Anthropocene Science最新文献

Climate changes expose crops to frequent harsh environmental conditions, thereby decreasing food production. During the last few decades, several efforts have been made to generate stress-tolerant and climate-resilient crops and increase yield to meet the food demands of the increasing global population. Therefore, a nano-based approach is a promising tool for the sustainable development of agriculture and has many advantages over conventional approaches and products. In addition to their use as carrier systems for bioactive molecules, some nanoparticles have intrinsic properties that can increase plant growth and stress tolerance. This article focuses on the potential use of a nano-based approach to increase crop resilience against climate change and improve productivity for sustainable agriculture development. In addition, the challenges of reproducing laboratory results in the field are discussed.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II Report on Adaptation, Impacts and Vulnerability identifies the urgent need to embark upon Climate Resilient Development Pathways. Climate Resilient Development acknowledges that adaptation needs to be undertaken together with mitigation and development, in joined-up, inclusive, just and equitable ways, across multiple arenas of engagement. In highly vulnerable systems with complex development contexts, such as drylands, where globally, warming is already exceeding that of humid areas, urgent action is vital, as the window of opportunity for Climate Resilient Development is rapidly closing. This paper considers challenges and opportunities in charting Climate Resilient Development Pathways in the world’s drylands. It highlights the importance of stakeholder engagement and partnership building to harness diverse knowledge sources, situating equity and justice concerns at the core of decision making and actions such as land restoration. It notes that while technological solutions offer potential to advance Climate Resilient Development, they need to be developed in an inclusive manner and used in ways that do not undermine Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge or exacerbate inequalities. Many of the challenges to Climate Resilient Development go beyond technology to include highly contextual differences in understanding, environment, institutions and access to finance. Adequate assessment of trade-offs in Climate Resilient Development actions in drylands remains vital to the framing of Climate Resilient Development Pathways for different groups. The paper concludes by identifying major urgent research gaps considering upscaling, stakeholder responsibilities and governance, the magnitude of investment that is necessary, and the need for appropriate monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Emission reduction and environmental quality improvement have become global priorities to support sustainable growth and mitigate the harmful consequences of global warming and climate change. However, there is limited research employing econometric methodologies to investigate the potential of emission reduction components, particularly in India. Thus, the current research examined the dynamic impacts of economic growth, renewable energy usage, urbanization, industrialization, tourism, agricultural productivity, and forest area on carbon dioxide emissions in India. The Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares method was used to analyze time series data from 1990 to 2020. The empirical results revealed that economic growth, urbanization, industrialization, and tourism all contribute to environmental deterioration by increasing carbon dioxide emissions in India, whereas enhanced renewable energy use, agricultural productivity, and forest area improve the quality of the environment by lessening carbon dioxide emissions. The results provided insights into the possibility of renewable energy utilization, agricultural output, and forest areas to accomplish environmental sustainability in India. This article offers policymakers more reliable and detailed content for designing effective measures focusing on low-carbon economies, promoting renewable energy utilization, sustainable urbanization, green industrialization, eco-friendly tourism, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable forest management in India. Additionally, the findings of the study may guide other developing nations seeking to implement effective sustainability approaches while also increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

Increasing agroforestry areas is an important step to adapt to climate change, increase food security, and have many ecological and socio-economical benefits. Proper planning and strategies are required for the assessment of land potential and selection of suitable land for the multifunctional benefits of agroforestry. Remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) tools are widely used to identify the priority areas for agroforestry and policy-making. The multi-high resolutions of Google pro mosaicked images were used as a base map for precision, detailed analysis, and valid interpretation. To identify the farm landscape suitability areas in the Belpada block of Belangiri district, Odisha, a GIS modeling approach was used based on satellite data measurement. The post-monsoon multi-date monthly cloud-free Landsat-8 data and products of the Digital Elevation Model were used to understand the farm landscape characteristics of agroforestry. Soil wetness, slope, drainage, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were used in the preparation of landscape suitability analysis. Overall 27.8% (134.16 sq. km) of land was highly suitable, 50.0% (241.85 sq. km) of land was moderately suitable and 19.7% (94.98 sq. km) was marginally suitable and the remaining 2.5% (12.01 sq. km) of land was found unsuitable for agroforestry. Out of 116 villages, 14 villages are found with high (greater than 70%) farmland potentiality, the highest is found in the Jalia village. The moderate and highly suitable land/villages should be given preference for tree-based farming in various agroforestry arrangements. The high-resolution farm landscape potential grid maps were produced for the first time which was earlier a research gap in the past that will support micro-level agroforestry planning. There is a need for a robust synergic approach when integrated with native and multifunctional trees in potentially suitable agroforestry farmland with adequate watershed management and conservation practices enriched with indigenous knowledge that will significantly support achieving the many sustainable development goals (SDGs) up to the smallest unit (village) level.

