Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries

Sustainable coffee: A review of the diverse initiatives and governance dimensions of global coffee supply chains

With a global footprint of 10 million hectares across 12.5 million farms, coffee is among the world's most traded commodities. The coffee industry has launched a variety of initiatives designed to reduce coffee's contribution to climate change and biodiversity loss and enhance the socio-economic conditions of coffee producers. We systematically reviewed the literature on the sustainability and governance of coffee production and developed a typology of eleven sustainability initiatives. Our review shows that coffee sustainability research has focused primarily on the economic outcomes of certification schemes. The typology expands our knowledge of novel sustainability initiatives being led by coffee farming communities themselves, allowing for an improved consideration of power dynamics in sustainability governance. Sustainability initiatives governed by local actors can improve sustainability outcomes by empowering local decision makers to assess direct risks and benefits of sustainable practices to the local environment, economy, and culture.

Assessment of the impact of chemical pollution on endangered migratory fish in two major rivers of France, including spawning grounds

Water pollution is a one of the most contributors to aquatic biodiversity decline. Consequently, ecological risk assessment methods have been developed to investigate the effects of existing stresses on the environment, including the toxic effects of chemicals. One of the existing approaches to quantify toxic risks is called "Potentially Affected Fraction of species" (PAF), which estimates the potential loss of species within a group of species studied. In this study, the PAF method was applied to the Garonne catchment (southwest France) due to the limited information available on the involvement of water pollution in the decline of diadromous fish populations. This approach was used to quantify the potential toxic risk associated with chemical contamination of water for fish species. The objectives were to quantify this risk (1) in the Garonne and Dordogne rivers and (2) in the spawning grounds of two endangered anadromous fish species: the allis shad and the European sturgeon during the development period of their early life stages. Environmental pollution data was provided for 21 sites within the Garonne catchment between 2007 and 2022, and toxicity data was obtained specifically from freshwater toxicity tests on fish species. Then, for each site and each year, the potential toxic risk for a single substance (ssPAF) and for a mixture of substances (msPAF) was calculated and classified as high (>5 %), moderate (>1 % and < 5 %) or low (<1 %). Potential toxic risks were mostly moderate and mainly associated with: metals > other industrial pollutants and hygiene and care products > agrochemicals. In summary, this study highlights the probable involvement of water contamination on the decline, fate and restoration of diadromous fish populations in the Garonne catchment, focusing notably on the toxic effects on early life stages, a previously understudied topic.

Transgenerational acclimation to acidified seawater and gene expression patterns in a sea urchin

Transgenerational responses of susceptible calcifying organisms to progressive ocean acidification are an important issue in reducing uncertainty of future predictions. In this study, a two-generation rearing experiment was conducted using mature Mesocentrotus nudus, a major edible sea urchin that occurs along the coasts of northern Japan. Morphological observations and comprehensive gene expression analysis (RNA-seq) of resulting larvae were performed to examine transgenerational acclimation to acidified seawater. Two generations of rearing experiments showed that larvae derived from parents acclimated to acidified seawater tended to have higher survival and show less reduction in body size when exposed to acidified seawater of the same pH, suggesting that a positive carry-over effect occurred. RNA-seq analysis showed that gene expression patterns of larvae originated from both acclimated and non-acclimated parents to acidified seawater tended to be different than control condition, and the gene expression pattern of larvae originated from acclimated parents was substantially different than that of larvae of non-acclimated and control parents.

Connecting human behaviour, meaning and nature

Much of the discourse around climate change and the situation of diverse human societies and cultures in the Anthropocene focuses on responding to scientific understanding of the dynamics of the biosphere by adjusting existing institutional and organizational structures. Our emerging scientific understanding of human behaviour and the mechanisms that enable groups to achieve large-scale coordination and cooperation suggests that incrementally adjusting existing institutions and organizations will not be sufficient to confront current global-scale challenges. Specifically, the transaction costs of operating institutions to induce selfish rational actors to consider social welfare in their decision-making are too high. Rather, we highlight the importance of networks of shared stories that become real-imagined orders-that create context, meaning and shared purpose for framing decisions and guiding action. We explore imagined orders that have contributed to bringing global societies to where they are and propose elements of a science-informed imagined order essential to enabling societies to flourish in the Anthropocene biosphere. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bringing nature into decision-making'.

