Comment

Environmental conditions fundamentally shape the reliability and sustainability of additive manufacturing. As additive manufacturing moves into real-world environments, these factors need to be considered in modelling and design.

Adequate sanitation is crucial for public health, particularly in off-grid areas. Electrostatic charges generated through human motion via contact electrification could potentially offer sanitation without requiring stable electrical or chemical supplies.

New heat electrification markets offer European industry a unique opportunity to electrify its process heat, boost its energy efficiency and stay competitive while meeting climate goals.

When scaled down to the nano- or micrometre range, microdroplets feature a high surface area-to-volume ratio and exhibit properties such as strong interfacial effects, electric fields, acidic environments, radical generation and enhanced reducing power. These features accelerate reaction rates and enable otherwise unfavourable CO₂ conversion reactions under mild conditions.

Depending on policy design, carbon dioxide removal could either perpetuate fossil fuel consumption and slow emission reductions or, if paired with rapid emission reductions, accelerate net-zero attainment and minimize overshoot periods. Policies that simultaneously and separately mandate emission reductions and near-term carbon dioxide removals could help to prevent mitigation deterrence, while supporting the upscaling of carbon dioxide removal.

Energy Star has transformed the market for energy-efficient products and buildings by establishing clear, trusted standards that drive innovation, reduce energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. As the programme faces potential cuts, understanding its impact is crucial to maintaining progress in reducing energy use and promoting sustainable practices.

Leveraging experimental methods, such as randomized controlled trials, can inform energy and climate policy delivery in the European Union and maximize its effectiveness.

Urgent action is needed to tackle microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. Prioritizing physical capture over degradation can mitigate environmental and health risks, and valorizing captured microplastics into valuable materials could contribute to a circular carbon economy.

The increasing demand for data centres risks greatly increasing greenhouse gas emissions. To prevent this problem from happening, data centres need to transition from being consumers to being prosumers.

With growing investment in technological options for durable, large-scale carbon removal projects, there is an opportunity for planners to consider what equitable models of carbon removal development and deployment might look like in practice.

A dominant focus on the cognitive abilities of individuals to make rational decisions fails to recognize the emotions involved in energy experiences. Adopting an emotional lens shifts the focus away from convincing communities to accept new technologies or persuading individuals to take up prescribed behaviours, and towards collaboratively managing a low-carbon transition.

The commercial carbon dioxide removal ecosystem is growing rapidly, but the supporting talent pipeline remains underdeveloped. Universities will have a key role in training the workforce for this expanding sector.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is an important technology for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries, but its deployment lags far behind the levels needed to meet climate targets. Here, we argue that high-income oil- and gas-exporting countries have both the capability and responsibility to drive CCUS adoption and overcome key barriers to implementation.

Behavioural interventions to promote energy-efficient technologies often struggle to sustain long-term changes. Effective interventions must go beyond technical solutions to ensure the lasting adoption of energy-saving practices in the residential sector.

Green ammonia production could contribute to decarbonization and the decentralization of fertilizer production, but it brings critical challenges and risks. Assessing and addressing these challenges in real time will help advance technology and avoid unintended consequences.

The potential of efficiency to support decarbonization is underestimated and overlooked relative to more expensive and intensive actions. Implementing resource and energy efficiency strategies in industry could deliver rapid and cost-effective decarbonization.