Traditional energy consumption raises greenhouse gas emissions, which is a major concern in China. Agricultural energy consumption accounts for one third of China’s greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, current patterns of energy consumption on farms are both unsustainable and inadequate since rural communities in emerging nations have limited access to energy sources.

Spatial land use conflicts (SLUCs) are a critical issue worldwide due to the scarcity of land resources and diversified human demand. Despite many time-series studies of SLUCs, comprehensive research on SLUCs and their driving factors over a long period remain limited. This study was conducted in the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration, Guangdong Province, China.

The growing and multiple interests in land as a resource has led to an increase in locally or regionally clashing land use interests on agricultural land which may result in conflicts or open up possibilities for synergies. Urbanization, food production, renewable energy production, environmental protection, and climate protection are known as key land use interests in many regions.

The Human Mobility Transition model describes shifts in mobility dynamics and transport systems. The aspirational stage, ‘human urbanism’, is characterised by high active travel, universal public transport, low private vehicle use and equitable access to transport.

Rapid industrialization has been a major cause of land degradation and other environmental problems globally. Most energy inputs in industries depend on coal-burning power stations which release various pollutants into the environment. Among these pollutants, fly ash is a concerning pollutant for soil quality, as it occupies a voluminous area of land in India and renders it unproductive.

The desert, which covers around one-third of Earth’s continental surface, is defined as the harshest terrestrial environment and comprises a highly extensive biome of the terrestrial ecosystem. Microorganisms are key drivers that maintain the integrity of desert terrestrial ecosystems.

Land degradation is a major risk to the sustainability and functioning of socioecological systems (SES), especially in arid/semiarid regions. By understanding a system and its interlinkages, the socioecological approach offers an innovative way to explore degradation.

Land degradation and the release of contaminants such as heavy metals into the environment due to mining activities is a concerning issue worldwide. The bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the environmental matrix can severely damage flora and fauna and negatively impact human health.

SDG15.3 aims to achieve “Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)”, but its only indicator (SDG15.3.1) is designed for national-level assessment and monitoring, and is not suitable for local-level applications.

Accelerating land-use change (LUC) in the Nilgiri Hill Region (NHR) has caused its land to mortify. Although this deterioration has been documented, the destruction of buried gem soil has not been reported.

Sub-Saharan Africa is at crossroads. With a rapidly growing population of 1.2 billion and changing climates, the continent faces major development challenges, including food insecurity, climate change, resource degradation, poverty, gender inequality, and social exclusion.

Land degradation is one of the most important environmental problems worldwide, including in the Arabian Peninsula. In arid climatic conditions (i.e., high temperature, high evaporation, scanty rainfall and high salinity), anthropogenic factors (i.e., grazing, camping, infrastructure development, etc.) are the major causes of land degradation.