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Concrete is one of the most widely used man-made materials and is critical for the ongoing urbanization of the global population. However, owing to its widespread use, concrete can have a negative impact on the environment. This Review provides medium-term and long-term solutions to address the environmental concerns surrounding concrete production.
Deforestation and reforestation cause dramatic changes to tropical ecosystems, including underlying soil properties and their corresponding ecosystem services. In this Review, the impacts of this land-use change on soils and their functions are discussed.
Burning embers figures are used to represent climate-change risk and their transitions. This Review outlines the history and evolution of the burning embers concept, focusing on methodological shifts that increase transparency and allow for a more systematic elicitation process in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports.
Soil health is essential to crop production but is also key to many ecosystem services. In this Perspective, the definition, impact and quantification of soil health are examined, and the needs in soil-health research are outlined.
The South Pacific Convergence Zone describes a band of heavy precipitation extending south-eastwards from the Solomon Islands to French Polynesia. This Review discusses the mechanisms explaining the diagonal orientation of the South Pacific Convergence Zone, its variability and projected changes under anthropogenic warming.
Vegetation fires are integral to some ecosystems but can be economically and environmentally destructive. This Review discusses contemporary and future fire regimes, adaptation to fire in the Anthropocene and the need for increased transdisciplinary research to achieve better fire management.
Seismology provides information on the structure and composition of the Earth’s deep mantle. Without accurate constraints on the elastic properties of deep-mantle minerals, however, the seismic dataset cannot be fully interpreted. This Technical Review outlines the current techniques that are used to investigate the elasticity of typical mantle minerals.
Stressors arising from anthropogenic climate change threaten tropical fisheries and, in turn, those extratropical nations reliant on them. This Review discusses the impact of climate change on tropical fish stocks and catch potential, the corresponding telecoupling and subsequent adaptation measures.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial global impact. This Perspective provides insight into the environmental effects of the pandemic, documenting how it offers an opportunity to better understand the Earth System.
Prolonged extreme oceanic warm water events, known as marine heatwaves, can have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. This Perspective explores the predictability of marine heatwaves, taking into account the physical drivers, monitoring and prediction approaches, and stakeholder considerations.
