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Resource efficiency strategies are emerging on policy agendas worldwide. Commonly, resource efficiency policies aim at decreasing losses at the waste management stage and, thus, diverge from public interest in more comprehensive resource efficiency measures that include a focus the earlier material life cycle stages. Just in recent years, improvements in the lifetimes of products and increased repair and reuse ability have become policy objectives in some countries. However, the effectiveness of policy measures is usually not assessed, even though it is crucial to support informed policy‐making and efficiently decrease the environmental impact of resource use. In this paper, we provide such an assessment for the copper cycle, the third most consumed metal with sharply increasing demand. Under current practices, in Western Europe and North America, 50% and 44% of the losses by 2050 occur at end‐of‐life collection, and only 2% of losses take place at the recovery stage; in Middle East and Africa for 19% and 54%, respectively. By 2050, most copper would be lost in China with a proportion of 58%. We evaluate the resource efficiency by quantifying the two key parameters, circularity and longevity, that is, how often and how long the material is in use in the anthroposphere. Our results show that the current global longevity of high‐grade copper is 47 ± 2.5 years, and a copper atom is used in 2.1 ± 0.1 applications on average. Ambitious political measures across the life cycle can increase longevity by 85% and circularity by 45%., Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden Württemberg (Germany)

The paper main focus is the inquiry into the models and tools of comprehensive structuring of the innovative educational communication in the digital discourse (innovative educational communication in the digital ambient as construed by the transformative innovative strata and communicative application, facilitated by the modern European and Oriental languages of international communication – English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, accordingly). The problem of theoretical and methodological substantiation of cross-cutting principles, directions, mechanisms, and results of qualitative modeling of macro- and microstructures of verbal means and processing tools in the realm of digital educational communication, as a consolidated linguistic object, is investigated in depth. Mosaic, simulation, multidimensional, and framework approaches to understanding complex dynamic linguistic phenomena and entities, prioritized by this methodological context, allowed us to identify the ontological nature of educational communication units of the globalized languages in the sphere of innovative educational communication. The ICT, e-learning, hybrid learning, digital competencies thesaurus, that facilitates innovative educational communication, is structured to define and categorize the key components of innovative cyberterminology, instrumental to e-learning environment construction and functioning. Suggested are the innovative educational communication macro-, micro-, and supra-structures modeling and digital processing based on three groundwork principles: 1) Intranet educational anthroposphere (the anthropic environment within World Wide Web); 2) Outernet educational anthroposphere (e-reality components, functions outside the realm of World Wide Web); 3) Technogenic educational anthroposphere (trans-oriented anthropic environment components with an anthropic-for-congenerous substituted ontological parameter). The dynamic interaction of the structural tiers of the ICTs content plane within the strata of innovative educational communication is characterized by the anthropogenic and cognitive parameters of the content plane, mediated by the subjective and collective cognitive experience of digital education stakeholders, embodied in the framework digital transformation of innovative communicative educational scenarios.

Inland surface water is often the most accessible freshwater source. As opposed to groundwater, surface water is replenished in a comparatively quick cycle, which makes this vital resource — if not overexploited — sustainable. From a global perspective, freshwater is plentiful. Still, depending on the region, surface water availability is severely limited. Additionally, climate change and human interventions act as large-scale drivers and cause dramatic changes in established surface water dynamics. Actions have to be taken to secure sustainable water availability and usage. This requires informed decision making based on reliable environmental data. Monitoring inland surface water dynamics is therefore more important than ever. Remote sensing is able to delineate surface water in a number of ways by using optical as well as active and passive microwave sensors. In this review, we look at the proceedings within this discipline by reviewing 233 scientific works. We provide an extensive overview of used sensors, the spatial and temporal resolution of studies, their thematic foci, and their spatial distribution. We observe that a wide array of available sensors and datasets, along with increasing computing capacities, have shaped the field over the last years. Multiple global analysis-ready products are available for investigating surface water area dynamics, but so far none offer high spatial and temporal resolution.

This paper examines interconnectedness between Covid-19 and six nested subsystems of our planet: people, economy, society, anthroposphere, biosphere and planetosphere. It argues the complexity inside of them and in their interactions. The main question is what paradigmatic shift related to sustainable development economics did Covid-19 initiate, and what are the changes in paradigmatic manifestations of a post Covid-19 sustainable economic theory. Through comparison between neoclassical economics together with neoclassical paradigm manifestations, and what should be changed to avoid business as usual and enhance environmental economy, the paper concludes that much of everyday economic intellectual constructs and activities, including dominant economic theory is the part of the present reality that is not sustainable and has to be changed.

Current applications of the Ecosystems Services (ES) framework to soils are narrowly defined (e.g., soil-based, pedosphere-based, etc.), and focus on soil properties while treating soil as a closed system. Because soil is an open system, it receives and loses matter across its boundaries within Earth’s spheres (atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, ecosphere, and anthroposphere), which also need to be accounted for in economic analysis. In market economies, the market transforms resources from the Earth’s pedosphere and related spheres into goods and services for societal welfare with non-market institutions mediating human and environmental interactions. These transformations and mediations can result not only in welfare but damages as well. The concept of soil ES and ecosystem disservices (ED) is a human-centered framework, which can be a useful tool in business decision-making. Soil ES (e.g., provisioning, regulation/ maintenance, and cultural) are used to produce goods and services, but the value of these ES and ED are not always accounted for as a part of business decision-making. The objective of this review is to illustrate the monetary valuation of ecosystem services of soil systems (SS) with examples based on the organizational hierarchy of soil systems. The organizational hierarchy of soil systems can be used in economic valuations of soil ES by scale (e.g., world, continent), time (e.g., soil, geologic), qualitative and quantitative degrees of computation (e.g., mental, verbal, descriptive, mathematical, deterministic, stochastic), and degree of complexity (e.g., mechanistic, empirical). Soil survey databases, soil analyses, Soil Data Systems (SDS), and Soil Business Systems (SBS) provide tools and a wide range of quantitative/qualitative data and information to evaluate goods and services for various business applications, but these sources of soil data may be limited in scope due to their static nature. Valuation of soil resources based on soil and non-soil science databases (e.g., National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) databases, etc.) is critically needed to account for these ES/ED as part of business decision-making to provide more sustainable use of soil resources. Since most ecosystems on Earth have been modified by human activity, “soil systems goods and services” (SSGS) may be a more applicable term to describe soil contributions (benefits/damages) to economic activity, compared to a term such as “soil ecosystem goods and services.”

