International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development (15 papers in press)

Special Issue on: OA Green Supply Chain Management Innovations in Sustainable Business Environment and Digital Transformation

• Open Access

  Dynamic monitoring and evolution of urban green space landscape sustainability based on spatiotemporal analysis algorithm ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Liping Ouyang, Yichen He, Zufan Chen, Ke He 
  Abstract: To address the issue of disconnect between the spatial-temporal characteristics of urban green space landscape dynamics and sustainability assessment, this study utilises the spatial-temporal DBSCAN (ST-DBSCAN) algorithm to identify hotspot areas of green space coverage changes and the spatial-temporal variations in green space fragmentation, and combines this with a geographically weighted regression (GTWR) model to quantitatively analyze the impact of driving factors such as population growth and land development intensity on the ecological service functions of green spaces. The experimental results show that the LSTM+ST-ConvNet model predicts the green space area for 2020-2024 with an error of only 50 square kilometers, outperforming other prediction models such as ARIMA, XGBoost, and Random Forest (the ARIMA model had an error of 70 square kilometers). This model can more accurately predict trends in green space area changes, providing theoretical support for urban green space.
  Keywords: urban green landscape; geographically and temporally weighted regression; spatial-temporal DBSCAN; dynamic monitoring; ecological function; urban green space; UGS; change vector analysis; CVA.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10073738
   
  

Regular Issues

• Utilising IoT and GIS intelligent systems to enhance the accuracy of ecological environment monitoring  
  by Chengzhi Li 
  Abstract: This paper applies internet of things (IoT) technology to ecological environment monitoring and uses geographic information system (GIS) to perform spatial analysis and visualisation of data to improve the accuracy and efficiency of environmental monitoring. This paper takes Chengdu as the research object and deploys multiple wireless sensor collection points in the area. These collection points consist of super nodes and ordinary nodes, and are widely distributed in core ecological areas such as forests, wetlands, and rivers. At the same time, this paper uses the inverse distance weighted interpolation method to process the data to generate a continuous and detailed environmental data distribution map and improve the updating frequency of monitoring data. Experiments show that compared with traditional manual monitoring methods, the combination of IoT + GIS technology has significant advantages in monitoring accuracy, coverage density, data collection frequency, etc., with moderate cost and high flexibility.
  Keywords: internet of things; IoT; geographic information system; GIS; ecological environment; inverse distance weighting; IDW; spatial interpolation technology; kriging interpolation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10073814
   
  
• Integrating technology and visual art for urban sustainability: innovations and challenges in recycling initiatives  
  by Ibrahim Mugerwa, Jianxin Chen, Siyanda Xaba 
  Abstract: In the 21st century, sustainability and innovation converge, with urban environments at the forefront. This interdisciplinary exploration showcases how visual artists, armed with cutting-edge technology, redefine sustainable innovation through visual art. Using digital visual art, augmented reality, and 3D printing, they transform discarded materials, adorn public spaces, and foster eco-consciousness. Survey data reveals 87.3% of participants are familiar with such technologies, and 88% have seen recycled art installations in their cities. However, 76.7% perceive challenges in implementing sustainable art initiatives, including funding constraints and public engagement difficulties. Despite these barriers, key findings indicate positive impacts on public spaces, increased community engagement, and the crucial role of technological advancements. Despite implementation complexities, this study highlights how visual art and technology collaborate to create a more sustainable and aesthetically pleasing urban future. It underscores the potential for fostering environmental awareness and reshaping urban landscapes.
  Keywords: innovation; visual art; technology; urban recycling; sustainability.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10074289
   
  
• Are environmental non-governmental organisations involved at all? The current specifics of Slovakias UNESCO Biosphere Reserves governance  
  by Peter Mihók, Anna Vaňová, Katarína Vitálišová 
  Abstract: This study explored legal and institutional conditions behind insufficient application of participatory principles in UNESCO biosphere reserves (BRs) in Slovakia. The research aimed to summarise existing knowledge on the legal context, empirical state, and environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) interest in participatory governance/conservation as envisioned by relevant theories and UNESCO guidelines. The scientific objective was to synthesise findings from an analysis of Slovak laws and official documents with primary research into eNGOs interest in influencing Slovak BR governance. The methodology involved analysing laws, documents obtained via Slovakias Freedom of Information Act, and data from an anonymous questionnaire to eNGO representatives. Findings revealed: 1) a complete absence of BR governance and management provisions in Slovak laws, except for two references implicitly suggesting BRs were designated areas with internationally recognised nature protection obligations, contradicting the conceptualisation of BRs; 2) a lack of eNGOs representatives in relevant BR governing and advisory bodies.
  Keywords: UNESCO Biosphere Reserves; BRs; national parks; NPs; governance; environmental non-governmental organisations; eNGOs; Slovakia.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10074373
   
