Rapid urbanization and associated transportation play a crucial role in the distribution of heavy metals in road dust, leading to serious environmental and health concerns. This study explored the concentration and spatial variability of metals, including cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), in road dust across six urban zones in Guangdong Province (parks, educational, residential, commercial, traffic, and industrial areas). The study also evaluated the bioavailability of these metals to determine their carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health impacts. The findings revealed significant variations in metal levels, with commercial zones having the highest concentrations of Zn 1316.1 ± 381.6 mg/kg), Cu (426.1 ± 136.7 mg/kg), and Cd (1.29 ± 0.08 mg/kg) due to the deposition of traffic emissions. The bioaccessibility of Pb, Zn, and Cd was found to be higher in the gastric phase, suggesting increased absorption potential when ingested. Children were at a significantly higher non-carcinogenic risk compared to adults, facing more than double the exposure. While the carcinogenic risk from Pb was low but notable, Cd presented minimal risk. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions, including stricter emission regulations and public health strategies, to mitigate the risks of heavy metal exposure in urban areas.

Climate change and agriculture are closely interrelated and their effects on each other can be seen in the present-day agriculture. Global warming exerts a significant impact on agriculture because of rise in temperature, diminished precipitation, glacial melting, and uneven monsoon etc. Increment in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has both impeding and valuable effects on crop yields. Therefore, in agriculture, a proper evaluation of unfriendly impact of climate change is required. An increase in temperature, shortage in rainfall, the incidence of flood and longer dry spells especially in non-ordinary pockets are confirmations of climatic dangers. Thus, appropriate mitigation strategies to reduce GHGs emissions and adaptation of resource conservation technologies (RCTs) are required to make the agriculture sector more resilient to climate change.

Mitigating potentially toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in post-mining land is essential for restoring the environmental health of post mining ecosystems. A comprehensive understanding of how post-mining topography and vegetation impact PTEs distribution can help devise targeted reclamation strategies to reduce PTEs toxicity.This study investigated the influence of topographical regions of a post-mining overburden heap (top, middle, and bottom) and selected tree species (Azadirachta indica, Senna siamea, and Leucaena leucocephala) on the total and bioavailable fractions of PTEs in reclaimed coal mine soil from Eastern India.The total concentration revealed that chromium (Cr: 226–354 mg/kg), cadmium (Cd: 1.37–1.92 mg/kg), mercury (Hg: 0.11–0.45 mg/kg), and zinc (Zn: 104–213 mg/kg) pose a significant potential risk across the site. These risks were supported by high geo-accumulation index values (Igeo > 1.0 for Cd, Cr, and Hg) and contamination factors (Cf). Despite this, bioavailable fractions of PTEs remained below 25%, with values for Cd (2.92–11.46%), Cr (0.10–0.22%), and Zn (5.15–22.4%), indicating reduced immediate ecological risk.While topography did not significantly affect the pollution load index (PLI), tree species played a crucial role. Among the tree species studied, L. leucocephala exhibited the lowest PLI (0.95) and effectively reduced the bioavailable concentration of Cd under its canopy. These findings position L. leucocephala as a promising candidate for the revegetation of post-mining landscapes.This study highlights the critical role of vegetation in regulating the concentration and bioavailability of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in reclaimed mining soils, offering essential insights for developing sustainable strategies for post-mining land restoration and ecosystem rehabilitationKeywords: slope, plant species, post-mining, landscape, toxic elements.