Several Sustainable Development Goals Research Articles

Sustainable development goals through reducing food loss and food waste: A comprehensive review

The major sustainability concern is food waste, which might be minimized by more effective redistribution of surplus food, supply chain waste management, and sustainable food management. Due to technological and infrastructure issues that require technology application at a wide scale with minimal environmental impact, food waste and food loss occur at all levels of the supply chain. Strategies for food redistribution, recovery, and reuse provide the economy with extra by-products and financial advantages. Because of the complicated relationships between distributors and suppliers, contractual obligations, inaccurate food demand forecasts, and food standards, changing consumption and production patterns at the industry and market levels is difficult. Based on this the objective of the review was to discuss the strategies for reducing food waste and achieving sustainable development goals and the role of different actors in reducing food wastage and in implementing SDGs. Several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including those related to finishing world hunger (SDG 2), ensuring sustainable agriculture (SDG 2), promoting sustainable economic growth (SDG 8), and combating climate change (SDG 13), among others, have been found to depend on reducing the amount of food that is wasted and have destroyed.

Kitchen Gardening: A Dual Solution for Urban Heat Islands and Nutritional Security in India

Urbanization has led to significant environmental and societal challenges, including the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and nutritional insecurity. Kitchen gardening, also known as urban horticulture, emerges as a promising solution to these pressing issues. By cultivating food in urban settings, individuals and families contribute to a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem. The practice of kitchen gardening plays a pivotal role in managing the UHI effect. Vegetation in urban areas helps moderate temperature extremes, reducing the heat retained by concrete and asphalt. This cooling effect contributes to lower energy consumption for air conditioning, mitigating urban pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the proximity of urban gardens to residential areas decreases the need for transportation of produce, further cutting down on pollution and energy usage associated with food distribution. From a nutritional standpoint, kitchen gardening ensures food security by providing a direct source of fresh, healthy produce. This practice aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including zero hunger (SDG2), good health and well-being (SDG3), and responsible consumption and production (SDG12). Urban horticulture empowers individuals to take control of their food sources, promoting a balanced diet and reducing dependence on industrial-scale farming. Furthermore, it creates opportunities for community engagement and economic growth, supporting decent work and economic growth (SDG8) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG11). Kitchen gardening is a multifaceted approach that addresses both environmental and nutritional challenges. Its benefits extend beyond individual households, contributing to broader sustainability goals and fostering a more harmonious relationship between urban development and the environment.

Postharvest practices and loss determinants for interventions among smallholder potato farmers in Tiyo district, Arsi zone, Ethiopia

Postharvest loss reduction, which will contribute to several sustainable development goals (SDGs) including SDG 1, 2, 3, 9, 12 and 13, is an important strategy for food and nutrition security. It requires interventions designed based on timely and reliable statistical data. However, lack of produce-specific loss data and associated factors along the postharvest value chain stages remains a challenge to implement appropriate interventions. Therefore, a survey was conducted on socio-demographic characteristics, postharvest practices, extent and causes of losses, and factors influencing postharvest loss of potato crops in Tiyo district of Arsi Zone, Ethiopia in 2022. A multistage sampling method was used to select a total of 209 smallholder potato farming household heads through a combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Quantitative data collection was carried out online using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) by programming a semi-structured questionnaire in KoboCollect software for tablets. Descriptive statistics and ordinal probit regression model were used to analyze the collected data and determinant factors influencing postharvest loss of potatoes at various farm-level stages, respectively. An aggregate of 15-46% loss exists between harvesting and marketing. Losses during harvesting, sorting, cleaning, packaging, field-to-storage transport, storage, and storage-to-market transport were 58.9%, 6.2%, 2.9%, 2.4%, 3.8%, 20.1%, and 5.7%, respectively. Elevated loss during harvesting and storage in the area is likely to reflect poor handling and storage practices. The primary causes of losses were poor harvesting and handling techniques, poor storage facility, and insects and worms. Moreover, regression model estimations of categorical losses, as perceived by farmers, reveal that socio-demographic variables and postharvest factors influenced potato loss. During the harvest stage, working family members significantly (p<0.01) increased loss while years of schooling (p<0.05) significantly reduced loss. In addition, harvesting using leaf color change observation as a criterion had significantly (p<0.01) mitigated potato loss. In storage, female respondents (p<0.05), land size (p<0.05), and lack of training (p<0.1) had accentuated loss. During transport, the age of household reduced (p<0.1) loss whereas farming experience promoted (p<0.1) it. To reduce the existing losses, farmers’ awareness should be increased concerning each stage. The study recommends the need for stakeholders’ intervention focusing on postharvest knowledge and skill capacity building, demonstration of simple innovative ventilated storage construction using locally available materials, appropriate packaging (such as reusable plastic crates) and transport methods, and simple value addition methods (such as potato drying using indirect solar dryers and potato flour processing for fortifying local cereals). Key words: CAPI, Ethiopia, ordinal probit regression, postharvest practices, potato loss determinants