Purpose of the paper is to identify the anthropological specifics of the contemporary British novel, one of the key thematic complexes of which is the anthropological specificity of the new worldview. Theoretical basis of the study combines works on philosophy and history of literature presented in particular in the latest compendia of the contemporary British novel. Originality of the research is to reveal the philosophical parameters of thinking of the characters, which is determined by a tendency to the objectified, truthful from the point of view of historical and social image of the reality, visualizing a range of political, social and economic problems. For the first time, the latest British compendia of 2017-2018s, which emphasize the philosophical and anthropological peculiarities of the contemporary British novel, have been considered. The strategies of the functioning of the Other as an anthropological category of the present literature have been outlined, in particular, it is emphasized on the images of characters with autism and literary representation of the thinking of characters with Asperger’s syndrome. Conclusions. It has been proved that anthropological problems become key ones in post-postmodern discourse and determine the specifics of the development of the British novel after 2000s. The concept of anthroposphere, which determines the specificity of the problematic complexes of the contemporary British novel, is explored at the thematic level in novels that represent the latest literary process since 2000 The reasons for characterizing the thinking of characters with autism as the representatives of the new existentialism and humanism, which manifests itself in a number of worldviews, has been outlined and explained.

Digital elevation models (DEMs) provide fundamental depictions of the three-dimensional shape of the Earth’s surface and are useful to a wide range of disciplines. Ideally, DEMs record the interface between the atmosphere and the lithosphere using a discrete two-dimensional grid, with complexities introduced by the intervening hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. The treatment of DEM surfaces, affected by these intervening spheres, depends on their intended use, and the characteristics of the sensors that were used to create them. DEM is a general term, and more specific terms such as digital surface model (DSM) or digital terrain model (DTM) record the treatment of the intermediate surfaces. Several global DEMs generated with optical (visible and near-infrared) sensors and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as well as single/multi-beam sonars and products of satellite altimetry, share the common characteristic of a georectified, gridded storage structure. Nevertheless, not all DEMs share the same vertical datum, not all use the same convention for the area on the ground represented by each pixel in the DEM, and some of them have variable data spacings depending on the latitude. This paper highlights the importance of knowing, understanding and reflecting on the sensor and DEM characteristics and consolidates terminology and definitions of key concepts to facilitate a common understanding among the growing community of DEM users, who do not necessarily share the same background.

This chapter makes a case for unscaling the times of Anthropocene phenomena, such as geological vastness, human agency and past, present and future climate disaster, through the conceptual liquefaction and blending of different time regimes provided by the works of Jean Epstein and Michel Serres. It does so by relating their intellectual concepts and reflections to the rise of electronics and computer-aided simulation. A scene in Epstein’s late film Le Tempestaire (1947), commingling mythical and modern practices of weather control, is analyzed as a primeval scene for the medial handover between time manipulating cinema and the model time of computer simulations. Instead of placing one knowledge practice over the other (the indigenous and local over the dominant and global, the scientific over the mythical, the human over the digital, etc.) the chapter argues for ways of seeing correspondence and continuity between them. It thereby follows the invitation extended by Serres and Epstein, who both theorized and celebrated what this chapter calls “time depth”: not a clash but a compositum of temporal scales that feeds off the abundance and thickness of variable, interconnected times that saturate the geosphere and anthroposphere. Today, when dangerously rapid climate change catapults the planet back into climates last seen millions of years ago, such time depth becomes a prerequisite, not just for sharpening our sensibilities for “deep time,” but also for acknowledging the generous productivity of myth, science and simulation in situating the human amid hybrid temporalities.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of fluorinated organic compounds of anthropogenic origin. Due to their unique chemical properties, widespread production, ubiquitous environmental distribution, long-term persistence, bioaccumulative potential, and associated risks for human health, PFAS have been classified as persistent organic pollutants of significant concern. Scientific evidence from the last several decades suggests that their widespread occurrence in the environment correlates with adverse effects on human health and ecology. The presence of PFAS in the aquatic environment demonstrates a close link between the anthroposphere and the hydrological cycle, and concentrations of PFAS in surface and groundwater range in value along the ng L−1–μg L−1 scale. Here, we critically reviewed the research published in the last decade on the global occurrence and distribution of PFAS in the aquatic environment. This is the first study to critically evaluate the occurrence of PFAS at continental scale and the evolving global regulatory responses to manage and mitigate the adverse human health risks posed by PFAS. The review reports that PFAS are ubiquitous despite being phased out—they have been detected in different continents irrespective of the level of industrial development. Their occurrence far from the potential sources suggests that long-range atmospheric transport is an important pathway of PFAS distribution. Recently, several studies have investigated the health impacts of PFAS exposure—they have been detected in biota, drinking water, food, air, and human serum. In response to the emerging information about PFAS toxicity, several countries have provided administrative guidelines for PFAS in water, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Australia. In the US, additional regulatory measures are under consideration. Further, many PFAS have now been listed as persistent organic pollutants. This comprehensive review provides crucial baseline information on the global occurrence, distribution, and regulatory framework of PFAS.

Ecosystem is having a new physical dimension as evidenced by the increasing contribution from man-made plastics synthesized and consumed by our society. Anthroposphere, a brand new constituent, shall be added into the existing lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere as a whole for the ecosystem. This new class of anthropogenically-produced materials is xenobiotic and has its own physical form persistent and building up in the ecosystem. Its occurrence in different ecosystems will increase continuously over time. Its hazards and potentially effects in different ecosystems shall be evaluated with a new framework to advance a better understanding of its long-term impact and the mechanisms involved in the changing world. The impacts from these plastics shall be much more than its non-degradability and the potential hazards as observed and a better understanding based on pure science is required. A new opportunity is ahead of us for a collective and immediate action to assess the new dimension of the anthroposphere in the ecosystems to advance the new knowledge on this research subject.

The introduction of thermodynamical views to interpret phenomenological behavior of biological systems such as organisms, populations, ecosystems or even the bio- and anthroposphere is not an easy exercise and not carried out without obstacles. The resistance against such an endeavor can be met from all scientific disciplines ranging from hardcore physics at one end to ecological fundamentalists at the other. Thus the area represents a field of tension. The reasons for this may be many, but at the center one will recognize complication that are closely linked – directly or indirectly – to the issues around philosophical reductions undertaken in the process. Such steps are necessary to take in an attempt to formulate a new holistic biological theory that tends to formulate a new metaphysics, namely that of making possible interpretations of all kinds of systems within the biosphere in terms of a thermodynamic framework. Common to all attempts have been the establishing and definition of boundaries – real, physical as well as constructed and virtual – together with a generalized application of isomorphic mathematical expressions used different sets of ontological entities that vary with levels of the biological hierarchy. Prebiotic systems represent the closest we may get to a situation where classical thermodynamic descriptions may be used but still only to a certain extent. All levels having a fixed boundary from monocellular organisms or conglomerates of such systems and upwards in the hierarchy – i.e. higher organisms and levels throughout the biological hierarchy represent systems under conditions so far away from equilibrium that they – under the given energetic, material and intrinsic constraints tend to stabilize at dynamic states or sequential semi-stable repetitive patterns. This means that we may not talk about classical thermodynamics any longer. Terms like entropy, free energy, exergy and power may be used as convenient metaphors, but it must be stated that it as a consequence is necessary to (re-)define concepts and reformulate equations based on adequate ontological units. Although they may perform with a similar phenomenology as the classical variables, it should be kept in mind that they are no longer the same, – each domain will need its own definitions.

