In an era marked by intensifying armed conflicts, the protection of ecosystems and natural resources has become an urgent global imperative. This study aims to explore the environmental damage caused by armed conflicts and their prolonged effects on ecosystems and natural resources, highlighting the need for innovative and sustainable legal and policy solutions. The study adopts an analytical approach based on a comprehensive review of scientific literature and international documents on the impacts of armed conflicts on ecosystems. It integrates quantitative and qualitative data from reliable sources, such as the United Nations Environment Programme, to identify legal gaps and propose innovative solutions that enhance sustainability and international cooperation. The study reveals that despite the presence of international agreements, significant gaps remain in legal enforcement and cooperation between states and United Nations agencies, thereby limiting the effectiveness of environmental protection during armed conflicts. It also identifies mechanisms for the sustainable rehabilitation of affected areas. This study proposes an innovative global legal framework and practical mechanisms to integrate international law with environmental sciences, ensuring long-term sustainability of natural resources during and after armed conflicts.

Driven by the goal of mitigating global warming, centralized photovoltaic power stations are developing rapidly. While considering their power generation efficiency, a systematic assessment of their comprehensive impact on the ecosystem is necessary. In this review, the impact and driving factors of photovoltaic power stations on ecosystem composition and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are summarized, as well as the planning and management of photovoltaic power stations. Due to the varying construction scale, construction methods, and geographical locations of photovoltaic power stations, these power stations show different temporal and spatial changes in impacts on local meteorological conditions, soil characteristics, and biological communities, further affecting soil GHG emissions indirectly, leading to an overestimation of carbon emission reduction capacity of photovoltaic power stations. Solar radiation and precipitation distribution are the main factors driving the changes in microclimate, soil properties, biological communities, and GHG emissions. Optimizing the construction mode of photovoltaic power stations not only enhances power generation efficiency but also alters their environmental impact. However, there is still a lack of impact paths and mechanisms of centralized photovoltaic power stations on the abiotic environment and biological communities, the ecological energy comprehensive assessment system, and the ecological and energy efficiency prediction for different photovoltaic power station construction modes. Efforts in these directions will promote the development of eco-friendly photovoltaic systems.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to businesses’ contributions to sustainable development. Today, it is expected that economic, social, and industrial structures that have long depended on fossil fuels will ultimately transition to clean energy-driven structures, and that green transformation (GX) will be achieved through an overall transformation of economic and social systems. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the relationship between the CSR of Japanese companies and their GX inventory output (GXIO). Using machine learning algorithms, we tested the hypothesis that CSR activities influence GXIO at both the individual company and the overall industry levels. The results of our empirical analysis show that CSR not only affects GXIO but also has significant effects at the individual company and overall industry levels. These results are used to provide decision makers with useful guidelines for integrating social sustainability into procurement procedures.

Crop production is threatened by both water scarcity and poor soil water retention in arid or semi-arid regions. At the same time, the industrial-scale accumulation of municipal sludge creates substantial environmental and resource pressures. The goal of this work was to recycle municipal sludge into a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and multifunctional sludge-based water-retaining material (SBWRM) for enhancing soil water retention capacity and nutritional status. Sludge was used as the primary raw material, and extracellular polymeric substances were extracted using a combined alkaline ultrasonic method. These extracts were then mixed with polyvinyl alcohol to prepare the sludge-based material. The water retention capacity of the material, as well as its effects on seed germination and plant growth in a planting substrate, were systematically evaluated. The results suggested that the SBWRM achieved a maximum water retention capacity of 18.7 times its own weight. The addition of 40% SBWRM effectively promoted ryegrass seed germination and plant height, increased soil moisture and pH value, and enhanced the nutrient contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The findings indicate that SBWRM can effectively enhance water conservation, soil quality, and nutrient supply, thereby providing a practical approach for utilizing sludge resources and supporting ecological restoration in agricultural systems.

