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        <title>Frontiers in Sustainability | Modeling and Optimization for Decision Support section | New and Recent Articles</title>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainability/sections/modeling-and-optimization-for-decision-support</link>
        <description>RSS Feed for Modeling and Optimization for Decision Support section in the Frontiers in Sustainability journal | New and Recent Articles</description>
        <language>en-us</language>
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        <pubDate>2026-05-14T21:20:22.777+00:00</pubDate>
        <ttl>60</ttl>
        <item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1737050</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1737050</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Using ethical artificial intelligence (EAI) to achieve sustainable development, Iraq as a case study]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-07T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Rasha A. Waheeb</author><author>Bjørn S. Andersen</author><author>Kusay A. Wheib</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionIraq faces persistent challenges in achieving sustainable development due to decades of conflict, political instability, and infrastructural degradation. These challenges are particularly evident in critical sectors such as energy, water, healthcare, education, and governance, which significantly influence human well-being, social equity, and quality of life. This study proposes an AI-driven, ethically guided, and human-centric sustainability framework to support resilient urban transformation in Iraq.MethodsThe proposed framework integrates Ethical Artificial Intelligence (EAI), machine learning techniques, and a computational decision-support system (DSS). A hybrid modeling approach combining Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and AI is developed to evaluate sustainability performance across interconnected sectors, including clean energy, water security, smart transportation, environmental protection, e-governance, and human development. The system incorporates real-time data analytics and a customized software prototype adapted to Iraq’s socio-economic and environmental context. Ethical principles such as transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy protection, and bias mitigation are embedded throughout the model design and implementation.ResultsThe framework enables dynamic and real-time sustainability assessment across multiple urban sectors. When applied to the Baghdad case study, it demonstrates improved performance in energy distribution efficiency, water resource management, healthcare service delivery, and governance transparency. The results indicate enhanced decision-support capability and optimized resource allocation, while explicitly prioritizing human development indicators within the evaluation and optimization process.DiscussionThe findings highlight the potential of Ethical Artificial Intelligence as a transformative enabler of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 16 in post-conflict contexts. The proposed framework provides a scalable and transferable model for sustainable urban transformation. It further demonstrates that embedding Ethical AI as a governing layer is essential for ensuring transparency, equity, accountability, and long-term resilience in smart city systems.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1751337</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1751337</link>
        <title><![CDATA[IoT-enabled indoor environments in smart cities: a systematic review on energy efficiency, user comfort, and environmental sustainability]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-05-04T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Systematic Review</category>
        <author>Nedim Alici</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionToday, the rapid acceleration of urbanization has made it necessary to reconsider the balance among energy consumption, environmental sustainability, and quality of life. Buildings, which account for a significant share of cities’ carbon footprint, play a critical role in efforts to improve energy efficiency and ensure user well-being. In this context, advances in digitalization and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have enabled buildings to evolve beyond mere physical structures into dynamic, data-driven, and user-interactive systems. Within this framework, the present study constitutes a systematic literature review addressing the effects of indoor environment design in smart cities on energy efficiency (E), user comfort (C), and environmental sustainability (S). In recent years, IoT-based sensor and control technologies have reconfigured approaches to energy management in buildings by enabling the continuous monitoring of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels, lighting, and movement, while also strengthening user experience through a holistic perspective.MethodsIn this regard, the study examined 76 different works in the literature, including field applications, experimental research, and conceptual models. These studies were evaluated through an inductive thematic analysis approach based on content and classified according to recurring conceptual clusters in the literature.ResultsAn examination of these sources reveals that the contributions of IoT technologies to smart buildings and cities are multidimensional in nature. This extensive body of knowledge in the literature demonstrates that IoT is not merely a technical infrastructure but also an ecosystem that transforms energy, health, the environment, transportation, and social life. It is evident that the data derived from all reviewed studies were synthesized under the headings of energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and comfort, smart city infrastructure, user interaction, security/facility management, and industrial applications. Accordingly, the present study evaluates the contributions of IoT-based solutions to