Experts have been searching for ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change on resources since the early 20th century. In response, the World Economic Forum introduced the concept of a “nexus”, which involves the simultaneous, systematic collaboration of multiple individuals or sectors, such as water, energy, and food, in order to create an integrated approach to reducing resource scarcity through a multi-disciplinary framework. In contrast, a circular economy (CE) involves restructuring material flows from a linear economic system and closing the loop on resource exploitation. Both the nexus and CE have been developed to address the overexploitation of resources, but they also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and decouple carbon emissions from economic growth. This study explores the potential of combining the nexus and CE to pursue the SDGs on a global scale. Our findings reveal significant research gaps and policy implementation challenges in developing countries, as well as the potential consequences of adopting integrative scenarios. Finally, we propose a system dynamics model as a way to address the difficulties of coupling policies and to better understand the interdependencies between different parts of the economy.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6) forecasts a sea level rise (SLR) of up to 2 m by 2100, which poses significant risks to regional geomorphology. As a country with a rapidly developing economy and substantial population, Bangladesh confronts unique challenges due to its extensive floodplains and 720 km-long Bay of Bengal coastline. This study uses nighttime light data to investigate the demographic repercussions and potential disruptions to economic clusters arising from land inundation attributable to SLR in the Bay of Bengal. By using geographical information system (GIS)-based bathtub modeling, this research scrutinizes potential risk zones under three selected shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios. The analysis anticipates that between 0.8 and 2.8 thousand km² of land may be inundated according to the present elevation profile, affecting 0.5–2.8 million people in Bangladesh by 2150. Moreover, artificial neural network (ANN)-based cellular automata modeling is used to determine economic clusters at risk from SLR impacts. These findings emphasize the urgency for land planners to incorporate modeling and sea inundation projections to tackle the inherent uncertainty in SLR estimations and devise effective coastal flooding mitigation strategies. This study provides valuable insights for policy development and long-term planning in coastal regions, especially for areas with a limited availability of relevant data.

The Red Sea, a significant ecoregion and vital marine transportation route, has experienced a consistent rise in air pollution in recent years. Hence, it is imperative to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of air quality parameters across the Red Sea and identify temporal trends. This study concentrates on utilizing multiple satellite observations to gather diverse meteorological data and vertical tropospheric columns of aerosols and trace gases, encompassing carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and ozone (O₃). Furthermore, the study employs the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to analyze the backward trajectory of air mass movement, aiding in the identification of significant sources of air pollutants. A principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation is applied to explore the relationship and co-variance between the aerosol index (AI), trace gas concentrations, and meteorological data. The investigation reveals seasonal and regional patterns in the tropospheric columns of trace gases and AI over the Red Sea. The correlation analysis indicates medium-to-low positive correlations (0.2 < r < 0.6) between air pollutants (NO₂, SO₂, and O₃) and meteorological parameters, while negative correlations (−0.3 < r < −0.7) are observed between O₃, aerosol index, and wind speed. The results from the HYSPLIT model unveil long-range trajectory patterns. Despite inherent limitations in satellite observations compared to in situ measurements, this study provides an encompassing view of air pollution across the Red Sea, offering valuable insights for future researchers and policymakers.

At present, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the largest economies with tremendous opportunities in the Middle East. However, unsustainable resource consumption and a linear economy have significantly altered the UAE's economic patterns, making it one of the major greenhouse emitters in the world. The government introduced a few approaches to limit fossil-based energy, along with some scattered resource recycling initiatives; however, the fundamental economic cycle is not adequately structured to maximize resource utilization and foster economic circulation. In this circumstance, industrial symbiosis (IS) can be an effective approach to reshaping the economic structure while achieving financial objectives. IS refers to a structured approach in which waste materials or byproducts from one industry are fully utilized by others, ensuring economic benefits with minimal ecological impact. Therefore, the current study presents a critical analysis of the existing IS case studies pertinent to the UAE's major industries and illustrates the synergy necessary to adopt a potential symbiotic relationship in the major industrial chains. Initially, the nation's socioeconomic trends were analyzed to explore their connections with 12 successful IS case studies, aiming to develop a robust methodology for the UAE. Further, a novel conceptual framework has been developed for IS implementation in the UAE with the corresponding quantitative assessment for a zero-waste initiative that can be obtained through our proposed symbiotic relationship in the UAE industries. Present discrete sustainable industrial facilities were also mentioned so that they can be incorporated into closed symbiotic relationships for more economic benefits through an adequate IS strategy. Future studies, however, should consider the limitations of industrial byproducts and mechanical improvements in the processing of crucial resources like wastewater or solid waste in the country.