Mining as a part of anthroposphere is one of the main activities for the world economy and creating social welfare. However, such activities entail the damages to the four other spheres of the environment including atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. These negative effects along with some of the socio-economic impacts of mining activities threaten access to sustainable development (SD) objectives. Nevertheless, the impact assessment on SD indexes is important for keeping mining activities in line with the principles of SD. The present study was conducted to develop a generic procedure for impact assessment of mining activities on SD indexes. To achieve this goal, by taking advantages of two dimensional (2D) assessment matrix and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making techniques, a hybrid approach for assessing the impacts of mining activities on the criteria related to SD indexes was proposed. Fourteen SD criteria including eight environmental, three social and three economic criteria were suggested for this purpose. Compared to other similar studies, the proposed approach is preferred because of its specific impacting factors for each mining project and considering the relative weight of each impacting factor on 2D assessment matrix. The proposed approach was verified in two iron ore mines in Iran. The results showed that the relative score of overall impacts of mining activities on SD indexes in these two mines is 38% and 46%, which indicate the medium severity level of overall impacts in these two mines. Therefore, the proposed approach can be used as a reliable decision support system to evaluate the impacts of mining activities on SD indexes and determine the severity level of impacts on each SD criterion.

A simple cognitive anthroposphere model has been developed, which includes the characteristics of natural ecosystems, human populations, industrial production, environmental pollution and the consumption of fossil resources. The surface of the Earth is represented in the form of 20 cells (regions) connected by migration and information links. The influence of various environmental management strategies on the dynamics of the entire system, as well as the sensitivity of the system to climate fluctuations and changes in the internal parameters, was studied. The criterion of optimal control is the standard of living of the population. The conclusion is made about the need to include the "human factor" in the model of global development.

Forestry has a dual role in mitigating climate change and increasing regional output value. Therefore, forestry is meaningful for the anthroposphere and the atmosphere. In this study, slacks-based measure (SBM) approach and Malmquist-Luenberger Index are adopted to measure the static efficiency and dynamic changes in forestry productivity in thirty regions in China. Ecological development is measured by setting forest carbon sinks as desirable output and economic development is evaluated by forestry output value. Moreover, using the three-stage DEA model, the economic and environmental factors are introduced to adjust regional forest carbon sinks and forestry output slacks. Finally, from timely evolution and spatial non-equilibrium perspectives, the ecological-economic efficiency and total factor productivity of forests are analyzed according to the results. The results revealed that the estimators of ecological efficiency and productivity are greater than the economic development of the forest. The highest ecological economic efficiency and productivity is in the southwest region of China. Eight economic or environmental factors adjusting the output have influence on the total factor productivity of forestry, and the results show that harvest has no clear effect on environmental improvement. Policy implications are further proposed to develop environmental management to mitigate climate change.

Metal detecting became a major issue for cultural environment, over intense debates for and against. Already regulated in western countries and making its contribution to cultural and scientific studies, is still fiercely debated in Eastern European countries. Usually classified as outdoor hobby or leisure activity, metal detecting, although incomplete and inadequately legislated, has proven to be a cultural and scientific vector with great potential for participatory research and democratic access to cutting-edge technology. The centennial anniversary of First World War highlighted the major social, cultural and mainly educational impact of metal detecting opportunities of bringing to light countless artifacts and situations which described the human dimensions and personal dramas of people trapped in both major conflicts of 20th century. Besides undeniable educational values, when practiced by responsible and trained metal detectorists, inherent ethical issues arise in some contexts and situations. The article addresses the potential of metal detecting as contemporary artistic research method, within the related creative activities applied to recovered artifacts and collected data: classifications, photographic investigations, potential as sculptural objects and artistic installations. During the last decade, Eastern European metal detectorists became aware that democratization and public access to this technology offers the opportunity of participative research and regulated access to historical anthroposphere. Applications of this technology are multiple, within research areas of cultural environment. The method has great potential for educational fields and interactive teaching in arts and humanities.

This paper addresses the effects of atmospheric conditions on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and its associated disease, COVID-19. We assess the limitations of bioclimatic correlative models to explain the geographic distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in the context of medical geography. There is a broad consensus that the global distribution of COVID-19 is not random but conditioned by environmental drivers. However, as the COVID-19 distribution becomes global, including tropical climates, the evidence reveals that atmospheric conditions explain, at most, only a limited amount of the space-time dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. The usefulness of approaches based on bioclimatic envelopes is in question since the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19 seems to be the anthroposphere's non-stationary environment. There is a need to clarify further the role of different transmission routes at multiple scales and outdoor and indoor environments beyond bioclimatic envelopes. At this time, the possible influence of the weather in COVID-19 spread is not sufficient to be taken into account in public health policies. Until reliable bioclimatic envelopes of SARS-CoV-2, if any, are found, caution should be exercised when reporting, as this could have unforeseen consequences, mainly when conclusions are based on interim results that have not been subjected to peer review.

Background: Bio-indicator systems are vital in terms of monitoring of pollutants around the world. The impact of environmental change can be monitored by employing the responsive behaviour of snails. Heavy metal and organic pollutants affects snail reproduction, mortality, and normal metabolic activities. Various changes like a discontinuity in food intake, growth rate, twitching, and quenching of tentacles, are the biomarkers of the snails for biomonitoring. Different snails can bio-monitor eco-toxicological urban pollution, oil pollutant, terrestrial pollution, pesticide pollutants, mercury contamination, ammonia, chlorinated paraffin in soil, ethanol in water, ocean acidification pollutions. These animals can also make bio-sense about diverse environment spheres, which include the biosphere, lithosphere, anthroposphere, cryosphere, and hydrosphere.Methods: We examined the scientific literature and related articles listed in Pub-med, Google Scholar reporting on biomonitoring potential and biomarkers expression of various snail species and consequently explore the value of snails in the respective field by discussing various outcomes of a number of studies on the pollution biomonitoring and biosensing capabilities.Results: Several terrestrial, freshwater and sea snail species are characterized by the high sense of biomonitoring and biosensing potential. Various biomarkers such as expression of heat shock proteins and metallothioneins in the body are found to be the essential in-vivo biomarkers for pollution biomonitoring.Conclusion: It is observed that snails offer an environment friendly approach for the environmental bio monitoring by expressing their numerous physiological, biochemical, genetical and histological biomarkers in their body. Thus, it proved to be a critical bio monitoring tool and early warning indicators.