An optimized crop-livestock system can achieve a safe and just planetary boundary for phosphorus at the sub-basin level in China

The contribution of crop and livestock production to the exceedance of the planetary boundary for phosphorus (P) in China is still unclear, despite the country's well-known issues with P fertilizer overuse and P-related water pollution. Using coupled models at sub-basin scales we estimate that livestock production increased the consumption of P fertilizer fivefold and exacerbated P losses twofold from 1980 to 2017. At present, China's crop-livestock system is responsible for exceeding what is considered a 'just' threshold for fertilizer P use by 30% (ranging from 17% to 68%) and a 'safe' water quality threshold by 45% (ranging from 31% to 74%) in 25 sub-basins in China. Improving the crop-livestock system will keep all sub-basins within safe water quality and just multigenerational limits for P in 2050.

Climate-sensitive health counselling in Germany: a cross-sectional study about previous participation and preferences in the general public

BACKGROUND

In response to climate change (CC), medicine needs to consider new aspects in health counselling of patients. Such climate-sensitive health counselling (CSHC) may include counselling patients on preventing and coping with climate-sensitive diseases or on leading healthy and climate-friendly lifestyles. This study aimed to identify previous participation in and preferences for CSHC as well as associated sociodemographic and attitudinal factors among the general public in Germany.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study in a population-based online panel in five German federal states (04-06/2022). We performed descriptive statistics and multivariable regression analysis to assess prior participation in CSHC and content preferences regarding CSHC, as well as associations between sociodemographic variables and general preference for CSHC.

RESULTS

Among 1491 participants (response rate 47.1%), 8.7% explicitly reported having participated in CSHC, while 39.9% had discussed at least one CSHC-related topic with physicians. In the studied sample, 46.7% of participants would like CSHC to be part of the consultation with their physician, while 33.9% rejected this idea. Participants aged 21 to 40 years (versus 51 to 60), individuals alarmed about CC (versus concerned/cautious/disengaged/doubtful/dismissive), and those politically oriented to the left (vs. centre or right) showed greater preference for CSHC in the multivariable regression model. Most participants wanted to talk about links to their personal health (65.1%) as opposed to links to the health of all people (33.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Almost half of the participants in this sample would like to receive CSHC, especially those who are younger, more alarmed about CC and more politically oriented to the left. More research and training on patient-centred implementation of CSHC is needed.

Defending and Defining Environmental Responsibilities for the Health Research Sector

Six planetary boundaries have already been exceeded, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, chemical pollution, and land-system change. The health research sector contributes to the environmental crisis we are facing, though to a lesser extent than healthcare or agriculture sectors. It could take steps to reduce its environmental impact but generally has not done so, even as the planetary emergency worsens. So far, the normative case for why the health research sector should rectify that failure has not been made. This paper argues strong philosophical grounds, derived from theories of health and social justice, exist to support the claim that the sector has a duty to avoid or minimise causing or contributing to ecological harms that threaten human health or worsen health inequity. The paper next develops ideas about the duty's content, explaining why it should entail more than reducing carbon emissions, and considers what limits might be placed on the duty.

When I say …. Planetary Health

Thought you knew what 'planetary health' meant? Professor Michelle McLean wants to make sure we are all on the same page to advance an urgent agenda.

Visualizing Academic Contributions to Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through AI: The Case of Universitat Politècnica de València

How are you contributing to SDGs and measuring sustainable improvements? AI solutions can help you to quantify it. This pilot experience shows the case of the university's scientific contributions.

Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND

Accurate assessments of current and future fertility-including overall trends and changing population age structures across countries and regions-are essential to help plan for the profound social, economic, environmental, and geopolitical challenges that these changes will bring. Estimates and projections of fertility are necessary to inform policies involving resource and health-care needs, labour supply, education, gender equality, and family planning and support. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 produced up-to-date and comprehensive demographic assessments of key fertility indicators at global, regional, and national levels from 1950 to 2021 and forecast fertility metrics to 2100 based on a reference scenario and key policy-dependent alternative scenarios.

