistently optimal across all metrics and motivate a multi-objective physics-selection strategy, in which multi-physics ensembles are used to better represent uncertainty in wind-event duration and associated loading risks in complex urban environments. Full article

The Eastern Mediterranean, notably Cyprus, is a climate change hotspot facing severe heatwaves. Accurate numerical weather prediction of these extremes requires precise land–atmosphere modeling and initial and boundary conditions. This study assesses replacing the default USGS Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) dataset with the 10 m ESA WorldCover 2021 dataset in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate the 15–29 July 2023 Cyprus heatwave. The updated LULC increased urban representation six-fold. Statistical validations showed significant improvements in 2 m temperature, relative humidity, and 10 m wind speed predictions across 85% of observational sites. Dynamically, it restored urban thermal memory, effectively capturing the daytime Urban Cool Island effect and nocturnal heat release. Furthermore, radiosonde validations showed that the update corrected nocturnal Planetary Boundary Layer Height (PBLH) underestimations and dampened exaggerated daytime convective mixing. However, crucial limitations remain. High-frequency diagnostics indicated the model still suffers from damped thermal inertia, missing the abrupt temperature spikes and rapid nocturnal cooling typical of semi-arid microclimates. Additionally, the updated configuration failed to capture severe atmospheric stagnation during peak heatwave conditions, highlighting that deep-rooted kinetic errors persist within default boundary layer parameterizations despite static surface improvements. Full article

Accelerating environmental degradation and the continued overshoot of planetary boundaries highlight the urgent need for scientifically grounded sustainability assessments that operate across scales. While the planetary boundaries framework provides a global reference for safe environmental limits, its translation to regional and local contexts remains a methodological and practical challenge. In response, this study presents a novel scalable framework for conducting regionally explicit assessments of absolute environmental sustainability, grounded in the planetary boundaries framework. The central objective is to enable scientifically robust and globally comparable evaluations that remain sensitive to local environmental and socioeconomic conditions. The method integrates historical environmental datasets, and satellite-based Earth observation, to assess environmental impacts at the regional scale. A structured three-step process is introduced: (1) regional thresholds are derived from historical reference conditions; (2) thresholds are validated using Earth observation; and (3) environmental impacts are quantified against the validated thresholds to detect transgressions. The framework was tested in the urban core of Kiruna, northern Sweden, across five planetary boundary indicators. The results reveal substantial boundary transgressions, most notably for genetic diversity, which reaches 269 extinctions per million species-years, and for land system change, where the regional threshold is fully exceeded. These findings illustrate both the analytical value and the methodological challenges of applying planetary boundaries at fine spatial scales. Kiruna, northern Sweden, was selected as a case study due to its role as a European mining center, its location within Sámi territories, and the overlap between resource extraction and settlement. The case study illustrates the difficulty of applying planetary boundaries at fine spatial scales. This highlights the need for careful interpretation and improved calibration when downscaling global thresholds to local conditions. Ultimately, the framework reveals the potential and limitations of regionalizing planetary boundaries, highlighting the importance of methodological transparency and contextual nuance in sustainability assessment. Full article

Gayatri Spivak suggests that we turn our attention to the planet rather than to the globe. While she recognizes the planet in the species of alterity, she considers the globe to be an abstract quantity linked with the desire for control through digital quantification methods. This article discusses Claudia Bosse’s choreographic approach of re-imagining the human being as a planetary subject by investigating her dance performance WASTEland (2025), which took place on a piece of fallow land near Vienna Central Station. The choreographer turned this wasteland into her artistic laboratory and workplace for seven months. Using a mixed-method approach—combining performance analysis and discourse analysis—and drawing from planetary thinking and new materialism, I analyze Bosse’s artistic research, which raises the question of the relationship of precarious landscapes and the precarity of the bodies that perform (on) them, exposed to their climatic and ecological conditions as well as to their uncontrollable inhabitants, both human and other-than-human. How can wasteland and building sites be artistically activated? Does working and dancing on/with wasteland signify a withdrawal from urgent political issues or does this physical exposure enable a shift of perspective in regard to political miseries? Full article

The identification and characterization of air pollutants in metropolitan environments are of paramount global concern due to their significant implications for air quality and public health. This study investigates the chemical composition of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) at two strategically selected urban sites in Seoul, South Korea, during 2020: Gwanghwamun Plaza, representing a high-density central location, and Bokjeong Station, situated in the metropolitan periphery. A key aspect of this research is the detection of terephthalic acid (TPA)—a distinct marker of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) combustion—using high-resolution liquid chromatography–time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ToF-MS/MS). Results from the simultaneous measurement campaign demonstrate that nighttime conditions strongly influence PM_2.5 at both sites, with increases observed not only in absolute concentrations (levoglucosan, TPA, As, CO, and NH₃) but also in OC-normalized ratios (levoglucosan/OC and TPA/OC). The consistent nighttime enhancement of these ratios suggests that the observed increases cannot be explained solely by reduced planetary boundary layer height but instead indicate relatively stronger emission contributions. These increases are likely influenced by waste incineration activities, wherein PET-based plastics and wood materials are combusted. Furthermore, assessment of the dithiothreitol assay-derived oxidative potential (DTT-OP) underscores the heightened oxidative stress associated with these emissions, posing substantial health risks. Full article

