Our pioneer study is aimed at investigating the role of the service sector in affecting sustainable environment in Pakistan. Using time series data over 1971–2014 and applying an autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) model with structural break analysis, we establish a long-term equilibrium relationship of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions with energy consumption, income level, services and trade openness. Our findings support a service-induced environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in Pakistan. The income level sharply raises environmental degradation at the early stage; however, after reaching a certain threshold, it improves environmental quality but at a lower rate. There exists an inverted U-shaped nexus between services and CO₂ emissions, which implies that the service sector is less energy-intensive in terms of mitigating pollution in Pakistan. Moreover, the energy consumption has an inverted U-shaped effect on carbon emissions, which implies energy efficiencies and adoption of renewable energy has reduced pollution in the long run. The trade openness increases CO₂ emissions in both the short term and long term. The quadratic term of income level has a negatively inelastic impact on CO₂ emissions, which implies a very slow rate of improvement in environmental quality. On the other hand, the quadratic term of services shows a highly elastic impact on pollution, which induces the EKC hypothesis. Our robustness checks such as fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (OLS), and Toda and Yamamoto (TY) causality tests further confirm the existence of the service-induced EKC hypothesis in Pakistan. Moreover, there exists a unidirectional causality from energy consumption to CO₂ emissions, a bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and CO₂ emissions, and a unidirectional causal linkage between services and CO₂ emissions. Lastly, we discuss certain policy implications for designing appropriate environmental and energy policies to mitigate the pollution in Pakistan.

The study of gully development on a regional scale is currently threatened by the intrinsic costs associated with steady field tracking and monitoring and the lack of historic measurements to perform time series analysis. The research objective is to develop a low-cost GIS and Remote Sensing methodology for monitoring and quantifying gully erosion and development over time, identifying the impact and incorporating analysis of environmental factors and land use change. The analysis of study area topography at 30 m resolution reveals 85% of the surveyed gullies develop on concave slopes with high values of 6 plan curvatures and >50 inclines. Results also reveal high association with ferralsols soils. Statistical analysis to determine significance of variables on the proportional yearly gully change in metre squared per square metre were conducted via principle component analysis. The analysis of this work was restricted to the time periods 2006/7, 2009/10 and 2014/15. The approach did not report any existence of one singular driver of erosion across the studied years and multiple sites confirming the complexity of gullies. The PCA showed that the level of variance explained in the yearly gully change variable was most similar in PC1 (representing the component with the highest eigenvalue) to Vegetation loss, Vegetation loss and slope in the respective years. The study offers a method of monitoring gully development from early stage to maturity and exemplifies the complexity and variability of erosion drivers in the SE Nigeria region. It presents a verified approach to local and regional monitoring of gullies, enacted through use of low budget/computing cost remote sensing and classification technologies and serves to embolden civilian and governmental efforts to manage the societal and environmental menace of gully erosion.

Background and Objective: The Njaba River watershed in Imo State, South-East Nigeria, has experienced significant environmental degradation due to various land-use activities. This study aims to evaluate the impact of these activities on the watershed using GIS and remote sensing technology. The objective is to classify land-use and land-cover types to understand the extent of human-induced changes and to recommend sustainable land-use practices. Materials and Methods: Satellite imagery from the Landsat 11 mission was utilized for this study. The analysis was conducted using ArcGIS 10.8 software. The classification process involved creating training areas and signature files and classifying the imagery into five categories: Vegetation, agriculture, waterbodies, urban lands and open/gully lands. Data were collected through reconnaissance surveys and image classification to quantify the land-use changes over time. Results: The study revealed significant degradation of the Njaba River watershed due to human activities such as deforestation, unregulated sand mining and waste disposal. Vegetation covers 62% of the watershed, while urban land comprises 28%, agriculture 1%, waterbodies 5% and open/gully land 4%. The reduction in vegetation and the increase in urban areas highlight the adverse impact of human activities on the watershed. Eutrophication, caused by waste dumping, has further degraded the river's quality. Conclusion: Effective watershed management strategies are urgently needed to mitigate the adverse effects of human activities, through legislation, education and sustainable practices. Transforming the watershed into a protected area can restore ecological balance and enhance tourist potential. APA-7 Style Iro, S. (2025). Assessment of Impact of Land-Use Activities at the Watershed of Njaba River Imo State Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology. Trends in Environmental Sciences, 1(1), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.21124/tes.2025.16.22 ACS Style Iro, S. Assessment of Impact of Land-Use Activities at the Watershed of Njaba River Imo State Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology. Trends Env. Sci 2025, 1, 16-22. https://doi.org/10.21124/tes.2025.16.22 AMA Style Iro S. Assessment of Impact of Land-Use Activities at the Watershed of Njaba River Imo State Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology. Trends in Environmental Sciences. 2025; 1(1): 16-22. https://doi.org/10.21124/tes.2025.16.22 Chicago/Turabian Style Iro, Sylvanus. 2025. "Assessment of Impact of Land-Use Activities at the Watershed of Njaba River Imo State Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology" Trends in Environmental Sciences 1, no. 1: 16-22. https://doi.org/10.21124/tes.2025.16.22