METHODS

To estimate fertility indicators from 1950 to 2021, mixed-effects regression models and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression were used to synthesise data from 8709 country-years of vital and sample registrations, 1455 surveys and censuses, and 150 other sources, and to generate age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) for 5-year age groups from age 10 years to 54 years. ASFRs were summed across age groups to produce estimates of total fertility rate (TFR). Livebirths were calculated by multiplying ASFR and age-specific female population, then summing across ages 10-54 years. To forecast future fertility up to 2100, our Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecasting model was based on projections of completed cohort fertility at age 50 years (CCF50; the average number of children born over time to females from a specified birth cohort), which yields more stable and accurate measures of fertility than directly modelling TFR. CCF50 was modelled using an ensemble approach in which three sub-models (with two, three, and four covariates variously consisting of female educational attainment, contraceptive met need, population density in habitable areas, and under-5 mortality) were given equal weights, and analyses were conducted utilising the MR-BRT (meta-regression-Bayesian, regularised, trimmed) tool. To capture time-series trends in CCF50 not explained by these covariates, we used a first-order autoregressive model on the residual term. CCF50 as a proportion of each 5-year ASFR was predicted using a linear mixed-effects model with fixed-effects covariates (female educational attainment and contraceptive met need) and random intercepts for geographical regions. Projected TFRs were then computed for each calendar year as the sum of single-year ASFRs across age groups. The reference forecast is our estimate of the most likely fertility future given the model, past fertility, forecasts of covariates, and historical relationships between covariates and fertility. We additionally produced forecasts for multiple alternative scenarios in each location: the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for education is achieved by 2030; the contraceptive met need SDG is achieved by 2030; pro-natal policies are enacted to create supportive environments for those who give birth; and the previous three scenarios combined. Uncertainty from past data inputs and model estimation was propagated throughout analyses by taking 1000 draws for past and present fertility estimates and 500 draws for future forecasts from the estimated distribution for each metric, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) given as the 2·5 and 97·5 percentiles of the draws. To evaluate the forecasting performance of our model and others, we computed skill values-a metric assessing gain in forecasting accuracy-by comparing predicted versus observed ASFRs from the past 15 years (2007-21). A positive skill metric indicates that the model being evaluated performs better than the baseline model (here, a simplified model holding 2007 values constant in the future), and a negative metric indicates that the evaluated model performs worse than baseline.

FINDINGS

During the period from 1950 to 2021, global TFR more than halved, from 4·84 (95% UI 4·63-5·06) to 2·23 (2·09-2·38). Global annual livebirths peaked in 2016 at 142 million (95% UI 137-147), declining to 129 million (121-138) in 2021. Fertility rates declined in all countries and territories since 1950, with TFR remaining above 2·1-canonically considered replacement-level fertility-in 94 (46·1%) countries and territories in 2021. This included 44 of 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which was the super-region with the largest share of livebirths in 2021 (29·2% [28·7-29·6]). 47 countries and territories in which lowest estimated fertility between 1950 and 2021 was below replacement experienced one or more subsequent years with higher fertility; only three of these locations rebounded above replacement levels. Future fertility rates were projected to continue to decline worldwide, reaching a global TFR of 1·83 (1·59-2·08) in 2050 and 1·59 (1·25-1·96) in 2100 under the reference scenario. The number of countries and territories with fertility rates remaining above replacement was forecast to be 49 (24·0%) in 2050 and only six (2·9%) in 2100, with three of these six countries included in the 2021 World Bank-defined low-income group, all located in the GBD super-region of sub-Saharan Africa. The proportion of livebirths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa was forecast to increase to more than half of the world's livebirths in 2100, to 41·3% (39·6-43·1) in 2050 and 54·3% (47·1-59·5) in 2100. The share of livebirths was projected to decline between 2021 and 2100 in most of the six other super-regions-decreasing, for example, in south Asia from 24·8% (23·7-25·8) in 2021 to 16·7% (14·3-19·1) in 2050 and 7·1% (4·4-10·1) in 2100-but was forecast to increase modestly in the north Africa and Middle East and high-income super-regions. Forecast estimates for the alternative combined scenario suggest that meeting SDG targets for education and contraceptive met need, as well as implementing pro-natal policies, would result in global TFRs of 1·65 (1·40-1·92) in 2050 and 1·62 (1·35-1·95) in 2100. The forecasting skill metric values for the IHME model were positive across all age groups, indicating that the model is better than the constant prediction.