reducing energy consumption, improving environmental conditions, and supporting user-centered indoor design. The reviewed studies show that these technologies not only enhance energy efficiency (maximum savings: smart parking [92.6%] and smart lighting [73.2%]; average building savings: 20–30% through BEMS and IoT systems; HVAC optimization: 30–70% through artificial intelligence), but also support user health and comfort (the use of smart systems is generally expected to produce an improvement of more than 20% in comfort levels, while this rate can reach the 70–90% range with advanced personalized models). Furthermore, they demonstrate that IoT-based systems play a strategic role in achieving environmental sustainability goals, reducing carbon emissions, and implementing smart city policies.DiscussionThe original contribution of this study lies in its systematic synthesis of energy, comfort, and sustainability within an integrated thematic classification framework, thereby revealing trends in the field, research gaps, and potential future directions.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1811625</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1811625</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Bridging global evidence and local realities: the Rais-MR3 digital governance model for transforming village fund management]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-21T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Muhammad Rais Rahmat Razak</author><author>Sofyan B</author><author>Wahyudi Sofyan</author><author>Sandi Lubis</author><author>Jamaluddin Ahmad</author><author>R Luki Karunia</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study investigates how the Rais-MR3 model can support the digital transformation of village fund governance in Indonesia by connecting global evidence with local institutional realities. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed, combining bibliometric mapping of 179 Scopus-indexed publications from 2015 to 2025 with qualitative field research in nine villages across South Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, and West Java. The bibliometric strand serves as an evidence map, identifying transparency, accountability, and participation as the most recurrent governance dimensions in the literature and showing that these dimensions are rarely integrated into empirically examined village-level digital governance models. The qualitative strand provides the study’s main empirical contribution by examining how Rais-MR3 is interpreted and enacted across different village contexts through interviews, focus group discussions, and non-participant observation. The findings show that Rais-MR3 works most effectively when digital tools are embedded in administrative routines, information disclosure practices, verification processes, and participatory oversight rather than treated as stand-alone technical solutions. Cross-case analysis indicates that transparency becomes more salient when information asymmetry and public trust are central concerns; accountability is more prominent when procedural discipline and role clarity are stronger; and participation is more visible when community deliberation and feedback are institutionally supported. These patterns suggest that the model operates adaptively rather than uniformly, with local administrative capacity, digital readiness, and socio-cultural conditions shaping which governance dimension becomes most prominent in practice.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1773832</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1773832</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Weighting landscape imagery variables for sustainable tourism development of traditional villages in Jiangxi Province, China]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Guo Yue</author><author>Mohamad Reza Mohamed Afla</author><author>Riyadh Mundher</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In tourism, local authorities must conduct continuous assessments of tourist site landscapes by identifying and understanding landscape imagery variables, which are crucial for promoting sustainable tourism development (STD). However, assessments and decision-making remain difficult due to a lack of knowledge about the importance of each landscape imagery variable. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relative importance and weights of landscape imagery variables that promote STD in traditional villages. This study based its evaluation on images of two traditional Chinese villages. Ten experts from China were recruited to classify the images based on the variables and to rank the variables within each image according to their importance. Guided by the results of this evaluation, we developed an analytical hierarchy process to determine the weights of landscape imagery variables. The results showed that sense of place achieved the highest weight (W = 10), then aesthetics achieved the second highest weight (W = 7), indicating that the tourists’ emotions with cultural connection and attractiveness of landscape elements promote STD and attract visitors. In contrast, diversity, visibility, and accessibility variables achieved the lowest weight (W = 1), suggesting that diversity and significant visual or physical accessibility are not essential for STD. Overall, the study determined the relative weights of landscape imagery variables and optimisation for decision support to promote STD and attract visitors in traditional villages in China.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1800181</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1800181</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Sustainability and technical assessment of oil storage techniques using a hybrid Fuzzy AHP-VIKOR approach]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-04-13T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Sameh Al-Shihabi</author><author>Sujan Piya</author><author>Haleimah Almurshidi</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Oil storage is a strategic necessity, but each storage technique—above-ground, underground, and in-ground—has distinct strengths and drawbacks, and growing sustainability demands complicate the choice of the best option. This study, therefore, develops a structured multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework that integrates technical, economic, social, and environmental factors to identify the most appropriate oil storage technique. Using a structured literature review and expert consultation, four main criteria and sixteen sub-criteria were defined. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) was then applied to elicit expert judgments and compute weights, while Fuzzy VIKOR (F-VIKOR) was used to rank the alternatives. The results indicate that the social criterion is the dominant factor, with safety being the most influential sub-criterion, followed by return on investment. The F-VIKOR analysis ranks underground storage as the best option, above-ground storage as second, and in-ground storage as third, with underground storage satisfying both the acceptable advantage and stability conditions. Sensitivity analyses confirm that underground storage remains the top-ranked technique under all weighting scenarios, although the rankings of above-ground and in-ground techniques interchange when economic and social weights change. This study offers decision-makers a robust and evidence-based tool for strategic planning and policy-making regarding strategic oil storage options.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1823059</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1823059</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Editorial: Transdisciplinary engineering for sustainability decisions]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-26T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Editorial</category>
        <author>Adam C. G. Cooper</author><author>Bryan Moser</author><author>Susan Krumdieck</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1750787</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1750787</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Stormwater utility funding in Phase I MS4s in the Mid-Atlantic United States: implications for compliance and flood resilience]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-18T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Adrielli Bonfanti Pagnoncelli</author><author>James Hunter</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In the United States, climate change and urbanization are increasing stormwater runoff, flooding, and infrastructure strain, creating pressure for municipalities to adopt sustainable and resilient stormwater management strategies. Addressing these demands requires dedicated funding mechanisms, prompting many municipalities to establish stormwater utilities as a sustainable revenue source. This study examines how Phase I Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) municipalities in the Mid-Atlantic region generate and allocate revenue through stormwater utility fees. Financial data for fiscal year 2022 were compiled and analyzed to evaluate spending across major program categories, including operations and maintenance, capital improvements, administration, education, and planning. The results show that operations and maintenance receive the largest share of stormwater utility funding, followed by capital investments, reflecting the expanding needs associated with aging infrastructure, increasing precipitation, and regulatory compliance. The analysis also identifies relationships between expenditure patterns, impervious surface coverage, and levels of urban development, indicating that more densely urbanized areas require higher per-acre investment to maintain adequate system performance. Despite dedicated fees, stormwater utilities continue to report funding gaps that limit their ability to meet long-term infrastructure and resilience needs. These findings suggest that stable revenue mechanisms, periodic rate updates, and proactive planning are essential to strengthen municipal capacity, support regulatory requirements, and enhance resilience under changing hydrologic and urban conditions.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1703271</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1703271</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Net greenhouse gas balances of South African pasture-based dairy farms: results from the DESTiny biogenic carbon model]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-03-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Riana Reinecke</author><author>James N. Blignaut</author><author>Heinz H. Meissner</author><author>Pieter A. Swanepoel</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Dairy production is a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet the full biogenic carbon balance of pasture-based dairy systems remains poorly quantified. The DESTiny framework, a biogenic carbon system dynamics model, was used to calculate net GHG balances for 12 pasture-based dairy farms in South Africa's Garden Route. Farms were grouped as low-, moderate-, or high-input based on fertilizer use, purchased feed, stocking rate, conservation tillage, and forage self-sufficiency. Eleven of the 12 farms exhibited negative net GHG balances. Farm balances ranged from −15,211 to +6,764 t CO2e year−1, and carbon intensity per kg of fat-and-protein-corrected milk (FPCM) ranged from −2.21 to +0.53 kg CO2e kg−1 FPCM (median −0.83 kg CO2e kg−1 FPCM). Low-input farms showed the most negative intensities (median −1.09 kg CO2e kg−1 FPCM), followed by moderate-input farms (−0.94 kg CO2e kg−1 FPCM), while high-input farms varied widely and included the only net source. External inputs (mostly purchased feed) and enteric methane each contributed approximately 40% of gross emissions. Farms achieving the greatest carbon accumulation potential typically combined high feed efficiency, strong milk solids, legume-rich pastures, conservation tillage, and near-complete reliance on home-grown forage. These results indicate that management decisions matter more than input intensity and that well-managed pasture-based dairies in this region can maintain a negative net carbon flux, transforming them from traditional emitters into verifiable climate assets.