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Little is known about the contribution of peatlands to potable water resources at global and regional scales given that most peatlands are far away from major urbanized areas. This study analyses peatlands, human population and hydrometric datasets to identify hotspots where peatlands are crucial for water supply.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the food system impacts on a number of urban development issues such as poverty, unemployment and poor health. Informal traders meet the food needs of many poor urban households. However, supermarket chains are changing this, demanding particular policy and planning responses.

Large organizations struggle to implement new and promising sustainability practices widely, as documented extensively by social science research. Networks of informal relationships among people can contribute to the diffusion and learning of such innovations.

Choosing how much to take and how much to preserve from our environment is a challenging task, and every small decision counts. A behavioural experiment sheds new light on how time pressure negatively affects sustainability decisions.

Societal activities carry environmental costs, which can be mitigated to restore ecosystem function and services. A meta-analysis demonstrates strong negative effects of coal mining on stream biota and limited recovery after restoration.

Droughts and water shortages have threatened urban centres before, but Cape Town captured the world’s attention to the spectre of a full-scale shutdown. The lessons to be learned go beyond precipitation modelling to institutional organization, technological infrastructure, and social behaviour, and every world city should prepare before it’s too late.

Coal is an important energy source, but its use affects regional air quality and global climate. This study finds that coal mining reduces the diversity and number of stream animals and that these impacts persist after mine reclamation efforts.

Despite recent technological progress, providing safe, clean and sufficient water sustainably for all remains challenging. This Review assesses the potential applications of nanomaterials in advancing the sustainability of water treatment systems, and their associated barriers.

Using experimental behavioural methods, this study shows that time pressure leads to worse decisions over the sustainable management of collectively held natural resources.

Freshwater resources sustain ecosystems and societies, so reliable monitoring is critical. This study finds that streamgaging data reporting has declined worldwide since 1979, and that variation in monitoring threatens many US river basins.

A network experiment in a major environmental NGO finds that the diffusion of innovation is four times more likely when information regarding novel practices is targeted to staff members who participate in a greater number, and a more diverse set, of projects.