If in the 19th century scientific knowledge moved from a generalist perspective to a growing specialization, in recent decades, problems that transcend disciplinary and political boundaries have required solutions based on interdisciplinary research and global actions, which led to the establishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Viewing from the latter perspective, the study of ecosystem services has converged on a fast-growing, transdisciplinary area of knowledge, at the same time that the advances in the nuclear field have enabled applications in industry, health, agriculture and the environment. Considering the development of these two areas of knowledge, the objective of this study is to evaluate the correlation between Ecosystem Services (ES) and Nuclear Science and Technology (NST), by means of category building and content analysis applied to articles compiled from Web of Science. From 1980 to June 2020, 27,301 records (articles and reviews) were listed for the term “Ecosystem Service*”. When refining the result with the application of descriptors related to the nuclear field, correspondences were found for “Uranium”=14; “Nuclear Power”=6; “Nuclear Energy”=3; “Nuclear Technology*”=1; “Nuclear Fuel*”=1; “Nuclear Material*”=1; “Radiation”=7; “Isotope*”=188, totalizing 221 correspondences. On the other hand, 9,949 records were obtained for the same time interval, when using the descriptors for the nuclear field, plus the terms “Nature” or “Ecosystem*” or “Environment”. Despite attesting that NST truly converges on ES, this correlation needs to be made more explicit in ES studies, in order to expand the perspectives for the conservation, preservation and recovery of the ecosystem services and their contribution to human well-being.

Nuclear science and technology (NST) offers a multitude of applications and tools and has a high level of regulation. However, its contribution to the achievement of global development goals is still incipient. Although its application is directly related to many fields, especially sustainability, the current literature does not relate it to socio-environmental issues, hindering the adoption of public policies based on isotopic and nuclear solutions. In large and megacities, the promotion of human well-being and the conservation of ecosystems are urgent global challenges, especially as a function of the growing expansion of land use modification, water scarcity, and climate change. The relationship between society and NST is addressed in this study, which aims to show how and in what ways the emerging and innovative nuclear and isotopic solutions contribute to the urban dimension of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, expressed by SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and its connection to land, water, and climate change in cities. This gap in knowledge compromises the targeting of resources to improve NST as a development strategy. Demystifying NST and increasing collaboration between ecosystem services and other issues related to sustainability in cities are key to implementing global development policies, especially at the local governance level.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo investigar os desafios da logística reversa de resíduos sólidos na atividade odontológica na Região do Médio Canindé, estado do Piauí. Quanto aos aspectos metodológicos, possui natureza qualitativa e caráter descritivo. A coleta de dados ocorreu em fonte secundária (documental) e primária, por meio da aplicação de roteiro de entrevistas semiestruturadas com sujeitos responsáveis pela gestão de resíduos sólidos odontológicos. Utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo de Bardin (2016) na análise dos dados. Quanto aos resultados, cinco dimensões foram categorizadas: segregação; acondicionamento; coleta e armazenamento; transporte e tratamento; e disposição final dos resíduos odontológicos. Identificou-se, pois, que os principais desafios associados à implementação do sistema de gestão de resíduos sólidos odontológico são os custos dessa operação; bem como, a escassez de empresas especializadas na logística reserva desses resíduos; e ausência de um Plano de Gerenciamento de Resíduos do Serviço de Saúde. A presente pesquisa contribui com o avanço científico no que tange aos desafios da implementação da Logística Reversa aplicada aos resíduos odontológicos; bem como, sinaliza aspectos que podem auxiliar na melhoria de políticas públicas voltadas à gestão desses resíduos.