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1726832</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1726832</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Sustainable generative AI and quantum computing: review assessment on the environmental impact of generative AI and quantum technologies]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-25T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Esther O. Esho</author><author>Andronicus A. Akinyelu</author><author>Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Quantum Computing (QC) presents transformative opportunities, yet their high computational requirements raise concerns about their environmental sustainability. This comprehensive review examines the ecological footprint of both technologies, focusing on key metrics like energy consumption, carbon emissions, and resource depletion. Findings from existing studies consistently indicate that the impact of GenAI is mostly driven by the immense energy demands of large-scale model training and inference. Moreover, findings from the review reveal that the footprint of QC largely stems from the energy-intensive cryogenic cooling and rare material requirements of its specialized hardware. This paper benchmarks current approaches to environmental assessment, highlighting the important role of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in providing a holistic view of the classification of environmental impacts across the entire supply chain, from manufacturing to disposal. This study proposes a range of domain-specific mitigation strategies, including algorithmic optimizations like pruning and distillation for AI, and cryogenic and material sourcing improvements for quantum systems. This study also proposes a framework for proactive, responsible innovation and identifies some gaps in the literature, such as the lack of standardized metrics and transparent reporting. There is a need to embed eco-conscious principles in the design of future technologies and highlight opportunities where these technologies can be used to handle broader climate challenges. The findings in this study can be used by policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders in aligning technological progress with global climate and sustainability goals.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1728240</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1728240</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Reconceptualizing poverty in the digital era: AI-enabled mapping and the SDG 1 agenda]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Alain Monica George</author><author>Rupa R.</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In this paper, a conceptual framework for AI-enabled digital poverty mapping is formulated to promote Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1), which aims at eliminating poverty. The framework combines various data sources—satellite imagery, telecom data, household surveys, and administrative data—with the latest AI tools, representation learning, multimodal machine learning, geospatial analysis, and large language models to generate fine-resolution and multidimensional poverty maps and predictive indices. Comprising recent policy changes, such as UNDP programs and the UN Pact of the Future, and case studies of India and Kenya, the framework targets both economic and digital deprivation. It also provides ways of inclusive monitoring of poverty and focusing on ethical protection. The next step to be made in the future is pilot-testing, comparative research, and incorporation of this method into the UN system of monitoring poverty to track it globally and allow fair development.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1611741</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1611741</link>
        <title><![CDATA[The potential for a transdisciplinary systems approach to improve national policy analysis: learning from UK cases of home energy transitions]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-02-16T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Hypothesis and Theory</category>
        <author>Freya Wise</author><author>Adam Cooper</author><author>Claudia Eckert</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The urgent imperative to decarbonise societies requries effective decisions to neogotiate interconnections of people, technology and policies. In this theory paper, we hypothesise that integrating transdisciplinary engineering with systems approaches can provide useful principles and tools to support effective sustainability policymaking. We consider this hypothesis in the context of a historic and current UK energy sector transition: (a) the transition from ‘town-gas’ to natural gas in the 1960–1970s and (b) the current shift from natural gas to low carbon domestic heating, focussing on heat pump deployment. Through these case-studies, we find that transdisciplinary and systems approaches are apparent in the successful historic transition, while remaining largely absent in the present low carbon heating transition, which is currently stalled. We argue this is caused by policy analysis being siloed and economically focused. We present two systems approach examples to show how they might be applied to begin addressing current UK policy failures for low carbon heating. We identify benefits while recognising some key limitations of this approach, including the resource requirements on officials. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research to continue developing the conceptual and practical basis and therefore lead to improved decision making in national sustainability policymaking.