Characterization of eco‐friendly composites for automotive applications prepared by the compression molding method

AbstractThe need to comply with environmental regulations and provisions set by the government for sustainability and environmental awareness has caused the use of natural fiber‐reinforced composites in the automotive industry to increase. Furthermore, there has been a lack of extensive research on the production of eco‐friendly composites for automotive applications utilizing epoxy resin, rice husk, Al2O3, and Fe2O3 by the compression molding technique. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the influence of compression molding pressure on the properties of eco‐friendly composites for automotive applications. The specimens consisted of epoxy resin, rice husk, Al2O3, and Fe2O3, in that order by weight percentages of 50%, 20%, 15%, and 15%, respectively. Compression molding with pressures of 10, 20, and 30 MPa and a holding time of 20 min at room temperature was utilized in this study. To evaluate the properties of the obtained specimens, density, hardness, flexural, wear, TGA (thermal gravimetric analysis), and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) tests were conducted. The research findings show that composite specimens' physical and mechanical properties decrease while the friction coefficient increases with increasing pressure during compression molding. In contrast, the pressure increase did not significantly alter the thermal characteristics of the composite specimens. The BP_10 specimen, fabricated at a molding pressure of 10 MPa, exhibited superior properties compared to other specimens. Density, hardness, flexural strength, coefficient of friction, total residue, Tmax, Tg, and Tc in specimen BP_10 was 1.881 g/cm3, 80.5 shore D, 35.84 MPa, 0.262, 58.67%, 354.87, 285.53, and 497.7°C, respectively.Highlights The demand for natural fiber‐reinforced composites is increasing because more vehicles are on the road. The properties of natural fiber‐reinforced composites are strongly influenced by the pressure applied during compression molding. Results show that compression molding pressure strongly influenced the hardness, density, flexural strength, friction coefficient, and thermal stability of natural fiber‐reinforced composites. The natural fiber‐reinforced composites developed in this research can contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Polarization insensitive multiband metamaterial absorber for bio-plastic sensing application

This article introduces a microwave multiband metamaterial absorber (MA) with high potential for bio-plastic sensing applications. The innovative design is realized through a compact unit cell dimension of 1.33λο × 1.33λο × 0.22λο, employing a state-of-the-art split-ring resonator structure. Strikingly, this absorber demonstrates polarization insensitivity and can be characterized by five distinct absorption peaks at 18.69 GHz, 23.34 GHz, 25.72 GHz, 32.94 GHz, and 35.40 GHz. The corresponding absorption rates are exceptionally high, ranging from 92.82% to 99.95%. To elucidate the underlying absorption mechanism, detailed analyses of the electric field, magnetic field, surface current distribution, and input impedance are provided, showcasing the absorber's effective MA structure. The designed MA sensor exhibits outstanding performance metrics for bio-plastic detection, including an average quality factor (Q-factor) of 210 and sensitivity of 0.888 GHz/RIU (refractive index unit), marking a significant advancement in the field. Additionally, the sensor's linearity, output variation, and sensitivity are considerably improved for bio-plastic sensing. The research confirms the proposed MA absorber's functionality by comparing measured results and simulation outcomes, indicating a high degree of accuracy and reliability. The potential applications of this MA are manifold, extending to microwave absorption and enhanced plastic sensing techniques. Its compact and thin design facilitates seamless integration with various sensor equipment, broadening the scope of its utility. Furthermore, the article delves into the relevance of this research to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly highlighting its alignment with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Thus, the innovative MA design signifies a technological leap in the field of metamaterial absorbers and contributes to the pursuit of sustainability and environmental protection.

