Browsing by Author "Nazuk Bhasin"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Atmospheric Microplastics: Perspectives on Origin, Abundances, Ecological and Health Risks
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Shivali Gupta; Rakesh Kumar; Akanksha Rajput; Ruby Gorka; Antima Gupta; Nazuk Bhasin; Sudesh Yadav; Anju Verma; Kirpa Ram; Madulika Bhagat
Microplastic (MP) pollution has aroused a tremendous amount of public and scientific interest worldwide. MPs are found widely ranging from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems primarily due to the over-exploitation of plastic products and unscientific disposal of plastic waste. There is a large availability of scientific literature on MP pollution in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, especially the marine environments; however, only recently has greater scientific attention been focused on the presence of MPs in the air and its retrospective health implications. Besides, atmospheric transport has been reported to be an important pathway of transport of MPs to the pristine regions of the world. From a health perspective, existing studies suggest that airborne MPs are priority pollutant vectors, that may penetrate deep into the body through inhalation leading to adverse health impacts such as neurotoxicity, cancer, respiratory problems, cytotoxicity, and many more. However, their effects on indoor and outdoor air quality, and on human health are not yet clearly understood due to the lack of enough research studies on that and the non-availability of established scientific protocols for their characterization. This scientific review entails important information concerning the abundance of atmospheric MPs worldwide within the existing literature. A thorough comparison of existing sampling and analytical protocols has been presented. Besides, this review has unveiled the areas of scientific concern especially air quality monitoring which requires immediate attention, with the information gaps to be filled have been addressed. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
Participatory nature-driven urbanism: a pathway to achieving SDG-11 through community-led action
(Springer, 2025) Nazuk Bhasin; Sudhanshu Kumar; Gopal Shankar Singh
With escalating climate risks and environmental degradation, cities are struggling to meet the criteria of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG-11): Sustainable Cities and Communities. Conventionally, urban planning approaches have often overlooked community participation, traditional ecological knowledge, and the potential of nature-based solutions. This manuscript proposes that the Nature-Driven Urbanism (NDU) paradigm, centred around participatory governance and community-led ecological initiatives, be used as a transformative approach to help cities achieve SDG-11. Through an exploration of NDU principles and illustrative examples drawn from a variety of global urban contexts, this article examines how urban socio-ecological systems (USES) can flourish when local residents are at the core of decision-making. The review comprehensively demonstrates that integrating communities into decision-making processes through participatory NDU is crucial for cultivating USES that are more resilient to climate change, and are increasingly inclusive, liveable, and biodiverse. This critical shift from centralised, top-down urban planning towards decentralised community-based ecological governance models is therefore not merely an option but a strategic imperative for the future of urban sustainability. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.