Current Research in Environmental Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Carbon storage patterns in typical subalpine meadows with varying vegetation cover in Southwestern China","authors":"Xiajie Zhai ,&nbsp;Xinsheng Zhao ,&nbsp;Huazhe Li ,&nbsp;Leichao Nie ,&nbsp;Wei Li","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100290","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100290","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carbon storage in subalpine meadows is an important component of ecosystem services and sustainability. However, little is known regarding the carbon stocks of major herbaceous vegetation types in the subalpine meadow ecosystems of subtropical South China. Field surveys, remote sensing, and carbon stock measurements were used to quantify the total ecosystem carbon stock (TECS) of <em>Belamcanda chinensis</em> (BC), <em>Phragmites australis</em> (PA), <em>Ligularia sibirica</em> (LS), <em>Pteridium aquilinum</em> var. <em>latiusculum</em> (PL), BC + LS, and BC + LS + PL communities in the Wulipo Nature Reserve, Chongqing. The TECS included the total above-ground carbon stocks, the below-ground root (as deep as 30 cm), and the entire soil profile (as deep as 1 m). The TECS significantly increased with plant community distribution area and carbon density. The BC community had the highest above- and below-ground vegetation carbon densities of 323.16 g m⁻² and 482.51 g m⁻², respectively. With the exception of PA, the root carbon densities of all other meadow vegetation species exceeded their above-ground carbon densities. Soil carbon stock in the 0–30 cm portion of the profile accounted for 45–56 % and gradually decreased in the remaining two layers. Soil carbon stocks constituted more than 98 % of the TECS across all plant communities. Thus, plant community distribution patterns formed through plant competition and mutualism significantly affected the carbon stocks of regional ecosystems. Large carbon stocks, coupled with other ecosystem services, suggest value in the conservation and restoration of the subalpine meadow zone through climate change mitigation strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100290"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143682688","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":"Spatial variation of biochar production potential from surplus crop residues in India","authors":"Arindam Datta ,&nbsp;Sutapa Dutta ,&nbsp;Shivani Sharma ,&nbsp;Md.Hafizur Rahman","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>India faces environmental issues due to large-scale seasonal <em>in situ</em> burning of crop residues, leading to air pollution and nutrient loss. Biochar application can increase soil carbon content, moisture, and nutrient content while reducing air pollution. India produces 156 Mt. of annual <em>in situ</em> surplus crop residues from ten major crops, with the highest potential for rice residue biomass in Sangrur, Punjab. Biochar could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 405 Tg annually and its application to soil could sequester 7.5 Tg of carbon. However, competition between biochar and other crop residue management technologies requires a life cycle assessment for sustainable management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100279"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143286780","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":"Standing on shifting ground: Epistemological contradictions between markets and eco-cultural values of sustainability in smallholder farming in Mbeya, Tanzania","authors":"Saymore Ngonidzashe Kativu","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research explores how epistemological dissonance shapes agrarian sustainabilities in Mbeya, Tanzania. Through a case study of smallholder farmers navigating both market-driven and eco-cultural paradigms of sustainability, the research explores how plural epistemologies shape local sensemaking and agricultural decision-making. It demonstrates how farmers reconcile divergent sustainability logics, those rooted in market interpretations of sustainability with those rooted in relational ethics, ecological stewardship, and cultural continuity within agrarian landscapes. Employing hybrid strategies, farmers compartmentalize production, input intensive, market-targeting monocultures co-exist alongside primarily subsistence agroecological systems. These spatial divisions mirror deeper ontological tensions, as farmers articulate pride in market breakthroughs while expressing anxiety about environmental degradation, cultural erosion, and the loss of intergenerational practices. Building on plural sustainabilities literature and epistemologies of the South theories, the paper adds to scholarship reinterpreting sustainability not as a universal, singular paradigm, but a contested, contextually negotiated process. The case of Mbeya illustrates how epistemological dissonance becomes embodied through emotional and cognitive labor, and how hybrid sensemaking enables farmers to navigate conflicting knowledge systems. Rather than viewing hybridity as incoherence, the paper interprets these strategies as acts of situated resilience, adaptation, and resistance. The analysis contributes to political ecology