International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Climate change, declining water resources, and increasing agricultural water demand have made effective, sustainable, and locally based solutions in struggling drought inevitable. While 8.5 million hectares of Turkey’s agricultural land (24 million hectares) are economically suitable for irrigation, only 7 million hectares are currently irrigated. Of the 112 billion m3 usable water potential annually, 58 billion m3 are consumed. 76% of the consumed water is used in agriculture, 12% for drinking, and 12% in industry. The significant use of water in agriculture highlights the importance of irrigation activities and the irrigation organizations that have a say in this matter. In recent years, drought-related rainfall has decreased, and irrigation water supply has been a problem, particularly in arid regions. Considering all of this, irrigation organizations are directly involved not only in the technical management of water but also in promoting awareness of drought, using resources effectively, and improving society’s adaptation to the process. Research reveals that irrigation organizations play an important role in maintaining agricultural production during dry periods, distributing water resources and informing farmers. Their role in drought management extends beyond infrastructure management; they also increase public awareness and encourage behavioral changes through educational activities, awareness campaigns, and technical support. This study attempts to identify the methods irrigation organizations are currently using, or should use, in drought management, drawing on literature. Key recommendations include increasing the institutional capacity of irrigation organizations, integrating scientific data with local knowledge, expanding digital monitoring systems, integrating with drought early warning systems, and developing training programs to encourage the active participation of young farmers. In addition, in order to increase the effectiveness of struggling drought, it is necessary to switch to a risk-based management approach instead of approaches that focus only on moments of crisis.

Carbon capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies are rapidly evolving as a critical component of global decarbonization strategies, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as natural gas processing, power generation, fertilizer, cement and steel production industries. Amine-based absorption systems are currently the most established capture method, widely applied in large point sources for natural gas processing and chemical industries. Alternatives such as membrane separation, adsorption, and direct air capture are also emerging, offering benefits for specific applications. CO2 transport is increasingly diversified, with supercritical CO₂ pipelines and liquefied CO₂ shipping offering scalable and flexible solutions. CO₂ storage is focused on deep saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields. Carbon capture costs are project-specific and depend on CO2 concentrations, facility size, and technology complexity, with costs ranging from 30 to 120 US$/tCO2. The CCUS chain will undergo substantial development in the next decades, both in technological maturity and economic viability. As of early 2025, the total global CCUS capacity was 50 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and is expected to reach 1300 MTPA by 2050. Yet, this will cover only 6% of total global CO₂ emissions, far from any net-zero carbon emissions scenario. By 2050, modularization, improved materials, and process integration are expected to reduce investment costs by up to 30%.

Albania has significant water resources, yet seasonal fluctuations and inefficient usage increasingly threaten these. This study examines the repercussions of changes in the hydrological cycle on the country’s land and ecosystems, as well as the broader social, economic, and environmental pressures. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of industrial and agricultural practices, alongside the effects of urban population growth, we highlight how these factors exacerbate climate change impacts on water resources. Specifically, we investigate shifts in water quality and quantity, alterations in precipitation patterns, and the intensification of temperatures, evaporation, humidity, and soil aridity. The National Strategy for Water Resources Management (2018–2027) aims for sustainable water usage and improved quality across all resources by 2027, while also addressing disaster risks associated with droughts and floods. However, Albania faces escalating challenges in water resource management, impacting both supply and demand. Climatic trends indicate a decline in rainfall and river flows, particularly during summer, as well as increased soil dryness and more frequent extreme weather events. Currently, hydropower plants generate nearly 90% of the country’s energy, further straining water resources. According to the SPEI Annual Drought Index, by 2100, Albania is projected to face a marked decline in precipitation, compounded by heightened dryness and reduced moisture levels. Recent data shows that the number of days exceeding 20°C has doubled and tropical nights have tripled compared to historical averages. Over the past three decades, floods and landslides have accounted for significant economic losses, with 40.2% and 33.5% of damages respectively. To address these challenges, urgent and long-term measures are required, including the sustainable management of water resources, modernization of distribution networks, and enhanced water efficiency to mitigate waste.

This paper examines an innovative approach for modeling the influence of climate parameters on transport infrastructure using artificial neural networks. Through them, detailed climatic data are generated by geographical positions and monthly and annual maps are created for Bulgaria’s territory using the following parameters: surface temperature, diffuse fraction, horizontal solar irradiation, and average albedo of the terrain. Average ground temperature and monthly solar irradiation are essential for maintenance planning and developing strategies to adapt to extreme weather conditions, such as heat waves or frost, which can affect the condition and performance of the road surface. Average monthly temperatures can be used to design effective systems to prevent icing of road surfaces and improve drainage systems. By demonstrating the capabilities of accurate modeling and analysis, this paper highlights the importance of applying artificial neural networks in planning and improving the resilience of transport infrastructure against climate change.

