Organic cotton farming is increasingly promoted as a pathway towards sustainable agriculture, yet its environmental and social sustainability remains insufficiently documented in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the environmental and social sustainability of organic cotton farming in Southern Mali using the FAO Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agricultural Systems (SAFA) framework. Data were collected from 190 organic cotton farmers using a structured questionnaire covering 29 indicators grouped into 12 sustainability subthemes related to environmental and social sustainability. Results show that 10 of the 12 subthemes received a high sustainability level, such as soil, biodiversity, and community engagement. Whereas water, materials and energy received the lowest rates. Therefore, strengthening farmers' technical capacities through promoting agroecological innovations, improving institutional support, ensuring fair payment mechanisms, and strengthening labour protections are essential to enhance the long-term environmental and social sustainability of organic cotton farming systems in West Africa.
As biodiversity continues to decline, questions arise regarding how conservation actors shape public and political discourse. This study explores how Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) funded by the EU Life Grant communicated regarding biodiversity in forestry and agriculture in the years 2020–2021. Using frame analysis of 87 communication items from 12 ENGOs, the study identifies a master frame that views the biodiversity crisis as a multi-dimensional challenge. This frame attributes problem responsibility externally to governments, industry and financial institutions, integrates ecological, socio-economic and governance dimensions and advocates for incremental change within existing systems rather than structural transformation. Theoretically, the study contributes by showing how a master frame can serve as an analytical tool for evaluating the ambition of ENGOs' efforts in responding to the biodiversity crisis. The findings help political actors and practitioners to better interpret and respond to ENGO biodiversity advocacy.
Scallop dredging is among the most damaging mobile bottom-towed fishing methods, impacting benthic habitats, community composition and structural complexity. While short-term effects are well documented, long-term recovery trajectories remain poorly understood due to the lack of undisturbed reference sites. In 2019, an isolated illegal dredging incident occurred within the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area (MPA), northwest Scotland—closed to scallop dredging since 2016—provided a rare opportunity to investigate recovery in a mixed-sediment habitat of known disturbance history. This study compared taxa diversity, abundance and community composition at the impacted site over five years to those of a nearby undisturbed control using diver and remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based video surveys analyzed with the SACFOR (superabundant, abundant, common, frequent, occasional, rare) abundance scale. Surveys two and four weeks after dredging recorded fewer taxa at the impacted site, with the absence of key habitat-forming taxa such as hydroids and maerl. Early post-impact communities were dominated by opportunistic and scavenger species. By year three, some structurally important taxa, including hydroids and turf algae, had reappeared, indicating the progression of recovery, though maerl and multiple echinoderms remained absent. After five years, diversity and abundance were higher than in earlier surveys, but the community structure remained simplified, with persistent dominance by a limited number of taxa and an absence of habitat-formers, suggesting that the site has not yet recovered. This case study highlights the long-lasting impacts of a single dredging event and the need for robust MPA enforcement, habitat-specific recovery baselines and long-term monitoring to inform ecosystem-based fisheries management and policy.
This study investigates the influence of CDW grades on crushing efficiency, the utility factor and recycled aggregate characteristics, focusing on concrete waste (C1, C2, C3) and brick waste (B1, B2, B3). An inverse relationship exists between CDW grades and crushing efficiency, with 6.7%–12.1% decrement for every 5 MPa strength increment. The utility factor improved with increasing CDW strength, showing 1.62%–1.80% increment per 5 MPa strength increment. Physical characteristics showed concrete waste grade C1 is suitable for structural applications, resembling conventional fine aggregate (M-sand). Water absorption increases 1.5–2.0 times with increasing CDW grade, while specific gravity decreases. Lower grade CDW showed higher aggregate impact value and aggregate crushing value, indicating a lower resistance to loads. Embodied Energy and Embodied Carbon increase with higher-grade of CDW, with concrete waste showing 19.71%–46.03% increase in EE and 19.79%–46.27% increase in EC per two-fold increase in strength. Brick waste showed over 50% increment in EE and EC for higher-grades. Higher-grade CDW requires more energy but demonstrates improved utility factors (>90% for C3 and B3) compared to lower grades (81.32% for C1, 80.67% for B1). The outcome of the current study emphasizes decision making strategy on crushing of CDW based on the strength grade, crushing efficiency and utility factor. This approach promotes scientific and application specific crushing of CDW, leading to a sustainable construction practice by minimizing environmental impacts.
