Research articles

Human diets exert a range of pressures on the environment. This study, using a sample of French adults, finds that the processing and packaging behind diets rich in ultra-processed foods create pressures involving energy use in particular.

Transitioning the global energy system to renewables will likely expand energy transition minerals and metals (ETMs) projects to sensitive territories. Across 5,097 projects globally, greater than half of the ETM resource base appears to be located on or near the lands of Indigenous and peasant peoples whose rights to consultation are embedded in United Nations declarations.

Progress towards global targets for clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is advanced through evidence-informed decision-making. This study finds that the data from the only global school WASH database published by the Joint Monitoring Programme are amenable to statistical analysis but cannot yet support rigorous quantitative research.

Self-governing institutions can allow communities, via cooperation, to avoid overuse of common-pool resources. Experiments performed through an online game platform show that when users share common goals, they self-organize in cooperative behaviour, leading to long-term resource sustainability.

Thermoelectric materials could reduce energy losses by converting waste heat from various processes into electricity. To cater to the needs of wearable devices, the authors design Bi₂Te₃-based thin films that show both excellent thermoelectric performance and long-sought flexibility.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Little is known about citizen support for regulation to increase sustainability of global supply chains. This study, via survey experiments, shows that citizens across the 12 largest OECD importing countries prefer strong reporting requirements and enforcement capabilities.

The environmental and socioeconomic costs of annual crops challenge their sustainability. This study reports the successful breeding of perennial rice and assesses its benefits for yields, soil health and farm labour and income as well as its potential geographic range globally.

Electronic waste can harm the environment when not properly disposed of, but as a source of valuable materials, it could benefit the economy with adequate end-of-life management. This study shows the scale of the problem and assesses the potential of diverse management solutions across the United States.

A multi-objective optimization water–energy model explores the effect of dam re-operation strategies to minimize hydrological alterations in the Lower Mekong. Dam re-operation provides a feasible opportunity for the restoration of key elements of hydrological variability without hindering hydropower production.

Heavy rare earth elements are critical for modern technological applications, including renewable energy technologies, but their extraction can have disastrous environmental impacts. Employing electrokinetic mining techniques can increase recovery efficiency while reducing harmful environmental consequences.

The risks to human well-being of floods in the United States have long been overlooked and underestimated, particularly for low-income and marginalized communities. In Los Angeles, flood risks are disproportionately high for historically disadvantaged populations and communities already facing social inequities.

Potable reuse provides a reliable and sustainable option to drinking-water supply. However, its implementation is hindered by perceptions of potential health risks. Here, comparing potable reuse water with tap water, the authors show a lower level of cytotoxicity in reuse water.

Soil erosion is driven by multiple natural processes, which may occur concurrently and exacerbate the threat to soil functioning of arable land. Accurate accounting of the drivers and location of soil erosion is needed to guide monitoring and mitigation efforts across the European Union.

The development of symbiotic infrastructure systems can provide more efficient resource use than single infrastructure improvements. Carbon mitigation and freshwater conservation are possible in China by bridging coal power and wastewater treatment plants.

Conservation efforts were impacted in varied ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed how South African wildlife ranches, agricultural farms and protected areas weathered the pandemic, finding greater adaptive capacity among more diversified and mixed business models.

Millions of premature deaths each year can be attributed to ambient particulate air pollution. While exposure to harmful particulates decreases in future scenarios with reduced fossil fuel combustion, across much of the globe, socio-demographic factors dominate health outcomes related to air pollution.