  
• Right to clean air: an exigent concern - a comparative research on the US and China along with a pragmatic examination of Indias NCAP  
  by Himanshi Bhatia, Karun Sanjaya 
  Abstract: India harbours some of the most polluted cities globally. Consequently, the degrading air quality is contributing to the cascading effects on human health. The pandemic-induced lockdown has revealed natural healing phenomena worldwide, showing that collective action can improve air quality. The Government of India developed the flagship program National Clean Air Programme (NCAP hereinafter) in 2019, covering 122 non-attainment cities, which targets to cut down 20-30% of particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10) in the air of 122 cities by the year 2024 with 2017 as the base year. However, the primary concern is whether this five-year national policy is robust. This paper is focused on providing an updated and more in-depth review of the Indian air pollution situation and its related policies. A comparative study will depict the loopholes and initiatives that India must consider from the US and Chinas policies.
  Keywords: air pollution; NCAP; policy review; Beijing clean air; green taxation; China; US; India.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10074577
   
  

Special Issue on: Artificial Intelligence Applications for Sustainable Environment

• LULC classification using deep convolution neural networks for change detection analysis  
  by H.N. Mahendra, V. Pushpalatha, S. Mallikarjunaswamy, D. Mahesh Kumar, H.S. Ganesha, Rama Subramoniam Sudalayandi, Trupthi Rao 
  Abstract: Land use and land cover (LULC) classification is a fundamental task for monitoring environmental changes, planning sustainable land management, and change detection studies. Traditional classification methods often rely on manual interpretation, which can be time-consuming and limited in accuracy. In this study, we proposed a novel approach based on deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) for LULC classification. The proposed methodology involves the collection of multi-temporal satellite imagery datasets covering the study area of Mysuru taluk, Karnataka State, India. Preprocessing techniques are applied to improve the quality of the input data, including normalisation, filtering, and geometric correction. Subsequently, a DCNN architecture is designed and trained using labelled datasets to classify land cover types accurately for the satellite data of 2012 and 2022. The classification accuracies achieved, 92.70% for 2012 and 94.79% for 2022, highlight the capability of DCNNs in LULC classification. Further, classified maps are used to perform the change detection analysis using the post-classification comparison technique. The results of this research contribute to a better understanding of the land use dynamics of the study area and provide valuable insights for land management and policymaking.
  Keywords: deep learning; land use and land cover; LULC; deep convolutional neural networks; DCNNs; geographic information systems; GIS; multispectral data.
  
  
• Construction and application of urban transportation environment under the concept of green and low-carbon  
  by Suli Zhang, Yulin Jiao, Xinhua Wang 
  Abstract: To address the problems of high urban traffic congestion index, high accident rate, and low public transportation utilisation rate in traditional urban traffic environment construction methods, a research method for construction and application of urban transportation environment under the concept of green and low-carbon is proposed. Analyse the feasibility of the green and low-carbon concept in the construction of urban transportation environment, starting from the promotion and application of new energy vehicles, the construction of intelligent transportation systems, the construction of green transportation infrastructure, the cultivation of green travel culture, comprehensive planning and policy formulation, etc., to complete the urban transportation environment. Analysis of the case study outcomes reveals that the method under consideration yields a peak urban traffic congestion index of 0.16, a highest recorded urban traffic accident frequency of 7.89%, and a lowest observed rate of urban public transportation usage at 42.16%.
  Keywords: green and low-carbon concept; urban transportation environment; construction and application; green transportation infrastructure.
  