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1706319</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2026.1706319</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Regional-scale land use change based on multi-scenario simulation and its impact on carbon storage: a case study of southern Jiangsu region]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-29T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Wanmei Zhao</author><author>Yanyan Lei</author><author>Chenglin Tan</author><author>Yuanxi Ma</author><author>Yuzhou Zhang</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Research on regional land-use changes and carbon storage is vital given climate change and human activities. First, the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use change and carbon storage in southern Jiangsu from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed. Using the MCCA model, future land use in southern Jiangsu for the year 2030 was simulated under various development scenarios, and the associated carbon storage was estimated. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) From 2000 to 2020, the land-use structure in the southern part of Jiangsu Province had a certain degree of stability but also underwent minor changes. Over the past 20 years, the area of cultivated land has decreased, whereas the areas of urban, rural, industrial, mining, and residential land have increased dramatically. (2) From 2000 to 2020, carbon storage in southern Jiangsu showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. The areas with relatively high carbon storage were primarily distributed in strips in the western part of southern Jiangsu and in the northern, central, and southern parts. Areas with relatively low carbon storage were mainly distributed in the northern part of southern Jiangsu Province, spreading outwards from multiple centers in a planar pattern. (3) The change in carbon storage of land use types in the southern Jiangsu region from 2000 to 2020 was positively correlated with changes in land use type area. (4) In 2030, the changes in land use structure and spatial distribution of land types under multiple scenarios in the southern Jiangsu region will be relatively stable. Cultivated land showed an increasing trend in the cultivated land protection scenario and a decreasing trend in the other scenarios. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for decision-makers to optimize land-use structures and rationally allocate land resources for territorial space planning in southern Jiangsu.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1742836</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1742836</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Low-carbon investment portfolio management: a systematic literature review and future research agenda]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-23T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Systematic Review</category>
        <author>Francine da Silva Borges</author><author>André Andrade Longaray</author><author>Ademar Dutra</author><author>Sandra Rolim Ensslin</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionThe green equity market has grown in tandem with environmental concerns, attracting increasing academic attention to best practices and the management of profitable portfolios in environmentally sustainable contexts. This study aims to identify the criteria and methods applied in the evaluation of low-carbon investment portfolios, while also presenting indicators from the main economic sectors and countries that have contributed to research in this field.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted to analyze published studies on portfolio management in green contexts and their contributions to scientific knowledge. This approach enabled the identification of key criteria, methods, and the state of the art in this research domain.Results and discussionThe primary criteria include performance indices of listed assets, combined with companies’ sustainability and transparency practices. The most prominent evaluation methods were mathematical, particularly statistical and econometric methods. Academic concern with managing low-carbon investment portfolios has intensified since 2010, consolidating in 2015 with the Paris Agreement and indicating a trend toward greater application of bibliometric analysis.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1717425</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1717425</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Emergent language among AI agents: a path toward energy efficiency and water conservation]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Perspective</category>
        <author>Jussen Facuy Delgado</author><author>Diego Arcos-Jacome</author>
        <description><![CDATA[The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) poses an increasing dilemma: its enormous energy and water consumption threatens environmental sustainability in a global context of climate crisis and resource scarcity. Although the use of more efficient hardware, renewable energy, and optimization techniques has improved data center efficiency, these solutions primarily focus on infrastructure, leaving unexplored the potential of communication among AI agents themselves. Recent developments in emergent languages show that agents can create autonomous protocols to coordinate more efficiently, reducing computational redundancies and data transmission, with direct implications for lowering the energy and water required for cooling and processing. In this perspective review we argue that optimized communication between agents represents a complementary pathway to align technological advancement with sustainability, while maintaining or even improving system performance. Advancing this field requires designing standardized metrics that integrate performance and environmental footprint, testing these protocols in real-world resource-limited scenarios, and establishing regulatory frameworks that make their impact transparent. This approach could transform the relationship between AI and sustainability, guiding it toward a more resilient and responsible future.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1703098</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1703098</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A theory-based decision support framework for energy transition: pluralized perspective]]></title>