INTERPRETATION

Fertility is declining globally, with rates in more than half of all countries and territories in 2021 below replacement level. Trends since 2000 show considerable heterogeneity in the steepness of declines, and only a small number of countries experienced even a slight fertility rebound after their lowest observed rate, with none reaching replacement level. Additionally, the distribution of livebirths across the globe is shifting, with a greater proportion occurring in the lowest-income countries. Future fertility rates will continue to decline worldwide and will remain low even under successful implementation of pro-natal policies. These changes will have far-reaching economic and societal consequences due to ageing populations and declining workforces in higher-income countries, combined with an increasing share of livebirths among the already poorest regions of the world.

FUNDING

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Design of greener drugs: aligning parameters in pharmaceutical R&D and drivers for environmental impact

Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the environment, primarily resulting from patient excretion, are of concern because of potential risks to wildlife. This has led to more restrictive regulatory policies. Here, we discuss the 'benign-by-design' approach, which encourages the development of environmentally friendly APIs that are also safe and efficacious for patients. We explore the challenges and opportunities associated with identifying chemical properties that influence the environmental impact of APIs. Although a straightforward application of greener properties could hinder the development of new drugs, more nuanced approaches could lead to drugs that benefit both patients and the environment. We advocate for an enhanced dialogue between research and development (R&D) and environmental scientists and development of a toolbox to incorporate environmental sustainability in drug development.

Governance hurdles for expansion of low trophic mariculture production in Sweden

The study examines the governance of low trophic species mariculture (LTM) using Sweden as a case study. LTM, involving species such as seaweeds and mollusks, offers ecosystem services and nutritious foods. Despite its potential to contribute to blue growth and Sustainable Development Goals, LTM development in the EU and OECD countries has stagnated. A framework for mapping governance elements (institutions, structures, and processes) and analyzing governance objective (effective, equitable, responsive, and robust) was combined with surveys addressed to the private entrepreneurs in the sector. Analysis reveals ineffective institutions due to lack of updated legislation and guidance, resulting in ambiguous interpretations. Governance structures include multiple decision-making bodies without a clear coordination agency. Licensing processes were lengthy and costly for the private entrepreneurs, and the outcomes were uncertain. To support Sweden's blue bioeconomy, LTM governance requires policy integration, clearer direction, coordinated decision-making, and mechanisms for conflict resolution and learning.

Facile Synthesis of Self-Supported Solid Amine Sorbents for Direct Air Capture

Conventional usage of tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) via being supported on porous solid materials for carbon capture is susceptible to oxidative degradation during regeneration cycles. This study reports a novel method to synthesize a TEPA based solid polymer for efficient CO2 removal via direct air capture (DAC). The polymer was obtained through epoxy-amine crosslinking reaction, leading to the transformation of liquid TEPA to a self-supported solid polymer. The synthesis was conducted under ambient conditions via a one-pot process with no waste products, which is aligned with green synthesis. The performance of the solid amine was evaluated in DAC under realistic conditions and compared with TEPA supported on SiO2 and zeolite 13X prepared through the conventional method. The solid TEPA amine exhibited a high CO2 uptake of 6.2 wt.% comparable to the conventional counterparts. More importantly, the solid TEPA amine demonstrated high resistance to oxidation during the accelerated ageing process at 80 °C in air for 24 h, whereas the two supported TEPA samples experienced severe degradation, with zeolite 13X supported TEPA incurring a reduction of 86.5 % in CO2 capturing capacity after the ageing. This work sheds light on the novel usage of TEPA as an efficient solid amine for practical DAC operation.

