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Topic Review
Climate Change in the Caribbean
Anthropogenic climate change is caused by the rapid increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere principally from burning fossil fuels, converting forestland to pasture and monoculture cropland, with the greatest contributions happening in the period since the Industrial Revolution. Climate change could pose disadvantageous risks to the islands in the Caribbean. The environmental changes expected to affect the Caribbean are a rise in sea level, stronger hurricanes, longer dry seasons and shorter wet seasons. As a result, climate change is expected to lead to changes in the economy, environment and population of the Caribbean.
  • 538
  • 21 Nov 2022
Topic Review
The African Ecological Futures
The African Ecological Futures (AEF) planning project, a joint initiative between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) that took place between 2013 and 2015, is an example of how participatory scenario planning can benefit the continent. The process involved a series of analytical studies combined with workshops with policy makers and development partners with skill sets ranging from conservation and ecology to economics and international development. The outcomes of these workshops were four expert-developed and collectively-owned scenarios for the evolution of Africa’s ecological resource base over the next 50 years (2015–2065).
  • 537
  • 12 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Sustainability Monitoring with Robotic Accounting
The production of farm sustainability indicators is vital for all actors in the food chain. Robotic accounting could assist in the monitoring and compliance of farm performance, to assess the various aspects of sustainability. Robotic process automation (RPA) is aimed at the automatic execution of administrative tasks that reproduce the work that humans do, comparable to robotics in manufacturing.
  • 537
  • 30 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Bioaccumulation and Biotransformation of Chlorinated Paraffins
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs), a class of persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulated compounds, have received increasing attention for their environmental occurrence and ecological and human health risks worldwide. Understanding the environmental behavior and fate of CPs faces a huge challenge owing to the extremely complex CP congeners. The bioaccumulation and biotransformation of CPs, including the occurrence of CPs in biota, tissue distribution, biomagnification, and trophic transfer, and biotransformation of CPs in plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates in detail are summarized and integrated. Biota samples collected in China showed higher CP concentrations than other regions, which is consistent with their huge production and usage. The lipid content is the major factor that determines the physical burden of CPs in tissues or organs. Regarding the bioaccumulation of CPs and their influence factors, inconsistent results were obtained.
  • 537
  • 29 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand
Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand is a non-fiction book about climate change denial, coauthored by Haydn Washington and John Cook, with a foreword by Naomi Oreskes. Washington had a background in environmental science prior to authoring the work, and Cook was educated in physics and founded the website Skeptical Science which compiles peer-reviewed evidence of global warming. The book was first published in hardcover and paperback formats in 2011 by Earthscan, a division of Routledge. The book presents an in-depth analysis and refutation of climate change denial, going over several arguments point-by-point and disproving them with peer-reviewed evidence from the scientific consensus for climate change. The authors assert that those denying climate change engage in tactics including cherry picking data purported to support their specific viewpoints, and attacking the integrity of climate scientists. They use social science theory to examine the phenomenon of climate change denial in the wider public, and call this phenomenon a form of pathology. The book traces financial support for climate change denial to the fossil fuel industry, asserting these companies have attempted to influence public opinion on the matter. Washington and Cook write that politicians have a tendency to use weasel words as part of a propaganda tactic through use of spin, as a way to deflect public interest away from climate change and remain passive on the issue. The authors conclude that if the public ceased engaging in denial, the problem of climate change could be realistically addressed. For his research on the book, and efforts in communicating the essence of climate change science to the general public, John Cook won the 2011 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Advancement of Climate Change Knowledge. Climate Change Denial received a positive reception in reviews from publications including: The Ecologist, ECOS magazine, academic journal Natures Sciences Sociétés, the journal Education published by the New South Wales Teachers Federation,. An article in The New American was critical, describing the labels of "deniers" and "denialists" as cruel and forms of character assassination.
  • 536
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Sustainable Development and Mangroves
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees that inhabit the mid and upper intertidal coastal fringes (mainly estuaries and deltas) of tropical and subtropical regions. Rainfall, tidal height, salinity, soil characteristics (nutrients and oxygen content, grain composition and humidity), and biotic factors, like herbivory, are among the main ecological factors determinant of their development, diversity, and high biomass . 