The world has been officially confronting the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020 with countries worldwide experiencing a pattern of infectious spikes and regressions. Not surprising, the first to note a surge in COVID-19 cases were environmental scientists. This finding has been derived from wastewater analysis [1]. Scientists around the world have developed methods to detect viral RNA in sewage collected for biological cleaning. While the worldwide accuracy of predictions has been variable, wastewater analysis conducted by a multidisciplinary working group in Thessaloniki, Greece has been praised for its promising results [2]. The critical element of their success is a physicochemical model rationalizing SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater [3]. Porous solids, such as soil and rubbish, may absorb viral fragments, decreasing the measured viral load and the subsequent ability to predict infectious surges. Environmental factors such as flow rate, suspended solids, quality and quantity of organic matter have been used to optimize the detection of viral components. Along with this, the working group in Thessaloniki, Greece, took into account the concept of “total environment” in an attempt to decrease discrepancies in measuring viral loads by previous research groups worldwide. "Total environment," is a novel term pertaining to the interaction of physical and anthropogenic environmental factors. In this context, climate change contributes to the disruption of the balance between the non-living (atmosphere) and the living (biosphere and anthroposphere) systems of the environment, which seems to be related to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2.

Soil water repellency (SWR) is a widespread phenomenon that influences patterns of soil wetting, runoff, evapotranspiration and availability of water for plants. In natural ecosystems there is emerging evidence that some plants can take advantage of non-uniform wetting patterns, leading to the emergence of co-evolutionary behaviour. In this review, SWR is considered in terms of five spheres of influence. Given the presence of hydrophobic organic material in the biosphere, the strength, severity and persistence of SWR is influenced by properties at the surface of the lithosphere and prevailing conditions in the atmosphere and hydrosphere. These in turn, can be modified by activities in the anthroposphere. This review thus examines the strength, severity and persistence of non-wetting behaviour with reference to these five spheres of influence and also the interactions between the spheres. It is focused on (i) how SWR is characterised to provide insight into how different measurement techniques have specific operational ranges, (ii) how SWR has developed as an indirect consequence of evolution in natural ecosystems and (iii) how feedbacks across the different spheres have emerged. It demonstrates that management and restoration of natural ecosystems with water repellent soils is very different from management of productive crops in monocultural agricultural systems, controlled in the anthroposphere.

14 páginas, On old maps, the expression ‘Here be dragons’ (from the Latin, Hic sunt dracones) indicated that which lay beyond the world as it was known, and they often showed fantastical creatures (e.g., dragons) that served as indicators of the limits of our knowledge. As such, this means that unexplored territories are potentially dangerous. In this paper, we address the uncertainties about the spread of the COVID-19 disease and the limitations of bioclimatic envelopes in the geographical distribution of SARS CoV-2. We discuss some key points paramount to understanding the research problem posed to the geographical distribution and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Namely, SARS CoV-2 vs. COVID-19, weather vs. climate, and models vs. anthroposphere. Concerning the influence of atmospheric conditions (and other candidate drivers) on the disease distribution, we hypothesise that extrapolations in space-time do not add explanatory power to future scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since atmospheric conditions may only explain a very limited amount of the space-time dynamics of SARS CoV-2, until we find the bioclimatic envelopes of SARS CoV-2, if any, here be dragons.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are paradigmatic colonizers of the total environment, circulating at the interfaces of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. Their striking adaptive ecology on the interconnection of multiple spheres results from the combination of several biological features related to their exclusive hydrophobic and lipid-rich impermeable cell wall, transcriptional regulation signatures, biofilm phenotype, and symbiosis with protozoa. This unique blend of traits is reviewed in this work, with highlights to the prodigious plasticity and persistence hallmarks of NTM in a wide diversity of environments, from extreme natural milieus to microniches in the human body. Knowledge on the taxonomy, evolution, and functional diversity of NTM is updated, as well as the molecular and physiological bases for environmental adaptation, tolerance to xenobiotics, and infection biology in the human and non-human host. The complex interplay between individual, species-specific and ecological niche traits contributing to NTM resilience across ecosystems are also explored. This work hinges current understandings of NTM, approaching their biology and heterogeneity from several angles and reinforcing the complexity of these microorganisms often associated with a multiplicity of diseases, including pulmonary, soft-tissue, or milliary. In addition to emphasizing the cornerstones of knowledge involving these bacteria, we identify research gaps that need to be addressed, stressing out the need for decision-makers to recognize NTM infection as a public health issue that has to be tackled, especially when considering an increasingly susceptible elderly and immunocompromised population in developed countries, as well as in low- or middle-income countries, where NTM infections are still highly misdiagnosed and neglected.

Tracking the concentration of elements in the organs of endangered animal species can provide significant knowledge about environmental hazards and allows more targeted protective measures to be taken. In this paper the differences in concentrations of 27 elements in the livers of free-ranging European bison were studied. The ICP-OES method was applied to study the four main Polish populations, which live in lowland (Bialowieska, Knyszynska and Borecka forests) and mountain (Bieszczady) habitats. The study was based on a unique and relatively large amount of comparative material. It was found that European bison populations that live in different locations differ from each other in terms of the hepatic concentrations of 17 of the elements studied in this work. The mountain population in Bieszczady was most distinctive due to the higher concentrations of Ba, Ca, Cd, Se, and the lower concentrations of Mo and V (compared to the other populations). Additionally, even geographically close lowland populations sometimes have different hepatic concentrations of particular elements. The sex and age of individuals have a weak effect on mineral status. Although the lithosphere is the primary factor that affects the availability of elements for the European bison, the soil parameters and biosphere can significantly affect the availability of elements, e.g. by accumulation. It was also shown that the anthroposphere plays a role, but this is mainly through agriculture as feeding on arable fields significantly changes the mineral status of European bison. The need for further research, especially on Cd, Se and Cu, was indicated. It was concluded that toxic elements or deficiencies in essential elements in the populations of the studied species should be considered locally as this would allow better understanding of the health condition of individual populations.

Nuclear power has the potential to provide significant amounts of reliable electricity generation without carbon dioxide emissions. Disposing of radioactive waste is, however, an ongoing challenge, and if it is to be buried, the characterisation of the regional groundwater system is vital to protect the anthroposphere. This aspect is understudied in comparison to the engineered facility; yet, selecting a suitable groundwater setting can ensure radionuclide isolation hundreds of thousands of years beyond that provided by the engineered structure. This paper presents a multi-faceted scoping tool to quantitatively assess, and directly compare, the regional hydrogeological prospectivity of different groundwater settings for disposal at an early stage of the site selection process. The scoping tool is demonstrated using geological data from three distinct UK groundwater settings as a case study. Results indicate a significant difference in the performance potential of different regional groundwater settings to ensure long-term waste containment.

Mining is often portrayed as a contributor to sustainable development, especially so in developing countries such as Papua New Guinea (PNG). Since 1970, several large mines have been developed in PNG (e.g. Panguna, Ok Tedi, Porgera, Lihir, Ramu) but always with controversial environmental standards and social impacts often overlooked or ignored. In PNG, mine wastes are approved to be discharged to rivers or oceans on a very large scale, leading to widespread environmental and social impacts - to the point of civil war in the case of Panguna. The intimate links between indigenous communities and their environment have invariably been under-estimated or ignored, leading many to question mining's role in PNG's development. Here, we review the geology of PNG, its mineral resources, mining history, key trends for grades and resources, environmental metrics (water, energy, carbon), mine waste management, and regulatory and governance issues. The study provides a unique and comprehensive insight into the sustainable development contribution of the mining industry in PNG - especially the controversial practices of riverine and marine mine waste disposal. The history of mining is a complex story of the links between the anthroposphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the scale of environmental and social impacts and risks are clearly related to the vast scale of mine wastes - a fact which remains been poorly recognised. For PNG, the promise of mining-led development remains elusive to many communities and they are invariably left with significant social and environmental legacies which will last for decades to centuries (e.g. mine waste impacts on water resources). Most recently, the PNG government has moved to ban riverine tailings disposal for future projects and encourage greater transparency and accountability by the mining sector, including its interactions with communities. There remains hope for better outcomes in the future.