Health Economics in a World of Uneconomic Growth

Multiple, accelerating and interacting ecological crises are increasingly understood as constituting a major threat to human health and well-being. Unconstrained economic growth is strongly implicated in these growing crises, and it has been argued that this growth has now become "uneconomic growth", which is a situation where the size of the economy is still expanding, but this expansion is causing more harm than benefit. This article summarises the multiple pathways by which uneconomic growth can be expected to harm human health. It describes how health care systems-especially through overuse, low value and poor quality care-can themselves drive uneconomic growth. Health economists need to understand not only the consequences of environmental impacts on health care, but also the significance of uneconomic growth, and pay closer attention to the growing body of work by heterodox economists, especially in the fields of ecological and feminist economics. This will involve paying closer heed to the existence and consequences of diminishing marginal returns to health care consumption at high levels; the central importance of inequalities and injustice in health; and the need to remedy health economists' currently limited ability to deal effectively with low value care, overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Detergent Chemistry Modulates the Transgression of Planetary Boundaries including Antimicrobial Resistance and Drug Discovery

Detergent chemistry enables applications in the world today while harming safe operating spaces that humanity needs for survival. Aim of this review is to support a holistic thought process in the design of detergent chemistry. We harness the planetary boundary concept as a framework for literature survey to identify progresses and knowledge gaps in context with detergent chemistry and five planetary boundaries that are currently transgressed, i.e., climate, freshwater, land system, novel entities, biosphere integrity. Our survey unveils the status of three critical challenges to be addressed in the years to come, including (i) the implementation of a holistically, climate-friendly detergent industry; (ii) the alignment of materialistic and social aspects in creating technical solutions by means of sustainable chemistry; (iii) the development of detergents that serve the purpose of applications but do not harm the biosphere in their role as novel entities. Specifically, medically relevant case reports revealed that even the most sophisticated detergent design cannot sufficiently accelerate drug discovery to outperform the antibiotic resistance development that detergents simultaneously promote as novel entities. Safe operating spaces that humanity needs for its survival may be secured by directing future efforts beyond sustainable chemistry, resource efficiency, and net zero emission targets.

Soil moisture decline in China's monsoon loess critical zone: More a result of land-use conversion than climate change

Soil moisture (SM) is essential for sustaining services from Earth's critical zone, a thin-living skin spanning from the canopy to groundwater. In the Anthropocene epoch, intensive afforestation has remarkably contributed to global greening and certain service improvements, often at the cost of reduced SM. However, attributing the response of SM in deep soil to such human activities is a great challenge because of the scarcity of long-term observations. Here, we present a 37 y (1985 to 2021) analysis of SM dynamics at two scales across China's monsoon loess critical zone. Site-scale data indicate that land-use conversion from arable cropland to forest/grassland caused an 18% increase in SM deficit over 0 to 18 m depth (P < 0.01). Importantly, this SM deficit intensified over time, despite limited climate change influence. Across the Loess Plateau, SM storage in 0 to 10 m layer exhibited a significant decreasing trend from 1985 to 2021, with a turning point in 1999 when starting afforestation. Compared with SM storage before 1999, the relative contributions of climate change and afforestation to SM decline after 1999 were -8% and 108%, respectively. This emphasizes the pronounced impacts of intensifying land-use conversions as the principal catalyst of SM decline. Such a decline shifts 18% of total area into an at-risk status, mainly in the semiarid region, thereby threatening SM security. To mitigate this risk, future land management policies should acknowledge the crucial role of intensifying land-use conversions and their interplay with climate change. This is imperative to ensure SM security and sustain critical zone services.

Land system governance shapes tick-related public and animal health risks

Land cover and land use have established effects on hazard and exposure to vector-borne diseases. While our understanding of the proximate and distant causes and consequences of land use decisions has evolved, the focus on the proximate effects of landscape on disease ecology remains dominant. We argue that land use governance, viewed through a land system lens, affects tick-borne disease risk. Governance affects land use trajectories and potentially shapes landscapes favourable to ticks or increases contact with ticks by structuring human-land interactions. We illustrate the role of land use legacies, trade-offs in land-use decisions, and social inequities in access to land resources, information and decision-making, with three cases: Kyasanur Forest disease in India, Lyme disease in the Outer Hebrides (Scotland), and tick acaricide resistance in cattle in Ecuador. Land use governance is key to managing the risk of tick-borne diseases, by affecting the hazard and exposure. We propose that land use governance should consider unintended consequences on infectious disease risk.

