Volume 6 Issue 5, May 2023

Oil palm plantations can supplant once biodiverse tropical forests. As planted areas expand, it is vital to plan landscapes to better balance biodiversity and oil palm production. Strategic ‘set-asides’ offer a key approach.

Afforestation on drylands can help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, but the water and energy implications can hinder implementation. A study now investigates the environmental and economic potential of afforestation enabled by desalination plants powered by renewable electricity.

The Russian military invasion of Ukraine has vastly affected freshwater systems and critical water facilities in the country. A study now evaluates the magnitude of the damage and the related environmental and livelihood implications.

Our current use of plastics is the epitome of an unsustainable lifestyle with their reliance on fossil resources and their widespread application through single use products that, after use, end up in the natural environment. A study now analyses what it would take for plastics to become a sustainable material.

A durable, two-layer coating has been developed for nylon fabrics. The coating’s low coefficient of friction reduces the amount of microplastic fibres released from nylon fabrics during laundering by up to 93%. The coating’s efficacy, and other fabric properties, are maintained after at least nine laundering cycles.

The Russia–Ukraine armed conflict has caused far-reaching damage to freshwater resources and water infrastructure, with immediate and long-term consequences for the environment and human health. This analysis of the type, distribution and potential consequences of the water-related impacts of the conflict provides a basis for future rebuilding and restoration.

Philosophers in the Western tradition of virtue ethics have long considered practical wisdom a central virtue. This Perspective suggests that virtue ethics and practical wisdom can enrich the work of sustainability researchers, helping them to navigate the challenges of co-producing knowledge and effecting transformative change.

Owing to the underlying chemical nature of many environmental injustices, green chemistry can play a role in advancing environmental justice towards a more equitable future.

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.

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.

The effects of expanding electric vehicle charging stations on housing values are unknown. This study fills the gap with data for California and finds that properties near charging stations show a higher price, while traffic slightly increases and particulate matter (PM_2.5) emissions decrease.

The washing processes of synthetic textiles have become one of the main sources of microplastic pollution in the oceans. Here the authors show the rational design of polydimethylsiloxane-coated nylon that releases substantially less microplastic fibres in both dry and wet conditions.

Biodiversity conservation is critical for promoting ecosystem services and human well-being, but current conservation efforts fail to protect most high priority zones. A mix of land-sparing and land-sharing is needed to safeguard critical ecosystems in India and across the Global South.

The military actions in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia have far-reaching environmental consequences, especially with regard to water management. A study presents data showing the severe impacts on water resources, sanitation and infrastructure during the first three months of the war.

The global economy delivers benefits but affects the environment. A study finds that over the period 1995–2019 the environmental pressures and impacts of EU consumption of goods and services were outsourced to non-EU countries, while the benefits stayed within the EU but were not evenly distributed.

The sustainability of the net-zero circular strategies of plastics has not been previously examined on a planetary scale. Linking a bottom-up model for the production and end-of-life treatment of plastics to the planetary boundaries framework, this study shows the need to scale up recycling and reconsider how we produce and use plastics.