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Landfills are a major methane emitter, but the current bottom-up inventories used for emissions accounting are poorly constrained and show strong biases. Improved emissions estimates show that across the globe, methane emissions from individual landfills have been underestimated by up to 200%.
The impacts of the war in Ukraine on global food systems have multiple sustainability implications that are yet to be examined. This study simulates the potential war-induced cropland expansion worldwide and presents a biodiversity impact assessment, showing the most affected countries.
Sustainable end-of-life management strategies for fibre-reinforced plastics are urgently needed from a sustainability perspective. Here the authors develop a solvent-free flash upcycling method, enabling ultrafast and efficient upcycling of fibre-reinforced plastics to fulfil such a need.
Urea is an essential fertilizer; however, its production is carbon and energy intensive. This work shows a pulsed co-electrolysis strategy that turns carbon dioxide and nitrate to urea directly utilising a molecular electrocatalyst.
Rechargeable zinc–air batteries are a sustainable energy storage system, but their performance is not yet competitive. Now a mesoporous single-atom catalyst steers the sluggish four-electron oxygen reduction reaction pathway to a faster two-electron process and enables highly reversible zinc–air batteries.
Using decades of high-resolution mapping, this study tracks the land area of the wildland–urban interface that is exposed to fire risk, finding increases in both area and risk in multiple locations globally.
Picturing positive changes resulting from greener transport policies can be more effective than trying to shift climate beliefs, often related to party affiliations. A study shows how AI pictures of future car-free cities enhanced Americans’ willingness to support more sustainable transport policies.
Understanding the forces behind the successful governance of common-pool resources is crucial to sustainable development. This study reveals the importance of establishing and enforcing ‘access rights’ in the face of intergroup conflicts over resources to facilitate the evolution of sustainable ‘use rights’.
Extreme rainfall events, amplified by climate change, can stress public health, but efforts to assess health impacts have been fragmented so far. A study now analyses the relation between extreme rainfall and mortality from respiratory diseases across urban environments in East Asia.
The poor structural stability of cathode materials is responsible for the rapid capacity loss of sodium-ion batteries during cycling. This work addresses the instability by introducing vacancies into the transition metal layers and realize long-life pouch cells.
The authors manipulate two categories of cathodes for sodium-ion batteries for a rational design that combines high energy density with high power density and long cycling life.
Biological ammonia-to-nitrite conversion (nitritation) in mainstream municipal wastewater is environmentally desirable but hard to stabilize. This study presents an effective loading rate switch strategy that enables stable nitritation in mainstream sewage.
Optimal risk management involves maintaining formal and informal risk instruments, which is difficult under increasing climate risks. A study now investigates the issue and finds that policies cultivating moderate altruism and solidarity can help farmers better manage climate risks.
Although air pollution may play a role in shaping suicide risk, the link has been difficult to estimate so far. This study quantifies the role of air quality improvements in the decline of suicide rates in China over the period 2013–2017, uncovering a causal link between particulate pollution and suicide.
This work shows a delicate titanium suboxide-based anode design for electrolysis of seawater, delivering selective production of active chlorine for on-site disinfection.
Renewable-energy-powered electrolysis of seawater provides a sustainable means of mass production of hydrogen, a critical fuel for tomorrow’s energy mix. Here the layered double hydroxide (LDH) electrocatalyst design enables ultrastable seawater splitting at industry-compatible current densities.
Rapid urbanization poses several challenges but can offer opportunities for cities to become more sustainable by, for example, reducing transport demand and its associated emissions. This study shows how this can be achieved and quantifies the co-benefits for climate, energy use, air quality and human health.
Carboxylated cellulose nanofibres are materials with combined sustainability and desirable properties. Here the authors show a synthetic process allowing for scalable and green preparation of such materials.
While the economic effects of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been studied extensively, this study examines how efforts to achieve balance across the SDGs affect subjective well-being within and across countries.
Efforts to protect and conserve the planet’s land and oceans should also guarantee that people can access them equitably. Comparing marine and terrestrial protected areas in the United States, a study shows different access patterns based on income and race.