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) is a key indicator for quantifying aerosol radiative effects and evaluating air quality. However, atmospheric chemical transport models often exhibit systematic AOD biases, and model capability for column-integrated optical properties is not always consistent with that for near-surface particulate matter concentrations. Here, we evaluate AOD simulated by the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model over five major urban clusters in China, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, Fenwei Plain (FWP), Sichuan Basin (SCB), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Pearl River Delta (PRD), using satellite retrievals from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), ground-based retrievals from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), and vertical extinction profiles from the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO). CMAQ reproduces the major spatial patterns and exhibits relatively small biases in near-surface PM_2.5. However, it persistently underestimates AOD relative to MODIS, with the largest negative bias occurring in April (i.e., a typical spring month). This contrast indicates a pronounced inconsistency between column-integrated aerosol amount and surface mass density. Relative to AERONET, CMAQ shows a negative bias (NMB = −38%), whereas MODIS shows a positive bias (NMB = 56%), suggesting that both model and retrieval uncertainties contribute to the CMAQ–MODIS disagreements. CALIPSO-constrained vertical analysis further suggests that insufficient extinction above the planetary boundary layer (PBL) is an important contributor to the negative AOD bias, although the relative roles of boundary-layer and upper-layer contributions vary across regions, underscoring the importance of accurately representing aerosol vertical transport and optical processes. These results indicate that evaluations based solely on surface observations may fail to fully capture the overall structure of AOD errors, particularly given the clear differences between near-surface mass concentrations and column optical properties, which vary across regions. This also highlights the importance of improving the representation of aerosol vertical transport and optical processes in chemical transport models. Full article

The study reconsiders the architectural production associated with Russian Suprematism (which was speaking of “the supremacy of pure artistic sensation” rather than the veritable figurative depiction of real-life subjects) in the early Soviet period as a coherent and conceptually rigorous mode of speculative world-making rather than as a marginal or unrealized appendix to avant-garde art history and theory. By examining the architectural propositions articulated by Kazimir Malevich and then elaborated by his younger colleagues Lazar Khidekel, Ilya Chashnik, and Nikolai Suetin, the study advances the claim that Russian Suprematist architecture constituted an epistemic experiment aimed at redefining the very ontological premises of architecture. Far from functioning as a mere transposition of abstract pictorial language into three-dimensional form, Suprematist planits, architectons, and aerocentric projects operated as instruments for thinking spatiality beyond terrestrial gravity, anthropocentric utility, and historical typology. Situating these projects within the intellectual horizon of Russian cosmism and early aerospace thought, the article demonstrates how Suprematist architecture intersected with contemporary philosophical, scientific, and technological discourses that envisioned humanity’s active participation in the reorganization of cosmic space. The architectural imagination of Suprematism emerges here as inseparable from broader debates on excitation, non-objectivity, transformation of matter, and the reconfiguration of human corporeality. Through close analysis of formal strategies, pedagogical frameworks, and theoretical writings, the paper reveals the internal plurality of avant-garde Suprematist architectural inquiry, ranging from ecological proto-urbanism and hovering settlements to magnetic and cruciform spatial systems. Ultimately, the paper argues that the historical non-realization of these projects should not be interpreted as a failure but as an intrinsic feature of their speculative methodology. Suprematist architecture is thus redefined as an anticipatory practice whose unresolved propositions continue to resonate with contemporary discussions on space habitation, planetary design, ecological responsibility, and post-human architectural thought, challenging inherited assumptions about the scope and function of architecture as such. Full article