  • 535
  • 08 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Revalorization of Microalgae Biomass for Synergistic Interaction
Microalgae and cyanobacteria are photosynthetic microorganisms’ sources of renewable biomass that can be used for bioplastic production. These microorganisms have high growth rates, and contrary to other feedstocks, such as land crops, they do not require arable land. In addition, they can be used as feedstock for bioplastic production while not competing with food sources (e.g., corn, wheat, and soy protein). 
  • 533
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Effects of Waste Derived Biobased Products in Plants
Cultivating plants is a human activity involving several sectors. Agriculture deals with cultivation of crops for human consumption as well as animal production. Horticulture strictly involves the cultivation of plants for food consumption, as well as plants not for human consumption. Common farming practice is to boost plant production with a fertilizer dose higher than that adsorbed by soil and plant. Soluble bioorganic substances (SBS) obtained from urban and agriculture biowastes have both biostimulant and antifungal properties. 
  • 532
  • 11 Aug 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Biological Pollution of Indoor Air, Its Assessment and Control Methods
The aim of the entry was to write a substantial contribution that analyses and compares the biological pollution of indoor air, the possibilities of its assessment and the control methods. In addition, the aim of our entry was to review journals covering both commercial and residential buildings. By analysing the above topics from the existing articles, one can have the impression that air pollution is one of the most important problems that need to be solved in the modern world. Adequate air quality is important for maintaining human health, affects the health of ecosystems, including animals, and determines crop production. With the development of civilisation, the quality of air in the atmosphere and indoors is constantly deteriorating. Indoor air pollution can be divided into physical (e.g., noise, inadequate lighting, ionising radiation), chemical (e.g., tobacco smoke, household products) and microbiological (bacteria, viruses, fungi and products of their metabolism) factors. Each of these factors can have a negative impact on a person’s health or cause premature death. The entry deals with indoor air pollution, focussing on biological pollutants. It compares different methods available and describes the method of sampling to analyse indoor air pollution and ways to reduce it.
  • 532
  • 27 Aug 2024
Topic Review
Carbon Source and Sink in Arable Land Ecosystems
As a subsystem of terrestrial ecosystems, the arable land ecosystem is most closely related to human beings because it not only provides food, fiber, fuel and other products, but also supports and maintains the natural environment on which human beings depend for survival. An arable land ecosystem can act as either a carbon source or a sink.
  • 531
  • 06 May 2022
Topic Review
Microbial in Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Polluted Soils
Nowadays, soil contamination by total petroleum hydrocarbons is still one of the most widespread forms of contamination. Intervention technologies are consolidated; however, full-scale interventions turn out to be not sustainable. Sustainability is essential not only in terms of costs, but also in terms of restoration of the soil resilience. Bioremediation has the possibility to fill the gap of sustainability with proper knowledge. Bioremediation should be optimized by the exploitation of the recent “omic” approaches to the study of hydrocarburoclastic microbiomes. To reach the goal, an extensive and deep knowledge in the study of bacterial and fungal degradative pathways, their interactions within microbiomes and of microbiomes with the soil matrix has to be gained. 
  • 529
  • 27 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Soil Protection in Floodplains
Soils in floodplains and riparian zones provide important ecosystem functions and services. These ecosystems belong to the most threatened ecosystems worldwide. Therefore, the management of floodplains has changed from river control to the restoration of rivers and floodplains. However, restoration activities can also negatively impact soils in these areas. Thus, a detailed knowledge of the soils is needed to prevent detrimental soil changes. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the kind and extent of soil information used in research on floodplains and riparian zones.
  • 528
  • 23 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Socio-Psychological Factors on Residents’ Willingness of Waste Handling
There was a statistically significant difference between low and high levels of awareness and perceived behavior control in Dammam City households’ willingness to sort waste and recycle; however, at the middle level, there was only a significant difference in perceived behavior control. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference between high and middle levels in government facilitators regarding sorting and recycling willingness in Dammam City.