Harnessing Untapped Resources for Sustainable Energy Production from Municipal Solid Waste in Recourse Challenged Economies: A Case Study of Rajshahi City Corporation, Bangladesh

The sustainable management of municipal solid waste is of utmost importance for cities in Bangladesh, including Rajshahi City, which faces unique challenges due to rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and population expansion. This study aimed to gain insights into waste generation patterns and characteristics in Rajshahi by analyzing factors like moisture content, bulk density, dry density, and calorific value of municipal solid waste at the Rajshahi landfill site. The objective was to identify the most feasible method for waste characterization and segregation. The research methodology utilized a comprehensive approach, incorporating field surveys, laboratory analyses, and statistical modeling to create an energy matrix and assess the potential for waste-to-energy production in Rajshahi City. This study aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to waste and energy management, including SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - by exploring waste-to-energy options. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - by addressing waste management challenges in a rapidly urbanizing area. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - by promoting sustainable waste management practices. SDG 13: Climate Action - by potentially reducing greenhouse gas emissions through efficient waste-to-energy conversion. Overall, this research contributes to Rajshahi City's efforts to achieve sustainable development while addressing its waste and energy needs by converting its 75.8% organic waste to electricity using an anaerobic digester.

A novel approach for environmental impact assessment of road construction projects in India

The road sector is one of the basic pillars for national economic growth owing to its role in movement of goods and people and can contribute positively towards several sustainable development goals (SDGs). On the other hand, road construction using conventional methods can jeopardize the global progress towards climate action and other environmental related SDGs owing to large raw material requirements, fuel demand and pollution associated with it. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful quantitative tool to figure out which products and processes are responsible for majority of road's environmental impact at different stages. This information can then be used to design interventions and adopt alternative materials for improving the environmental profile of roads. However, the application of LCA in road sector in developing countries such as India has been limited owing to unavailability of funds to compile information regarding quantities of all materials used (inventory data) and their environmental characterization factors. Here we present a new approach that connects the publicly available road's bill of quantity (BOQ) and analysis of rates (AOR) documents with national construction materials environmental footprint database to calculate the road footprint. A case study on calculating the environmental impacts of a recently built 43 km state highway road in the Indian state of Gujarat is presented to demonstrate the steps involved in the new approach. The environmental impacts per kilometre of the road section came out to be 6.86 million MJ energy use, 281 tons CO2eq. GHG emissions, 0.013 kg CFC-11 eq. ozone depletion, 2.16 tons SO2eq. acidification, 0.35 tons PO4eq. eutrophication and 0.11 tons ethene eq. of photochemical oxidant formation. Among all life cycle phases, the material production stage contributes the highest to the total environmental footprint of the road section. Of the 52 materials used, bitumen, diesel, coarse/fine aggregate, galvanized iron (GI) pipe, concrete, thermoplastic paint used in road markings and steel corrugated sheet and channel post are responsible for majority of impacts. The template presented can be used in India and other developing countries to evaluate the environmental footprint of existing and future road projects.

The Youth Tackling Climate Emergency educational proposal: An opportunity for change

AbstractThe main objective of the Youth Tackling Climate Emergency Educational Proposal (YTCEEP) is to involve secondary students in addressing climate action‐related subjects from a local context and in a proactive way. We present an evaluation of its third edition, based on the answers from final surveys assessing knowledge, perceptions and attitudes. Main results show that YTCEEP promotes reflection on environmental and social problems; although knowledge slightly improved on the subthemes researched, moderate–low knowledge on climate change in general was detected. Students do positively consider YTCEEP and the programme provides an educational opportunity to address several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to SDG13.

