Green roofs are nature-based solutions with multiple benefits for the urban environment, but they have specific polymeric components in their structure that cause a carbon footprint. This scoping review highlights the technological advance in reusing or recycling alternative materials in green roof structures worldwide, making them a part of the circular economy (CE), and the search strategies to promote them to find whether there is a relation between them. The data were collected using the Web of Science from 2012 to 2022; we also used the Bibliometrix package to analyse research development by country and the development of the topic by author’s keywords. We selected 68 open-access articles from twenty-four countries and reviewed the grey literature from the top five productive countries on this topic. Our findings show that CE strategies are performed nationally, while the green roof promotion ones are concentrated at the city level. The theme co-occurrence analysis showed that the substrate is the primary layer used with alternative materials, and the three materials most applied for it are rubber, biochar, and hydrogel. It was found that the primary purpose of optimising green roofs with alternative materials is to increase the ecosystem services they provide and indirectly function within the circular economy; still, there is a gap in estimating the environmental impact of doing this as a potential CE activity.

Climate change effects have a significant global negative impact, prompting global leaders to promote clean energy use to reduce carbon emissions. Electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries are crucial to achieving this goal. Lithium is an essential material for the efficient operation of electric batteries, so in recent years, its demand has increased, and it is considered a strategic mineral. This paper aims to describe and analyze the scientific development of lithium-based clean energy technologies and reveal future areas of scientific production priority. This research is conducted through a bibliometric analysis in the Scopus database from 1929 to April 2024. Using the software Bibliometrix 4.1 and Biblioshiny the exported literature data are analyzed. The number of papers on lithium topics has significantly increased since 2018, with China leading in publications and collaborating with many countries. The trending topics are geological prospection, lithium ore characterization, chemical engineering, and lithium energy technologies. Lithium research is a growing field, but its development is uneven. Only a few countries lead in scientific production and lithium energy technologies, and sustainability lithium topics related to Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) require further attention. Lithium research development is influenced by global economic trends.

Constructed wetlands (CWs), which combine biological and physicochemical processes and adhere to circular economy principles, are increasingly recognized as nature-based wastewater treatment solutions. With an emphasis on resource valorization and pollutant removal efficiency, this review assessed the use of organic residues as substrates in CWs. In total, 44 peer-reviewed open-access case studies in English were obtained from 325 documents that were retrieved from Scopus using PRISMA-based eligibility criteria. Information about the wastewater source, substrate, CW type, and results was extracted. The results indicated that biochar (66.7%) predominated because of its high adsorption capacity and microbial support, while shell or forest residues and agricultural residues (20.5%) helped remove micropollutants and phosphorus. CWs with vertical subsurface flow were most prevalent (54%). According to studies, the removal efficiencies of biochar and agricultural or shell residues were 10–15% higher than those of inorganic substrates for phosphorus, TSS (total suspended solids), NH₄⁺ (ammonium), and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) in wastewater. Through innovative designs and the application of circular economy strategies, including revalorize, reuse, reutilize, reintegrate, rethink and reconnect, organic substrates enhance pollutant removal and improve the overall sustainability of CWs. Overall, CWs with organic residues provide cost-effective and environmentally sustainable wastewater treatment; further research on local resources, hybrid systems, and supportive policies is recommended to promote broader implementation.

Los efectos del cambio climático comienzan a presentarse en todos los rincones del mundo, desde las grandes urbes hasta zonas más remotas; no hay lugar ni ser vivo que escape al impacto. Pareciera que en las ciudades las consecuencias de la alteración del equilibrio natural del planeta se encuentran más presentes; sin embargo, pudiera ser que en las zonas rurales también impacte fuertemente. En los últimos años se han vislumbrado con más nitidez los efectos negativos en el campo, como disminución en las cosechas, alteración del suelo, aumento en las enfermedades del ganado, decrecimiento de flora y fauna, sequías, olas de calor, heladas, inundaciones, etc. El presente trabajo se desarrolló en las comunidades de Maxala y Jalapa, pertenecientes al municipio de Zacualtipán, Hidalgo, México, y tiene como objetivo analizar los efectos del cambio climático en zonas rurales desde un enfoque social, ambiental y económico. Por medio de la investigación narrativa, apoyada en entrevistas aplicadas a los pobladores de la zona, se obtuvo que el cambio climático afecta en los ámbitos antes mencionados a estas regiones. Es necesario que se implementen más políticas públicas y programas sociales (haciendo hincapié en la educación ambiental) para aminorar la decadencia ambiental.

En la presente investigación se aborda el concepto de Antropoceno a través del tiempo geológico y desde un enfoque interdisciplinario; además, se estudia mediante un análisis comparativo la huella ecológica y el déficit/reserva ambiental de 24 países del continente americano durante un lapso de 6 décadas (1961-2020). Para su mejor desglose, el continente se divide en tres regiones: América del Norte, América Central y el Caribe y América del Sur. El propósito de este trabajo es indagar si las actividades antropogénicas, tales como agricultura, urbanización e industrialización, han contribuido al deterioro ambiental en un periodo relativamente corto de tiempo. Los resultados encontrados son que, conforme transcurren las décadas, la degradación de la naturaleza en términos de huella ecológica va en detrimento, principalmente para países de la región norte, centro y Caribe, disminuyendo sus reservas naturales. La porción sur del continente cuenta con más países con biocapacidad y menor índice de impacto por parte del ser humano; asimismo, en términos continentales, Estados Unidos es la nación con la mayor huella ecológica, en contraste con Brasil, que dispone del mayor número de hectáreas globales con reserva ambiental.