  
• Comprehensive evaluation method of economic development level of resource-saving society  
  by Hongqian Zhou, Zhi-Chao Peng 
  Abstract: To address the issues surrounding inadequate Kendalls tau correlation, diminished test-retest reliability, and compromised evaluation precision in conventional approaches for assessing the economic development status of an environmentally conscious society, a new comprehensive evaluation method of economic development level of resource-saving society was proposed. The comprehensive evaluation indexes of economic development level of resource-saving society were screened and preprocessed. The membership degree and weight of the indexes were calculated by Z-type membership function and Shapley value method respectively. According to the membership degree and weight of the index, data envelopment analysis is used to complete the comprehensive evaluation of the economic development level of resource-saving society. The experimental test results show that the maximum Kendall cooperation coefficient of this method is 0.90, the retest reliability is between 0.978~0.988, and the evaluation accuracy is between 96.87~98.76%. The evaluation results are reliable.
  Keywords: resource-saving society; economic development level; screened and preprocessed; membership degree; weight; DEA; data envelopment analysis.
  
  
• Classification evaluation of ecological environment pollution in tourist attractions based on fuzzy hierarchical evaluation method  
  by Yunfeng Chen, Qi Jia 
  Abstract: Issues persist in the evaluation of environmental pollution at tourist sites, characterised by inadequate indicator grading and membership degrees, along with significant average absolute error values in evaluations. Consequently, this paper introduces a classification evaluation approach for environmental pollution at tourist sites, utilising a fuzzy hierarchical evaluation technique. Initially, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is employed to develop a hierarchical structure model and establish an evaluation index system. Subsequently, indicator data is standardised, and the relationship between indicator levels is determined based on the average random consistency ratio. Ultimately, fuzzy and weight judgement matrices are constructed for both single-level and multi-level fuzzy evaluation. Experimental outcomes indicate that this methodology significantly enhances the precision of evaluation and the appropriateness of indicator grading.
  Keywords: fuzzy analytic hierarchy process; tourist attractions; ecological environment; pollution classification; standardisation; evaluation criteria.
  
  
• The impact of regional socio-economic development on environmental quality  
  by Xiaoshu Huo, Qi Wang, Zhiyong Wu 
  Abstract: To explore the impact of economic activities on environmental quality, the first step is to finely preprocess regional socio-economic development data. Subsequently, the analytic hierarchy process was used to construct an environmental quality assessment system and scientifically calculate the weights of each indicator. Based on the calculation results, focus on three key indicators: industrialisation process, urbanisation process, and energy consumption. Using random forest, vector autoregression model and double difference method to deeply analyse its impact. The research results show that the industrialisation process, urbanisation process, and energy consumption growth have significantly increased environmental pressure. However, through strategies such as industrial upgrading and energy structure optimisation, environmental pressure has been effectively alleviated.
  Keywords: regional socio-economic; environmental quality; analytic hierarchy process; AHP; random forest algorithm; vector autoregressive model.
  
  
• Research on high-quality sustainable development measures for social-economy and environment  
  by Na Wang 
  Abstract: To address the challenges associated with a low per capita GDP, employment rates, environmental quality indicators, and sustainable development metrics, alternative approaches are required; a new research method for high-quality sustainable development measures for social economy and environment has been proposed. Using principal component analysis to evaluate the level of social-economic and environmental development, and determine the coupling coordination between social-economic and environmental factors. Targeted measures for high-quality sustainable development aspects have been proposed based on the degree of coupling and coordination, including the formulation of scientific and reasonable plans, strengthening technological innovation, improving policy and regulatory systems, and enhancing international cooperation and exchanges. Case analysis results show that the per capita GDP in the study area varies between 108,000 yuan and 117,000 yuan, the maximum employment rate is 84%, the maximum environmental quality index is 0.83, and the sustainable development index varies between 0.68 and 0.91.
  Keywords: social-economic; environment; high-quality; sustainable development; principal component analysis; coupling coordination.
  