and sustainability studies by foregrounding the ontological multiplicity at play in agrarian transitions and calls for institutional recognition of knowledge pluralism. Ultimately, the paper proposes a shift toward pluriversal sustainability frameworks that integrate both empirical and relational epistemologies, acknowledging that sustainable futures are as much about values and worldviews as they are about technologies and yields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100322"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519161","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":"An explorative analysis of gameplay data based on a serious game of climate adaptation in Aotearoa New Zealand","authors":"Wei Yang ,&nbsp;Sarah Harrison ,&nbsp;Paula Blackett ,&nbsp;Andrew Allison","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Serious games play a crucial role in educating and engaging the public on environmental management issues, such as climate change. These games also generate valuable data that can be used in understanding players' climate change decisions. However, there is a notable gap in the literature on serious game analytics to address the significance of scrutinising the usefulness of utilising gameplay data to explore player behaviours. This paper explores this gap through descriptive and quantitative analysis of gameplay data from ‘The Township Flooding Challenge’ in Aotearoa New Zealand to obtain data insights and data gaps in understanding players' behaviours and decisions on climate change adaptation. The findings suggest that gameplay data can offer insights into players' decisions on climate change adaptations amid uncertainty, but also highlights data gaps such as unclear definitions and incomplete data. Leveraging gameplay data can aid in data collection, decision-making modelling, and improving serious game design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100303"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908188","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":"Optimization, techno-economic, and environmental assessment of co-pyrolysis of oil palm EFB and rubber wood sawdust","authors":"Archw Promraksa ,&nbsp;Narongsak Seekao ,&nbsp;Chockchai Mueanmas ,&nbsp;Nirattisai Rakmak","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study optimized the co-pyrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) and rubber wood sawdust (RWS) to enhance biochar and liquid oil yields, with non-condensable gas (NCG) as a by-product. Experiments were conducted in a fixed-bed reactor, varying key process parameters, including pyrolysis temperature (750–850 °C), biomass particle size (0.3–5 mm), and EFB: RWS ratio (0:100–100:0). Response surface methodology (RSM) with a Box-Behnken design (BBD) was employed to analyze parameter interactions and optimize product distribution systematically. Statistical validation confirmed the model's reliability, with prediction errors below 10 %. The optimal biochar yield (33.73 wt%) was achieved at 782.25 °C, a particle size of 2.94 mm, and an EFB: RWS ratio of 6:94. In comparison, the highest liquid oil yield (28.46 wt%) was obtained at 850 °C, with a biomass size of 3.00 mm and an EFB: RWS ratio of 100:0. Co-pyrolysis offers flexibility to adjust product yields based on energy needs. Simulations proved the scalable design and economic analysis confirmed its financial viability with a payback period of just 5.8 years. The environmental evaluation was also conducted through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA revealed that the pyrolysis process had the highest impact on global warming potential (GWP), contributing 61.15 %, followed by product utilization (estimated at 20 %), feedstock production (11.67 %), transportation (2.18 %), and end-of-life processes. This study shows the potential of using local biomass in Southern Thailand for sustainable energy. These findings pave the way for scaling up industrial pyrolysis, enhancing energy security, and waste valorization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100288"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725007","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":"A positive deviance approach to understand gender relations and practices that support transformative adaptation: Insights from Kenya dairy households","authors":"Renee Bullock ,&nbsp;Tanaya DuttaGupta ,&nbsp;Philip Miriti","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impacts of climate change on livelihoods and livestock systems in East Africa are significant. Efforts to bolster resilience will require a concerted focus on social equity to foster transformative adaptation. We integrate a feminist lens in a positive deviance approach to better understand gender relations in dairy producing communities in Kenya. We make theoretical and methodological contributions and suggest practical application to support locally led scaling approaches. Data was collected through 20 sex disaggregated focus group discussions (FGDs) and 10 key informant interviews (KII) with a total of 199 research participants. We focus on women's and men's participation in decision-making to assess gendered agency and labor in households, dairy specific activities, and the uptake of climate