Volume 6 Issue 1, January 2023

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.

Annual grains, domesticated from wild species, have dominated agriculture since the Neolithic. A new study reports how turning to high-yield perennial rice crops could maintain key ecosystem functions while supporting livelihoods.

Against a backdrop of intense global drought, an innovative method for measuring toxicity to cells has been used to provide further evidence that the quality of potable-reuse water compares well with that from conventional public water supplies.

Modelling techniques now allow flood risk to be mapped down to street or even building level in a study showing that floods disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities and particular ethnic groups.

A survey study shows that people want their governments to require increased transparency from companies about their supply chains. But it remains unclear how consumers would respond if such policies raised product prices.

Although urgently needed for the decarbonization of our economies, the mining of rare earth elements has a poor environmental record. The use of electrokinetics promises a more efficient extraction while substantially reducing environmental impacts.

Despite growing mountains of electronic waste, only a fraction is recycled. Now, a study meshing material flow and geospatial analysis shows how e-waste pathways could be integrated with virgin mining to build viable strategies around metal supply chains.

The successful breeding and cultivation of perennial rice enables up to eight grain harvests from a single planting, with reduced labour input, improved soil health and potential to affect farming systems in frost-free environments between 40° N and 40° S. Perennial rice reconciles food production with environmental security in a changing climate.

Efforts to reduce emissions will lower our exposure to air pollution. Yet, the size and vulnerability of the future population will largely determine the resulting health burden. The key socio-demographic determinants include ageing and a declining baseline mortality rate, which are likely to occur in many countries.

Minerals are essential to human development, from toothpaste to building materials, but are often seen as an impediment to sustainable development. This narrative must change to ensure sustainable and equitable access to minerals for the globe.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.