The urban area of Wanzhou District in Chongqing frequently experiences flooding and sewage overflow pollution due to its steep topography, frequent and intense short-duration rainstorms, and inadequate drainage capacity. To address these issues, this study integrated sponge city concepts with low-impact development (LID) measures to establish a stormwater management framework for the Guoben Road catchment area. Hydrometeorological and drainage data were obtained from local monitoring stations. Utilizing high-resolution remote sensing imagery and a 30 m-resolution digital elevation model, 50 sub-catchments were delineated in ArcGIS. Based on regional soil information and national sponge city design guidelines, a Stormwater Management Model employing the Horton infiltration method was constructed. This model simulated runoff and sewer network performance under Chicago design storm conditions with return periods of 1, 3, 5, and 10 years. Results indicate that LID facilities (permeable pavements and rain gardens) substantially reduced runoff generation and enhanced drainage system efficiency. Across the four rainfall scenarios, the total decrease in runoff volume ranged from 69.3% to 79.3%, with runoff coefficients falling from 0.51–0.61 to 0.10–0.19. The decrease in outfall discharge ranged from 11.0% to 76.1%, with peak flow reduced by up to 70.4%, most notably during the 1-year return-period event. Mitigation effects diminished during higher-return-period storms, attributed to limited LID storage capacity and rapid soil saturation, which reduced infiltration and detention capabilities during intense rainfall events. Overall, this integrated LID scheme effectively enhanced infiltration capacity within the mountainous urban catchment, reduced peak flows, and alleviated sewer network overloading. This study provides technical support for stormwater risk management, sewage overflow pollution control, and sponge city planning in Wanzhou District, Chongqing, and other cities with similar topographic and hydrological characteristics.

Semi-urban water governance in Togo remains challenged by the limitations of community-based approaches, persistent gender-based exclusion, and informal dependency. This study examines the challenges associated with water governance in the semi-urban regions of Togo, with a focus on Kovié and Noèpé. Local organizations, such as the Association of Drinking Water and Sanitation Service Users, are struggling to ensure equitable, transparent, and sustainable management of these services. This research highlights the shortcomings of the current community model and proposes reform based on inclusive governance. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines household surveys (n = 712) on water sources with interviews, user and manager testimonies, focus groups, and participatory mapping. Drawing on Ostrom’s theory of the commons and Fraser and Schlosberg’s framework of environmental justice, the analysis reveals that community participation is often merely symbolic and that women, despite being central to domestic water use, remain marginalized in decision-making processes. The results also reveal ineffective operational delegation, prohibitively high connection costs of up to 100,000 FCFA (approximately 152 Euros), unfavorable pricing compared to urban areas, and a significant reliance on informal sources. Access to water is further undermined by recurring outages, opaque governance, spatial and social inequalities, and extremely high user dissatisfaction (over 97%). Recommendations include establishing performance contracts to enhance accountability, strengthening the technical capacities of committees, actively including women in governance, and creating sustainable financing mechanisms to reduce dependence on donors. Thus, the article calls for an overhaul of the system to ensure that water rights become a lever for social justice and local development.

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) generated by industrial extraction units in olive oil mills is a significant source of pollution for the ecosystem. This pollution manifests through inhibited soil microbial activity and reduced plant germination rates due to high acidity, excessive salinity, and the presence of heavy metals. This study aimed to enhance the value of these effluents by restoring soil microbial activity and promoting plant germination through a series of increasing dilutions to determine the optimal dose. This dilution process effectively neutralized the pH and rebalanced the microbial load, facilitating the reappearance of various bacterial species, such as fecal coliforms, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus. This resurgence significantly contributed to improved soil fertility. Furthermore, at a 10/100 dilution ratio, wheat seed germination reached 98%, with seedling growth reaching 18 cm – observations comparable to the control batch. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this dilution strategy in mitigating the negative effects of OMW on agricultural soils.

