Current Research in Environmental Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Empowering student-led exchanges in biosphere reserves and geoparks: A policy framework for sustainable education in multiple UNESCO designated areas","authors":"Aida Mammadova ,&nbsp;Denise Margaret Matias ,&nbsp;Bernadette Ekua Bedua Afful ,&nbsp;Racheal Fosu Donkoh ,&nbsp;Seira Harada ,&nbsp;Saku Monden","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a policy framework for student-led exchanges within UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserves (BRs) and Global Geoparks (UGGps), aiming to enhance Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Drawing on experiential learning theory, place-based education, and transformative learning, the framework was co-developed during an international symposium held at Kanazawa University in March 2025. It addresses institutional barriers such as administrative complexity and financial constraints, proposing a flexible, low-burden model that supports intercultural dialogue, field-based learning, and community engagement. The framework includes six components: student-led coordination, flexible exchange formats, recognition and learning assessment, sustainable funding, hybrid learning integration, and regional sustainability. Pilot programs across six countries will test the model's feasibility and impact. Student testimonials and institutional feedback highlight the transformative potential of immersive exchanges and the need for inclusive, digitally supported systems. This work contributes to sustainable education policy by offering actionable strategies for integrating youth mobility into UNESCO's MAB and Geopark networks while treating the recommendations as hypotheses under pilot testing rather than proven solutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100332"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145897883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Citizen support for policy interventions implemented to achieve more sustainable food consumption: The role of policy design and presentation","authors":"Therese Lindahl","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines public support for policy packages comprising taxes, subsidies, or both designed to reduce the consumption of animal-based protein (e.g., beef, pork, chicken and cheese). Specifically, we investigate whether support varies depending on how these policy packages are designed and presented. While previous research shows that the design of carbon taxes can influence public acceptance, there is limited evidence on whether similar results apply to policies implemented to promote sustainable diets. Our study addresses this gap. We find significant variation in public support based on the design of taxes and subsidies. The most influential design elements are linked to perceived living costs. In contrast, design elements linked to concerns about a policy's effectiveness or its potential economic impact on the domestic economy appear to play a minor role in shaping support. Additionally, our results suggest that the order in which measures are introduced within a policy package matter and that people tend to be less supportive of policies targeting individual consumption, even when they come in the form of subsidies, compared to those targeting production. While our findings offer novel insights with potential relevance beyond the Swedish context, further research is needed across different domains, economic settings, and political environments to validate and extend these results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100346"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147600291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatiotemporal pattern and trade-off relationship of ecosystem services: A case study of cities along the main stream of the Yellow River in Henan Province","authors":"Huaibin Wei ,&nbsp;Lele Meng ,&nbsp;Yao Wang ,&nbsp;Jing Liu ,&nbsp;Yongxiao Cao ,&nbsp;Hanfei Xu ,&nbsp;Jiahua Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how environmental shifts and anthropogenic activities influence ecosystem services, and implementing measures to adapt to and mitigate their negative impacts, is critical for sustainable progress in the region. Using InVEST model, we quantified four ecosystem services (ESs)—carbon storage (CS), water purification (WP), soil conservation (SC), and water yield (WY)—for the Henan section of coastal cities along the Yellow River during 2010–2020. We analyzed changes in their spatio-temporal pattern, examined the heterogeneity of relationships among these four ecosystem services using the geographically weighted regression (GWR), and employed geo-detector method to identify key drivers and their interactions. In addition, we identified spatial patterns of ecosystem service bundles (ESBs). The findings indicated that:<ul><li><span>(1)</span><span><div>Except for WY, the spatial patterns of the other three ESs were relatively stable. From 2010 to 2020, soil conservation and water purification increased, while carbon storage and water production services decreased.</div></span></li><li><span>(2)</span><span><div>Relationships among the ecosystem services changed significantly. CS, WP, and SC exhibited synergistic relationships, whereas WY showed trade-offs with the other three services. The trade-off between WY and CS and SC strengthened over time, as did competition between agricultural land and built-up land (including forest and grassland).</div></span></li><li><span>(3)</span><span><div>Natural and anthropogenic factors jointly influenced ecosystem services. Key natural drivers included digital elevation model (DEM), slope (SLO), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and precipitation (PRE), while population (POP) and gross domestic product (GDP) were important social drivers. Notably, POP and GDP had stronger effects on WY. Furthermore, interactions among these drivers helped clarify observed changes in ecosystem services.