Artificial intelligence has become essential infrastructure for climate science yet operates within a sustainability paradox—deploying carbon-intensive technologies to address climate challenges. Despite 3,000% publication growth (2021–2025), methodological fragmentation prevents systematic understanding of AI's environmental costs and effective decarbonization strategies. This PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review analyzed 59 peer-reviewed studies from Scopus (2021–2025) examining carbon footprints and mitigation strategies for AI in climate applications. Data synthesis employed narrative synthesis for carbon quantification (Theme 1, n = 31, 52.5%), random-effects meta-analysis for technical mitigation (Theme 2, n = 42, 71.2%), and content analysis for governance frameworks (Theme 3, n = 30, 50.8%). Bibliometric analysis using Bibliometrix identified temporal patterns and keyword co-occurrence networks. Carbon footprint quantification reveals systematic 300–500% underestimation through exclusion of inference phases (69% of studies), hardware embodied carbon (10–50% lifecycle impact), and geographic variance (5–15 × across regions). Meta-analysis demonstrates technical mitigation achieves pooled carbon reduction of −32.4% (95% CI: −27.1 to −37.8%, I² = 78%, p < 0.001), with algorithmic optimization superior (−38.2%) to hardware upgrades (−24.8%) and operational strategies (−29.7%). Critical governance gaps include inconsistent system boundaries (77% of studies, 200–400% measurement variance), incomplete disclosure (only 32%), and zero universal protocols. Network centrality analysis reveals carbon quantification terms occupy peripheral positions (betweenness = 0.4) despite 52.5% coverage, while policy vocabulary dominates centrality (betweenness = 91.5). We propose the Sustainable AI Carbon Accounting Protocol (SAICAP) addressing identified gaps through five mandatory disclosure categories, three-tier compliance structure, and multi-stakeholder coordination. Integrated technical mitigation can achieve 30–45% carbon reduction while maintaining model performance, contingent upon adopting standardized measurement protocols and governance mechanisms.
Balancing economic growth and ecological protection is key to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet single policies often fail in low-carbon transitions. This study utilizes panel data from 251 Chinese cities (2006–2022) and employs a double machine learning (DML) approach to assess whether the policy mix of innovation and openness exerts a synergistic effect on the economic low-carbon transition. The results indicate that innovation and openness significantly promote economic low-carbon transformation; the combined effect of innovation and openness exceeds the sum of their individual effects by 7.91%. Notably, the effect of openness policy shifts from insignificant when implemented alone to significant when combined with innovation policy, with the combined policy effect reaching 101.08% of the effect of innovation policy alone. These findings remain robust after a series of sensitivity tests and addressing endogeneity concerns. Mechanism analysis reveals that innovation and openness synergistically drive economic low-carbon transformation by expanding foreign investment creation, fostering green innovation agglomeration, and promoting industrial upgrading. Cross-sectional analysis shows that the synergistic effect is more pronounced in eastern and non-resource-based cities in China. In summary, innovation and openness constitute a synergistic policy mix that effectively promotes economic low-carbon transformation, offering valuable insights for other economies seeking to advance their own low-carbon transitions. Specifically, this synergistic effect not only drives the decoupling of economic growth from carbon emissions but also directly contributes to carbon emission reduction, laying a solid foundation for achieving global climate goals.