Industrial and strategic significance of platinum group elements (PGEs)—Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd, Pt—makes them irreplaceable; furthermore, some PGEs are used by investors as “safe heaven” assets traded in the commodity markets. This review analyzes PGEs from various aspects: their place in the geosphere, destiny in the anthroposphere, and opportunity in the economy considering interactions among the exploration, recycling of urban ores, trade markets, speculative rhetoric, and changes required for successful technological progress towards the implementation of sustainability. The global market of PGEs is driven by several concerns: costs for extraction/recycling; logistics; the demand of industries; policies of waste management. Diversity of application and specific chemical properties, as well as improper waste management, make the recycling of PGEs complicated. The processing approach depends on composition and the amount of available waste material, and so therefore urban ores are a significant source of PGEs, especially when the supply of elements is limited by geopolitical or market tensions. Recycling potential of urban ores is particularly important in a long-term view disregarding short-term economic fluctuations, and it should influence investment flows in the advancement of innovation.

This study explores the factors affecting the biodiversity of diatoms, vegetation with focus on bryophytes, and invertebrates with focus on water mites, in a series of 16 spring-habitats. The springs are located primarily from the mountainous part of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Northern Apennines, Italy), and two pool-springs from agricultural and industrial lowland locations. Overall, data indicate that biological diversity (Shannon-Wiener, α-diversity) within individual springs was relatively low, e.g.: Sdiatoms = 0–46, Swater-mites = 0–11. However, when examined at the regional scale, they hosted a very high total number of taxa (γ-diversity; Sdiatoms = 285, Swater-mites = 40), including several new or putatively-new species, and many Red-List taxa. This pattern suggested there is high species turnover among springs, as well as high distinctiveness of individual spring systems. A key goal was to assess the hydrogeological and hydrochemical conditions associated with this high regional-pool species richness, and to provide a guide to future conservation strategies. There was a striking variety of geological conditions (geodiversity, captured mainly with lithotype and aquifer structure) across the study region, which led to wide variation in the hydrosphere, especially in conductivity and pH. Agriculture and industrial activities (anthroposphere) in the lowlands resulted in nutrient enrichment and other forms of pollution. Across all 16 spring-systems, several hydrogeological conditions most strongly influenced the presence or absence of particular biota and were determinants of species importance: spring-head morphology, hydroperiod, discharge, current velocity, and elemental concentration. These findings have important practical consequences for conservation strategies. Our data show that it is imperative to protect entire regional groups of springs, including representatives of the different ecomorphological spring types, lithologies, and degrees of human influence. These findings suggest that springs, when studied from an ecohydrogeological perspective, are excellent systems in which to further investigate and understand geo-biodiversity relationships.

Dissipative losses of metals are unrecoverable material flows representing the real consumption of metals. They occur during any process in the global metal cycle from primary production to waste management and have different receiving mediums. Avoiding dissipative losses can reduce both primary material requirements and potential negative environmental impacts of metals. However, there are currently no quantitative indicators available for the assessment of global dissipative losses of metals covering all processes before and after the use-phase. Here we present three indicators, the Dissipation-to-Extraction Ratio, the Dissipation-to-Final-Production Ratio, and the Expected Lifetime in the Anthroposphere. These indicators are further applied to 18 metals. The results show that the severity of dissipative losses throughout the periodic table differs a lot. Dissipation ratios are lowest for mass metals like iron, aluminum, and nickel, and highest for technology metals like gallium, germanium, and tellurium. Expected lifetimes vary between just months for metals with high dissipation ratios and up to a century for aluminum and iron. The assessment shows that there are important measures in material efficiency and recycling efforts to be taken to decrease dissipative losses for a wide range of metals. For each metal, the most effective options for action can be identified based on our results.

The generation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) continues to escalate yearly because of high demand for state-of-the-art and affordable devices. This demand is particularly strong for small consumer electrical and electronic equipment whose usage cycle is waning due to fashion and technological obsolescence. As a result, there is potentially a large ‘pool’ of unused, reusable devices within urban spaces (anthroposphere). This study aimed to assess the magnitude of the reusable stock of EEE with the view to recovery and release into the circular economy. An online questionnaire survey was conducted within a regional group of universities in the United Kingdom to assess the prospects of reusable small EEE within this distinct urban mine (DUM) cluster. The study provides new, distinct definitions for types of DUM, hoarding and stockpiling, and new data for a ‘meso‑level’ DUM on ownership levels and hibernating stocks of reusable EEE. Results show that ownership levels were high, with multiple ownership of devices common and a high degree of product stockpiling and hoarding. Estimates show a stockpile of ∼400,000 small EEE within the survey zone and over 17 million devices across the UK with reuse values of >£13 million and >£571 million, respectively. The frequency of device stockpiling is likely due to perceived residual value. The study suggests that exploitation of reuse value requires prompt recovery of stockpiled items as extended periods in hibernation will result in technical obsolescence, particularly with information and communication technology (ICT) devices. Such recovery requires tailored protocols that considers DUM scale, product reusability, recyclability and redistribution.

The climatic conditions characterizing the troposphere affect the outdoor activities of the population which, in turn, characterize the anthroposphere. Over the past years recent studies examined a possible analytical definition of the outdoor thermal comfort for different types of population acclimatized to their specific residency area. Thanks to the use of the MOCI (Mediterranean Outdoor Comfort Index: an index used to predict the thermal perception of the Mediterranean population in an outdoor environment), the present study aimed at analyzing the psychophysiological response of a Mediterranean subject with respect to climatic conditions different from the original ones after having experienced a quick change. Indeed, thermal stress and discomfort might affect deeply the ability of the subject to carry out outdoor activities. This condition determines the necessity of possessing useful information to plan the best period to perform a journey in distant places and/or perform useful actions that will make the outdoor activity as much comforting as possible (choosing the proper clothes with the right thermal insulation). For this reason, the worldwide environmental conditions during an average year were examined. To be more specific, this study focused its attention on the editing of seasonal spatial maps with the MOCI level curves and on the temporal analysis of the MOCI values characterizing those 6 different cities (one for each continent) reporting the higher number of foreign arrivals.

