China’s carbon neutrality goals and the emergence of the space tourism industry have raised increasing environmental concerns. Fostering the awareness of low-carbon practices is vital for industry sustainability and enhanced competitiveness. The existing literature underscores how state policies, such as the dual carbon goal, which aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, drive motivations to go green, shaping public intentions toward low-carbon travel. The contemporary focus is on various dual carbon factors influencing low-carbon tourism, although research on motivations, awareness, and behavioral intentions in space remains limited. To address this gap, this study aims to evaluate how the carbon neutrality goal impacts low-carbon tourism motivation, awareness, and behavioral intentions based on the event system theory. The study employed quantitative methods and examined the constructs and causality of low-carbon tourism. After performing a literature review, we constructed a research model to explore the relationship between low-carbon space tourism and behavioral intentions with mediation constructs of carbon neutrality goal, motivation, and awareness. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and MPLUS were employed in data analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS and MPLUS software, and various mathematical and statistical methods such as reliability analysis, validity analysis, factor analysis, correlation analysis, common method variance analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the survey data. Findings suggest positive effects of the carbon neutrality goal, low-carbon travel motivation (LCM), and low-carbon tourism awareness (LCA) among tourists. The present study affirms the influential role of the carbon neutrality goal in space tourism and the mediating effects of LCM and LCA in positively affecting sustainable space tourism intention. This study also suggests that cooperation among governmental entities, tourism authorities, businesses, and tourists is vital to advancing sustainable space tourism practices.

Given the growing global focus on sustainable development, sustainable land management has emerged as a critical concern in contemporary agricultural development. The efficacy of agricultural production and its influencing factors in Shaanxi province of China, from 2012 to 2021, were analyzed using the Data envelopment analysis (DEA)-Banker, Charnes, Cooper model. Input and output indicators of agricultural production were selected for analysis. Inputs consist of land, machinery, water, and fertilizer. Specific indicators include the total sown area of crops, effective irrigated area, total power of agricultural machinery, and total reservoir capacity. Fertilizer inputs include the discounted amount of fertilizer applied for agricultural use. The output indicators considered include the gross output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, the economic value added from agricultural production, and the production of cereal and fruit are all considered output indicators. From 2012 to 2018, the scale remuneration of agricultural production in Shaanxi province increased, suggesting gradual improvement in scale efficiency. Conversely, the efficiency of agricultural production has remained at the “DEA strong efficient” level from 2019 to 2021, suggesting effective management of scale efficiency. The investigation indicates that the allocation of resources and the administration of agricultural production in Shaanxi province have improved in recent years, contributing to the fostering of sustainable agricultural development.

In the context of corporate-led agricultural industrialization, the agricultural systems in the mountainous areas of Southwest China are undergoing significant transformations, profoundly impacting the local agroecological environment and farmers’ livelihoods. This study aims to investigate how the “company + farmer” model influences the cultivation of buckwheat in the Liangshan Yi region in Southwest China. The study hypothesizes that while this model provides market opportunities for farmers, it also marginalizes them from equitably benefiting from industrial growth, leading to the abandonment of traditional crop production and negative impacts on the local agroecological environment and food culture. Drawing on anthropological fieldwork, this study gathers qualitative data from participant observation and interviews to analyze the socioeconomic and ecological implications of these changes. The findings revealed that the push for agricultural industrialization has resulted in the replacement of traditional food crops, including buckwheat, with cash crops, fostering a monoculture system that undermines biodiversity and local food security. The study concludes that future rural development efforts must prioritize the cultural and ecological roles of traditional farming communities and promote a farmer-centered, diversified agricultural production system.

Sustainable urban park designs are essential in advancing urban sustainability by addressing environmental issues, enhancing community well-being, fostering social interactions, and boosting local economies. Hence, this study aimed to develop a sustainable urban park design model. A total of 32 design elements were identified through a comprehensive literature review. The significance of these elements to the sustainability of urban parks was evaluated through a survey conducted with 318 participants. The survey results indicated that “being clean and well-kept” was the most important design element, receiving a mean score of 4.86 out of 5. In contrast, “availability of kiosks for buying drinks and snacks” emerged as the least important element, with a mean score of 3.81. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis was used to categorize the design elements into six factors that collectively explained approximately 60% of the total variance. These factors were labeled as management quality, life quality, social quality, esthetics and furnishing quality, environmental quality, and activity quality. In the final phase of the study, Altinpark, located in Ankara, was examined using the developed model. Altinpark is one of the largest and renowned parks in the city, encompassing an area of 640,000 m² and housing over 18,000 trees. The examination revealed that while the park was well-designed, it exhibited significant shortcomings in terms of sustainability. The findings of this study are anticipated to guide local governments and communities in the design and construction of urban parks, enhancing their contribution to urban sustainability through improved functionality and serving as exemplary spaces.

