Water is an indispensable natural resource, yet it faces escalating threats from pollution, climate change, and human activity. The Water Environment: Addressing Global Water Challenges section of Discover Environment Journal is dedicated to publishing innovative research on the dynamics of water systems—tracing their journey from source to fate while examining the interplay between natural processes and anthropogenic influences. This section delves into critical domains, including chemical hydrology, watershed and basin science, glacier environments, and land-use impacts. We welcome contributions that address pressing issues such as water pollution, the transport and transformation of contaminants, hydrological modeling, and sustainable water management strategies. We place particular emphasis on the consequences of land-use changes on hydrological cycles, the stability of glacier-fed water systems, and effective approaches to safeguarding freshwater and marine ecosystems.

Key topics include:

Chemical Hydrology: Analysis of water composition, pollutant behavior, and geochemical interactions shaping water quality.

Basin and Catchment Science: Investigations into watershed hydrology, sediment transport, and hydrogeomorphological processes.

Glacier Environments: Research on cryospheric hydrology, glacier-fed rivers, and the influence of climate change on water availability.

Land-Use Systems: Examining the effects of agriculture, urbanization, deforestation, and industry on water resources.

Water Pollution & Remediation: Addressing emerging contaminants (e.g., microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS), nature-based solutions, and policy frameworks for water protection.

Sustainable Water Management: Innovations in water conservation, resilience-building strategies, and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

Methodological advancement in water research

Furthermore, to enhance the scope and impact of the section, we strongly encourage submissions that:

• Include case studies from underrepresented regions, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa and small island states, to showcase diverse hydrological challenges and locally relevant water management solutions.

• Promote the integration of traditional ecological knowledge and community-based water governance practices to enhance the cultural relevance and sustainability of proposed water stewardship strategies.

• Explore transboundary water issues, including shared aquifers and river basins, to highlight the importance of cooperation and policy in sustainable resource management.

• Emphasize the value of coupling remote sensing and GIS technologies with in-situ hydrological data for improved water quality monitoring and modeling accuracy across scales.

• Focus on emerging contaminants such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and PFAS in both freshwater and marine environments, reflecting current global research priorities.

• Give greater attention to groundwater-surface water interactions and their implications for long-term water availability, especially under changing climate and land-use patterns.

• Highlight the role of climate change scenarios and projections in shaping adaptive water management frameworks, particularly in glacier-fed and drought-prone regions.

• Feature interdisciplinary collaborations between hydrologists, ecologists, social scientists, and engineers to propose holistic and inclusive water resource solutions.

• Promote alignment of all submissions with SDG targets, especially SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), to strengthen policy relevance.

• Include policy briefs or synthesis articles that translate technical findings into actionable guidance for water managers and decision-makers.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and highlighting diverse perspectives, the Water Environment: Addressing Global Water Challenges section serves as a vital platform for advancing knowledge on global water challenges and informing policy for sustainable water stewardship.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to: SDG 6 & SDG 13

Keywords: Water Systems, Water Pollution, Climate Change, Land-Use Impacts, Sustainable Water Management, Emerging Contaminants, Hydrological Modeling, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), Chemical Hydrology, Watershed Science, and Glacier Environments.

Background:

Ecological deterioration and climate change are on the rise, posing significant shifts in production, investment and consumption of societies. The attainment of economic development through the use of fossil fuels and polluting technologies causes the emission of greenhouse gases that deteriorate the environment (Deka et al., 2023; Kadir et al., 2023). Pollution is an inevitable by-product of economic activities; thus, it is important to develop contemporary economic models that address environmental costs and the problem of resource depletion (Hussen, 2000; Deka, 2024; Jarijari et al., 2025). This collection realizes the importance of adopting a multi-faceted approach that integrates strategic financial mechanisms with technological innovation and optimized resource use in order to foster ecological sustainability. The collection seeks to address the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) 13 of climate action through the use of less polluting energy sources and technologies, and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

Aims:

This collection aims to synthesize and explore knowledge on how green finance, energy efficiency and clean technologies can be employed in advancing a smooth transition to sustainable futures. Policy frameworks, emerging solutions and effective strategies that that are useful in facilitating a shift to clean energy and technologies, foster sustainable economic development and environmental protection are explored on.

Objectives:

* To display clean technological advancements that lessen environmental impact in different economic sectors.

* To demonstrate how energy efficiency is fundamental in reducing emissions.

* To investigate key mechanisms that can be adopted to ensure the efficient channeling of green finance into practices and projects that support environmental sustainability.

* To identify interconnections as well as synergies between these three pillars; hence, facilitate the development of integrated sustainable solutions

Scope:

This Collection explores interdisciplinary strategies integrating finance, energy, and technology to tackle global environmental challenges.

* Green Finance: Sustainable investment funds, green bonds, impact investing, carbon finance, sustainable banking practices, lending that considers an assessment of environmental risk, green finance policy frameworks, and the promotion of sustainability by financial institutions.

* Clean Technologies: that is, (i) technologies on carbon capture and pollution control; (ii) renewable energy sources, such as hydro, geothermal, wind and solar; (iii) innovations on the circular economy and waste management; (iv) sustainable solutions to transportation, such as electric vehicles and alternative fuels; (v) green building materials and technological innovation toward sustainable agriculture.

* Energy Efficiency: Smart grids, smart metering incentives or nudging strategies for consumer energy reduction, retrofitting energy-efficient technologies in buildings and in new designs, efficient standards on appliances, optimizing industrial energy, and energy management systems.

* Governance and Policy: International agreements, regulatory frameworks, incentive measures and regulatory standards for energy efficiency and public-private partnerships in supporting the scaling and adoption of clean technologies.

* Best Practices and Case Studies: Successfully implemented real-world examples from different industrial sectors and geographical contexts.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 7 & SDG 13

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Green Finance; Green Technological Innovations; Energy Efficiency; Climate Change; Sustainable Development