Incorporating sewage sludge (SS) into soils presents a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option compared to conventional farming practices. However, SS could be perceived as a double-edged sword, as it may contain a broad spectrum of contaminants, such as heavy metals (HMs), microplastics (MPs), Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PIE), and personal care products (PSPs), raising concerns for soil health, water resources, food safety, and human health. Council Directive 86/278/EEC, which regulates SS application in agriculture, specifies limits for six HMs but has not undergone substantive revisions since its inception in 1986, until the release of the updated working document SWD-2023-{final 158}. This study critically examines the legislative landscape across the European Union (EU) Member States (MSs), identifying heterogeneity in implementation, regulatory gaps, and the absence of thresholds for emerging contaminants. The results reveal significant disparities in the permissible concentrations of HMs across MSs and in comparison to international guidelines established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, the absence of regulatory measures for MPs, PIE, and other common soil pollutants underscores critical deficiencies in the current framework. These inconsistencies contribute to varying levels of soil health across the EU and highlight the need for a harmonized approach. The findings of this study highlight the imperative for a comprehensive overhaul of the EU legislative framework governing SS application. As evidenced, the establishment of harmonized contaminant thresholds, rigorous monitoring protocols, and regulatory provisions for emergent pollutants is essential for addressing the identified regulatory gaps, enhancing legislative coherence, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices aligned with the EU’s environmental and public health objectives.

Long-term monitoring studies on the transition of different land cover units to barren areas are crucial to gain a better understanding of the potential challenges and threats that land surface ecosystems face. This study utilized the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land cover products (MCD12C1) to conduct geospatial analysis based on the maximum extent (MaxE) concept, to assess the spatiotemporal changes in barren areas from 2001 to 2022, at global and continental scales. The MaxE area includes all the pixels across the entire period of observations where the barren land cover class was at least once present. The relative expansion or reduction of the barren areas can be directly assessed with MaxE, as any annual change observed in the barren distribution is comparable over the entire dataset. The global barren areas without any land change (UA) during this period were equivalent to 12.8% (18,875,284 km²) of the global land surface area. Interannual land cover changes to barren areas occurred in an additional area of 3,438,959 km² (2.3% of the global area). Globally, barren areas show a gradual reduction from 2001 (91.1% of MaxE) to 2012 (86.8%), followed by annual fluctuations until 2022 (88.1%). These areas were mainly interchanging between open shrublands and grasslands. A relatively high transition between barren areas and permanent snow and ice is found in Europe and North America. The results show a 3.7% decrease in global barren areas from 2001 to 2022. Areas that are predominantly not barren account for 30.6% of the transitional areas (TAs), meaning that these areas experienced short-term or very recent transitions from other land cover classes to barren. Emerging barren areas hotspots were mainly found in the Mangystau region (Kazakhstan), Tibetan plateau, northern Greenland, and the Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Tunisia).

Incorporating sewage sludge (SS) into soils presents a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option compared to conventional farming practices. However, SS could be perceived as a double-edged sword, as it may contain a broad spectrum of contaminants, posing threats to soil, underground waters, food chains and human health. Even from an epidemiology perspective, the COVID-19 pandemic has instigated debates regarding the potential health risks associated with SS. The handling of SS is emerging as a significant issue in the European Union (EU), primarily due to its increasing utilization and the presence of contaminants such as heavy metals (HMs), microplastics (MPs), Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PIE), and personal care products (PSPs). The Council Directive 86/278/EEC governs the limits of HMs when SS is utilized in agriculture. However, the Directive is enacted diversely throughout EU member states (MS), with their national legislations highlighting differences, gaps and various approaches in implementing the Council Directive. The Directive, which has been in force since 1986, has not undergone any significant revisions until the recent disclosure of a revised version in May 2023. The executive summary of the evaluation of the Council Directive 86/278/EEC (SWD-2023) – {final 158} specifies maximum concentrations of six HMs in SS among its regulatory measures. This article delves into capturing the current legal framework that defines and delimits the processes and obligations of EU MS regarding SS's management, treatment, and agriculture amendment. The primary objective is to explore the qualitative and quantitative differences/discrepancies between the MS National legislation and point out discontinuities and gaps, thus setting forward a cohesive step for future revisions and updates of the relevant legislation. Part of the article's results reflect the different approaches to permissible limits of HMs concentrations in the EU MS and between international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the total absence of MPs and other Common Soil Pollutants (antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, etc.) limit values are evidence of the gaps in the current legislative framework.