</div></span></li></ul></div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100360"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148167855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not all farmers are the same – Analysing the agricultural policy landscape of India for climate change adaptation planning","authors":"Roopam Shukla,&nbsp;Niharika Tyagi,&nbsp;Lisa Murken,&nbsp;Christoph Gornott,&nbsp;Kamna Sachdeva,&nbsp;P.K. Joshi","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pervasive heterogeneity exists among farmers, shaped by geographical, biophysical, socio-economic, demographic, and cultural factors. This diversity is especially pronounced in India, where between 100 and 150 million farmers operate across diverse agro-ecological zones and socio-cultural contexts. As the impacts of climate-induced risks are socially and spatially differentiated, farmers' adaptation needs – the actions required and resources needed to respond effectively - are equally diverse. Planned adaptation must therefore be responsive to this diversity to be effective and inclusive. This paper aims to deconstruct farmers' definition and explores if and how farmer diversity is accounted for within 14 selected climate change, agriculture and farmer-centric policies for India. A farmer diversity framework was developed with 16 factors to access the selected policies' recognition of and engagement with farmer diversity. Quantitative textual analysis and qualitative thematic coding methods of content analysis are used to review and interpret the selected documents. The results reveal that policies commonly recognise farmer diversity through discrete, single-axis classifications based on landholding size, caste, and gender, while factors such as disability, migration status, and family size receive little to no policy attention. Existing adaptation provisions largely focus on increasing agricultural productivity and profitability, engaging primarily with farmers' economic needs and overlooking the diverse and intersecting social, cultural, and structural conditions that shape farmers' adaptive capacity. The paper argues that moving beyond single-axis farmer categories towards an intersectional engagement with farmers' identities is essential to plan and support meaningful, equitable adaptation outcomes for all farmers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100374"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When are payments for ecosystem services (PES) suitable for conflict-affected forest frontiers? Evidence from the Colombian Amazon","authors":"Hernán Felipe Trujillo Quintero,&nbsp;Jessica Leahy,&nbsp;Adam Daigneault,&nbsp;Jesse Abrams,&nbsp;Stephen M. Coghlan","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100375","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100375","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are widely promoted as incentive-based conservation instruments, but their suitability cannot be assumed where land rights, territorial authority, and institutional continuity are contested. This study evaluates whether—and under what conditions—PES-labeled conservation agreements constitute a realistic strategy in La Macarena, a conflict-affected frontier of the Colombian Amazon. A multi-method case-study design combines extended field observation, a household survey (<em>n</em> = 102), semi-structured interviews (<em>n</em> = 23), and secondary land-use and livestock data. Cattle ranching was the dominant livelihood through which households generated income, stored wealth, managed risk, and signaled land use. Prior participation in PES was limited (14.7%), and re-enrollment was uncommon despite reported compliance. Respondents evaluated agreements as packages of duration, flexibility, technical support, institutional continuity, and personal safety rather than as payments alone. The evidence does not support PES as a stand-alone or principal conservation strategy under current conditions: insecure and overlapping rights, uneven monitoring access, short project cycles, and contested authority weaken additionality, conditionality, and enforceability. PES may nevertheless have a selective, complementary role where agreements are co-designed, financing and monitoring are credible, participation does not increase exposure to harm, and payments are combined with tenure safeguards and viable livelihood transitions. Where these prerequisites are absent, policy should first strengthen rights protection, territorial governance, land-use enforcement, supply-chain accountability, and sustained support for livelihood transitions before relying on conditional household payments. The study reframes low participation not simply as a design failure, but as evidence for instrument choice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100375"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148934321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating qualitative perspectives in holistic assessments of sustainability in agriculture water management practices","authors":"Bishal Dahal,&nbsp;Ali Torabi Haghighi,&nbsp;Bjørn Kløve","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The multiscalar challenges in sustainability of agricultural water management have heightened the need for effective assessment tools to facilitate informed decision-making. While numerous methodologies exist, many are overly quantitative, technically complex, and disconnected from the realities of stakeholders, leaving decision-makers feeling “lost in translation.” To address these shortcomings, this study introduces the “Sustainability Assessment of Agricultural Water Management-Qualitative Framework (SAAWM-QF)”, a simpler, transparent, replicable framework that emphasizes inclusivity and interpretability. This framework is structured into three hierarchical levels: pillars for holistic analysis, under which factors to capture the range of influences, and indicators that operationalize factors for data collection through stakeholder engagement and site-specific evidence. Subjective judgments are quantified using a five-point Likert scale (with the ideal score being 5), analyses are conducted using medians, and uncertainty is represented through interquartile ranges and confidence intervals. A semantic color-card system (green, yellow, orange, red, and black) translates the assessment scores into intuitive visual signals, enabling prompt decision-making across diverse contexts. By transforming qualitative insights into standardized, quantaized metrics, the SAAWM-QF facilitates consistent evaluations, cross-context comparisons, and evidence-based decision making. Its adaptable nature allows for integration across various agro-hydrological settings, making it a valuable tool for water management planning, governance, and investment appraisal. Ultimately, this framework promotes adaptive management and policy-aligned interventions to foster inclusive, profitable, and innovation-driven water strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100373"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148853941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uncovering the German public's perception of agricultural carbon dioxide removal measures - Evidence from deliberative workshops","authors":"Samuel Fischer ,&nbsp;Bartosz Bartkowski ,&nbsp;Klaas Korte ,&nbsp;Erik Gawel","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While carbon dioxide removal (CDR) policies have recently been discussed in many countries, research on public and local stakeholder perceptions of CDR remains limited. That is, however, important information to design policies that are accepted by people. Through thematic analysis, we examined perceptions toward specific agricultural CDR measures and rewetting in Germany using a sample of 117 participants who engaged in online deliberative workshops. Although conducted in Germany, the study's findings may (partly) be of interest for an international audience, as they examine broadly applied CDR measures and highlight patterns in public engagement, risk perception and preferences that may transcend national boundaries. Our findings indicate that participants do not regard carbon storage as the primary benefit of the proposed CDR measures, but co-benefits such as habitat for biodiversity. Furthermore, agroforestry and afforestation are considered the most beneficial approaches. In contrast, cropping measures have received less attention since people feel they are being implemented already, with perennial crops facing criticism due to, e.g. the expectation of reduced yields, while legumes are regarded favourably. Opinions on short rotation coppices (SRC), rewetting and cover crops were mixed. We also contrasted these implicit lay evaluations of CDR measures to existing literature on the characteristics of those measures finding that (i) as a group, participants' perceptions align pretty much with evidence, but (ii) individual knowledge gaps exist.