Digital capitalism has generated new forms of extractivism that extend beyond natural resources to encompass data, attention, affect, and planetary materials. This article examines how exhibition practices can function as forms of algorithmic resistance by foregrounding material praxis, embodied engagement, and curatorial strategies of care. Drawing on a practice-based research approach, the paper develops a theoretical framework around extractivism, materiality, and relational ethics, and applies it to two case studies: the author’s exhibition Nature Reclaims: Images of Healing, which cultivates regenerative imaginaries through urban rewilding photography, tactile installations, and trauma-informed reflective tools; and Fossil Fables, curated by the Global Extraction Observatory (GEO), which exposes the infrastructural, political, and ideological architectures sustaining extractive industries and digital technologies. Through comparative analysis, the article introduces the concept of symbiotic curation to describe a post-extractive curatorial method that holds critical exposure and regenerative proposition in sustained tension. The findings illustrate how exhibitions can reorganize perception, recalibrate temporality, and render hidden infrastructures visible, while also cultivating embodied relations of care, ecological attunement, and collective reflection. By positioning curatorial practice as an epistemic process in which theoretical propositions are tested through spatial, material, and affective decisions, the article identifies transferable principles for post-extractive cultural work. It argues that exhibitions can operate as laboratories for algorithmic resistance and as sites for rehearsing alternative relations between humans, technologies, and more-than-human worlds. Full article

Peri-urbanization in rapidly growing cities of the Global South is increasingly driven not only by demographic growth but by escalating inner-city land and housing prices that push households and developers toward peripheral zones. Bangalore exemplifies this transition, where housing affordability pressures, speculative real estate investment, and weak land governance interact to transform agricultural landscapes into fragmented built-up clusters. Using satellite imagery (1991–2024), census data, and GIS-based land-use classification, this study quantifies peri-urban expansion across eight clusters in the Bangalore Metropolitan Region. The results show rapid built-up growth, agricultural land decline, and increasing spatial fragmentation, reflecting processes of extended urbanization beyond formal city boundaries. These transformations produce environmental stress, infrastructure deficits, and socio-spatial inequalities. The paper situates Bangalore within planetary urbanization debates and argues that peri-urban sustainability depends on land market regulation, spatial planning capacity, and data-driven governance. Full article

Global warming (GW) contributions from feedbacks and feedback loops are projected to rise from ≈54% (loops: 29%) in 2024 to ≈71% (loops: 50%) under faltering RCP pathways without Solar Geoengineering (SG) by about 2100. A critical threshold, RCP_Critical, defined as the point at which feedback loops account for more than half of GW, is projected to occur between 2075 and 2125. Beyond this point, reversing warming becomes severely constrained, and climate tipping points become more likely. From these trends, an average mitigation difficulty and cost increase rate (MDCR) of ≈1.33–1.5% per year is estimated. By 2100, absent mitigation, the effort required to offset global warming would roughly double relative to today, approaching an unsustainable mitigation critical threshold. Current feedback levels may already be driving nonlinear warming behavior. These diagnostic estimates align with three key indicators: a minimum-feedback baseline from 1870, an equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) range of 3.1 °C–4.3 °C (potentially reached by ≈2082), and consistency with IPCC AR6 confidence bounds. In response, this study proposes Annual Solar Geoengineering-PLUS pathways (ASG+Ps) as supplemental measures. These include Earth Brightening, targeted Arctic Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI), and feasible L1 Space Sunshade systems designed to reduce feedback amplification and extend mitigation timelines. The “PLUS” component refers to the use of increased mitigation levels with a focus on high-amplification regions, particularly the Arctic and the tropics, to help reverse local feedbacks and promote negative feedback loops. These moderate ASG+P pathways directly address AR6 concerns while avoiding many governance challenges of full-scale SG. ASG+Ps are less controversial and provide ≈14× stronger cooling potential per Wm⁻² than Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), while allowing variable regional targeting. Meanwhile, RCP2.6 has already been missed, placing RCP4.5 and RCP6 at risk. In 2024, atmospheric CO₂ rose by ≈23 Gt (≈3 ppm), while forest tree losses exceeded afforestation gains by 2×, yielding a 2 GtCO₂ sink loss, further diminishing CDR’s effectiveness. Declines in planetary albedo since 1998 continue to amplify warming. Urbanization accounts for roughly 13% of total surface GW, affecting 60% of the population, underscoring the mitigation potential of urban Earth Brightening. New results here also show major Space Sunshading area reductions, at ≈32× less than prior flawed estimates (detailed here) and ≈1600× less under the ASG+P method, substantially improving feasibility and the importance of space agencies’ needed mitigation role. A coordinated global ASG+P strategy, supported by IPCC working groups and space agencies like NASA/SpaceX, are needed to provide a critical supplemental pathway for climate stabilization. Given the shrinking intervention window, rising MDCR, and the escalating risks to civilization, prioritizing timely work in this area is essential; the investment is minor compared to the trillions in climate financial damages that could be avoided. Full article

