The environmental implications of meeting the needs of the poorest are under debate. By showing substantial inequalities in natural resource claims and responsibility for ecological damage globally, this study estimates and discusses the impacts of achieving just access on the Earth system.

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogen has emerged as a sustainable means for the production of ammonia. Here the authors design bimetallic Fe–Co single-atom catalysts dispersed on carbon that enable unprecedented ammonia yield rates.

Sustaining tropical reefs in the Anthropocene is a vital challenge. This study proposes guiding regional conservation on the basis of ecological processes and finds that the biomass and productivity of reef fish provide complementary information for management.

Aviation is a major contributor to climate change. This study assesses the potential of bioenergy crops planted in the US Midwest to meet projected US jet-fuel demand in 2040, finding that planting roughly 23.2 million hectares of marginal land with miscanthus would meet this need.

Electrochromism provides a means to control transmittance of light for increased energy efficiency of buildings. Here the aqueous electrochromic design features tunable emissivity and allows for all-season radiative thermoregulation.

The washing processes of synthetic textiles have become one of the main sources of microplastic pollution in the oceans. Here the authors show the rational design of polydimethylsiloxane-coated nylon that releases substantially less microplastic fibres in both dry and wet conditions.

Diversified renewable energy sources can enable the sustainable operation of multisector resource systems. An artificial intelligence-assisted multi-objective design framework, applied in Ghana, explores optimized management and investment strategies balancing hydropower, bioenergy, solar and wind energies, and their impacts.

Seaweed farming could reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint, but its potential is not well-explored yet. This study shows how globally extended aquaculture can reduce terrestrial crops demand and greenhouse gas emissions while providing a substitute or supplement for food, animal feeds and fuel.

The global economy delivers benefits but affects the environment. A study finds that over the period 1995–2019 the environmental pressures and impacts of EU consumption of goods and services were outsourced to non-EU countries, while the benefits stayed within the EU but were not evenly distributed.

The impacts of air pollution on mental health have been previously documented but rarely using nationwide large-scale data. This study investigates the short-term and long-term impacts of air pollution on urbanites’ mental health by leveraging national real-time internet search data in China.

Nature Sustainability is five. We reflect on what we have achieved so far and our ambitions going forward.

Sustainably addressing the water needs of populations in countries lacking adequate infrastructure is challenging. We discuss the potential of decentralized water and wastewater treatment using electrified processes across Latin American countries and reflect on what would help their implementation in the region.

The healthy watersheds concept links ecosystem condition with human benefits and helps decision-makers evaluate trade-offs. Implementation requires letting go of technocratic approaches, accounting for ecosystem services, embracing watersheds’ complexity and supporting participatory processes and subsidiarity.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage, a fundamental process to a sustainable future, relies on a suite of technologies among which electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is essential. Here, we discuss the issues faced when reporting performance of this technology and recommend how to move forward at both materials and device levels.

Herman Daly, one of the founders of ecological economics, has died at the age of 84. His work questioning the pursuit of economic growth, and articulating the alternative of a steady-state economy, has been foundational to sustainability science.

Restoring the connection between people and the rest of nature hinges on whole-system science, actions and negotiations.