Improvement of N and P ratio for enhanced biomass productivity and sustainable cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae

Microalgae cultivation could contribute to the achievement of several sustainable development goals (SDGs). However, cultivating Chlorella vulgaris, like any other microalgae, is challenging due to various biotic, abiotic and process related factors that can affect its growth and biomass productivity. Nutrient availability, particularly N and P, and their ratio play a crucial role in building cellular structures and maintaining metabolic processes, determining basically the maximum achievable biomass productivity under given circumstances. The present article aims to improve the N and P ratio to enhance the biomass productivity of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae as well as to characterize the biomass growth kinetics that can be used for prediction purposes. The results showed that the nutrient solutions prepared with increased nitrate concentration (T1 – N:P = 55:1 and T3 – N:P = 28:1) promoted chlorophyll formation and significantly outperformed the control sample (BG-11 – N:P = 35:1) with 192% and 183%, leading to higher biomass productivity with 1160 μg L−1 and 1103 μg L−1, respectively. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was revealed (0.81) between phosphate concentration and microalgae activity rate, indicating the role of phosphorous in energy transfer, resulted in stimulated microalgae activity rates with 71.2% and 70.66% in the phosphate-increased nutrient solutions (T2 – N:P = 14:1 and T3 – N:P = 28:1). In addition, an exponential equation was introduced to characterize the biomass growth kinetics, of which the theoretically achievable maximum chlorophyll concentration (CTAM) and the theoretical cultivation time (tcultivation) were determined for the tested nutrient solutions with variable N:P ratio. It was concluded, that the higher the N:P ratio, the higher the CTAM is, nevertheless the absolute concentration of these nutrients need to be considered as well. The introduced two key parameters could provide valuable information for decision makers regarding the optimization of growth conditions, nutrient supplementation, and harvesting, additionally decreasing the production costs and making the cultivation cycles more effective and sustainable.

CONCEPTUAL AGRO-BIZMATCH DIGITAL PLATFORM BUSINESS MODEL: CONNECTEDNESS TO ENABLE AGRO-BASED BUSINESSES TO INNOVATE AND GROW

This paper offers a conceptual Agro-BizMatch business model to solve the problem encountered by multiple customer segments in finding potential partners and marketplace, innovate, and grow their agro-based businesses. This business concept and platform offers potential benefits to people with existing businesses who need to grow their current businesses, MSMEs, start-ups, entrepreneurs from low- income backgrounds (or B40s), and business mentors who are looking for entrepreneurs to offer their mentorship services. This project is also aligned with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG 1: No Poverty (the poverty rate in Malaysia) and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth (the employment issue). The Design Thinking (DT) methodology is used to identify problems and devise effective solutions to problems encountered by customer segments when looking for and establishing sustainable business partnerships. To identify relevant information for the proposed business venture, literature reviews were conducted, and interviews with several entrepreneurs were done to gather ideas and understand their requirements for application development. The key aspects of the business - challenges, extreme pains, essential gains, and important jobs-to-do - are figured out by using various business modelling tools, such as Business Environment Map (EM), Business Model Canvas (BMC), and Value Proposition Canvas (VPC). The Agro-Bizmatch low-fidelity prototype was designed, developed, and tested to analyze the relevancy and sustainability of the conceptual business model for the various customer segments.

The Often-Forgotten Innovation to Improve Sustainability: Assessing Food and Agricultural Sciences Curricula as Interventions in Uganda

Needs to improve educational access for women in the Global South have been well documented throughout the literature. The need and impact of non-governmental organizations for food security improvement, educational access, and community sustainability work in the Global South has been heightened since the pandemic. Our study focused on several sustainable development goals (SDGs) where we utilized experiential learning and the Targeting Outcomes of Programs (TOP) model to assess participants’ needs in developing, implementing, and evaluating the adoption of food and agricultural sciences curricula. We utilized a case study method and semi-structured interviews with primary stakeholder groups to answer each research objective. Most participants had increased confidence in growing food for their families due to the knowledge they gained and the practices they learned by participating in the food and agricultural sciences curricula. TOP indicators aligned with reducing hunger and improving sustainable agriculture are identified in SDG 2. Data regarding knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations revealed that participants wanted to pursue careers in agriculture due to the food security and financial advantages the industry offered. Program graduates indicated their desire for food and agricultural sciences curricula to be provided more to improve girls’ self-independence, as well as to address the feasibility and entrepreneurial solutions to reduce poverty, promote learning, and increase community sustainability and vitality.