Hydrological models within inflow forecasting systems for high-alpine hydropower reservoirs can provide valuable information as part of a decision support system for the improvement of hydropower production or flood retention. The information, especially concerning runoff, is however rarely available for the calibration of the hydrological models used. Therefore, a method is presented to derive local runoff from secondary information for the calibration of the model parameters of the rainfallrunoff model COSERO. Changes in water levels in reservoirs, reservoir outflows, discharge measurements at water intakes and in transport lines are thereby used to derive the local, “natural” flow for a given sub-catchment. The proposed method is applied within a research study for the OBB Infrastructure Railsystem division in the Stubache catchment in the central Austrian Alps. Here, the OBB operates the hydropower scheme “Kraftwerksgruppe Stubachtal”, which consists of 7 reservoirs and 4 hydropower stations. The hydrological model has been set up considering this human influences and the high natural heterogeneity in topography and land cover, including glaciers. Overall, the hydrological model performs mostly well for the catchment with highest NSE values of 0.78 for the calibration and 0.79 for the validation period, also considering the use of homogeneous parameter fields and the uncertainty of the derived local discharge values. The derived runoff data proved to be useful information for the model calibration. Further analysis, examining the water balance and its components as well as snow cover, showed satisfactory simulation results. In conclusion, a unique runoff dataset for a small scale high-alpine catchment has been created to establish a hydrological flow prediction model which in a further step can be used for improved and sustainable hydropower management.

Highlights • EU raw material policies for enhanced monitoring of technology critical elements are discussed. • Methodologies to define “technology critical elements (TCEs)” are described. • Interconnections of anthropogenic and natural elemental cycles are highlighted. • EU-28 anthropogenic element fluxes for TCEs are compared to global natural fluxes., Graphical abstract Image 1, The characterization of elemental cycles has a rich history in biogeochemistry. Well known examples include the global carbon cycle, or the cycles of the ‘grand nutrients’ nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. More recently, efforts have increased to better understand the natural cycling of technology critical elements (TCEs), i.e. elements with a high supply risk and economic importance in the EU. On the other hand, tools such as material-flow analysis (MFA) can help to understand how substances and goods are transported and accumulated in man-made technological systems (‘anthroposphere’). However, to date both biogeochemical cycles and MFA studies suffer from narrow system boundaries, failing to fully illustrate relative anthropogenic and natural flow magnitude and the degree to which human activity has perturbed the natural cycling of elements. We discuss important interconnections between natural and anthropogenic cycles and relevant EU raw material dossiers. Increased integration of both cycles could help to better capture the transport and fate of elements in nature including their environmental/human health impacts, highlight potential future material stocks in the anthroposphere (in-use stocks) and in nature (e.g., in soils, tailings, or mining wastes), and estimate anticipated emissions of TCEs to nature in the future (based on dynamic stock modeling). A preliminary assessment of natural versus anthropogenic element fluxes indicates that anthropogenic fluxes induced by the EU-28 of palladium, platinum, and antimony (as a result of materials uses) might be greater than the respective global natural fluxes. Increased combination of MFA and natural cycle data at EU level could help to derive more complete material cycles and initiate a discussion between the research communities of biogeochemists and material flow analysts to more holistically address the issues of sustainable resource management.

Material flow analysis (MFA) is a method of depicting the flow of materials in the anthroposphere and the environment to support environmental management. However, MFA results can contain uncertainties that may be related to the investigation method, calculation process, data quality, data source, or study assumptions. Uncertainty is already an important consideration in tools for environmental management; for example, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) has prompted research discussions related to the uncertainty in databases, periods and characteristic factors. However, few studies have addressed the uncertainty in MFA. The uncertainty issue in MFA is increasingly important to policy makers coping with resource management issues. The objectives of this research are to perform uncertainty analysis for data sets of different materials in MFA and to compare the results of two important uncertainty analysis methods, the Hedbrant and Sӧrme (HS) method and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. In addition, we provide suggestions for research regarding MFA uncertainty analyses in the future. The uncertainty range and likely values of flow data can vary considerably based on the HS method or MC simulation. After analyzing the relationship between the uncertainty range and flow data, likely values can be derived via comparisons of uncertainty method processes, and the uncertainty analysis results of the HS may deviate greatly from those of the MC method. In this scenario, MC simulation is needed to analyze MFA uncertainty, although it requires greater efforts. The results presented here provide new insights and recommendations for further MFA research.

Sanitary landfill is the most popular way to dispose solid wastes with one major drawback: the generation of landfill leachate resulting from percolation of rainfall through exposed landfill areas or infiltration of groundwater into the landfill. The landfill leachate impacts on the environment has forced authorities to stipulate more stringent requirements for pollution control, generating the need for innovative technologies to eliminate waste degradation by-products incorporated in the leachate. Natural attenuation has no effect while conventional treatment processes are not capable of removing some the pollutants contained in the leachate which are reported to reach the natural environment, the aquatic food web, and the anthroposphere. This review critically evaluates the state-of-the-art engineered materials and technologies for the treatment of landfill leachate with the potential for real-scale application. The study outcomes confirmed that only a limited number of studies are available for providing new information about novel materials or technologies suitable for application in the removal of pollutants from landfill leachate. This paper focuses on the type of pollutants being removed, the process conditions and the outcomes reported in the literature. The emerging trends are also highlighted as well as the identification of current knowledge gaps and future research directions along with recommendations related to the application of available technologies for landfill leachate treatment.

Graphite is considered a critical mineral because of its importance to clean energy transition and global supply concentration. This critical role is evident for electric vehicles that depends on lithium-ion batteries using graphite as anode material. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of natural graphite due to its booming economy and rapid penetration of clean energy driven by carbon neutrality ambition. Given this background, this study conducts a dynamic material flow analysis of natural graphite to reveal the evolution trend of graphite flows in China from 2001 to 2018. Main results include: (1) China's graphite resource experienced extensive utilization to meet demands from domestic consumption (55-83%) and exportation (17-45%); (2) Of the 1643 Gg/yr graphite entering China's anthroposphere, 15% accumulates in in-use stock and 34% enters the waste stage, and secondary graphite only accounts for 0.7-5.7% of the total supply; (3) Releases of graphite (1271 Gg/yr) are mainly divided into tailings, dissipative losses in use, and post-consumer losses; (4) The export-production ratio has increased from 16% in 2001 to 40% in 2018; (5) Graphite demand from electric vehicles is estimated to be 18 times the current level by 2030 (2340 Gg). These results imply that China should not only prepare national policies on managing the overall graphite production activities in response to concerns about domestic resource loss and environmental disruption induced from extractive and processing activities, but also prepare policies encouraging appropriate graphite recycling from safety and economic feasibility perspectives.