        <pubdate>2026-01-05T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Review</category>
        <author>Olaoluwa Paul Aasa</author><author>Sarah Phoya</author><author>Rehema Joseph Monko</author><author>Innocent Musonda</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study presents a theory-based decision support framework for energy transitions that addressed the requirement for comprehensive approach beyond routine problem-solving techniques. The decision support framework integrates value-focused thinking, sustainability and resilience theories, and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The four theoretical lenses were synthesized to address three core support areas: alternatives identification, evaluation criteria development, and method selection. The resulting conceptual framework is structured into foundational, evaluation, and decision-making stages, each underpinned by stakeholder engagement and context alignment. To demonstrate usefulness, the article provides a detailed illustrative application to a hypothetical energy planning scenario in a Sub-Saharan Africa nation, an epicenter of energy access challenges. The framework offers transparency, adaptability, and rigor for methodological roadmap for national energy planning. This work provides a clear guide for policymakers and researchers to apply in diverse geographic and system scales, bridging the gap between theory and practical energy policy evaluation.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1641299</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1641299</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Sustainable energy transition towards decarbonization among developing countries: a systematic literature review]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-12-10T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Systematic Review</category>
        <author>Sudhanshu Joshi</author><author>Manu Sharma</author><author>Anil Kumar</author><author>Tanuja Joshi</author><author>Amar Johri</author><author>Muhannad Alfehaid</author>
        <description><![CDATA[IntroductionSustainable energy transitions have become an urgent global necessity. However, developing countries face critical challenges at the intersection of rising energy demand, inadequate infrastructure, constrained financial resources, and increasing climate commitments. Understanding how these nations navigate the shift toward sustainable energy systems is essential to accelerating global decarbonization.MethodsThis systematic review employs the DASOBI framework to synthesize empirical evidence on energy mix transitions and decarbonization pathways in developing countries between 2010 and 2025. Research questions were developed using the PICOS model, and 17 peer-reviewed studies were identified and analyzed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor.ResultsFindings reveal divergent transition trajectories among developing countries. Nations such as Morocco and Brazil demonstrate progress through effective institutions, supportive policy environments, and access to concessional financing, achieving measurable decarbonization outcomes. In contrast, countries like Nigeria and South Africa continue to encounter persistent barriers, including fossil fuel lock-in, limited governance capacity, and institutional inertia. Despite increasing technological acceptance, regulatory weaknesses, deficient sub-national capabilities, and societal resistance hinder broader systemic change.DiscussionThis review highlights that sustainable energy transition in developing contexts remains constrained by structural and institutional barriers. Nonetheless, adaptive, inclusive, and impact-focused policy frameworks can foster long-term transformation. The findings underscore the necessity of strengthening governance, improving access to finance, and promoting collaborative frameworks to accelerate decarbonization in the Global South.]]></description>
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        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1693950</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1693950</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Correction: Transdisciplinary model-based systems engineering in the development of the Ruminant Farm Systems model]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-09-17T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Correction</category>
        <author>Haowen Hu</author><author>Clifford A. Whitcomb</author><author>Thomas E. Ploetz</author><author>Kristan F. Reed</author>
        <description></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1561453</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1561453</link>
        <title><![CDATA[Transdisciplinary model-based systems engineering in the development of the Ruminant Farm Systems model]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-08-25T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Haowen Hu</author><author>Clifford A. Whitcomb</author><author>Thomas E. Ploetz</author><author>Kristan F. Reed</author>
