Articles

Dealing with radioactive pollution first requires the detection of radioactive species released to the environment. Here the authors show an ultrasensitive and selective way to detect ⁹⁰Sr, one of the most frequently discharged products from nuclear reactors.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries are heralded as a sustainable energy technology but still face technical challenges. The hybrid electrolyte here eliminates hydrogen evolution reaction, the most thorny issue, and allows for impressive battery performance even under harsh conditions.

This study uses 30-m cropland maps to show that cropland expansion in protected areas accelerated dramatically from 2000 to 2019, compared with the expansion of global croplands, threatening the aspirations of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.

Over-exploited fish stocks drive evolutionary changes towards smaller maturation size and lower growth rates of individual fish. Coupling economic decision-making with eco-evolutionary fish population dynamics, the impact of alternative planning horizons on evolution and profit–conservation trade-offs are evaluated.

Recycling forms an essential dimension of batteries’ sustainability. Here the authors show a straightforward process that directly upgrades spent LiCoO₂ to a Mg and Al co-substituted LiCoO₂ cathode with a high voltage of 4.6 V and excellent cycling stability.

Vector-borne diseases are highly responsive to environmental changes, but such responses are difficult to isolate. Using human footprint index and machine learning, this study shows how the occurrence of six diverse vector-borne diseases responds to the intricate effects of human pressure.

Milling of mafic minerals has been proposed as a method to capture carbon dioxide. Hard rocks that are commonly crushed to produce construction aggregate, however, are more efficient at carbon dioxide capture and have the potential to trap substantial CO₂ as a by-product of aggregate production.

Ethylene is a widely used petrochemical feedstock for the manufacture of various critical chemicals. Here the authors show a rationally designed Cu catalyst that enables electrocatalytic production with high performance and economic feasibility as well as sustainability.

How climate, caribou and human well-being are linked is not well known. Using interviews conducted over 9 years with Indigenous hunters from the Western Arctic of America, this study analyses the mechanisms linking climate, caribou and human capacity to satisfy cultural and subsistence needs in a human–caribou system.

The authors show a reductive interlayer structure that renders semi-transparent solar cells with a favourable combination of high efficiency and improved operational stability. When integrated in greenhouses, plant growth is comparable to that in the traditional glass-roof mode.

Coastal deltas around the world have been losing land and disagreement on the extent of anthropogenic causes is rife. A balanced sediment budget for the Mississippi River Delta shows that the impact of levees and resource extraction have been the dominant drivers of land loss within Barataria Basin.

Sustaining marine biodiversity and socio-ecological systems requires strategic planning. This study finds that a bioregional planning approach can protect representative environments in the Southern Ocean given the political will to iteratively adapt existing and proposed Marine Protected Areas.

Biodegradation of polyesters such as polylactic acid (PLA), which could serve as a carbon source for value-added chemicals, leads to CO₂ emissions. Here the authors develop a two-step catalytic process to convert PLA into methyl methacrylate, a key building-block molecule, for sustainable valorization of waste PLA.

A full factorial experiment in a state-owned industrial oil palm plantation in Indonesia evaluates whether reduced management via reduced fertilization rates and mechanical weeding can decrease the negative impacts on ecosystem functions and biodiversity while maintaining profitability of the plantation.

The impacts on soil degradation of the massive land-use conversion of South American Pampa grasslands to agriculture are not well documented. This study estimates, over the period 1982–2019, the impacts of such conversion on the sediment cascade and how soil and water resources are affected as a result.

Intensifying agriculture can, in theory, spare nature from agricultural expansion. This study finds that intensification is not sparing tropical dry forests generally, but is in areas with widespread Indigenous land stewardship.

Agriculture is the largest threat to tropical ecosystems. This study finds that setting aside land for nature in targeted fashion, especially alongside rivers, can increase biodiversity and ecosystem services without reducing the net area cultivated.

Afforestation can effectively remove CO₂ but is constrained by the availability of suitable land and water resources. This study shows the large potential of afforestation for CO₂ sequestration in arid areas globally, using renewable electricity, particularly from solar photovoltaics, to power desalination plants.

Decarbonizing the aviation sector is difficult given travel patterns and technical and economic constraints. Through nine holistic scenarios towards net-zero emissions from aviation by 2050, this study can inform investments and priorities for innovation to achieve a more sustainable aviation sector.

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.