Long-term conservation tillage and straw incorporation are reported to improve the soil health, growth, and yield traits of crops; however, little is known regarding the optimal nitrogen (N) supply under conservation tillage with straw incorporation. The present study evaluated the effects of conservation tillage practices (ZTsas: zero tillage plus wheat straw on the soil surface as such, and MTsi: minimum tillage plus wheat straw incorporated) and different N application rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha⁻¹) on the yield and quality traits of cotton and soil characteristics in a five-year field experiment. The results showed that ZTsas produced a higher number of bolls per plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield, 100-seed weight, ginning out-turn (GOT), fiber length, and strength than MTsi. Among different N application rates, the maximum number of bolls per plant, boll weight, seed cotton yield, GOT, 100-seed weight, fiber length, strength, and micronaire were recorded at 150 kg N ha⁻¹. Averaged over the years, tillage × N revealed that ZTsas had a higher boll number plant⁻¹, boll weight, 100-seed weight, GOT, fiber length, and strength with N application at 150 kg ha⁻¹, as compared to other tillage systems. Based on the statistical results, there is no significant difference in total soil N and soil organic matter among different N rates. Further, compared to MTsi, ZTsas recorded higher soil organic matter (SOM, 8%), total soil N (TSN, 29%), water-stable aggregates (WSA, 8%), and mean weight diameter (MWD, 28.5%), particularly when the N application of 150 kg ha⁻¹. The fiber fineness showed that ZTsas had no adverse impact on fiber fineness compared with MTsi. These results indicate that ZTsas with 150 kg N ha⁻¹ may be the optimum and most sustainable approach to improve cotton yield and soil quality in the wheat–cotton system.

The transport sector is a major contributor to urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in Pakistan, posing significant challenges to sustainable development and climate commitments. This study develops the first technology-resolved, high-resolution, multi-pollutant emission inventory and scenario analysis for Pakistan’s transport sector, addressing key gaps in previous studies that lacked integrated multi-pollutant assessments, comprehensive coverage of non-road sources, and long-term scenario comparisons. The analysis integrates road and non-road transport sources within the Greenhouse Gas–Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) modeling framework. Emissions are projected for 2024–2050 under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and three mitigation pathways: an Electric Vehicle Transition (EVT) emphasizing transport electrification, a Euro-VI scenario focusing on stringent fuel and vehicle emission standards, and an integrated nationally determined contribution strategy (NDC+) scenario combining electrification, regulatory improvements, and structural transport reforms. In 2024, transport-related emissions are estimated at approximately 22 kt of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), over 300 kt of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and nearly 39 Mt of carbon dioxide (CO₂), alongside substantial emissions of other gaseous pollutants and short-lived climate forcers. By 2050, the NDC+ scenario achieves the largest reductions relative to business-as-usual, demonstrating that coordinated electrification and emission control strategies can simultaneously reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The results demonstrate strong synergies between climate mitigation and air quality improvement, showing that integrated strategies combining electrification with stringent emission standards can simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions and major air pollutants while advancing cleaner and more sustainable mobility. This analysis provides a consistent and policy-relevant evidence base derived from best-available data and modeling tools to support Pakistan’s NDC implementation, sustainable mobility planning, and integrated air quality and climate strategies, with lessons transferable to other rapidly developing economies.

Industrial wastewater contains a variety of substances such as organic carbon, salts and heavy metals, which along with arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) are known to be highly toxic even in very low concentrations. This study was carried out to test the impact of industrial effluent from the Industrial Estate Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, on four local grass species of the Pothohar region, i.e., Panicum maximum (Mombasa grass), Cenchrus ciliaris (Dhaman grass), Cynodon dactylon (Khabbal grass) and Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass). These grasses were grown in tap water (T0), industrial effluent (T1), and in industrial effluent-tap water ratio (50:50; T2). The concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Ni accumulated by these grasses were appraised with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). All four grasses differed significantly in terms of their accumulation of different types of metal elements in the shoot and root organs. The analysis of industrial effluent, and root and shoot biomass samples of all four grasses did not have high amounts of heavy metals with reference to the levels of the metals documented by WHO. It is generally recommended that the effluents from the Industrial Estate Islamabad can be used with some caution for growing forage grasses including the four species tested in this study.