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100345"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147600293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the gap between knowledge and practice: The mediating role of attitudes in energy efficiency behaviour in Tanzania","authors":"Frank Lujaji","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While supply-side investments dominate energy planning in sub-Saharan Africa, the role of demand-side behaviour remains a critical, yet under-quantified, component of the energy transition. This study investigates the cognitive and attitudinal drivers of energy curtailment in the United Republic of Tanzania (URT), examining how technical literacy relates to everyday conservation practices. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data (<span><math><mrow><mi>N</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>314</mn></mrow></math></span>), we employed structural equation modelling with the robust WLSMV estimator to test a Knowledge–Attitude–Practice (KAP) framework. The analysis reveals a significant positive pathway from energy knowledge to pro-efficiency attitudes and subsequently to self-reported practice. Notably, we also identify a robust direct association between knowledge and practice, suggesting that factual understanding empowers individuals to manage consumption independent of their attitudinal orientation. However, the model explains approximately 19<!--> <!-->% of the variance in practice, indicating that while human agency is relevant, it operates within a landscape defined by significant structural constraints. These findings suggest that policy interventions in the URT should treat energy literacy as a mechanism for building instrumental capability, while recognising that information alone cannot overcome the material barriers that limit the scope of household energy action.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100348"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147740089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of inhibitors on soil N2O emissions and crop yield: A mega-analysis","authors":"Faisal Hayat ,&nbsp;Avedananda Ray ,&nbsp;Lovish Kasrija ,&nbsp;Maazeera Fatima ,&nbsp;Dafeng Hui","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A central challenge for agriculture is to secure global food supplies while minimizing its environmental impact, with a focus on greenhouse gas emissions. The use of Nitrogen (N) fertilizers is vital for crop yield; however, they are a major source of soil nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is a powerful greenhouse gas. To mitigate soil N₂O emissions, nitrification inhibitor (NI), urease inhibitor (UI), and double inhibitor (DI) have been recommended. However, field experiments and existing meta-analyses show conflicting results regarding their impacts on both crop yield and mitigation efficacy, due to differences in study selections and inclusion criteria, variation in handling of moderators and heterogeneity, and statistical model choices. To resolve these discrepancies, we conducted a mega-analysis, synthesizing data from ten meta-analyses on N₂O emissions and nine on crop yield. Our results show that, overall, inhibitors had a significant and positive effect on crop yields (4.6%), although the magnitude of this effect varied by crop type. Conversely, inhibitors caused a strong and highly significant decrease in N₂O emissions from soil by 42.9%. This mitigation effect was consistent across inhibitor types, products, and management practices. However, soil characteristics and farming practices had a major influence on both yield and N₂O responses. N₂O mitigation was most noticeable in acidic soils and when inhibitors were banded with fertilizer, and yield increases were noteworthy for cereals. This mega-analysis confirms that agricultural inhibitors are a potent climate-smart strategy that can significantly reduce N₂O emissions without compromising crop productivity, offering a more thorough quantification than individual meta-analyses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100363"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148246723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoding the impact of green investment on environmental pollution in China: A cross-regional examination","authors":"Yanlu Huang ,&nbsp;Jiacheng Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2026.100338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China has become the world's largest source of green investment, yet its environmental returns remain contested. Using provincial panel data for 30 Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2023, this study examines the pollutant-specific, regional, and spatial effects of green investment within a simultaneous-equations framework to address endogeneity. We find that green investment significantly reduces CO₂ and PM2.5 emissions, with the carbon abatement effect strengthening after 2019. The environmental returns to green investment are highly heterogeneous. Carbon mitigation is concentrated in western provinces, while particulate reductions are strongest in eastern and western regions but absent in central provinces. Mechanism analysis shows that green investment operates partly through human capital accumulation, regulatory reinforcement, fiscal capacity, and increased government and social environmental attention. We further document significant cross-regional spillovers, indicating that green investment generates pollution-reduction benefits beyond provincial boundaries. Overall, green investment delivers a robust carbon dividend but its effectiveness depends on pollutant type, regional structure, and institutional complements. These findings call for geographically targeted and pollutant-specific policy design rather than uniform national subsidies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100338"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}