Shaping and enhancing resilient forests for a resilient society

The world is currently facing uncertainty caused by environmental, social, and economic changes and by political shocks. Fostering social-ecological resilience by enhancing forests' ability to provide a range of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, habitat provision, and sustainable livelihoods, is key to addressing such uncertainty. However, policy makers and managers currently lack a clear understanding of how to operationalise the shaping of resilience through the combined challenges of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, and changes in societal demand. Based on a scientific literature review, we identified a set of actions related to ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and disturbance and pressure impacts that forest managers and policy makers should attend to enhance the resilience of European forest systems. We conclude that the resilience shaping of forests should (1) adopt an operational approach, which is currently lacking, (2) identify and address existing and future trade-offs while reinforcing win-wins and (3) attend to local particularities through an adaptive management approach.

Arsenic and mercury exposure in different insect trophic guilds from mercury mining areas in Mexico

The exposure to arsenic and mercury in various insect trophic guilds from two mercury mining sites in Mexico was assessed. The two study sites were La Laja (LL) and La Soledad (LS) mines. Additionally, a reference site (LSR) was evaluated for LS. The terrestrial ecosystem was studied at LL, whereas both the terrestrial ecosystem and a stream called El Cedral (EC) were assessed at LS. The study sites are situated in the Biosphere Reserve Sierra Gorda (BRSG). Mercury vapor concentrations were measured with a portable analyzer, and concentrations of arsenic and mercury in environmental and biological samples were determined through atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Both pollutants were detected in all terrestrial ecosystem components (soil, air, leaves, flowers, and insects) from the two mines. The insect trophic guilds exposed included pollinivores, rhizophages, predators, coprophages, and necrophages. In LS, insects accumulated arsenic at levels 29 to 80 times higher than those found in specimens from LSR, and 10 to 46 times higher than those from LL. Similarly, mercury exposure in LS was 13 to 62 times higher than LSR, and 15 to 54 times higher than in LL. The analysis of insect exposure routes indicated potential exposure through air, soil, leaves, flowers, animal prey, carrion, and excrement. Water and sediment from EC exhibited high levels of arsenic and mercury compared to reference values, and predatory aquatic insects were exposed to both pollutants. In conclusion, insects from mercury mining sites in the BRSG are at risk.

The Future of Chemical Sciences is Sustainable

Chemistry, a vital tool for sustainable development, faces a challenge due to the lack of clear guidance on actionable steps, hindering the optimal adoption of sustainability practices across its diverse facets from discovery to implementation. This Scientific Perspective explores established frameworks and principles, proposing a conciliated set of triple E priorities anchored on Environmental, Economic, and Equity pillars for research and decision making. We outline associated metrics, crucial for quantifying impacts, classifying them according to their focus areas and scales tackled. Emphasizing catalysis as a key driver of sustainable synthesis of chemicals and materials, we exemplify how triple E priorities can practically guide the development and implementation of processes from renewables conversions to complex customized products. We summarize by proposing a roadmap for the community aimed at raising awareness, fostering academia-industry collaboration, and stimulating further advances in sustainable chemical technologies across their broad scope.

Celebrating Australian nurses who are pioneering the response to climate change: a compilation of case studies

BACKGROUND

Nurses, the largest healthcare workforce, are well placed to provide leadership in initiatives that promote planetary health. Yet, few practical examples of nurse leadership in the health sector's response to climate change are evident in the scholarly literature.

AIM

The aim of this discussion paper is to profile Australian nurses who are leading initiatives designed to champion planetary health and promote sustainable practice.

METHODS

The paper presents a series of case studies derived from interviews conducted in October and November 2023.

FINDINGS

The nurses' experiences and insights, along with the challenges they have encountered, are presented as evidence of Kouzes and Posner's five practices of exemplary leadership.

CONCLUSION

The case studies demonstrate that appointment of more nurses with climate and sustainability expertise will accelerate the implementation of responsive strategies that target waste management, emissions reduction and climate resilience across healthcare organisations.

