| 1. |
- Abel, Christin, et al.
(författare)
-
The human–environment nexus and vegetation–rainfall sensitivity in tropical drylands
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 4, s. 25-32
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global climate change is projected to lead to an increase in both the areal extent and degree of aridity in the world’s drylands. At the same time, the majority of drylands are located in developing countries where high population densities and rapid population growth place additional pressure on the ecosystem. Thus, drylands are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes and large-scale environmental degradation. However, little is known about the long-term functional response of vegetation to such changes induced by the interplay of complex human–environmental interactions. Here we use time series of satellite data to show how vegetation productivity in relation to water availability, which is a major aspect of vegetation functioning in tropical drylands, has changed over the past two decades. In total, one-third of tropical dryland ecosystems show significant (P < 0.05) changes in vegetation–rainfall sensitivity with pronounced differences between regions and continents. We identify population as the main driver of negative changes, especially for developing countries. This is contrasted by positive changes in vegetation–rainfall sensitivity in richer countries, probably resulting from favourable climatic conditions and/or caused by an intensification and expansion of human land management. Our results highlight geographic and economic differences in the relationship between vegetation–rainfall sensitivity and associated drivers in tropical drylands, marking an important step towards the identification, understanding and mitigation of potential negative effects from a changing world on ecosystems and human well-being.
|
|
| 2. |
- Alexander, Steven M., et al.
(författare)
-
Qualitative data sharing and synthesis for sustainability science
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:2, s. 81-88
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Opportunities, challenges and recommended targeted actions to accelerate qualitative data sharing to address complex socio-environmental problems Socio-environmental synthesis as a research approach contributes to broader sustainability policy and practice by reusing data from disparate disciplines in innovative ways. Synthesizing diverse data sources and types of evidence can help to better conceptualize, investigate and address increasingly complex socio-environmental problems. However, sharing qualitative data for re-use remains uncommon when compared to sharing quantitative data. We argue that qualitative data present untapped opportunities for sustainability science, and discuss practical pathways to facilitate and realize the benefits from sharing and reusing qualitative data. However, these opportunities and benefits are also hindered by practical, ethical and epistemological challenges. To address these challenges and accelerate qualitative data sharing, we outline enabling conditions and suggest actions for researchers, institutions, funders, data repository managers and publishers.
|
|
| 3. |
- Blasiak, Robert, et al.
(författare)
-
The ocean genome and future prospects for conservation and equity
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3, s. 588-596
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Life has evolved in the ocean for 3.7 billion years, resulting in a rich 'ocean genome', the ensemble of genetic material present in all marine biodiversity, including both the physical genes and the information they encode. Rapid advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have enabled exploration of the ocean genome and are informing innovative approaches to conservation and a growing number of commercial biotechnology applications. However, the capacity to undertake genomic research and to access and use sequence data is inequitably distributed among countries, highlighting an urgent need to build capacity, promote inclusive innovation and increase access to affordable technologies. The ocean genome is the genetic material present in marine biodiversity. While technological advances are enabling exploration, conservation and innovation of this resource, the associated capacities are inequitably distributed among countries.
|
|
| 4. |
- Gerten, Dieter, et al.
(författare)
-
Feeding ten billion people is possible within four terrestrial planetary boundaries
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:3, s. 200-208
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global agriculture puts heavy pressure on planetary boundaries, posing the challenge to achieve future food security without compromising Earth system resilience. On the basis of process-detailed, spatially explicit representation of four interlinked planetary boundaries (biosphere integrity, land-system change, freshwater use, nitrogen flows) and agricultural systems in an internally consistent model framework, we here show that almost half of current global food production depends on planetary boundary transgressions. Hotspot regions, mainly in Asia, even face simultaneous transgression of multiple underlying local boundaries. If these boundaries were strictly respected, the present food system could provide a balanced diet (2,355 kcal per capita per day) for 3.4 billion people only. However, as we also demonstrate, transformation towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns could support 10.2 billion people within the planetary boundaries analysed. Key prerequisites are spatially redistributed cropland, improved water-nutrient management, food waste reduction and dietary changes. Agriculture transforms the Earth and risks crossing thresholds for a healthy planet. This study finds almost half of current food production crosses such boundaries, as for freshwater use, but that transformation towards more sustainable production and consumption could support 10.2 billion people.
|
|
| 5. |
- Lade, Steven J., et al.
(författare)
-
Human impacts on planetary boundaries amplified by Earth system interactions
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:2, s. 119-128
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The planetary boundary framework presents a ‘planetary dashboard’ of humanity’s globally aggregated performance on a set of environmental issues that endanger the Earth system’s capacity to support humanity. While this framework has been highly influential, a critical shortcoming for its application in sustainability governance is that it currently fails to represent how impacts related to one of the planetary boundaries affect the status of other planetary boundaries. Here, we surveyed and provisionally quantified interactions between the Earth system processes represented by the planetary boundaries and investigated their consequences for sustainability governance. We identified a dense network of interactions between the planetary boundaries. The resulting cascades and feedbacks predominantly amplify human impacts on the Earth system and thereby shrink the safe operating space for future human impacts on the Earth system. Our results show that an integrated understanding of Earth system dynamics is critical to navigating towards a sustainable future.
|
|
| 6. |
- McDonald, Robert I., et al.