innovations. Evaluating these relations provides a better understanding of equity in dairy producing households who are at the forefront of climate adaptation. Women's and men's practices vary, and, through a positive deviance inquiry, we find the common patterns in those practices to characterize the referent group using thematic analyses. Our empirical findings demonstrate that referent group norms, relations and practices are, by and large, inequitable in agency and labor in dairy households underpinned by social norms. Positive deviant practices occur at differential rates in diverse geographies. We extended the concept of positive deviance to a relevant and urgent development agenda, transformative adaptation, that, to support resilience, must address root causes of vulnerability. We advocate for increased efforts to utilize positive deviance in future climate adaptation studies to inform practical and locally led strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100280"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143369825","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":"Impact of land development on the water-food-ecology nexus: Coupling coordination and interaction pathways in a coastal region of China","authors":"Jianyong Wu ,&nbsp;Wei Huang ,&nbsp;Zilong Chen ,&nbsp;Xi Tang ,&nbsp;Jinliang Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the coupling mechanism among key elements of nature–human systems is crucial for achieving sustainable development goals related to water, food, and ecosystem security in a changing environment. We developed an analytical framework integrating a comprehensive evaluation index, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model, with the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to examine how land development influences the coupling coordination and interaction pathway of the water–food–ecology (WFE) nexus in Fujian Province, a coastal province significantly affected by human activity and climate change between 2000 and 2020. Results showed that land development intensified accompanied by increasing water consumption, slightly decreasing food production, and stable ecological status over the last two decades. Land subsystem integration reduced the synergy among elements of the WFE nexus, based on an overall decrease in the CCD, in these regions, integration of land subsystems reduced direct pathways within the land–water–food–ecology (LWFE) nexus, simplified interconnections, and reduced synergies in the nexus. The opposite was observed in highly urbanized areas, such as Xiamen, where the CCD increased, the integration of the land subsystem increased the indirect pathways within the LWFE nexus, increasing pathway complexity and synergies. Land development can both enhance and inhibit the coupling of key system elements depending on the urbanization level, suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. Our research offers valuable insights to inform sustainable development policies for the Fujian Province and other regions facing similar environmental and developmental challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100284"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143471168","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":"Opening closures: Organizational arrangements and moral articulations in institutional global hegemonic and local counter-hegemonic sustainability discourses","authors":"Elizabeth Deborah Martínez Aguilar,&nbsp;Sjors Witjes,&nbsp;René ten Bos","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper interrogates how institutional sustainability discourses enact closure through logocentric operations that structurally marginalize alterity. We argue that closure is not contingent upon geographical origin or ideological-power positioning but constitutes a structural feature of institutional discourses, manifesting equally in Global Hegemonic Discourses (GHD) and Local Counter-hegemonic Discourses (LChD). We identify two interlocking discursive mechanisms that produce closure: Organizational Arrangements (OAs), which establish hierarchical orders and internal dynamics in a dominant meaning structure; and Moral Articulations (MAs), which bind values and identities through normative imperatives that discipline inclusion and regulate exclusion. To expose how closure operates through these mechanisms, we engage with deconstruction as an ethical practice. We apply it through a double-reading strategy, comprising Double Commentary and Disruptive Reading, to two institutional texts: <em>The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development</em> (<span><span>UN, 2015</span></span>) and <em>The Care Society</em> (<span><span>ECLAC, 2022</span></span>). Our readings reveal how OAs and MAs collaborate to constitute, impose, and legitimize particular interpretations of sustainability, rendering alterity unintelligible, contrarian to the dominant discourse, and morally deficient from its very emergence. Through our readings, we unveiled that OAs-MAs function not merely to establish structural positions, internal logics, and disciplinary and regulatory actions, but to prevent inclusion, police alterity, naturalize authority, conceal differánces and aporias, and mask structural incompleteness. Our contribution lies in opening closures, exposing them as structural conditions of logocentric discourse-making. Deconstruction proved essential for opening the closures in institutional sustainability discourses<em>,</em> foregrounding its constitutive inclusion/exclusions and affirming an ethical responsibility toward that which remains unrepresented, excluded, and yet to come.