The Activities of the Slovenian Strategic Council for Nutrition 2023/24 to Improve the Health of the Slovenian Population and the Sustainability of Food: A Narrative Review.

The health status of individuals in Slovenia across age groups is a matter of concern, as current unsustainable lifestyle choices are already leading to various chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Outdated national dietary guidelines, their inconsistent implementation, and a lack of structural changes represent obstacles to promoting healthy and sustainable nutrition. Limited access to and rising prices of healthy, sustainable foods, in addition to the high availability of low-priced, highly processed foods, increase the risk of NCDs. The lack of systematic health monitoring and early disease detection poses a challenge. Global and local environmental issues, resistance, and/or the inability to adopt healthier diets hinder individuals from changing their nutritional behaviours. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of the current situation in Slovenia as well as planned activities initiated by the Slovenian government and the Prime Minister's Strategic Council for Nutrition, aiming to make progress in supporting healthy and sustainable nutrition, limiting food waste, and increasing the availability of healthier foods for all. Improving the sustainability of the Slovenian food system can contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring Slovenia's commitment to internationally agreed-upon targets. This could lead Slovenia to take a role as a pilot country in testing and implementing the necessary systemic changes, which could be further applied in other countries.

Environmental Sustainability: A Challenge for Leather Industry

Adopting pollution prevention strategies (PPS) can ensure environmental sustainability (ES) in the leather industry and can help the industry achieve several sustainable development goals (SDGs). In order to ensure the ES of the leather industry, there is a need for research to identify a comprehensive list of PPS. This research aims at identifying the most effective PPS for the leather industry, which are categorized into 4R (reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover) dimensions. This is a case study where four leather processing companies from Bangladesh were purposively selected. Through an extensive literature review and experts’ opinions, 21 PPS are identified for the leather industry’s ES. Also, this study shows several benefits of PPS through which various SDGs can be achieved in the leather industry. This study will certainly guide the leather industry managers to ensure the ES of the leather industry and, consequently, assist in achieving several SDGs.

Riding the Waves of Artificial Intelligence in Advancing Accounting and Its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a disruptive force in many sectors, and using it in accounting isn’t an exception. This conceptual paper explores the role of AI in accounting, for financial reporting, auditing, and financial decision-making and provides accountants an opportunity to improve efficiency, accuracy, and decision support. AI, through data analytics, algorithms, automation, etc. has an important role in the field of accounting with some challenges also. The study also highlights the implications of AI in accounting for achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Firstly, AI-driven automation can restructure financial activities, reducing time and resource consumption, and contributing to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). In addition, by providing real-time data analysis, AI empowers businesses to make sustainable decisions based on real-time data, aligning with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG-16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The paper has implications for policy makers, technology developers, financial institutions and business firms.

Progress toward the sustainable development of world cultural heritage sites facing land-cover changes

The quantification of the extent and dynamics of land-use changes is a key metric employed to assess the progress toward several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that form part of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. In terms of anthropogenic factors threatening the conservation of heritage properties, such a metric aids in the assessment of achievements toward heritage sustainability solving the problem of insufficient data availability. Therefore, in this study, 589 cultural World Heritage List (WHL) properties from 115 countries were analyzed, encompassing globally distributed and statistically significant samples of "monuments and groups of buildings" (73.2%), "sites" (19.3%), and "cultural landscapes" (7.5%). Land-cover changes in the WHL properties between 2015 and 2020 were automatically extracted from big data collections of high-resolution satellite imagery accessed via Google Earth Engine using intelligent remote sensing classification. Sustainability indexes (SIs) were estimated for the protection zones of each property, and the results were employed, for the first time, to assess the progress of each country toward SDG Target 11.4. Despite the apparent advances in SIs (10.4%), most countries either exhibited steady (20.0%) or declining (69.6%) SIs due to limited cultural investigations and enhanced negative anthropogenic disturbances. This study confirms that land-cover changes are among serious threats for heritage conservation, with heritage in some countries wherein the need to address this threat is most crucial, and the proposed spatiotemporal monitoring approach is recommended.