        <description><![CDATA[This study adopts a transdisciplinary model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach to support the development of the Ruminant Farm Systems (RuFaS) model, an advanced on-farm decision support tool. Using the cloud-based MBSE platform Innoslate (SPEC Innovations, Manassas, VA), we identified key stakeholders, constructed use cases, defined system boundaries, refined stakeholder requirements, and outlined the system architecture and subsystem interfaces for RuFaS. To demonstrate RuFaS’s ability to meet stakeholder requirements, we selected a specific use case focused on comparing whole farm impacts across different manure management scenarios. For the current case, we defined 12 scenarios from 4 manure management strategies and 3 diet-climate conditions based on U.S. regions. The scenarios included two bedding types (sawdust vs. sand), two storage methods [anaerobic digestion with lagoon (ADL) vs. slurry storage (SS)], and three regions (R1, R2, R3). RuFaS predictions were responsive to changes in scenario conditions, with whole farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ranging from 1.23 ± 4.64 × 10−3 to 1.61 ± 9.45 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq/kg fat-and protein-corrected milk (FPCM). Regional variations influenced whole herd enteric CH4 intensity, with R2 scenarios showing the highest emissions (0.472 ± 3.65 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM), followed by R1 (0.458 ± 4.19 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM) and R3 (0.449 ± 3.45 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM), driven by differences in dry matter intake, and milk production and composition. Manure storage methods also impacted emissions, with ADL scenarios producing 0.146 kg CO2-eq/kg FPCM lower whole farm GHG emissions than SS scenarios, due to the combined effects of reduced manure storage CH4 emissions associated with anaerobic digestion and associated increased NH3 emissions and subsequent indirect N2O emissions. These findings highlight the complex interactions among RuFaS model components and confirm its ability to support effective comparisons of manure management practices to meet specific stakeholder needs. Our transdisciplinary MBSE approach provides a robust framework for ongoing RuFaS evaluation, ensuring alignment with stakeholder requirements. This study represents a pioneering milestone in the application of MBSE to agricultural system model development, highlighting its potential to advance decision-making in sustainable dairy farm management.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1523114</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1523114</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A sustainable approach tackling WEEE management using ontology-based DSS]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-08-12T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Ahmed Tarek Ismail Mohamed</author><author>Francesco Laviano</author><author>Debora Fino</author><author>Francesca Rubertelli</author><author>Claudio Toscano</author>
        <description><![CDATA[Electronic waste generation has been following a continuously rising trend. With electronics containing a myriad of materials some of which are hazardous, toxic, extremely rare, or precious combined with more stringent legislative laws which encourage the reuse and optimised recycling of the materials included in WEEE, the need for a holistic approach is inevitable. In the context of this research, the term holistic refers to the three aspects of material, technology, and hazard. This work aims to develop an approach that identifies the materials found in the various types of WEEE and their respective quantities as well as highlights the possible handling techniques and their respective impacts and associated hazards whether to the environment or human health. Performing such a task manually would be exasperating and costly while requiring extensive resources that might not be met with a justifiable economic gain; thus, the use of the advancement in computational sustainability to draw a complete framework and aid in an informed decision-making process is crucial. The WEEE ontology developed in this paper is one way of addressing the problem since it covers the treatment domain, the hazard and the materials contained within the different types of WEEE. The ontology developed in this research is part of a Decision Support System that is yet to be integrated, however, the ontology can be directly used from the commercial Protégé software.]]></description>
      </item><item>
        <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1578781</guid>
        <link>https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2025.1578781</link>
        <title><![CDATA[A cost-effective strategy for enhancing mobility in aging communities: the case of Narita City]]></title>
        <pubdate>2025-08-06T00:00:00Z</pubdate>
        <category>Original Research</category>
        <author>Takuto Ojima</author><author>Kazuo Hiekata</author><author>Takuya Nakashima</author>
        <description><![CDATA[In depopulated areas with aging populations, it is challenging to design public transportation services. This is because municipalities are expected to provide mobility to as many people as possible within a limited budget while considering the various modes of transportation in that municipality. This study therefore aims to explore sustainable transport policies that will improve both the mobility aspect for older adults and the financial aspect for municipalities. Specifically, we take Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, as an example, which operates demand-responsive transport (DRT) services and where urban and rural areas coexist. We then developed various transport policy scenarios, for example, varying the degree to which demand-responsive transport is operated, or adding a subsidy system through taxi ticket distribution, and comparing them on two axes: the municipality cost and the mobility indicator QoM (Quality of Mobility). By using QoM, we can evaluate changes in individual mobility and quantitatively analyze how transportation inconvenience and the impact of policy changes vary depending on individual attributes even within the same municipality. The results indicated that improving DRT convenience or introducing taxi subsidies led to increased costs to some extent but also significantly enhanced mobility levels. In particular, the more difficult it was for people to travel, the higher the impact– highlighting the importance of DRT for these individuals. Furthermore, we found that there were significant differences in mobility among residents depending on their residential area. This study suggests the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses not only public transportation but also urban planning to bridge these gaps.]]></description>
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