News & Comment

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.

Julie Zimmerman takes a complete systems-thinking approach towards lowering consumption of non-renewable resources and the technological approaches to get there. As professor of chemical and environmental engineering, environment, and epidemiology at Yale University, she is taking green chemistry to new levels.

Our planet is rapidly urbanizing. Research has recognized the complexity of city-driven dynamics, but our political realities have yet to catch up. A new narrative of sustainable urban development must become central to global policymaking to help humanity respond to the most pressing social and environmental challenges.

As the pace of global change quickens, traditional means of data collection may fall short in monitoring its impacts. To ensure a sustainable future, we need all hands on deck in observing our changing planet.

Citizen science efforts are instrumental in monitoring our progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Dilek Fraisl, Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, and Omar Seidu, Director of Social and Demographic Statistics and the SDGs Coordinator at the Ghana Statistical Service, discuss how Ghana successfully integrated citizen science data into its official monitoring of marine plastic debris.

Margot Wallström, former European Commissioner for the Environment and former Foreign Secretary of Sweden, led an international expert panel at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute to study the intertwined risks of global environmental crises and conflict.

Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary is an associate professor of economics at the school of global studies of Tokai University in Japan and vice-president and co-founder of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies based in Australia. He talks about bringing private investment to sustainability projects.

The unfolding energy crisis will have dramatic consequences in many parts of the world, for both people and the planet. Governments should keep that in mind when deciding what to do.

The provision of good healthcare is one of the top priorities of modern societies. Experts are urging decision-makers to ensure that healthcare is delivered sustainably.

Mounting evidence of the effect of pollution on human health is shaping the field of sustainability in clinical care. Jodi Sherman, MD and associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health, explains that healthcare pollution harms public health, is underappreciated and escapes oversight of health services.

The anniversary of a historic publication provides the chance to reflect on how we consider limits and on the value of cross-fertilization between research traditions.

Flooding, already the largest hazard facing humankind, is becoming more frequent and affecting more people. Adapting to flooding must consider more than just water to encapsulate the effects of sediment movement, re-imagine flooding through a sociogeomorphic lens and expand approaches to knowing about floods.

While traditional farming has fed billions of people, it is exerting mounting pressure on land, water and the environment. To complement current agricultural practices, we present a green chemical farming concept that provides pathways to efficient and renewable food production by leveraging chemistry and chemical engineering.

Commemorating the environmental movement matters, but fulfilling its goals matters more.

The protection and enhancement of biological diversity as an essential driver of sustainable development is in need of transformative change. It’s time to make that happen.