Environmental Sciences Europe最新文献

{"title":"Particulate matter induces activation of cardiac fibroblasts via HIF1α-mediated autophagy","authors":"Zhimin Wang,&nbsp;Guanghui Hong,&nbsp;Runting Dou,&nbsp;Lifeng Yan,&nbsp;Shangheng Chen,&nbsp;Zijie Lin,&nbsp;Xing Ye,&nbsp;Zhenghui Zhang,&nbsp;Qi Shen,&nbsp;Jianghua Du,&nbsp;Junyi Lin,&nbsp;Xuanyi Chen,&nbsp;Jianhui Xie,&nbsp;Tianyu Zhou,&nbsp;Yiwen Shen","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01082-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01082-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Particulate matter (PM), a mixture of solid and liquid particles suspended in the air, poses a significant environmental health risk. Exposure to PM has been linked to adverse cardiopulmonary effects, including cardiac fibrosis. Reversing the serious consequences of fibrosis or preventing its onset remains a significant challenge at present.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>This project includes animal and cell-based experiments. In the animal component, C57BL/6J mice were serially exposed to PM for 3 or 6 months. Neonatal rat cardiac fibroblasts (NRCFs) were isolated and exposed to 100 μg/mL PM for different periods. Bafilomycin A1(BAF), compound C(CC) and siRNA were employed to explore potential pathways.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Comprehensive analyses revealed that 6 months of PM exposure in mice and 48 h of exposure in NRCFs led to fibrosis. To explore potential preventive strategies for fibrosis caused by environmental damage, we focused on the fibroblast activation stage (3 months in mice and 24 h in NRCFs. Exposure to PM was found to elevate expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α), activate of the AMPK–mTOR pathway and the accumulate autophagosomes both in vivo and in vitro. Treatment with the AMPK inhibitor, compound C reversed the autophagosome accumulation in PM-exposed NRCFs. Utilizing Bafilomycin A1, we demonstrated that PM blocked the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes (autophagy flux). Additionally, inhibiting HIF1α reduced fibroblast activation and autophagy alteration dependent on the AMPK–mTOR pathway.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Our findings indicate that fibroblast activation induced by PM exposure is dependent on blocked fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes mediated by the AMPK–mTOR pathway, which is regulated by HIF1α. Targeting this pathway may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the prevention and treatment of PM-induced cardiac fibrosis.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01082-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143570910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lost in definition: unravelling microplastics from marine coatings through bibliometrics science mapping in thematic analysis and systematic narrative literature review","authors":"Gina Kum,&nbsp;Olof Berglund,&nbsp;Johan Hollander","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01070-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01070-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Marine coatings used on merchant ships have recently emerged as a source of microplastics in marine environments. Marine coatings encompass all paints and coatings applied to various parts of a ship, primarily for anti-corrosion, antifouling anti-skid, heat-resistance, and cosmetic enhancement. However, marine coatings on merchant ships have evaded classification and were not included in the microplastic literature until recently. The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of the absence of a unified definition on a global scale, identify the factors that contribute to the exclusion of marine coatings under the microplastic classification and to analyse the thematic mapping and evolution of the keywords “definition”, “classification”, and “paint” or “marine coatings” in the field of microplastics. We conducted science mapping analysis using Bibliometrix software to examine 1078 papers and carried out a systematic narrative literature review to examine the current state of a standardised definition of microplastics and whether the absence of such impedes a unified interpretation and study of microplastics from marine coatings. Based on the science mapping analysis, this research indicates that “definition” and “paint” have become important keywords in the domain of microplastic research lately, playing a vital role in structuring the field. Meanwhile, the systematic narrative literature review unveiled that the absence of a standardised definition remains a subject of considerable debate, resulting in marine coatings evading classification as microplastics. With this study, we aim to advocate for the establishment of more precise guidelines and policies pertaining to microplastic pollution in marine environments and to promote the adoption of a unified approach towards the definition and classification of microplastics for the purposes of legislation and research. This will also path the way for the collection of better data on microplastic emissions from marine coatings, thereby closing the knowledge gap in this area.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01070-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143581026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating soil erosion zones in the Kangsabati River basin using a stacking framework and SHAP model: a comparative study of machine learning approaches","authors":"Javed Mallick,&nbsp;Saeed Alqadhi,&nbsp;Swapan Talukdar,&nbsp;Md Nawaj Sarif,&nbsp;Tania Nasrin,&nbsp;Hazem Ghassan Abdo","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01079-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01079-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil erosion is a major concern in the Kangsabati River basin, necessitating a comprehensive scientific approach for effective soil erosion management. This study aimed to predict soil erosion susceptibility zones in the basin using integrated soil erosion and deep learning (DL) based stacking framework. Additionally, the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) model