Editorials

A panel discussion with global experts, convened by Nature Sustainability and Tongji University in 2021, outlined the roadmap for the development of next-generation sustainable batteries. We now revisit the topic in light of recent advances.

Linking humans, animals, plants, environments and ecosystems to forge healthier lives on a healthier planet clearly aligns with sustainability objectives. A collection of research and opinion presents ideas on the way forward to support such alignment.

Ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the climate crisis is escalating. It is time for world leaders to confront the reality of a warming planet with pragmatism and actions.

Wild and remote, Antarctica and the Arctic are drawing in record numbers of tourists from around the globe, with environmental effects following in their wake. Proactive policies and careful management are needed to save the Earth’s poles from their growing popularity.

As climate change intensifies, fresh water is getting scarcer worldwide and regulating river flows across administrative borders will strain diplomacy. Strengthening water cooperation and reducing waste are the only way towards a water-resilient future.

With only five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the slow progress so far, it is time to learn what has held the world back and to reset priorities.

Realizing sustainable development globally hinges on improving the livelihoods of the many rural communities around the world. Designing policies and promoting investments in support of such communities is not simply desirable, but it is imperative for long-term global prosperity.

Shutting down environmental agencies and scientific research is not just counterproductive to America’s economy and health, it is a conflict against the pursuit of truth and the principles of sound evidence and good governance.

The plans to achieve a sustainable ocean economy are shaping up — it’s up to decision makers to implement them. The world is waiting.

Wildfires in urban areas test our collective capacity not just for responsible land use and management, but also our social and political fabric for how we discuss and respond to these repeated disasters. A small collection of Correspondence articles in this issue provides some initial insights into what we can learn.

Fast-moving trends in fashion and a global marketplace for low-quality synthetic garments have driven an ever-mounting crisis of textile waste, with large-scale environmental and societal implications. Innovative solutions and a fundamental change in our relationship with clothing is urgently needed to forge a sustainable path forward for fashion.

Seeking environmental justice requires vast amounts of written law and armies of lawyers to enforce and navigate them fairly. Sustainability research must incorporate data and insights on these laws from legal scholars to better understand the impacts of competing claims for human use and ecosystem health

A new start for multilateralism is what UN Member States are focusing on, but achieving it won’t be easy and won’t be enough to deliver sustainable development. Addressing the multifaceted root causes of discrimination, inequalities and injustice across scales should be the priority.

The sustainability community is increasingly calling for transformation, but action to transform is too slow. Nature Sustainability and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation have convened an expert panel to address the issue and recommend a way forward.

Transitioning to a more sustainable economic system hinges on creating jobs in support of greener activities, with challenges for incumbent workers. A suite of articles highlights the need for more sustainable jobs and how to overcome the associated research gaps and political obstacles.

Exploring potential synergies of genome editing with modes of agriculture, such as agroecology, could help food security and environmental integrity.

As our reach extends outside our planet into Earth’s orbital space and beyond, the need for proactive research and equitable governance of human activity in outer space is more urgent than ever.

Reforming interventions to achieve progress for all is a tough call. Success hinges on adopting a systems-based approach.

Plastics are ubiquitous, but problematic from a whole life cycle perspective. Nature Sustainability asked four experts to present their views about the ongoing plastics crisis.

Media attention to the disastrous consequences of this summer’s wildfires has been at a record high. Now the world should wake up to the urgent need to restore burnt sites.