  • 526
  • 09 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Ecosystem Service Supply–Demand Risks
Ecosystem services refer to the natural resources and commodities comprising natural ecosystems, which can be directly used or consumed by humans, and maintain the environmental conditions for human survival and development. These services are the resource and environmental basis for human survival and development. For a long time, people’s lack of understanding of the importance of ecosystem services has caused many problems to excessive use of natural resources and affected regional and even global ecological security. Regional ecological and environmental problems are mainly derived from changes in urbanization and land cover changes to the structure and pattern of regional ecosystems. Human activities directly affect changes in ecosystem services and are an important driving force for changes in ecosystem services. Regional ecological and environmental problems are essentially the spatial difference or imbalance between the supply and demand of regional ecosystem services. With the rapid growth of population and intensification of human activities, human demand for ecosystem services is increasing, such as food and water. Meanwhile, the sustainable supply of ecosystem services is under threat. For example, river drying can cause water shortage, the deficiency of an air purification service in an urban area directly affects the health of citizens and soil erosion also can cause a series of ecological problems, which may intensify ecosystem service supply–demand risks. In this paper, ecosystem service supply–demand risks were defined as the possibility that the supply level of ecosystem services was insufficient to meet the local human needs, or the supply level decreased within a set time range. In human production and life, when the consumption of ecosystem service exceeds the threshold of ecosystem service supply, and the ecosystem services supply cannot meet the human demand, the ecosystem service is exposed to risks. Therefore, measuring the relationship between the supply and demand of ecosystem services and identifying the supply–demand risk is particularly important for the effective allocation of natural resources and the management of ecosystem services. Identification of ecosystem service supply–demand risk also has important practical significance for alleviating the contradiction between man and land and improving regional sustainable development.
  • 525
  • 20 Aug 2021
Topic Review
COVID-19 on Global CO2 Emissions
CO2emissions from global domestic aviation were reduced by 31.93% (−116.49 MtCO2) in 2020 compared to 2019 (). There were two occurrences where global aviation emissions were considerably reduced in 2020, one in Asia close to the end of January and another during the implementation of lockdown measures worldwide in mid-March. Global international aviation was greatly affected by the worldwide lockdowns, which showed a reduction in emissions of 72% in July 2020 compared to July 2019.
  • 524
  • 13 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Pesticides Risks in Africa
On the African continent, ongoing agriculture intensification is accompanied by the increasing use of pesticides, associated with environmental and public health concerns. Agriculture production systems are at the same time under pressure due to climate change, the need to produce about double the amount of food by 2050, and to achieve some of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
  • 524
  • 16 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Peat Processing Technologies and Peat Applications
Peatlands can become valuable resources and greenhouse gas sinks through the use of different management practices. Peatlands provide carbon sequestration; however, they are also among the greatest greenhouse gas emissions sources. Peat is undervalued as a resource in the bioeconomy and innovation—a way that could save costs in peatland management. 
  • 522
  • 11 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Service Design of Garbage Classification Driven by AI
Compared with other countries, there are big differences in the treatment modes and actual results of garbage classification due to different economic strengths, resource demands, technical levels, and legal policies.
  • 521
  • 29 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Fukushima Flora
After the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP) accident in March 2011 much attention was focused to the biological consequences of ionizing radiation and radionuclides released in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. This unexpected mishap led to the emission of radionuclides in aerosol and gaseous forms from the power plant, which contaminated a large area, including wild forest, cities, farmlands, mountains, and the sea, causing serious problems. Large quantities of 131I, 137Cs, and 134Cs were detected in the fallout. People were evacuated but the flora continued to be affected by the radiation exposure and by the radioactive dusts’ fallout. 
  • 520
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Dynamics of Methane
Mangrove forests sequester a significant amount of organic matter in their sediment and are recognized as an important carbon storage source (i.e., blue carbon, including in seagrass ecosystems and other coastal wetlands). The methane-producing archaea in anaerobic sediments releases methane, a greenhouse gas species. The contribution to total greenhouse gas emissions from mangrove ecosystems remains controversial. However, the intensity CH4 emissions from anaerobic mangrove sediment is known to be sensitive to environmental changes, and the sediment is exposed to oxygen by methanotrophic (CH4-oxidizing) bacteria as well as to anthropogenic impacts and climate change in mangrove forests. This review discusses the major factors decreasing the effect of mangroves on CH4 emissions from sediment, the significance of ecosystem protection regarding forest biomass and the hydrosphere/soil environment, and how to evaluate emission status geospatially. An innovative “digital-twin” system overcoming the difficulty of field observation is required for suggesting sustainable mitigation in mangrove ecosystems, such as a locally/regionally/globally heterogenous environment with various random factors.
  • 519
  • 06 Sep 2021
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