was utilized to augment the interpretability of the DL model. The study employed the RUSLE model to estimate the soil loss. Through ArcGIS, 2000 erosion sites and 2000 non-erosion sites were randomly selected to generate an inventory map. The study considered 17 factors in four primary categories: topographic, climatic, soil, and land use/land cover (LULC). The Boruta algorithm assessed the importance of these variables. Random Forest (RF), (Deep Neural Networks) DNN, Convolution Neural Network (CNN), and stacking (Meta model) models were used to map soil erosion susceptibility based on the inventory map and controlling features. The RUSLE model revealed five erosion zones with soil loss rates ranging from very low (less than 9 t/ha/year) to very high (above 43 t/ha/year). The results demonstrated that 24.93% of the study area fell within the very high erosion susceptibility zone as predicted by DNN, while RF identified 34.32%, Meta model identified 24.84%, and CNN indicated 10.47% of the study area falling into the very high erosion susceptibility category. In terms of RMSE (value) and MSE, the Meta model demonstrates superior performance, whereas the DNN model excels in terms of MAE. The SHAP values output highlights the substantial impact of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), the K factor, soil moisture, and elevation on the DNN model. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing strategies and policies to combat soil erosion in the Kangsabati River basin, aiding targeted interventions and sustainable land management decisions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01079-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143564424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Removal of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) using Chlorella vulgaris: a study on its tolerance limits and its effects on biochemical composition","authors":"R. Ricky,&nbsp;S. Harini,&nbsp;S. Shanthakumar","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01075-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01075-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-Diethyl-<i>m</i>-toluamide (DEET) is one of the significant chemical formulations used extensively in personal care products as a preventive measure against mosquito-borne diseases. It has been detected in the aquatic matrix at various concentrations from ng/L to mg/L. <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> is one of the potential algal species for the treatment of wastewater containing personal care products, and this study investigates the acute toxicity and removal potential of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> in the removal of DEET with its effects on pigments and biochemical composition. The 96-h EC₅₀ was calculated to be 17.4 mg/L, and the biochemical composition assessment revealed that lipid concentrations in <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> increased until the tolerance limit. This investigation revealed that when DEET concentration crossed the tolerance limit (17.4 mg/L) in the medium, the pigments and biochemical concentrations reduced drastically, indicating <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> inhibitory response beyond the tolerance limit, causing irreversible damage to the algal cells. Furthermore, <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> removal potential at three different test runs, T1 (5 mg/L), T2 (10 mg/L), and T3 (25 mg/L) were studied. The most remarkable elimination in T1 test runs was 72% due to biodegradation, followed by T2 (35%) and T3 (15%). T1 conditions resulted in more significant lipid formation than other test runs, making biofuel for DEET-contaminated wastewater a feasible alternative.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01075-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143571075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of agricultural emissions on goal 13 of the sustainable development agenda: in East African strategy for climate action","authors":"Guomeng Zhao,&nbsp;Birhanu Chalchisa Werku,&nbsp;Tadesse Weyuma Bulto","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01056-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01056-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>One of the causes of greenhouse gas emissions in the world is agriculture. One of the main threats to global growth today is climate change. This study summarizes the relationship between agricultural emissions and climate action, as well as the climate action outlined in Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Agenda. Using a sample of panel data from 9 African countries between 2014 and 2023, we used fixed effect, random effect, and pooled regression. This study assesses the emissions of methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from agriculture in East African countries between 2014 and 2023. Average agricultural CO₂ emissions are 940.57 kilotons, average N₂O emissions are 900.23 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent, and average methane emissions are 1713.6 thousand equivalent tones of CO₂, according to descriptive statistics. The analysis shows a positive relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural activities, including the use of fertilizers and cereal production. Furthermore, statistical models suggest that higher levels of fertilizer use and cereal production are linked to higher levels of CH₄ and N₂O emissions. Interestingly, the findings suggest that while increased methane emissions may be caused by larger areas planted for cereal production, increased greenhouse gas emissions are caused by intensified livestock production. According to the findings of the Hausman test, the fixed-effects model is the recommended specification for this investigation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01056-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143571077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tracking explosive contaminants from dumped munition in the western Baltic Sea via urine and bile analysis of three flatfish