The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus concept has emerged over the last decade as a way of thinking about and analysing natural resources. Each WEF sector has intimate feedback relationships with the other sectors, forming a coherent, complex system. Through analysis of these relationships and of the impact of policy on the system, more integrated and sustainable resources management is aimed for. The nexus concept is not without criticism, and a concern is that one sector would come to be seen as ‘more important’ than the others. This paper attempts to break such ideas, describing how each WEF sector is equally essential for the functioning of the other two, and that the WEF nexus is more than the sum of its parts. Going further, the paper shows how the WEF nexus is supported/enabled by ‘ecosystems’. Without good ecosystems functioning, the WEF sectors could be compromised with significant consequences. At the same time, ecosystems are degraded by WEF demand and exploitation. Society depends upon ecosystems and the proper quantity, quality, timing, and spatial availability of WEF resources. Societal demand impacts on WEF resources availability and security, and on ecosystems integrity. The paper concludes by stating that the integrity of this WEF-ecosystems system is under significant threat as planetary boundaries are exceeded, ecological overexploitation is accelerating, and global warming impacts become acute. Nothing short of a wholesale societal behavioural and conceptual shift towards WEF sectors, their use, exploitation, and management is required, and that a systems-thinking mentality is central to such a shift.
This review comprehensively examines the variability and uncertainty associated with test guideline (TG)-conform genotoxicity data and explores the respective implications for the integration of non-animal-methods (NAMs) into regulatory frameworks. Historical amendments to OECD TGs are mapped to reveal the method’s evolution that improves the scientific quality of the data but also explains data heterogeneity within available databases. An analysis of the major genotoxicity databases ECVAM, ISSMIC, and OASIS demonstrates substantial variability in genotoxicity calls. Using the EFSA genotoxicity database, which currently harbours the best-curated (meta-) data, we estimate that 22–77
IntroductionRapid detection of infectious disease agents is crucial for timely public health responses. Wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) offers a complementary approach by detecting pathogens shed by infected individuals, including asymptomatic cases. This scoping review provides an overview of reported public health actions in response to WES for human pathogens. It also summarizes sampling and analysis methods and offers insights for future implementation.MethodsThe protocol for this review was registered in the PROCEED open-access registry. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science for peer-reviewed literature published up to 31 July 2024. Studies were included if they reported public health actions in response to WES related to infectious diseases in human populations. Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data on public health responses, sampling, and analytical methods.ResultsOf the 6,630 articles screened, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (92%) were published between 2021 and 2024, with SARS-CoV-2 as the primary focus (82%), followed by poliovirus (16%). Research was largely conducted in high-income regions: North America (51%), Asia (22%), and Europe (14%). Target populations included urban residents (57%) and on-campus students (31%) and local authorities were more often involved in WES efforts than national agencies (51% vs. 33%). In 75% of studies, at least two public health actions were implemented, and 20% reported five or more. The most common actions related to reactive disease control (n = 69), including testing, isolation, and contact tracing. Proactive disease control actions (n = 33) and public health communication (n = 22) were also described. Weekly sampling (57%) and composite methods (67%) were most used. Manhole sampling, despite equal frequency with treatment plant sampling (35%), led to significantly more public health actions (61 vs. 35). Long-term surveillance was often reported but rarely sustained. Quantitative and molecular analyses dominated; sequencing was rarely used (4%).ConclusionWhile reporting on public health actions following WES remains limited, this review illustrates its potential to inform timely, local interventions. Future studies should broaden pathogen targets, embed public health action planning in study design, and expand WES use in low-resource settings.
Urban environments are shaped by intricate interactions among water, soil, air, and infrastructure, where traditional models often fail to capture nonlinear, non-Euclidean dynamics. Spatiotemporal graph learning (STGL) has emerged as a powerful framework to represent such complexity, enabling accurate forecasting and real-time decision support from urban districts to national and even global scales. This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of STGL tailored to urban environments. We summarize advances in graph construction, spatial and temporal modeling, and fusion strategies, and examine applications across urban water systems, soil and agriculture, air quality, and urban risk. Landmark case studies, including Microsoft's Aurora, NVIDIA's Earth-2, and Google's GraphCast/GenCast, demonstrate STGL's potential as a foundation model for environmental intelligence. We conclude by identifying key limitations and outlining future directions, emphasizing federated learning, machine unlearning, and meta-learning to enhance next-generation STGL frameworks that ultimately support resilient and adaptive urban environments.
Controlled drainage with subirrigation (CDSI) using surface water contributes to freshwater availability by recharging, retaining and discharging water. However, CDSI systems affect regional hydrological fluxes, which requires adequate regional planning and management. This study aims to (i) investigate to what extent regional upscaling of CDSI can be supported in relation to surface water availability, using a system dynamics model (SDM) and (ii) identify how an SDM can support decision making of water management authorities. An SDM was developed to simulate changes in hydrological fluxes and water levels resulting from CDSI upscaling from the local to the regional scale. An SDM was used as it is able to capture key non-linear feedbacks within the water system, such as those between (i) surface water and groundwater, (ii) groundwater and unsaturated zone, (iii) regional water supply and weir management. The model provides insight into changes in hydrological fluxes due to CDSI upscaling, without long computational times and the complexities of spatially distributed models. Simulations show non-linear propagation of hydrological fluxes, where three phases can be identified for different degrees of upscaling: (i) sufficient surface water availability, (ii) surface water availability decreases due to subirrigation, and (iii) insufficient water availability due to overexploitation. These phases are related to regional and local water management strategies controlled by water management authorities and farmers, and to geohydrological characteristics. In conclusion, the SDM can support early-stage strategic planning on the feasibility of CDSI upscaling and facilitate discussions between stakeholders by efficiently visualizing and quantifying associated hydrological effects.