(författare)
-
Research gaps in knowledge of the impact of urban growth on biodiversity
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:1, s. 16-24
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- By 2030, an additional 1.2 billion people are forecast in urban areas globally. We review the scientific literature (n = 922 studies) to assess direct and indirect impacts of urban growth on habitat and biodiversity. Direct impacts are cumulatively substantial, with 290,000 km(2) of natural habitat forecast to be converted to urban land uses between 2000 and 2030. Studies of direct impact are disproportionately from high-income countries. Indirect urban impacts on biodiversity, such as food consumption, affect a greater area than direct impacts, but comparatively few studies (34%) have quantified urban indirect impacts on biodiversity. The world is urbanizing. This Review assesses impacts of urban growth on habitat and biodiversity, finding direct impacts more in high-income countries while indirect impacts affect more land but are lesser studied.
|
|
| 7. |
- Norström, Albert, et al.
(författare)
-
Principles for knowledge co-production in sustainability research
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:3, s. 182-190
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research practice, funding agencies and global science organizations suggest that research aimed at addressing sustainability challenges is most effective when 'co-produced' by academics and non-academics. Co-production promises to address the complex nature of contemporary sustainability challenges better than more traditional scientific approaches. But definitions of knowledge co-production are diverse and often contradictory. We propose a set of four general principles that underlie high-quality knowledge co-production for sustainability research. Using these principles, we offer practical guidance on how to engage in meaningful co-productive practices, and how to evaluate their quality and success. Research addressing sustainability issues is more effective if 'co-produced' by academics and non-academics, but definitions of co-production vary. This Perspective presents four knowledge co-production principles for sustainability research and guides on how to engage in co-productive practices.
|
|
| 8. |
- Park, So Yeon, et al.
(författare)
-
Sustainable lead management in halide perovskite solar cells
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : NATURE RESEARCH. - 2398-9629. ; 3:12
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The most-efficient solar cells use Pb-based halide perovskites; however, their toxicity poses environmental and health risks. Here, the authors report an adsorbent that allows for sustainable Pb management in these devices. Despite the rapid development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) toward commercialization, the toxic lead (Pb) ions in PSCs pose a potential threat to the environment, health and safety. Managing Pb via recycling represents a promising approach to mitigating its toxicity. However, managing Pb from commonly used organic solvents has been challenging due to the lack of suitable Pb adsorbents. Here, we report a new adsorbent for both separation and recovery of Pb from PSC pollutants. The synthesized iron-incorporated hydroxyapatite possesses a strongly negatively charged surface that improves electrostatic interaction through surface-charge delocalization, thus leading to enhanced Pb adsorption. We demonstrate the feasibility of a complete Pb management process, including the purification of Pb-containing non-aqueous solvents below 15 parts per 10(9), a level compliant with the standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency, as well as recycling of 99.97% of Pb ions by forming lead iodide.
|
|
| 9. |
- Schäfer, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
-
A holistic analysis of passenger travel energy and greenhouse gas intensities
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:6, s. 459-462
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transportation is a major energy consumer and emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Exploring the opportunities for energy savings and GHG emissions reductions requires understanding transportation energy or GHG intensity, which is defined as energy use or GHG emissions per unit activity, here passenger-kilometres travelled. This aggregate indicator quantifies the amount of energy required or GHGs emitted to provide a generic transportation service. We show that the range of observed energy and GHG intensities of major transportation modes is remarkably similar and that occupancy explains about 70–90% of the variation around the mean; only the remaining 10–30% is explained by differences in trip distances and other factors such as technology and operating conditions. Whereas average occupancy levels differ vastly, they translate into roughly similar levels of energy and GHG intensity for nearly all major transportation modes.
|
|
| 10. |
- van der Werf, Hayo M. G., et al.
(författare)
-
Towards better representation of organic agriculture in life cycle assessment
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Nature Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2398-9629. ; 3:6, s. 419-425
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Transitioning agriculture toward greater sustainability is vital. This Perspective argues for more-holistic consideration of organic agriculture in life cycle assessments, widely used to analyse environmental impacts. The environmental effects of agriculture and food are much discussed, with competing claims concerning the impacts of conventional and organic farming. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the method most widely used to assess environmental impacts of agricultural products. Current LCA methodology and studies tend to favour high-input intensive agricultural systems and misrepresent less intensive agroecological systems such as organic agriculture. LCA assesses agroecological systems inadequately for three reasons: (1) a lack of operational indicators for three key environmental issues; (2) a narrow perspective on functions of agricultural systems; and (3) inconsistent modelling of indirect effects.
|
|