Invasive species are such a pervasive problem that, in many cases, the management of this global change driver appears close to impossible. Biological control using natural enemies from these invasive species’ native ranges is an attractive option to restore the balance in the invaded environment. The biological control of Australian Acacia spp. in South Africa is a lauded example of textbook biological control of invasive species management. However, we propose that this apparent success of biological control agents in reducing population levels of the alien trees is largely unfounded, as it is not based on ecological data but rather on scientific assumptions by experts. We argue that the fundamental question, “Does biocontrol reduce the impact of invasive tree populations?” is not being asked. Instead, the onus is on researchers to prove that biological control agents do not work. If experts act as reviewers for work that shows the contrary to their expert opinion, we have a potential conflict of interest. The result of this dispute is that contrary empirical data are slow to enter the policy decision-making sphere. The status quo of producing policy recommendations to manage biological invasions is based on expert opinion from the scientists who released the biocontrol agents. We propose that an overhaul of this approach is urgently needed. The scientific burden of proof should not be on whether biocontrol agents are not effective but rather on whether they are effectively reducing the impacts of the host plant. Any corrective management to solve environmental problems should be based on open, multidisciplinary science that provides the necessary supporting evidence. Our case study on biological control of Australian Acacia spp. is an illustrative example of why scientific data should guide decision-making for sustainable environmental management.

Britain’s two National Trusts are charitable bodies, primarily known for conserving historic buildings, but also ensuring public access to those properties and their surroundings, and to important or historic landscape areas. With that remit in mind, it is curious to find the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) engaging closely in the creation of country parks, intended by the UK Government as dedicated (and somewhat expendable) recreational spaces. This paper uses five separate and distinct case studies to compare the approaches taken by the NTS in its Scottish country park projects. Very little academic work has been done on the NTS, and this paper fills an important gap in exploring the organisation’s approach with recreational land under its control. It shows the organisation addressing restrictive donor conditions contradicting a published ethos of open access, showing itself willing to bend, and even to subvert, the rules set by legislators, to use funding in innovative ways, and to promote ‘passive’ recreation - walking, picnicking, relaxing - as an approach less likely to compromise the scenic aspects of the landscape that visitors are seeking to enjoy. This analysis is important to present-day understandings of the balance between landscape conservation and public access, a dilemma that continues to trouble organisations concerned with conservation but dependent on public support and desirous of opening up access.

After publishing four articles utilizing a new method for the statistical study of climate time series, we found it useful to provide a detailed review of the method itself, which is the primary objective of this work. Unlike the methods most commonly used by scientists analyzing such data, this new method does not seek to identify trends for explorative forecasts. Instead, it enables the detection of precise signals indicating interactions with other climate entities, thereby enhancing our understanding of the underlying phenomena. As illustrated through three example articles, the mechanisms uncovered using this method can be integrated into a mathematical model. The simulations thus obtained are more deterministic than stochastic - a significant advantage for producing high-quality forecasts in the context of global warming. Even if this was the sole application of the method, it would be sufficient to demonstrate its value. However, as a final example detailed in this work shows, reconsidering the original series using different periods (e.g., month, quarter, semester, year) can further refine our understanding of the mechanisms at play. We conclude this work by exploring the potential applicability of this method for analyzing non-climatic temporal data series.

This study presents a comprehensive electrothermal and lifetime model for cylindrical 3 ampere-hours (Ah) lithium-ion cells using artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the cell’s lifespan. The model combines an electrothermal component with an ANN-based lifetime prediction approach, offering a holistic representation of cell behavior over its lifetime by incorporating key parameters, including the state of charge, temperature, current, and cycle life. The ANN is trained offline using extensive experimental data collected from Sony cylindrical 3 Ah cells under various operating conditions. The electrothermal component employs a second-order Thévenin equivalent circuit model topology, enhanced with extended versions of characterization and parameterization procedures. Validation of the coupled model is performed using laboratory tests at different stages of the cells’ life (500, 1000, and 1500 cycles), demonstrating its ability to estimate cell electrical and thermal performance across a broad lifespan range. Results indicate a maximum error of 1% in voltage readings and 3% in temperature evolution during discharge with the complete model. This comprehensive approach not only enhances the understanding of long-term Sony 3 Ah cell dynamics but also provides a computationally efficient tool for battery management systems and control strategies. The model’s capability to predict both electrical and thermal performance simultaneously at different stages of the cell’s lifetime makes it particularly valuable for optimizing battery performance and lifespan in various applications.

Long bean (Vigna sinensis L.) is a legume widely cultivated for its high nutritional value and economic importance. However, marginal podzolic soils in regions such as Riau, Indonesia, pose challenges for sustainable agriculture due to low nutrient availability and high acidity. This study evaluates the integration of quail manure and natural phosphate fertilizers as a sustainable soil management strategy to enhance soil health and crop productivity. A factorial randomized complete block design was implemented with three levels of quail manure (0, 1.5, and 3 kg/plot) and natural phosphate (0, 12.5, and 25 g/plant) across 27 experimental plots. The effects of these amendments on soil properties, plant growth, and yield components were assessed using analysis of variance and Duncan’s multiple range test. Results demonstrated that the combined application of quail manure and natural phosphate significantly improved plant growth parameters and soil fertility. The findings suggest that integrating organic and natural fertilizers enhances crop productivity while reducing dependence on synthetic inputs, offering a promising approach for sustainable agriculture on degraded soils.