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100304"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060636","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":"Awareness of impacts of salinity intrusion on livelihoods: Evidence from southern coastal rural areas of Bangladesh","authors":"Masudul Alam ,&nbsp;Mokbul Morshed Ahmad ,&nbsp;Takuji W. Tsusaka ,&nbsp;Malay Pramanik","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Salinity intrusion is a widespread issue across coastal areas. There remains a lack of evidence regarding awareness of the impacts of salinity intrusion on livelihoods in coastal areas, particularly in terms of how this awareness affects preparedness and the development of strategies. The paper aims to assess the awareness of the impacts of salinity intrusion among southern coastal inhabitants in Bangladesh from a comparative perspective. A survey was conducted with 400 households in Kalapara, Taltali, and Patharghata sub-districts of Bangladesh, which was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. The chi-squared test shows that salinity intrusion is associated with factors such as saline water flow (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.10). In addition, 46 % of the respondents from the high-salinity sub-districts perceive prevalence of numerous diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and skin infections (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) significantly higher compared to moderate-salinity areas. Very high levels of awareness (WAI = 0.78, 0.76) of groundwater salinity are observed in the high-salinity sub-districts (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). Moderate awareness of the impacts on winter season rice was found across the three areas (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.01), while Kalapara showed higher awareness (WAI = 0.53, 0.65) of the impacts on cereals and health, respectively. Awareness of other impacts, such as on land use, aquaculture, mangrove, and coastal resources, was found to be lower. Significant regional differences in awareness exist across the three regions. The findings suggest improving education and access to information to increase awareness, and help communities adopt area-specific adaptation measures to alleviate adverse effects on health, agriculture, and environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"9 ","pages":"Article 100293"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873788","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":"Impact of urbanization on land surface temperature: A global perspective","authors":"Ali Mohamed ,&nbsp;Niloufar Lorestani ,&nbsp;Farzin Shabani","doi":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.crsust.2025.100315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization, as a component of land use and land cover (LULC) changes, significantly affects land surface temperature (LST), intensifying the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Therefore, understanding the impact of LULC change on LST is critical for addressing urban heat and advancing sustainable development. In this review, our objective was to evaluate how urbanization-driven LULC changes influence LST patterns across diverse climatic zones, including temperate, tropical, arid/semi-arid, and polar regions. Simultaneously, we assessed the effectiveness of mitigation strategies such as green infrastructure and urban planning interventions. We analyzed more than 73 peer-reviewed studies published between 2004 and 2024.</div><div>Our findings reveal that India is the most frequently studied country, followed by China and the United States. Most studies relied on Landsat imagery, while MODIS was more commonly used in polar regions. Research output has increased since 2015, coinciding with advances in satellite platforms and analytical tools. Regionally, semi-arid/arid zones, as well as tropical zones, exhibited the most substantial LST increases, linked to vegetation loss and impervious surface expansion. Among mitigation approaches, urban greening emerged as the most effective and widely applicable strategy. In addition, water bodies, high albedo materials, and optimized urban geometry are also effective in reducing LST.</div><div>Overall, our results demonstrate that satellite data selection is strongly affected by regional climate, emphasizing the need for context-specific approaches to monitoring and mitigating urban heat. By integrating regional analyses with mitigation and adaptation strategies, this study provides valuable insights for sustainable urban planning and global efforts to reduce the UHI effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34472,"journal":{"name":"Current Research in Environmental Sustainability","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519160","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}