Air quality is a key priority in environmental policy agendas worldwide, yet rapid urban growth in developing countries disproportionately affects urban air quality. In sub-Saharan Africa, the spatial and temporal dynamics of key pollutants remain underexplored. This knowledge gap limits the ability to understand how pollution hotspots emerge, how they shift over time, and how they interact with the broader planetary processes such as climate change. This study analysed the spatial distribution of ozone (O₃) and carbon monoxide (CO) hotspots in Diepkloof and Klieprivier townships, Johannesburg, South Africa, using data from 2019 to 2023 obtained from air quality monitoring stations. Spatial patterns were mapped using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation in a Geographic Information System (GIS), and meteorological influences were assessed through multiple linear regression. Results showed distinct spatial trends: Diepkloof experienced a decrease in O₃ from 23 ppb to 16 ppb, whereas Klieprivier remained stable but exhibited marked seasonal variation, peaking at 30 ppb in spring. Wind speed, wind direction, and humidity were significant predictors (p < 0.05) of both CO and O₃. In Klieprivier, meteorological factors explained 54.2% of O₃ variability, with temperature being the strongest predictor. These findings provide valuable insight into pollutant behaviour in urban townships and highlight the importance of integrating spatial analysis with meteorological modelling for targeted air quality management. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the world to pause temporarily on an almost planetary scale. The creation and diffusion of knowledge about environmental planning and public health are now almost taken for granted. However, such processes were rather different in pre-pandemic times. It took a substantial dose of labor and resources to generate the information needed to produce useful and usable knowledge, and especially to make it available to others in a timely and effective way. As automobility has come to occupy center stage in the lives of an increasing number of suburbanized dwellers, it has taken multiple energy and public health crises, bold leadership, and the real threat of climate change to create the conditions needed to bolster sustainable Non-Motorized Transportation (NMT) as a complement to cleaner and more convenient mass transit options in cities. How does knowledge about sustainable NMT get created? How are sustainable NMT innovations diffused? How can technological and societal transitions to more sustainable realities be nurtured and augmented? This article utilizes a longitudinal and integrated knowledge creation and diffusion model with a Participatory Planning Process to analyze the adoption of measures aimed at reducing the negative consequences of too much automobility and encouraging higher levels of walking, cycling, and mass transportation. The research methods comprised autoethnographic, qualitative, and policy evaluation techniques. The study makes use of the means and ends matrix to discuss cases from five distinct realms: personal, academic, institutional, volunteering NGO, and private sector. The key findings and lessons learned promote scenarios of managed degrowth and sustainable urban transitions. Full article

Addressing the planetary crisis associated with climate change, biodiversity loss, global pollution, and public health requires novel and holistic approaches. Here, we present the methodology and initial results of an experiment conducted in Rome within the framework of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC) project, Spoke 6. The major objective of this study was to outline the planetary health approach as a lens to assess urban health. This transdisciplinary case study explored the relationship between urban traffic-related external exposome and pro-oxidative responses in humans and plants. This methodology is based on the integration of atmospheric dynamics modeling, state-of-the-art aerosol measurements, biomonitoring in human cohorts, in vitro cellular assays, and the assessment of functional trait markers in urban trees. The results indicate that short-term exposure to urban aerosols, even at low concentrations, triggers rapid oxidative and inflammatory responses in bronchial epithelial cells, modulates gene and miRNA expression, alters gut microbiota diversity, and induces functional trait changes in urban trees. This study also highlights the feedback mechanisms between vegetation and atmospheric conditions, emphasizing the role of urban greenery in modulating microclimate and exposure. The methodology and initial results presented here will be further analyzed in future studies to explore proof of a cause–effect relationship between short-term exposure to traffic-related environmental stressors in urban areas and oxidative stress in humans and plants, with implications for chronic responses. In a highly urbanized world, this evidence could be pivotal in motivating the widespread implementation of planetary health approaches for assessing urban health. Full article

Media shape and reflect social imaginaries, influencing collective beliefs, norms, and aspirations. Video games and films frequently depict themes like urbanization, dystopian futures, and resource-driven expansion, often envisioning humanity colonizing new planets after depleting Earth’s resources. Such narratives risk reinforcing exploitative attitudes toward the environment, extending them to new frontiers. Research has shown that media, especially video games, influence societal perceptions and shape future possibilities. While largely reflecting anthropocentric worldviews, these media also have the potential to promote ecocentric perspectives. In the context of biodiversity loss and planetary imbalance, media’s role in fostering non-anthropocentric values is crucial. This study introduces the Non-Anthropocentric Media Evaluation Questionnaire (NAMEQ), a tool designed to help media producers assess whether their work aligns with ecocentric principles, and to support academic researchers and students in the study and analysis of media from a biocentric perspective. Applying this framework to 138 widely distributed video games and films reveals a strong dominance of anthropocentric narratives. While some works incorporate ecocentric themes, they remain inconsistent. The findings underscore the need for a more deliberate and coherent representation of bio-centric values in media, advocating for a shift in cultural narratives toward perspectives that recognize and respect the intrinsic value of the non-human world. Full article