Industrial effluent discharge combined with climate-driven hydrological variability poses increasing risks to urban rivers in semi-arid regions. This study quantifies how seasonal hydrological forcing regulates heavy metal transport, natural attenuation and co-transport in the Mukuvisi River, an industrially impacted urban catchment in Zimbabwe. Water samples were collected at four sites spanning industrial, wetland and residential zones during dry low-flow and rainy high-flow seasons, and analyzed for As, Hg, Cd, Cr and Pd alongside contamination factors, pollution load index, correlation statistics and two-way ANOVA. The dry concentrations of As, Hg and Cd exceeded WHO guideline values at most sites, whereas rainy-season concentrations were reduced but remained elevated near industrial sources. The downstream attenuation efficiencies ranged from 40%-60% in the dry season and 50%-65% in the rainy season, with strong inter-metal correlations (r > 0.90, p < 0.01), indicating a dominant common point-source input and synchronized co-transport behavior. These results show that seasonal flow conditions strongly modulate contaminant persistence and the natural attenuation capacity. This study provides novel, process-based insight into the hydrological modulation of heavy metal co-transport and attenuation in an industrial urban river under current and climate-stressed flow regimes.
Climate change continues to pose a significant threat to human and animal lives. This is evident in the decline in agricultural productivity, which is attributed to drought and extreme temperatures, resulting in increased food prices across the globe. The adoption of climate change adaptation strategies can reduce the negative effects of climate change. However, there are limited studies on the types of adaptation strategies adopted by coffee farmers and their determinants in Northern Uganda. This study assessed the types of farmers' adaptive strategies as well as the determinants of farmers' adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change in Northern Uganda. Data were collected from 202 smallholder coffee farmers using a multistage sampling by administering a well-developed semi-structured questionnaire. Multivariate Probit model was used for the regression analysis. The results showed that agroforestry, cover crops, mulching and crop rotation were the most adopted strategies, while inorganic fertilizer and organic fertilizer were adopted by a few farmers. The results of the econometric analysis showed that socio-economic factors such as gender, age, education, farming scale, household size, farming experience, extension visits, group membership, access to climate change adaptation training, market linkages and market distance had significant effects on the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies among the farmers. Farmers need to be trained on climate change adaptation strategies while also supporting them through farm inputs. Group membership and participation should be promoted among farmers. Subsidizing farm inputs such as inorganic fertilizers can also result in a high adoption rate.
Climate change has resulted in declining water availability and increased water risk in Chile, a trend that has also been observed in other nations. A potential approach to address this situation is territorial planning, which could mitigate vulnerability by managing water demand and protecting ecosystems. This study explores the role of Regional Land Use Plans (PROT) in modifying vulnerability levels through spatial management strategies. The vulnerability assessment is limited to water quantity, focusing on two aspects of water security. A comprehensive analysis of four distinct watersheds is conducted, with consideration of prevailing land-use patterns, PROT zoning, and projected declines in precipitation. In the Copiapó, Maipo, and Valdivia River basins, the percentage growth of the vulnerability indicator increases by 8.8%, 11.5%, and 3.2%, respectively. The Aysén basin exhibited a modest decline of 0.3%. When climate change is included, the percentage increase in the indicator ranges between 20 and 40%. The findings indicate a divergence between the development objectives of the plans and the PROT zoning. Despite incorporating water resource management guidelines into the PROTs, applying them does not necessarily reduce the vulnerability index. This study underscores the necessity to transition to spatial planning methodologies that systematically incorporate hydrological criteria.
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biopesticides are widely used for their claimed specificity and safety, yet their effects on non-target aquatic species are poorly understood. This study assessed the acute toxicity of three commercial Bt products (Acta, HizoBio and Dipel) on two aquatic model organisms. Tests were conducted using whole products and their respective supernatants. Non-target chemical screening and mutagenicity assays were performed to complement the evaluation as coadjuvants were not disclosed on labels. Daphnia were the most sensitive test organism. Dipel was the most toxic (EC50 = 0.001%) followed by Hizo (EC50 = 0.013%) and Acta (EC50 = 6.87%). Different undisclosed substances were identified in the chemical formulation using non-target analysis, including fungicides. Only Dipel was mutagenic, an effect that seems to be related to undisclosed coadjuvants present in the supernatant. Hizo and Dipel may pose risk to the environment based on the recommended application dose. Further studies are needed to confirm the chemicals responsible for the toxicity, and product components should be disclosed to inform consumers and allow risk evaluation.
