1. Toxicology and Bioaccumulation of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Food Chain
Urgency: Microplastics are detected in air, water, and food, but their long-term health effects on humans and ecosystems remain mostly unknown. More toxicological studies are needed to define thresholds, bioaccumulation, and cellular impacts across trophic levels.
2. Understanding Climate-Induced Migration and Its Socioeconomic Impacts
Urgency: Rise in sea levels, desertification, and extreme weather are displacing millions globally. Interdisciplinary research is required for modelling of future migration trends and guide sustainable policies for urban planning, humanitarian aid, and conflict prevention.
3. Soil and Groundwater Contamination from Informal E-Waste Recycling
Urgency: In developing countries, unregulated e-waste processing is leaching heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants into the soils and aquifers. Ground-level studies are important to understand exposure pathways and health risks, particularly in children.
4. Urban Heat Islands (UHIs): Mitigation Strategies for Sustainable Cities
Urgency: Densely populated cities are experiencing higher surface temperatures, increasing energy demand, mortality rates, and health vulnerabilities. Research into the urban design solutions like green infrastructure and heat-reflective materials is urgently needed.
5. Environmental Reservoirs of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
Urgency: Antibiotic residues from pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and animal agriculture are creating superbug reservoirs in water and soil. Environmental research is important to trace AMR transmission and design wastewater treatment protocols to mitigate spread.
6. Quantifying and Enhancing Blue Carbon Sequestration in Coastal Ecosystems
Urgency: Mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal marshes absorb carbon faster and more permanently than terrestrial forests, yet are rapidly degrading. Focused research coul increase restoration strategies and inform blue carbon credits and climate finance systems.
7. Environmental Justice: Unequal Pollution Exposure in Vulnerable Communities
Urgency: Marginalized populations often live near industrial zones, landfills, and polluted waterways. Research into environmental injustice can support targeted policy reforms and equitable resource distribution.
8. Circular Economy Applications in Construction and Demolition Waste Management
Urgency: The construction sector generates over one-third of the global waste. Investigating sustainable reuse, recycling innovations, and regulatory frameworks is essential to shift towards a closed-loop, low-carbon built environment.
9. Agroecological Resilience and Climate-Smart Farming Systems
Urgency: Climate change threatens food security with droughts, pests, and soil degradation. Research is required to develop and scale up resilient crop varieties, regenerative agriculture practices, and nature-based solutions for sustainable food production.
10. AI-Enabled Remote Sensing for Real-Time Environmental Monitoring and Early Warning Systems
Urgency: With climate hazards intensifying, AI-driven data analysis from satellite and drone technology can revolutionize real-time monitoring of deforestation, emissions, wildfires, and disasters—important for proactive policy responses.