Tannery solid waste valorization for achieving SDGs: An innovative decision-making model for critical success factors analysis and sustainable technology selection

Sustainable tannery solid waste (TSW) management is essential for achieving several sustainable development goals (SDGs) and promoting carbon neutrality in the leather processing industry. However, the sustainable management of TSW in developing countries remains a relatively ambiguous and unexplored area in the research. To expedite the sustainable management of TSW, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive study of critical success factors (CSFs) and valorization technologies considering the uncertainties involved as TSWs are major contributors to environmental pollution and carbon emissions. Unfortunately, existing models are unable to effectively handle uncertainty on a broader scale when evaluating interdependencies and valorization technologies. Therefore, this study proposes a novel integrated model that combines Interval Type-2 Trapezoidal Fuzzy Sets (IT2TrFSs) based Delphi technique, an extended version of the Weighted Influence Non-linear Gauge System (WINGS) method, and IT2TrFSs- Combined Compromise Solution (CoCoSo). This model is then applied to assess the interdependencies among CSFs and TSW valorization technology using a real case study. The IT2TrFSs-WINGS analysis reveals that “Environmental policies for TSW management” is the most crucial causal CSF, with a value of 0.00560. The IT2TrFSs-CoCoSo analysis confirms that “Gasification” is the most promising TSW valorization technology, receiving a significant preference value of 2.03982. These findings will enable decision-makers, relevant stakeholders, and environmental agencies to take necessary actions towards improving the TSW management process in developing countries.

Promoting sustainable management of hazardous waste-to-wealth practices: An innovative integrated DPSIR and decision-making framework

Sustainable valorization of tannery sludge (TS) is vital for achieving several sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the tannery industry. TS is considered a hazardous waste by-product posing a significant environmental challenge. However, TS can be utilized for energy or resource recovery by considering it as biomass and implementing the circular economy (CE) concept. Therefore, this study aims to develop an innovative DPSIR (Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, and Response) framework for promoting sustainable valorization of TS. Further, the study extends to quantify the importance of subjective DPSIR factors by offering interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy number-based best worst method (IVIFN-BWM), which is relatively new in the literature and able to deal with the uncertainty, inconsistency, imprecise, and vagueness in the decision-making process. The study also investigates the most appropriate TS valorization technologies concerning identified DPSIR factors using a novel IVIFN-combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) approach. This research contributes to the literature by developing a comprehensive solution approach that combines the DPSIR framework, IVIFN-BWM, and IVIFN-CoCoSo method in addressing sustainability and resource recovery challenges for the tannery industry. The research findings highlight the potential of sustainable valorization of TS in reducing the waste amount and promoting sustainability and CE practices in the tannery industry. The findings indicated that response factors ‘creation of national-level policies and awareness campaign’ and ‘facilitating financial support to adopt waste valorization technologies’ received the highest priority among other DPSIR factors for managing and fostering sustainable valorization of TS. The IVIFN-CoCoSo analysis confirmed that the most promising TS valorization technology is ‘gasification’, which is followed by pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and incineration. The study's implications extend to policymakers, industrial practitioners, and researchers, who can leverage the research findings to develop more sustainable TS management practices in the tannery industry.

