Soil metal contamination associated with productive activities is a global issue. Metals are not biodegradable and tend to accumulate in soils, posing potential risks to surrounding ecosystems and human health. Plant-based techniques (phytotechnologies) for the in situ remediation of metal-polluted soils have been developed, but these have some limitations. Phytotechnologies are a group of technologies that take advantage of the ability of certain plants to remediate soil, water, and air resources to rehabilitate ecosystem services in managed landscapes. Regarding soil metal pollution, the main objectives are in situ stabilization (phytostabilization) and the removal of contaminants (phytoextraction). Genetic engineering strategies such as gene editing, stacking genes, and transformation, among others, may improve the phytoextraction potential of plants by enhancing their ability to accumulate and tolerate metals and metalloids. This review discusses proven strategies to enhance phytoextraction efficiency and future perspectives on phytotechnologies.

If we are to understand and address today’s social, environmental and economic crises through education, we must introduce education for sustainable development (ESD) into classrooms and approach it from an integrated perspective. In so doing, this study aims to provide an overview of the current status of the still-emerging research agenda on the integration of ESD into mathematical education and statistical education. To this end, we conducted a systematic review of Scopus and Web of Science databases of theoretical and research articles published between 2010 and May 2023. In total, 32 studies were identified, conducted mostly in Europe, followed by South America, which mainly address teacher training. The results suggest that mathematics education and statistics education are an effective means of providing education focused on ESD, but that teachers still have limited knowledge and resistant attitudes. Therefore, initial and ongoing training must move towards characterizing proposals that provide examples and involve teachers in response to this challenge.

This study conducted a systematic review following the guidelines of the PRISMA statement, with the aim of analyzing the scientific production on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in in-service and pre-service mathematics teachers. Out of 211 articles identified in the indexed databases, WOS, SCOPUS, and SciELO, 16 were selected for an exhaustive analysis. It was determined that this topic is still in the process of development, focusing on aspects such as learning content, pedagogy, and the learning environment. Most studies employed qualitative methodologies. Contextualization in sustainability is the most advanced competency. The results highlight the importance of continuing to investigate and develop effective strategies to integrate ESD in the continuous education and training of mathematics teachers. It is essential to address the development of competencies in ecological and mediational facets, ensure solid knowledge of mathematical content, employ adequate pedagogical strategies, and understand the relationship between the environment and mathematics. These findings offer insights into the prevailing trend of integrating ESD into mathematics education through ESD elements and didactic competencies, as evidenced by recent studies involving both practicing and pre-service teachers. This understanding may promote the enhancement of the quality of mathematics education practices within this domain.

Based on the Stochastic Education Approach to Sustainability Education, the statistical and probability tasks for sustainability education in a collection of primary school mathematics textbooks in Chile (6–14 years old) were analyzed. A content analysis was carried out based on four categories: contexts for sustainability, levels of articulation, cognitive demand, and authenticity. The results show that: (1) there is a low presence of contexts for sustainability; (2) the tasks are not articulated to develop any of the Sustainable Development Goals; (3) there is a clear predominance of memorization tasks; (4) the teaching of statistics and probability in textbooks is not aligned with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). These results are the roadmap for a new educational approach that allows the design of statistical and probability tasks to educate for sustainability in Primary Education. This new approach should promote that, through the progressive development of statistical and probabilistic literacy, students understand the different problems (social, economic and environmental) that we are faced with, as well as the measures that must be adopted to transform and act for a more sustainable world.

This paper studied the belief system of future Chilean teachers of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education regarding their competencies to incorporate Education for Sustainable Development (EDS) in the classroom, specifically, in math classes. To this end, a survey was applied to 87 Primary Education preservice teachers and 58 Early Childhood Education preservice teachers, which was analyzed from an interpretative approach. Results are not clear regarding ESD and its scope, despite being valued. In addition, there is a clear need for training in this regard and the potential of mathematical education as a tool to incorporate ESD into the school classroom. It is concluded that ESD-related competencies need to be incorporated in initial and permanent teacher training programs in a transversal way, in our case for Mathematics Education.