Comment in 2016

Launch a global clean-energy initiative to set priorities that galvanize researchers to deliver breakthroughs, write Alan Bernstein and colleagues.

Agree on definitions and baselines to track investments in decarbonizing the world's energy system, urge Lucien Georgeson, Mark Maslin and Martyn Poessinouw.

Smaller settlements are growing faster than megacities — and they need more protection from extreme events, write Joern Birkmann and colleagues.

Building more strategic links between urban innovation and global governance will help to tackle today's grand challenges, argues Michele Acuto.

Richard T. T. Forman and Jianguo Wu call for global and regional approaches to urban planning.

Periodic rises and falls in the gap between the rich and poor over centuries indicate that inequality will not grow forever, argues Branko Milanovic.

Mike Savage calls on sociologists to resolve their differences over definitions of social class to allow better analyses of inequality.

Big shifts in where research and development in food and agriculture is carried out will shape future global food production, write Philip G. Pardey and colleagues.

The United Nations must reframe action on antimicrobial resistance as the defence of a common resource, argue Peter S. Jørgensen, Didier Wernli and colleagues.

Efforts to reduce irreproducibility in research must also tackle the temptation to cheat, argue Donald S. Kornfeld and Sandra L. Titus.

Social equity and global impacts are missing from measures of cities' environmental friendliness, write David Wachsmuth, Daniel Aldana Cohen and Hillary Angelo.

John C. Warner and Jennifer K. Ludwig propose three approaches that would help inventors to produce safer chemicals and products.

The threats of old are still the dominant drivers of current species loss, indicates an analysis of IUCN Red List data by Sean Maxwell and colleagues.

International cooperation is needed to stop developed nations simply offloading defunct electronics on developing countries, argue Zhaohua Wang, Bin Zhang and Dabo Guan.

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union is jeopardizing scientists’ funds, collaborations, staff and students; it has left the nation reeling and Europe vulnerable. These schismatic times have researchers worldwide soul-searching over how best to contribute. Five experts offer their reflections.

Tech giants moving into health may widen inequalities and harm research, unless people can access and share their data, warn John T. Wilbanks and Eric J. Topol.

Record-breaking harmful algal blooms and other severe impacts are becoming more frequent. We need to understand why, says Anna M. Michalak.

To sustain the seas, advocates of marine protected areas and those in fisheries management must work together, not at cross purposes, urges Ray Hilborn.

Beate El-Chichakli and colleagues outline principles for coordinating bio-based industries to achieve many of the sustainable development goals.

Alastair Lewis and Peter Edwards call on researchers to test the accuracy of low-cost monitoring devices before regulators are flooded with questionable air-quality data.