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the zinc (Zn) accumulation potential of Lupinus uncinatus Schldl. The effects of varying Zn concentrations on plant dry matter yield, metal tolerance, and Zn accumulation and distribution in roots, stems, and leaves were investigated. Zn was applied as ZnCl2 at rates of, 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg. One-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test (p<0.05) revealed significant effects of Zn on root dry weight, Zn uptake in roots, stems, and leaves, and the shoot-to-root Zn ratio. Root dry weight was significantly reduced, with the highest Zn treatment (600 mg/kg) causing a 57% reduction compared to control plants. However, no significant differences were observed in overall plant dry matter yield. Metal tolerance declined with increasing Zn stress. Zn accumulation in leaves reached 9,632 mg/kg and 14,771 mg/kg at soil Zn application rates of 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg, respectively. The shoot-to-root Zn ratio exceeded one, and more than 64% of the total Zn absorbed by L. uncinatus was translocated to the shoots at 600 mg/kg. These results position L. uncinatus as a promising species for Zn phytoremediation, encouraging future studies under field conditions and with other toxic metals.

Evaporation is a vital process in the hydrological cycle, accounting for approximately 70% of water loss from the Earth’s surface. In semi-arid and rapidly urbanizing regions, such as Mbeya, Tanzania, understanding the meteorological drivers of evaporation is critical for water resource management and agricultural planning. This study utilized principal component analysis (PCA) on a 10-year dataset comprising solar radiation, sunshine hours, minimum and maximum temperatures, and wind speed to identify key factors influencing evaporation. Descriptive statistics revealed significant non-normality in most variables, particularly radiation and wind speed. At the same time, correlation analysis showed a strong positive relationship between sunshine hours and radiation (r= 0.66) and a moderate negative correlation between radiation and minimum temperature (r= −0.30). PCA identified two principal components accounting for 66.61% of the total variance. Component 1 (38.06%) captured solar-driven variability, dominated by sunshine duration and radiation, whereas Component 2 (28.55%) reflected thermal influences, particularly maximum and minimum temperatures. Wind speed contributed minimally, suggesting a more localized or less consistent role in evaporation dynamics. These findings demonstrate the value of PCA in simplifying complex climatic datasets and improving the interpretation of evaporation processes. Solar radiation and sunshine hours emerged as the dominant drivers, with temperature as a secondary influence. The results emphasize the need to integrate surface-level variables, such as land use, vegetation cover, and soil moisture, in future studies to capture spatial heterogeneity and improve predictive accuracy, especially in data-scarce, climate-sensitive regions like Mbeya.

Coffee production in Abaya and Gelana needs précis land mapping amid and climate issues to increase sustainable yields. This study aimed to analyze optimal land suitability for coffee production in Abaya and Gelana Districts using Geographical Information System, Remote Sensing, and Analytical Hierarchy Process-based techniques. A mixed-methods approach was adopted using an explanatory sequential research design, combining quantitative analysis of questionnaires from 398 respondents with qualitative insights from interviews. The coffee suitability map areas were classified as highly (S1), moderately (S2), or marginally suitable (S3) based on weighted factors in accordance with Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines. In the Abaya District, 19.6% of the land is highly suitable, 43% moderately suitable, and 0.49% marginally suitable for coffee production. In the Gelana District, 5.1% of land is highly suitable, 15% moderately suitable, and 71.5% marginally suitable. Cross-tabulation results indicated that climate (99.07%), soil fertility (97.5%), and infrastructure (98.59%) are the main determinants of coffee land suitability, with economic factors being secondary. The results are supported by focus group discussions and key informant interviews, which suggest that the community is concerned about inadequate roads restricting access to markets and support services, fluctuating rainfall interfering with planting, and deteriorating soil fertility affecting production. The study identified optimal coffee-suitable land in the northern, central, and southern parts of the Abaya District and in the southwest and northwest parts of the Gelana District. The Abaya District has more highly suitable land for coffee, supporting larger-scale farming, while the Gelana District offers smaller but viable areas for localized production. To enhance productivity in these areas, the study recommends advancing infrastructure, adopting sustainable practices, and addressing economic and technological challenges.