This study explores how environmental concerns are integrated into the sustainability of health and sanitation projects in Uganda. It examines leadership, community practices, and ecological risk management influencing project performance. The study employed a qualitative design in which 21 purposively selected participants from health and sanitation projects were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, with data analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke (2021). Findings show that environmental sustainability is shaped by four key domains: (1) ecological risk awareness and mitigation, (2) environmental stewardship and compliance, (3) community eco-behaviour and participation, and (4) leadership orientation towards environmental protection. Participants acknowledged that weak environmental governance structures and limited enforcement undermine long-term project sustainability. Project leaders should embed environmental indicators into planning and monitoring systems. Integrating community eco-literacy, waste-to-resource innovations, and local ecological governance. The study provides an integrated understanding of sustainability and contributes to the application of environmental management theory in public health.
Bioeconomy and eco-innovation are becoming significant in discussions of sustainability; nevertheless, assessing the performance of the bioeconomy remains challenging. The objective of this study is to examine the bioeconomy and eco-innovation landscapes of the Visegrad Group countries and to juxtapose them with several EU countries at varying stages of bioeconomic advancement. Transaction matrices have been derived from symmetric input-output tables to ascertain the monetary magnitude of the bioeconomy sectors, followed by data envelopment analysis, which uses an output-oriented slack-based measure that considers undesirable outputs (greenhouse gas emissions) and variable returns to scale to evaluate national performance. The results indicate persistent structural deficiencies in eco-innovation; yet the V4 countries do not consistently lag behind other economies. Methodologically, incorporating emissions shifts benchmarking from solely economic to environmental efficiency. The resulting analysis thus provides a practical basis for sectoral and regional policy, including the identification of technological shortcomings and the establishment of investment priorities.
This study constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving traditional manufacturing enterprises, digital enterprises and financial institutions to analyze the dynamic interactions and equilibrium outcomes stimulated by carbon accounts and supervisory mechanisms within the textile industry at Huzhou city. This paper utilizes system dynamics to overcome the limitations of static analysis, which visually simulates the dynamic evolutionary trajectories under both pure and mixed strategies and conducts focused sensitivity analyses on critical external variables, such as regulatory costs, carbon trading prices, and green technology innovation. The findings of the study reveal that the market mechanisms alone are insufficient to overcome high regulatory and transition costs, whereas the digital technological innovation reduces cooperation barriers and fosters a virtuous cycle of financial support and technological empowerment in a mixed reward-and-penalty scenario. Our sensitivity analysis highlights the significant impact of external parameters, such as regulatory costs and carbon trading prices, on the dynamic equilibrium of the system. Additional carbon accounts and green credit are also key factors that affect the carbon emission reduction strategies of traditional manufacturing enterprises.
Nature-based solutions have proven effective in addressing a multitude of societal challenges. Despite this potential, most research on NbS is based on developed economies, with few relevant examples of NbS applications in African countries. This situation limits tailoring NbS to local contexts, thereby minimizing their efficacy and limiting knowledge and information sharing about potential NbS to address various societal challenges. Based on an in-depth literature review, this study explores the challenges of NbS utilization, the societal benefits of NbS, implementation limitations, and opportunities for NbS mainstreaming, with special emphasis on Kenya and Tanzania. Specific examples have highlighted sectors in Kenya and Tanzania where NbS interventions have helped to minimize societal challenges and improve livelihoods. Kenya has demonstrated a slight advantage over Tanzania in integrating NbS into policy frameworks. In both countries, community engagement and indigenous knowledge, such as Ngitili and Alalili, have been integral to NbS implementation. The study recommends raising awareness of NbS potential, prioritizing sectoral linkages through streamlined NbS policies, encouraging adaptive and innovative solutions for NbS implementation, and increasing funding for investment and projects focused on NbS utilization. The success of NbS internalization across sectors and livelihood levels can yield wide positive externalities that not only minimize local challenges in Kenya and Tanzania but also contribute to regional and global success, such as achieving sustainable development goals. The study's novelty lies in its comparative analysis of the two East African countries and in the contextualization of the benefits and challenges of implementing the NbS.