Significance of artificial intelligence in the development of sustainable transportation

The idea of Sustainable development has gained more attention since it involves satisfying needs without degrading the environment. Sustainable development has many targets across various subjects in which Sustainable Transportation is one of the cores to sustainable development. The objective of sustainable transportation is to achieve social, environmental and economic growth with universal access, enhanced safety, improved resilience and infrastructure, reduction of emission in greenhouse gases, traffic management, freight management by different modes of transportation. It is vital and interlinked across several sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets in the 2030 Agenda proposed by United Nations. There is a need to improve sustainable transportation, which can be achieved through artificial intelligence as it helps the sector to increase public transport, traffic safety, reduce accidents and improve traffic management, decrease carbon emissions, rise reliability and also leverage economic growth through methods like Fuzzy logic (FL), Artificial Neural Networks, Ant Colony Optimiser, Genetic algorithms, Swarm optimization algorithm, Simulated Annealing. It is also supported by Big Data Analysis, Internet of Things, Robotic process Automation. This paper addresses the overview of the importance of sustainable transportation along with the role of artificial intelligence in different modes of transportation, current level of sustainability across globe, progress in transport system and conclude with challenges and future improvements that can be made towards the goal.

Highlighting the role of agriculture and geospatial technology in food security and sustainable development goals

AbstractFood security is a global challenge that aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 ‐ “No Poverty”, SDG 2 ‐ “Zero Hunger,” SDG 3 ‐ “Good Health and Well‐being,” SDG 13 ‐ “Climate Action,” and SDG 15 ‐ “Life on Land.”. To effectively address this issue, a convergence of agriculture and technology is crucial, incorporating precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture, bio‐economy and advanced technologies such as machineries, Artificial intelligence‐meachine learning and geospatial technology. Recent trends in food security worldwide have witnessed the adoption of technological advancements. However, it is important to consider biodiversity when implementing and adopting technological advancements. The integration of technology in agricultural practices aim to reduce chemical usage in farms, while increased production remains the main objective of smart farming and Precision Agriculture. By minimizing the use or implementing localized approaches for chemicals on farms, we can preserve soil‐faunal diversity, which is at risk along with targets due to excessive applications of pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides. Geospatial technology plays a significant role by leveraging remotely sensed images acquired through satellites, aerial platforms, and GPS‐tagged drones to enhance agricultural practices, improve crop growth and increase crop yields. Through geospatial technology, we can map and monitor soil and crop conditions, and effectively conserve, protect, and manage biodiversity on a global scale. The applications of remote sensing technology consider ecological and environmental parameters, soil factors, crop conditions, and plant‐soil diversity to optimize yields and agricultural productivity. Additionally, the evaluation of various agricultural practices such as sustainable agriculture, bio‐economy, using technology can contribute to increased yields, profitability, and biodiversity conservation as central components of these practices. This study emphasizes that achieving the SDG objectives is attainable through agriculture, which has direct and indirect connections to all SDGs. Geospatial technology plays a vital role in supporting the objectives at spatial and temporal scales by facilitating agricultural practices, ensuring food security, preserving biodiversity, monitoring soil and crop conditions, and promoting sustainable development.

Adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) polluted water by Fe3O4@SiO2-APTMS nanocomposites prepared in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation for sustainable water resources utilization

The research on developing a purification technology for Cr(Ⅵ) polluted water with high efficiency and the low energy consumption is crucial for achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to achieve these goals, Fe3O4@SiO2-APTMS nanocomposites were prepared by Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified with silica and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation. The nanocomposites were characterized by TEM, FT-IR, VSM, TGA, BET, XRD, XPS and these analytic results proved that the nanocomposites were successfully prepared. The influential factors of Fe3O4@SiO2-APTMS on Cr(Ⅵ) adsorption have been explored and better experimental conditions have been obtained. The adsorption isotherm conformed to the Freundlich model. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided a better correlation for the experimental data compared to other kinetic models. Thermodynamic parameters for adsorption indicated that the adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ) was a spontaneous process. It was speculated that the adsorption mechanism of this adsorbent includes redox, electrostatic adsorption and physical adsorption. In summary, the Fe3O4@SiO2-APTMS nanocomposites were of great significance to human health and the remediation of heavy ion pollution, contributing to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG-3, SDG-6.