species","authors":"Ulrike K. R. Kammann,&nbsp;Verena Töpker,&nbsp;Jörn Peter Scharsack","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01074-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01074-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Dumped munitions in German coastal waters, particularly the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), may pose significant environmental risks. TNT and its metabolites, such as 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) and 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT), contaminate marine organisms, including fish. These TNT metabolites bioaccumulate in fish tissues, serving as markers for environmental monitoring. Traditionally, fish bile has been a primary matrix to investigate TNT exposure; however, the present study is the first to explore the use of fish urine to detect TNT metabolites. Three flatfish species, common dab (<i>Limanda limanda</i>), European plaice (<i>Pleuronectes platessa</i>), and European flounder (<i>Platichthys flesus</i>) from three regions with munition dumping sites in the Western Baltic Sea were investigated.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Differences in the levels of contamination at the dumping sites are reflected in the concentrations of explosives found in the urine and bile. Fish from the Kolberger Heide dumping site in Kiel Bight exhibited the highest concentrations of explosive contaminants. In individual dab, contamination with 2-ADNT was recorded up to 26.356 ng/ml in bile and 36.120 ng/ml in urine. Concentrations of 4-ADNT ranged up to 95.908 ng/ml in bile and 26.877 ng/ml in urine. The patterns of TNT metabolites in urine and bile varied, and the concentrations of these metabolites in urine and bile did not always correspond in individual fish. However, the different mean contamination levels in the three regions were reflected in both: urine and bile. Contamination levels of explosives in the three regions decreased in the order Kiel &gt; Schlei &gt; Lübeck.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>TNT metabolites were detected in fish urine for the first time. Urine and bile can serve as useful matrices to assess environmental exposure of fish to TNT. Additionally, dab, plaice and flounder can be utilized in studies focusing on the analysis of explosives in bile or urine. The present study supports the development of fish urine usage for reliable and effective monitoring strategies for explosives.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01074-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143553727","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"River Basin Management implementation: a commentary on a plan for change","authors":"Sarpong Hammond Antwi","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01077-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01077-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A number of European Union countries, including Ireland, have faced referrals to the Court of Justice for delays in reviewing, adopting, and implementing River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) as required by the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). These delays undermine the effective execution of measures necessary to achieve WFD water quality objectives, compromising environmental sustainability and eroding public trust. This commentary examines how such delays hinder implementation, resulting in inconsistent improvements in water quality across monitored bodies. Drawing on draft submissions of the 3rd RBMP (2022–2027), key challenges are identified, and a transformative plan for change is proposed. This approach emphasises timely planning and implementation of measures, active public participation, robust monitoring, and the integration of sustainable agricultural practices to reduce environmental pressures and protect the ecological health of water resources.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01077-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143900840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of machine learning models for predicting water quality index in Dhaka’s rivers of Bangladesh","authors":"Mosaraf Hosan Nishat,&nbsp;Md. Habibur Rahman Bejoy Khan,&nbsp;Tahmeed Ahmed,&nbsp;Syed Nahin Hossain,&nbsp;Amimul Ahsan,&nbsp;M. M. El-Sergany,&nbsp;Md. Shafiquzzaman,&nbsp;Monzur Alam Imteaz,&nbsp;Mohammad T. Alresheedi","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01078-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01078-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The pollution in Dhaka's navigable waterways, including the Buriganga, Balu, Tongi Khal, and Turag rivers, is a significant concern due to rapid industrial and urban expansion. Industrial discharges, domestic sewage and inadequate waste management are the primary sources of this pollution, degrading water quality and threatening aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to predict the Water Quality Index (WQI) of these rivers using fourteen machine learning (ML) models: Decision Tree Regression, Linear Regression, Ridge Regression, Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) Regressor, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) Regressor, Light Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM) Regressor, Elastic Net Regressor, Support Vector Regression (SVM), Random Forest Regression, Bayesian Ridge Regressor, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), AdaBoost Regressor, CatBoost Regressor and Extra Trees Regressor. The objective was to evaluate and compare these models to identify the most effective predictive method for WQI, enabling efficient environmental monitoring and management of urban waterways. Among the evaluated ML models, ANN and Random Forest Regressor performed the best. The ANN model demonstrated superior predictive capability, achieving a Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of 2.34, a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 1.24, a Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.97, and a Coefficient of Determination (R²) of 0.97. Furthermore, an