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A geospatial estimate of water scarcity in middle- to low-income countries finds that less than 37% of small-scale farms have irrigation. However, there exist considerable gaps in evidence for most commonly proposed, on-farm interventions.
To promote sustainable agriculture, small-scale producers must be included in the transformation of food systems. This scoping review finds that non-contract interactions provide producers with services such as credit, information and logistics.
Aligned action to address the COVID-19 crisis contrasts with the heterogeneous response to tackle climate and sustainability challenges. The authors discuss the importance of strong personal norms and lessons for sustainability.
A more sustainable agriculture is needed to address global food security and environmental degradation. This scoping review surveys the incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices benefiting their farms, the environment or both.
Reducing postharvest crop losses is vital to sustainably increase agricultural productivity. This analysis reveals a need for systematic assessment of postharvest loss reduction interventions across the value chain, targeting stakeholders beyond farmers, and for a more diverse range of food crops, to shape future policy decisions.
Sustainability science needs to better mobilize a range of knowledge to support transformative change. This Perspective contends that such transformative, action-oriented knowledge emerges from integrating multiple kinds of knowledge and ways of knowing.
Exposure to volatile chemical products happens during or in the vicinity of product use and through ambient air; the latter pathway is neglected in exposure estimates. This study shows that both pathways should be considered in efforts to develop safer and more sustainable products and to achieve cleaner air.
Reverse osmosis membranes are the primary technology used for desalination and wastewater recycling, but they are prone to biofouling and subsequent performance deterioration due to poor tolerance to disinfecting agents such as chlorine. Here a chlorine-resistant polyester reverse osmosis membrane is developed to prevent biofouling and increase the sustainability of desalination and wastewater reuse.
Models typically used to analyse climate–economy interactions have paradoxically ignored much of nature’s value. A new study explicitly addresses this issue and reveals feedback loops between nature and the climate system that make climate change more costly.
Models used to calculate the costs of carbon emissions do not include ecological damages. This study expands an integrated assessment model to include natural capital as a form of wealth, and shows that accounting for the use and non-use value of nature has large implications for climate policy.
Worldwide, longer fire seasons are causing unsustainable impacts. This study finds that the 2019–20 Australia fire season caused health-related costs of AU$1.95 billion, nine times the median for the previous 19 years.
Changes in forest disturbance affect their sustainability. This study finds that between 1986 and 2016, 36 million disturbances by humans or other causes affected 17% of Europe’s forest area.
Biodeterioration of stone monuments and buildings can lead to a loss of world cultural heritage. This Review discusses the role of microbes in the deterioration processes, the biochemical mechanisms involved and possible strategies for sustainable conservation of stone monuments and buildings.
The water–energy–food nexus has provided a framework for comprehensive analysis, but this Perspective argues for adding forest studies to better integrate the needs and ecosystems of smallholders, especially in the Global South.
Shifting global food production to plant-based diets by 2050 can sequester 99–163% of the CO2 emissions budget towards limiting climate warming to 1.5 °C.