With global warming, many climate extremes are becoming more frequent, often co-occurring, or repeatedly occurring in consecutive years. However, only limited studies have investigated these changes of climate extremes together. We study these changes in Europe for the last seven decades (1950–2019) based on 39 climate indices to identify climate extreme hotspots and coldspots. These indices belong to the four climate index groups: cold, heat, drought, and precipitation. Compared to the first half of the study period (1950–1984), most of our study locations faced heat extremes that are more frequent and occurring in consecutive years in the second half (1985–2019). However, the number of cold extremes has decreased in most locations. Simultaneously, some locations, mainly the Mediterranean region, faced an increase in droughts while others, e.g., parts of Eastern Europe and Northern Europe, experienced more intense precipitation. Two or more of these cold, heat, drought, and precipitation extremes have also co-occurred in a few locations of our study area in the same year. Our study highlights that climate extremes are becoming more frequent, co-occurrent, and persistent in Europe. These changes in climate extremes are associated with climate change. Therefore, we could infer that climate change mitigation is crucial for limiting these extremes.

Forest degradation and land-use change are considered as the major activities resulting in loss of carbon (C) from soil and both the issues are major concern in Eastern Himalayan region (EHR) of India. Apart from this, bamboo is a widely distributed species in tropical/sub-tropical forest ecosystems of EHR. The current study was planned to assess the impacts of bamboo plantation on carbon fractions, C and nitrogen (N) stocks in soil. For this, the selected site was revisited three times, before and after the bamboo plantation. It was found that the value of bulk density (BD) increased significantly (1.27 g cm⁻³) after the plantation of bamboo and was recorded after four years of plantation, while effect on soil organic carbon (SOC) was not significant. However, SOC stocks (54.23 t C ha⁻¹) and C:N (5.15) ratio were increased significantly and both TN contents and stocks were decreased with bamboo age. Moreover, very labile and labile fractions were significantly influenced after bamboo plantation. In addition, accumulation of less labile (2.03 mg g⁻¹) and non-labile (1.68 mg g⁻¹) was also recorded under bamboo plantation. The results clearly reveal that the soil carbon pools increased under bamboo soils and their sequestration potential can be harnessed to combat the land degradation and soil rehabilitation issues, thus, plantation of bamboo under fallow lands can be recommended as sustainable land management practice.

The geochemical signatures of a 12-year-old experimental bioreactor at a California landfill are used to identify elemental concentrations and ratios that characterize the landfill and relate it to the age and state of technology of the deposited waste. The bioreactor was constructed and sealed with a synthetic liner during 2001–2002 and operated and monitored as an anaerobic digester to enhance methane production. In 2013, the bioreactor was sampled and trace element concentrations of the extracted fine fractions were determined. The concentrations normalized to a regional soil composition, reveal systematic peaks for transition metals, alkali metals, heavy metals, and various metalloids and non-metals. A group of potential solder elements (Cu, Zn, Cd, In, Sn, Pb, Bi, and Sb) shows moderate to strong co-variations and is largely attributed to household electronic components and other similar products, while elements that correlated well with rare-earth and other elements are related to the diluting effect of a soil component used as cover. Batteries show modest to little effects on the overall concentrations. Circulating fluids (recycled leachate) in the controlled reactor did not completely redistribute and homogenize the elemental signatures within the time frame of the bioreactor. It is concluded that the present experimental landfill defines an Anthropocene marker identifiable by building material (plaster), PVC plastic, and household electronic components (Pb–Sn solder). These marker elements and ratios are variably diluted by soil components identified by alkali metals, rare-earths, and high field-strength elements (Hf, Zr, Nb, and Ta).