The last three decades in Kazakhstan turned out to be the warmest in the history of meteorological observations, and led to an increase in the average annual temperature by 1.91 °C. Global warming has become a serious risk for the intensive development of animal husbandry in the country. To reduce the stressful effects of abnormal heat and cool animals, a number of domestic farmers use shadow screens, various forms of forced convection and evaporative cooling, which include fans and sprayers, sprinklers. However, these measures do not give the desired result: they are energy-intensive, inefficient and do not form a normalized microclimate in livestock premises. The article describes the formation of a normalized microclimate for keeping cattle in the summer in the southern, southeastern and western regions of Kazakhstan.

Experts’ climate models predict a continued trend in global warming over the coming decades. They present climate change as a major challenge to modern society with a clear and complex nature in various aspects – ecological, social, technological, economic and political. The EU’s response to the challenges of climate change and the environment is contained in the Union’s strategic goals and objectives for 2030 with a horizon of 2050, agreed in the Green Deal and the Digital Compass of the European Union.
The purpose of this report is to present the state of environmental indicators for Bulgaria and the region and the role of natural carbon sinks for their improvement.

The article focuses on issues related to the assessment and interpretation of existing data on crisis events in the context of transport infrastructure. In the face of global climate change, analyzing these data becomes increasingly complex and requires in-depth consideration. The main challenges the paper addresses include the lack of comprehensive and up-to-date data, limited opportunities to analyze causal relationships between climate events and their impact on transport infrastructure, and shortcomings in existing analysis methodologies. The authors call for the development of new, more efficient methods of data collection and analysis that can serve as a basis for future strategic decisions.

The Green Transition, aiming for a sustainable and eco-friendly future, plays a crucial role in ensuring societal security. As the world grapples with climate change and environmental degradation, the Green Transition offers a pathway to address these challenges while fostering societal cohesion and resilience. In Bulgaria, the Green Transition is not just an environmental endeavor but also a means to counter disinformation narratives and foreign authoritarian influence. This paper examines Bulgaria’s efforts in the Green Transition, its implications for societal security, and the challenges and opportunities it presents.

The article presents an in-depth analysis of the data related to the assessment of the impact of climate change on the road infrastructure in Bulgaria. It is necessary to systematically collect, store, and analyze territorial data on the dynamics of changes in various climatic factors such as temperature, snow cover, precipitation, winds, etc. The article examines the main sources of such information in Bulgaria, their limitations, and shortcomings. Identifying the needs and weaknesses in finding usable data is an important step on the way to building a strategy to solve this task.

Climate changes are having an increasingly strong impact on the sustainability and safety of the road infrastructure in Bulgaria. This paper analyzes how changes in climatic conditions over the last three decades affect the condition and functioning of the road network. The aim is to identify critical factors and propose methodological guidelines for design and maintenance that include adaptive strategies to address climate risks. The work emphasizes the need for a complex multidisciplinary approach combining scientific research, strategic planning, and practical implementation.

One of today’s biggest challenges is to manage the extremes in water resource management associated with climate change. Central Europe and Hungary are among the regions most affected by the impacts of water management extremes. The study area is one of the most vulnerable regions of Hungary, with a high climate sensitivity. Although there is a significant network of infrastructure in place to mitigate water shortages, it is both overstretched and burdened by significant operating costs. The recent energy price explosion has focused attention on the operational issues of these systems. However, for areas beyond their reach, only locally available primary and secondary water resources offer the potential for prevention and mitigation. These have a limited reach and are costly to use. One of today’s popular slogans is ‘water to the landscape’, and the paper will discuss the possibilities and limitations of this in the sample area.

The article presents the results of a study of the conditions for further improvement and development of high-tech agricultural production in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to define conceptual approaches to the technical and technological modernization of the agro-industrial complex as a key element of sustainable development of the real sector of Ukraine’s economy and strategic directions of research in agricultural science. The study found that in the context of inevitable climate change, the basis for the formation of highly automated agriculture will be flexible environmentally friendly technological processes in agricultural production, built on fundamentally new technical and technological principles, namely: intellectualization, digitalization, integrated automation and robotization. A concept for the development of high-tech agricultural production in Ukraine based on the principles of sustainable development and the innovative concept of Industry 4.0 was also developed, which will ensure high and sustainable economic growth of the agro-industrial complex, development of domestic agricultural engineering and related sectors of the economy. The strategic tasks for agricultural science in the development of the technical and technological base of highly automated agricultural production are outlined. The study of modern trends in the development of economies of advanced countries and their effectiveness give grounds to assert that the identified strategic directions of technical and technological modernization of the agricultural sector will be the basis for the formation of an effective model for the development of high-tech agro-industrial climate-oriented production in Ukraine.