  
• Calculation method for biocapacity of tourist attractions considering projection pursuit model  
  by Min Gao 
  Abstract: To analyse the biocapacity of tourist attractions, this paper applies the projection pursuit model to assess the biocapacity carrying capacity of tourist attractions. Firstly, determine the indicators for calculating the tourism carrying capacity of scenic spots; secondly, calculate the weights of these indicators based on the maximum information entropy; then, construct a projection index function, determine the optimal projection direction, and build the projection pursuit model. Finally, based on the model, obtain the comprehensive carrying capacity of the ecological environment of the tourist attraction, and complete the carrying capacity calculation. The results indicate that although the measurement results of the two models show some fluctuations in certain years, the overall trend is improving. The consistency of the measurement results of the two methods indirectly indicates the reliability of their evaluation results.
  Keywords: biocapacity; projection pursuit model; PPM; maximum information entropy; calculation of bearing capacity.
  
  
• Coupling and coordination evaluation of regional environmental quality and economic development under the background of sustainable development  
  by Jing Li, Ming Yan 
  Abstract: To achieve harmonious coexistence of economy, society, and environment, this article proposes a new coupling and coordination evaluation method for regional environmental quality and economic development. A coupled and coordinated evaluation index system for environmental-ecological-economy is constructed, with weights determined through dimensionless standardisation and information entropy calculation. Comprehensive evaluation indicators are calculated to eliminate unit differences and accurately reflect the coordination between the two systems. The levels of interaction, progress, and harmony are quantified using the concept of ability interaction to facilitate classification evaluation. The spatial autocorrelation test reveals the spatial patterns and mutual influences of various metrics. Experimental results show that the global Morans I index of the proposed method is 0.283, with a significant Z-value (5.3079), indicating strong positive spatial autocorrelation. The evaluation requires approximately 15 minutes, and the accuracy remains stable between 90.1% and 98.9%, demonstrating significant advantages in terms of speed and accuracy.
  Keywords: sustainable development; regional environmental quality; economic development coupling coordination evaluation.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10072811
   
  
• Revolutionising agriculture: integrating hydroponics, AI, and machine learning for optimal plant growth and food security  
  by Snehal Vats, Lincy Mathews, Sowmya BJ, Sumanth Bidare Suresh, Swathi Sundaresan 
  Abstract: Hydroponics, also termed aquaponics, nutri culture, or soilless culture has formed a revolution in the agricultural industry. Aggregating AI with hydroponics aids in tackling global food security. In line with this vision, a hydroponic system was constructed utilising the deep water culture method for the green chilli plant. Hydrobuddy, an open-source application, identified the proper nutrient to prepare the solution. IoT devices were used to collect and monitor the data: EC level, pH level, humidity, and air temperature at regular intervals. To augment our efforts, a machine-learning model to predict the dry weight of the tomatoes with the open-source datasets (OpenAg) was formulated to study the growth of tomato plants. Through this initial study, the optimal EC and pH values for the development of two plants (green chilli and tomato) belonging to the Solanaceae family were similar. Considerable results with better analysis of the fundamental traits that are necessary for the optimal growth of the chilli plant are formalised. By amalgamating hydroponics, AI, sensor technology, and machine learning, the model is poised to revolutionise the field of agriculture and effectively address the global challenges of food security.
  Keywords: hydroponics; green chilli; linear regression; AI; sensors.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10074492
   
  

Special Issue on: Joint Implications of Circular Economy and Digital Transformation for Resilient Business Ecosystems

• Redefining EU competitiveness: unlocking the power of digitalisation, institutional quality, environmental factors and human capital in shaping a sustainable future  
  by Bernard Vaníček, Tomáš Fišera, Jan Stejskal 
  Abstract: In todays turbulent times, understanding sustainable competitiveness is crucial. This study fills important gaps in existing research by examining the integrated relationship between digitalisation, environmental factors, institutional quality and human capital in 24 EU countries, and using stepwise regression to identify significant factors influencing the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI). This study contributes by developing a holistic framework that integrates drivers of sustainable competitiveness, addressing the limitations of prior research that examined these factors in isolation. Practically, it offers policy recommendations tailored to different EU country groups based on their sustainability and economic performance. Findings reveal that government effectiveness negatively impacts low-GSCI-growth countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland and Romania), while environmental factors, particularly circular economy material flows, drive high-GSCI-growth nations (France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain). These insights emphasise the need for targeted policies, including digital infrastructure improvements, circular economy support, and institutional reforms, particularly for lower-performing countries, to enhance sustainable competitiveness.
  Keywords: sustainable competitiveness; digitalisation; institutional quality; environmental factors; human capital.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2025.10072648