Illegal solid waste dumping is a significant factor contributing to environmental damage. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology was used for the identification and assessment of environmental damage in an illegal dumping area in China, with the aim of confirming environmental damage through analyzing changes in the soil bacterial communities across slag, sewage sludge, and non-contaminated areas. The results indicate that the diversity of soil bacteria decreases with an increase in the degree of pollution. The illegal dumping of slag resulted in an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and a decrease in the relative abundance of Acidobacteriota. Additionally, illegal dumping of sewage sludge resulted in an increase in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and a decrease in the relative abundance of Acidobacteriota. The contents of Ni and Be in slag and Cu, Pb, and Cd in sewage sludge were key factors affecting bacterial community composition. The results reveal the effects of heavy metal pollution on the soil bacterial community structure and its environmental driving factors, thus expanding understanding in the context of management of the environmental damage caused by illegal dumping, as well as providing a perspective on the changes in the soil bacterial community, allowing for environmental damage confirmation.

In light of the growing plastic waste problem worldwide, including in agriculture, this study focuses on the usefulness of both conventional, non-degradable plastics and environmentally friendly bioplastics in the agricultural sector. Although conventional plastic products are still essential in modern, even ecological agriculture, the increasing contamination by these materials, especially in a fragmented form, highlights the urgent need to search for alternative, easily biodegradable materials that could replace the non-degradable ones. According to the literature, polymers are widely used in agriculture for the preparation of agrochemicals (mostly fertilizers) with prolonged release. They also play a role as functional polymers against pests, serve as very useful super absorbents of water to improve crop health under drought conditions, and are commonly used as mulching films, membranes, mats, non-woven fabrics, protective nets, seed coatings, agrochemical packaging, or greenhouse coverings. This widespread application leads to the uncontrolled contamination of soil with disintegrated polymeric materials. Therefore, this study highlights the possible applications of bio-based materials as alternatives to conventional polyolefins or other environmentally persistent polymers. Bio-based polymers align with the strategy of innovative agricultural advancements, leading to more productive farming by reducing plastic contamination and adverse ecotoxicological impacts on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. On the other hand, advanced polymer membranes act as catching agents for agrochemicals, protecting against environmental intoxication. The global versatility of polymer applications in agriculture will not permit the elimination of already existing technologies involving polymers in the near future. However, in line with ecological trends in modern agriculture, more green polymers should be employed in this sector. Moreover, we highlight that more comprehensive legislative work on these aspects should be undertaken at the European Union level to guarantee environmental and climate protection. From the EU legislation point of view, the implementation of a unified, legally binding system on applications of bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics should be a priority to be addressed. In this respect, the EU already demonstrates an initial action plan. Unfortunately, these are still projected directions for future EU policy, which require in-depth analysis.

Despite mitigating several negative impacts caused by the relentless waste production from urban centers, sanitary landfills are enterprises with enormous potential for spreading various kinds of environmental damage. Leachate, a liquid resulting from waste degradation, once disposed into the soil or in surface and groundwaters without proper treatment, will inevitably pollute the environment by the intake of organic matter, heavy metals, and nutrients in violation of legal regulations, causing ecological disruption and posing risks to human health. This study aimed to demonstrate and evaluate the legal and environmental aspects regarding the revocation of the concession for managing the Sanitary Landfill of LagesSC, prompted by an environmental crime that took place on-site, with the legacy of the company awarded the contract being a liability with high remediation costs. To achieve this objective, the research considered regulations related to operational practices in this sector; records of negligent actions by the sectors involved in managing the current situation, using document analysis of public and private archives such as Infraction Notices, Administrative Processes, and Public Civil Actions. It addressed the relationship between the collected data and Environmental Law, and explained civil responsibilities, legal procedures, and environmental measures adopted following the confirmation of the environmental damage.

Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has led to the destruction of natural resources, ecosystems, and infrastructure. These actions have violated international principles of environmental safety. The hostilities have caused serious damage to nature reserves, wetlands, and soil. Air and water pollution have a transboundary effect. Russia's actions threaten future generations and the climate. That is why the creation of a mechanism to ensure environmental safety is an urgent problem for world civilization. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the criminal responsibility for ecocide in the context of Russia's military aggression and identify the existing legislative problems in this area and ways to overcome them. The methodology of the study of ecocide and its connection with Russia's military aggression includes analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, dialectic, analytics, analogy, abstraction, and generalization. These methods help to reveal the essence of the problem, establish legal norms, and develop recommendations and priorities for regulating ecocide.

The Outer Space Treaty makes it clear that the Moon is the 'province of all mankind', with the latter ordinarily understood to exclude state or private appropriation of any portion of its surface. However, there are indeterminacies in the Treaty and in space law generally over the issue of appropriation. These indeterminacies might permit a close approximation to a property claim or some manner of 'quasi-property'. The recently revealed highly inhomogeneous distribution of lunar resources changes the context of these issues. We illustrate this altered situation by considering the Peaks of Eternal Light. They occupy about one square kilometer of the lunar surface. We consider a thought experiment in which a Solar telescope is placed on one of the Peaks of Eternal Light at the lunar South pole for scientific research. Its operation would require non-disturbance, and hence that the Peak remain unvisited by others, effectively establishing a claim of protective exclusion and de facto appropriation. Such a telescope would be relatively easy to emplace with today's technology and so poses a near-term property issue on the Moon. While effective appropriation of a Peak might proceed without raising some of the familiar problems associated with commercial development (especially lunar mining), the possibility of such appropriation nonetheless raises some significant issues concerning justice and the safeguarding of scientific practice oh the lunar surface. We consider this issue from scientific, technical, ethical and policy viewpoints. Published by Elsevier Ltd.