Growing industrialization and the desire for a better economy in countries has accelerated the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), by more than the buffering capacity of the earth's atmosphere. Among the various GHGs, carbon dioxide occupies the first position in the anthroposphere and has detrimental effects on the ecosystem. For decarbonization, several non-biological methods of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) have been in use for the past few decades, but they are suffering from narrow applicability. Recently, CO2 emission and its disposal related problems have encouraged the implementation of bioprocessing to achieve a zero waste economy for a sustainable environment. Microbial carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyses reversible CO2 hydration and forms metal carbonates that mimic the natural phenomenon of weathering/carbonation and is gaining merit for CCUS. Thus, the diversity and specificity of CAs from different micro-organisms could be explored for CCUS. In the literature, more than 50 different microbial CAs have been explored for mineral carbonation. Further, microbial CAs can be engineered for the mineral carbonation process to develop new technology. CA driven carbonation is encouraging due to its large storage capacity and favourable chemistry, allowing site-specific sequestration and reusable product formation for other industries. Moreover, carbonation based CCUS holds five-fold more sequestration capacity over the next 100 years. Thus, it is an eco-friendly, feasible, viable option and believed to be the impending technology for CCUS. Here, we attempt to examine the distribution of various types of microbial CAs with their potential applications and future direction for carbon capture. Although there are few key challenges in bio-based technology, they need to be addressed in order to commercialize the technology.

The Anthropocene represents the emergence of human societies as a ‘great force of nature’. To understand and engage productively with this emergent global force, it is necessary to understand its origins, dynamics and structuring processes as the long-term evolutionary product of human niche construction, based on three key human characteristics: tool making, habitat construction and most importantly: social network engineering. The exceptional social capacities of behaviourally modern humans, constituting human ultrasociality, are expressed through the formation of increasingly complex and extensive social networks, enabling flexible and diverse group organisation, sociocultural niche construction, engineered adaptation and resilience building. The human drive towards optimising communication infrastructures and expanding social networks is the key human adaptation underpinning the emergence of the Anthropocene. Understanding the deep roots of human ultrasocial behaviour is essential to guiding contemporary societies towards more sustainable human–environment interactions in the Anthropocene present and future. We propose that socially networked engineered solutions will continue to be the prime driver of human resilience and adaptive capacity in the face of global environmental risks and societal challenges such as climate change, sea-level rise, localised extreme weather events and ecosystem degradation.

We herein explore the connections between the current condition of ecology concerning to sustainable development and the statement of Rutherford regarding the importance of physics to understand sustainability and biological conservation. The recent emergence of organic biophysics of ecosystems (OBEC) may constitute a feasible alternative to fill the gap between conventional ecological thinking and physics, especially thermodynamics. However, our comprehension of sustainability and biological conservation is influenced by the interactions between information and entropy, because we tend to exclude parts of the biosphere as well as their relationships among them. We explore the use of a holistic analysis of sustainability and biological conservation using physics, and also establish a parallelism between Maxwell's demons and human beings. Lastly, the ecological meaning of the hypothetical feasibility of Maxwell's demon at the anthroposphere scale is analyzed starting from the objections of von Smoluchowski, Szilard and Bennet.

Dynamic material flow analysis enables the forecasting of secondary raw material potential for waste volumes in future periods, by assessing past, present, and future stocks and flows of materials in the anthroposphere. Analyses of waste streams of buildings stocks are uncertain with respect to data and model structure. Wood construction in Viennese buildings serve as a case study to compare different modeling approaches for determining end‐of‐life (EoL) wood and corresponding contaminant flows (lead, chlorine, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). A delayed input and a leaching stock modeling approach are used to determine wood stocks and flows from 1950 until 2100. Cross‐checking with independent estimates and sensitivity analyses are used to evaluate the results’ plausibility. In the situation of the given data in the present case study, the delay approach is a better choice for historical observations of EoL wood and for analyses at a substance level. It has some major drawbacks for future predictions at the goods level, though, as the durability of a large number of historical buildings with considerably higher wood content is not reflected in the model. The wood content parameter differs strongly for the building periods and has therefore the highest influence on the results. Based on this knowledge, general recommendations can be derived for analyses on waste flows of buildings at a goods and substance level.

Anthropogenic material stocks are expanding at ever-increasing rates across the world, and their environmental and economic impacts draw more and more attention from academia, policy makers, and economic and environmental bodies. As the knowledge base regarding anthropogenic material stocks expands, it is important to not only comprehend the societal side of material stock growth but also its counterpart to the material balance—the natural environment from which the materials used for stocks come from. However, due to difficulties of data procurement, and muted interest in materials which are considered low-value high volume, the environmental burdens related to construction minerals have received less attention so far despite the huge amounts involved. In this study, we employ geographic information systems (GIS) with digital elevation model (DEM) datasets, to form an automated method of detection and measurement of the anthropogenic disturbance of soil and earth at excavation and mining sites, which accounts not only for the material extracted for usage in the anthroposphere, but also its related unused extraction. This geographically explicit method allows to directly pinpoint the location and volume of anthropogenic disturbance. Using Japan as a case study, the results suggest that the ratio of unused extraction to used extraction may exceed 1:1 for construction minerals in Japan. We also find that the environmental effects of anthropogenic activity are bigger than natural soil disturbance by several orders of magnitude, highlighting the need to reduce raw material extraction and increase the efficient use of the existing material stock.

While agreeing to openness to other world views, the underlying premise of ‘otherness’ in ‘the other’ is questioned. It is argued that individual, intercultural and intra-cultural differences run criss-cross throughout the anthroposphere. The often convoluted language in symmetrical, Latourian and New Materialist directions in archaeology is criticized. One questions what their significant new contributions to archaeological research are. The importance of refined differentiations regarding agency and effects, and the living and the non-living, is maintained. Latour's claim of a universal dichotomization in Western thinking (both academic and common) is interrogated, and empirical proofs demanded. The concepts of ‘dichotomy’ and ‘binary thinking’ are discussed. The assumed political and ethical sequelae and implications of adherence to one or another theoretical position and research methodology are questioned. Ecological awareness can be acquired from various positions. In general, political correctness in academia is criticized.

Climate change research and action counteracting it affect everyone and would involve cross-societal transformations reshaping the anthroposphere in its entirety. Scrutinizing climate-related science and policies, we recognize attempts to steer the evolution of climate according to expected (or modelled) futures. Such attempts would turn the anthroposphere into a large "anticipatory system", in which human society seeks to anticipate and, possibly, to govern climate dynamics. The chief aim of this discussion paper is to open a critical debate on the climate change paradigm (CCP) drawing on a strategic and systemic framework grounded in the concept of anticipatory system sensu Rosen (1991). The proposed scheme is ambitiously intended to turn an intricate issue into a complex but structured problem that is to say, to make such complexity clear and manageable. This framework emerges from concepts borrowed from different scientific fields (including future studies and system dynamics) and its background lies in a simple quantitative literature overview, relying upon a broad level of analysis. The proposed framework will assist researchers and policy makers in thinking of CCP in terms of an anticipatory system, and in disentangling its interrelated (and sometimes intricate) aspects. In point of fact, several strategic questions related to CCP were not subjected to an adequate transdisciplinary discussion: what are the interplays between physical processes and social-political interventions, who is the observer (what he/she is looking for), and which paradigm is being used (or who defines the desirable future). The proposed scheme allows to structure such various topics in an arrangement which is easier to communicate, highlighting the linkages in between, and making them intelligible and open to verification and discussion. Furthermore, ideally developments will help scientists and policy makers address the strategic gaps between the evidence-based climatological assessments and the plurality of possible answers as applied to the geopolitical contingencies.