Onion (Allium cepa L.) skin, a polyphenol-rich agro-industrial by-product, has potential as a natural additive in aquaculture. This study investigated the effects of onion skin (OS) powder administered through diet or rearing water on growth performance and physiological responses of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Fish (118 +/- 5 g) were distributed to five groups: control, dietary OS at 5 and 10 g kg(-1) and waterborne OS at 5 and 10 g tank(-1) for 56 days. OS supplementation significantly improved final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed efficiency and selected organ indices (p < 0.05), with the best performance observed in the high-dose dietary group. Hematological and serum biochemical parameters were also improved, with significant decreases in glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein levels. These findings suggest that OS powder may serve as a sustainable, natural additive to improve growth performance and physiological condition in common carp.
Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is a harmful, water-soluble pollutant. Groundnut shell-derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were functionalized using hydrothermal treatment and coupled with zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) through co-precipitation to create a GSCQD/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite. Successful conjugation was established by characterization, which produced a magnetically recoverable adsorbent. Batch studies recorded a maximum of 95% Cr(VI) removal at pH 2, 0.2 g/L adsorbent dosage, 20 mg/L initial concentration, and 50 min contact time. Kinetics was pseudo-second-order (R & sup2; = 0.9927), indicating chemisorption, while isotherms conformed to Langmuir (qmax = 79.5 mg/g, R & sup2; = 0.9993), reflecting monolayer adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters indicated a spontaneous (Delta G < 0), endothermic (Delta H = 15.9 kJ/mol) process. The mechanism of adsorption included electrostatic attraction, surface complexation, pore filling, and Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III). The results of reusability tests indicated efficiencies of 80.4%, 80.1% and 73.4% in three cycles. Therefore, GSCQD/ZnFe2O4 is a suitable, green, and scalable adsorbent for water treatment.
Global municipal solid waste generation is increasing from 2.1 billion tons in 2023 to 3.8 billion tons by 2050, making effective household interventions critical for sustainable waste management. However, household recycling rates remain disappointingly low despite decades of intervention efforts. This systematic literature review shifts focus from individual recycling behavior to recycling interventions themselves, examining why interventions fail rather than why people do not recycle. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Scopus and Web of Science, ultimately including 64 studies from 31 countries representing over 90,000 participants. We analyzed intervention types, effectiveness measurement approaches, and barriers using the macro-meso-micro framework. Results reveal a critical disconnect between intervention design and effectiveness: 71% of interventions rely on communication campaigns despite persistent evidence of the knowledge-behavior gap, while only 12.5% achieved high effectiveness (>50% improvement). Concerning patterns emerged, with 19% of studies showing declining effects over time, indicating fundamental sustainability challenges. Barrier analysis identified 150 constraints, with meso and micro-level barriers dominating. Geographic concentration in developed economies raises critical questions about applicability to developing regions where waste management challenges are most acute. These findings demonstrate that effective recycling interventions require multi-level approaches simultaneously addressing infrastructure, implementation quality and behavioral dimensions.