Adjusted <i>R</i>^<i>2</i> value of 0.965 further confirmed its ability to capture complex patterns in water quality data with remarkable accuracy. These findings emphasize the importance of using AI modeling techniques, specifically ANN and Random Forest Regression, to improve the accuracy of WQI forecasts for the waterways. This study contributes to the field of environmental science by offering a novel integration of feature selection techniques with ML models to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness of water quality monitoring. Unlike previous studies, this research specifically addresses the challenges of urban waterways in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a region significantly impacted by industrial and urban pollution. To our knowledge, this is the first study to apply such a comprehensive range of ML models to predict the WQI of Dhaka’s four major rivers. By providing a reliable methodology for WQI estimation, this study supports informed decision-making and proactive measures to protect vital water resources.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01078-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143533128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conference report: towards a brighter future of China–Norway marine and polar cooperation","authors":"Shaoqing Li,&nbsp;Nan Yang","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01073-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01073-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The 3rd Annual China–Norway Marine University Consortium Alliance Conference, held in October 2024, served as a vital platform for interdisciplinary exchange between the natural and social sciences. The event underscored the importance of academic cooperation in the context of the complex geopolitical landscape. The conference featured sessions on marine geology, ocean dynamics, marine ecology, genetic adaptation, marine health, renewable energy, and Arctic governance. Experts from China, Norway, and other countries presented on diverse topics, including climate change impacts, sustainable development, biodiversity protection, Arctic cooperation, and social science. The discussions highlighted the synergies between scientific and policy domains, emphasizing the need for collaboration in areas, such as low-carbon transitions, sustainable ocean governance, and green energy. This conference, the first to be held in person since the COVID-19 pandemic, marked a significant milestone in advancing China–Norway relations, fostering mutual trust, and promoting collaborative initiatives in marine science and Arctic governance—critical for addressing global challenges.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01073-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of EU non-financial reporting regulation on Spanish companies’ environmental disclosure: a cutting-edge natural language processing approach","authors":"Javier Villacampa-Porta,&nbsp;María Coronado-Vaca,&nbsp;Eduardo C. Garrido-Merchán","doi":"10.1186/s12302-025-01067-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12302-025-01067-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>A debate exists about the effects of environmental disclosure becoming mandatory on the quality and the actual commitment of such reporting. This study seeks to assess whether differences exist when comparing the disclosure quality and comprehensiveness of Spanish companies’ non-financial reports under voluntary and mandatory reporting regimes spanning the period 2015–2022.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>We present a novel approach by utilizing cutting-edge Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, chiefly <i>ClimateBERT</i> (a transformer-LLM—Large Language Model) and <i>ClimateBERT</i> fine-tuned on <i>ClimaText</i> (a public database for climate change topic detection), to scrutinize and compare 729 voluntary and mandatory non-financial corporate reports from 96 Spanish companies spanning multiple sectors. Since transformers can only be accurately estimated by organizations with lots of computing power, but not by small organizations, we have also fine-tuned the transformer, something cheaper in computational terms, thus making it affordable to all companies, investors, regulators, policymakers, and other stakeholders.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Our results document interesting patterns and strong trends of enhancement in specificity and commitment, particularly in risk-related texts, spanning the period 2015–2022. We provide descriptive evidence and an explorative appeal that underscores the regulations' influence, among many other factors also identified by prior literature (other stakeholders’ requirements and expectations from companies, aside from the regulatory stakeholders), in fostering a higher quality and more comprehensive approach to climate risk reporting by Spanish companies, with enhanced alignment to internationally recognized reporting guidelines. In addition, the comparative analysis between the transformer model and the fine-tuned transformer model revealed subtle yet insightful differences in how climate disclosures are interpreted. The fine-tuned model exhibited an increased sensitivity to elements of commitment, specificity, and neutrality in climate texts.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our findings highlight the potential of cutting-edge NLP techniques, like fine-tuned transformers, in the quantitative assessment of the evolution and quality of environmental disclosures, either mandatory or voluntary. It is the first paper applying a fine-tuned transformer-LLM to compare the currently in force European mandatory environmental disclosure regulation’s impact on Spanish companies' environmental disclosure versus previous voluntary reporting.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":546,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Sciences Europe","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12302-025-01067-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143455532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}