The V International M.Sc. WASTE Symposium on Current Challenges in Sustainability discussed the emerging and ongoing technologies, environmental impacts of the Covid -19 pandemic, and different countries’ perspectives. It was intended to provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary professionals to exchange their academic and technical knowledge on environmental topics.

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (United Nations). Industrial and economic development has always been a concern, but currently, the discussion on how to achieve these goals while protecting the environment became a relevant trending topic that must be discussed and considered worldwide. What are the positive and negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the environment?

How can we build a more sustainable global economy? 

What have we learned so far as a society from the pandemic? 

How are developed and developing countries achieving sustainability?

What are the current challenges to achieving United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals? 

The first step to addressing such questions is offering the chance to hold discussions about environmental technologies. The Symposium is aimed to find a coalition point for international speakers to share their experiences working and researching environmental technologies in the fields of Solid Waste, Waste Water Process Engineering along with Air Quality Control.

International speakers had presentations to share their experience and knowledge in the field of sustainability and to provide fresh insights into their national contexts. The core international conferences were framed in the following topics: 

Emerging and Ongoing Technologies – “Trending technologies and processes” 

COVID – 19 – “Environmental impacts and new challenges faced throughout the pandemic”

Germany and developing countries’ perspectives – “Placing sustainability into context”