Arsenic is a trace element and a global contaminant. There are currently large uncertainties associated with our understanding and quantification of the arsenic cycles in the global environment. This study proposes a research framework where the major anthropogenic processes affecting anthropogenic arsenic cycles (AACs) are identified. A characteristic of this framework is that it divides AACs into two parts: one related to intentional uses, and the other driven by unintentional uses. Several significant features of AACs are summarized as follows: (1) existing studies reveal that AACs at Earth's surface is at the same order of magnitudes as its natural cycles; (2) arsenic mostly enters modern anthroposphere as a companion element of nonferrous metal ores or fossil fuels, and currently there is abundant arsenic reserves relative to the limited intentional use of arsenic; (3) China owns the majority of arsenic reserves and is the biggest producer of arsenic for the present day, while U.S. was the biggest user of arsenic in the whole 20th century; (4) there were several waves of rise and fall of intentional arsenic use in the 20th century of U.S., with the rises driven by various applications of arsenic in agriculture and industry (such as glass making in the 1900s, agricultural applications in the 1920s, and wood preservatives in the 1970s), and the falls mainly resulting from the regulations in response to its toxicity; (5) the majority of intentional arsenic uses are in the form of chemical compounds rather than single substance, and almost all intentional uses of arsenic not only are unrecyclable but also result in emissions that may last years or decades after being used.

The plastic waste disposal strongly raised in importance in the recent past and it is approaching a critical situation worldwide, so requiring putting in practice the criteria of circular economy by avoiding meaningless policy responses against the plastic materials. The world of plastic materials includes a wide range of goods in all the sectors of our life: packaging, construction, biomedicals, etc. The answer to the plastic waste disposal is build an industrial network characterized by reliability, flexibility, sustainability, utility in the industrial cycle and ability to provide useful products to the market. The traditional processes including recycling and energy recovery fulfil only a part of these conditions and need to be assessed in correlation to their real effect on the circular economy such as the uses of the obtained products in the anthroposphere's life cycle, the burdens generated by the processes itself, etc. Among the possible processes that can be more sustainable if compared with the traditional ones, in a real circular economy perspective, those based on thermochemical exploitation of products obtained by plastics are discussed and assessed. The results show that it is possible to transform an expensive and non-resolving plastic waste management system in an industrial network having an intrinsic economic sustainability and, overall, a well-defined role in the economic chain of plastics. The results show that an integration between the present system with the production of petrochemical products, including oil/gasoline/syngas/…, strongly improve the economic performance of the overall waste system, allowing a larger savings of not-renewable resources, a limited greenhouse burden, a release in the market of valuable products instead of poor quality materials and the minimization of waste destined to be landfilled.

In this chapter globalisation at the end of the twentieth century and the role of nation-states in its processes are presented. Environmental globalisation and the effects of globalisation on environmental and nature protection together with the relationship between environmental problems and social conflicts are focused. The relationship and role of global and national institutions controlling the society on influencing the overall operation of the global Earth system are analysed. The relationship of multinational companies and nation-states is also discussed together with the relationship between authoritarian systems and the natural environment. The typical features of the global civil society and its role in sustainable development are presented in a separate subchapter. In another subchapter the effects of wars ruining the society and nature are discussed. Then the new ways of globalisation, digital globalisation are analysed. Finally, processes connecting the global society acting for or against sustainable development are presented, and related to this the “layered” structure of the society is illustrated by superposing different world maps.

The prevailing patterns of consumption and production are not sustainable because they are based on increasing extraction of non-renewable resources (such as fossil fuels or scarce metals) from the Earth’s crust and overuse of life-sustaining ecosystem services (such as CO2 assimilation or the water cycle). One strategy to direct consumption to a sustainable pathway is the circular economy. The goal of the circular economy is to slow down the flow of material resources through the anthroposphere and to return them back to nature in a form that is as compatible as possible with the ecosystem processes. We focus on the first aspect, which means that each unit of material resource that enters the economic system should satisfy as much human needs as possible until it is considered waste. We ask the question if and how the emerging “sharing economy” can contribute to this specific goal. We see the phenomenon of sharing economy as a transformation of sharing practices with means of digital Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The resulting Digital Sharing Economy (DSE) can therefore be considered an important special case of ICT impact on sustainable development. We open up an argument on how sharing in the DSE can be either supportive or counter-productive with regard to the circular economy goals. We present a first framework that provides a guideline for the qualitative assessment of new sharing practices with regard to their potential contribution to a circular economy.

Dynamically tracking flows and stocks of chemicals in products (CiPs) in the global anthroposphere and physical environment is essential for understanding their environmental fates and risks. The complex behavior of CiPs during production, industrial activities, use and waste disposal makes this task particularly challenging. In this chapter, we develop a global anthropospheric fate model, named Chemicals in Products—Comprehensive Anthropospheric Fate Estimation (CiP-CAFE). Provided with an array of product and chemical property parameters, the CiP-CAFE model facilitates the quantification of time-variant flows and stocks of CiPs within and between seven interconnected world regions and the generation of global-scale emission estimates. We also briefly introduce its connection with a previously published global environmental fate model, named the Berkeley-Trent Global (BETR-Global); the fusion of two models enables simulating temporally and spatially resolved masses and concentrations of chemicals.

In this chapter, we explore (i) the temporal trend of stocks and emissions of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) throughout the lifecycle of PCB-containing products, and (ii) the spatial dispersal of PCBs through international trade of technical mixtures, finished products and waste (anthropospheric dispersal), as well as long-range environmental transport mediated by air and ocean currents (environmental dispersal). We reveal that in-use and waste stocks are temporary sinks for PCBs in the anthroposphere and relevant sources of PCBs to the global physical environment. After a sufficiently long period of time, PCBs either permanently disappear from lifecycle and waste disposal phases or enter the physical environment. In addition, the anthropospheric dispersal is more efficient than the environmental dispersal in driving the global dispersal of PCBs. The role of the international trade of technical mixtures is more prominent than that of other trade flows.

Academic and public interest has been poured into “chemicals in products (CiPs)”, that is, the chemicals of environmental and health concern intentionally added in industrial or consumer goods for additional functions. This chapter gives a comprehensive overview of the fate of CiPs in the “total” environment, that is, a system comprising the anthroposphere (human socioeconomic activities) and the physical environment (the totality of abiotic setting in which organisms and humans live) as two interconnected and interdependent components. Currently, industrial ecologists have well elucidated the anthropospheric fate of products whereas environmental chemists have well elucidated the environmental fate of chemicals. Nevertheless, there is still a need for an integrative, temporally resolved, and mechanistically sound modeling framework for chemicals plus products as an organic whole in the CiP issue.