Greenwashing remains a critical challenge in heavily polluting industries, undermining corporate environmental credibility. While institutional theory emphasizes that companies greenwash their environmental information to conform to external pressures, the resource-based view (RBV) highlights the importance of internal resources and capabilities in shaping strategic behavior. Against this backdrop, digital transformation offers corporations new opportunities to enhance sustainability. This study aims to examine the positive effect of digital transformation in curbing greenwashing as well as the mediating role of environmental performance. Using the data of Chinese listed companies in heavily polluting industries between 2019 and 2023, this study finds that digital transformation significantly inhibits greenwashing, and this effect is partially mediated by improvements in environmental performance. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the inhibitory effect of digital transformation is more pronounced in companies with a high proportion of institutional investors and intense industry competition. These findings provide empirical evidence for the decoupling concept in institutional theory, illustrating how internal capabilities bridge the gap between symbolic environmental commitments and substantive outcomes. The findings also reinforce the RBV framework by validating the 'resources-capabilities-competitive advantage-strategy' pathway, demonstrating that digital transformation enhances environmental performance and corporate sustainability strategies. Overall, this study contributes to the literature by highlighting the internal mechanisms through which digital transformation mitigates greenwashing and offers practical insights for companies and stakeholders seeking to promote sustainable development in heavily polluting industries.
This study examines the knowledge, skills, and perceptions of Irish citizens in relation to climate action and sustainable practices, addressing a key gap in understanding how individual competencies support sustainability transitions. While existing research largely emphasises policy and technological solutions, this study focuses on the role of citizen skills and behavioural capacity. Guided by ecological modernisation and green growth perspectives, it explores how life and green skills influence engagement in sustainability practices. A national survey was conducted and analysed using descriptive and comparative methods to assess demographic patterns, climate-related knowledge, and practical competencies in biodiversity, the circular economy, and household sustainability. The findings indicate high levels of concern about climate change (81%) with considerable understanding of its causes and impacts (69%). Although 74% of respondents expressed a willingness to contribute to climate and biodiversity goals, only 46% felt adequately equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills. Key barriers to engagement include financial constraints, lack of practical knowledge, and low confidence. While biodiversity loss is widely recognised (74%), only 2% reported having expertise in this area. Awareness of circular economy concepts is increasing, particularly among women, with strong engagement in waste reduction and recycling. Participants also showed significant interest in developing skills in areas such as waste management, upcycling, conservation, and food waste reduction, favouring practical, community-based learning approaches. The findings suggest that current skill levels support incremental rather than systemic sustainability transitions, highlighting the need for targeted, citizen-focused interventions to enable a more effective shift to a low-carbon society.
Biomass burning is a major source of atmospheric pollutants and a critical driver of air quality degradation, particularly in fire-prone regions with limited ground-based monitoring infrastructure. This study characterises biomass burning emissions across the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, during the December 2023 wildfire event, using data from the Sentinel-5P TROPOMI instrument and the MERRA-2 reanalysis dataset. Five pollutants were analysed across three defined periods: pre-fire (1-18 December), active fire (19-22 December), and post-fire (23-31 December). These include carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), organic carbon (OC), and particulate matter (PM2.5) before, during, and after a fire event in December 2023. The findings revealed that pollutant levels increased during the fire, with very high concentrations of CO (exceeding 4000 & micro;g/m & sup3;), PM2.5 reaching 18.75 & micro;g/m & sup3;, SO2 peaking at 94.13 & micro;g/m & sup3;, OC at 8.14 & micro;g/m & sup3;, and BC at 0.659 & micro;g/m & sup3;. The composite biomass burning Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to 'Very Unhealthy' categories across large portions of the Cape Peninsula during the active fire period, before partially recovering to 'Good' in the post-fire period, though it did not return to pre-fire baseline levels. Meteorological analysis showed that reduced precipitation (0.33-0.66 mm/day), elevated temperatures (19.35-19.88 degrees C), and shifting wind vectors during the active fire period created conditions conducive to fire ignition, smoke persistence, and lateral plume dispersion. Post-fire increases in precipitation and humidity contributed to partial but incomplete recovery of air quality. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating multi-source satellite and reanalysis data for comprehensive wildfire emission characterisation, and support the development of a spatially explicit, multi-pollutant biomass burning AQI framework applicable to fire-prone regions of South Africa.