Extended ozone depletion and reduced snow and ice cover-Consequences for Antarctic biota

Stratospheric ozone, which has been depleted in recent decades by the release of anthropogenic gases, is critical for shielding the biosphere against ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. Although the ozone layer is expected to recover before the end of the 21st century, a hole over Antarctica continues to appear each year. Ozone depletion usually peaks between September and October, when fortunately, most Antarctic terrestrial vegetation and soil biota is frozen, dormant and protected under snow cover. Similarly, much marine life is protected by sea ice cover. The ozone hole used to close before the onset of Antarctic summer, meaning that most biota were not exposed to severe springtime UV-B fluxes. However, in recent years, ozone depletion has persisted into December, which marks the beginning of austral summer. Early summertime ozone depletion is concerning: high incident UV-B radiation coincident with snowmelt and emergence of vegetation will mean biota is more exposed. The start of summer is also peak breeding season for many animals, thus extreme UV-B exposure (UV index up to 14) may come at a vulnerable time in their life cycle. Climate change, including changing wind patterns and strength, and particularly declining sea ice, are likely to compound UV-B exposure of Antarctic organisms, through earlier ice and snowmelt, heatwaves and droughts. Antarctic field research conducted decades ago tended to study UV impacts in isolation and more research that considers multiple climate impacts, and the true magnitude and timing of current UV increases is needed.

Morphology and phosphate distribution in bottom ash particles from fixed-bed co-combustion of sewage sludge and two agricultural residues

The purpose of this study was to provide detailed knowledge of the morphological properties of ash particles, including the volumetric fractions and 3D distributions of phosphates that lay within them. The ash particles came from digested sewage sludge co-combusted with K- and Si-rich wheat straw or K-rich sunflower husks. X-ray micro-tomography were combined with elemental composition and crystalline phase information to analyse the ash particles in 3D. Analyses of differences in the X-ray attenuation enabled calculation of 3D phosphate distributions that showed high heterogeneity in the slag particles. This is underscored by a distinct absence of phosphates in iron-rich and silicon-rich parts. The slag from silicate-based wheat straw mixtures had lower average attenuation than that from sunflower husks mixtures, which contained more calcium. Calculated shares of phosphates between 7 and 17 vol% were obtained, where the highest value for a single assigned phosphate was observed in hard slag from wheat straw with 10 % sewage sludge. The porosity was notably higher for particles from pure wheat straw combustion (62 vol%), compared to the other samples (15-35 vol%). A high open pore volume fraction (60-97 vol%) indicates that a large part of the pores can be accessed by the surroundings. For all samples, more than 60 % of the discrete (closed) pores had an equivalent diameter < 30 μm, while the largest volume fraction consisted of pores with an equivalent diameter > 75 μm. Slag from sunflower husk mixtures had larger pore volumes and a greater relative number of discrete pores >75 µm compared to wheat straw mixtures.

Visions for planetary health: Results from open-ended questions of survey participants after a virtual planetary health lecture series

INTRODUCTION

A profound transformation of all areas of human activities is urgently needed for planetary health. Developing a shared vision of the future that is grounded in values aligned with planetary health is indispensable in this regard. The Planetary Health Academy is the first open online lecture series in Germany aiming for transformative planetary health education. As part of a recent evaluation of the impact of the lecture series, participants' visions for planetary health were also examined.

METHODS

As part of a retrospective, cross-sectional, self-administered online survey, participants were asked to respond to an open-ended question on their visions for planetary health. Results were analysed using summarising qualitative content analysis according to Mayring. Sociodemographic details of those participants who provided a valid answer (n = 197) were calculated.

RESULTS

Eight main categories were developed to summarise participants' visions for planetary health. These were: Awareness for planetary health - Planetary health integrated in all types of education - Establishment and development of the concept - A different understanding of health (care) - A transformative movement and global community - Transforming human activities - Planetary health as a guiding principle - The future state of planetary health.

DISCUSSION

Broadly, the participants' visions were about planetary health as a goal and the means necessary to achieve this goal. Our findings can only be seen as a first explorative step in eliciting aspects of a common vision for planetary health, as our study design did not include a mechanism of building consensus towards one common vision. Besides the field of planetary health, similar concepts and associated movements exist or are emerging. Facilitating dialogue and exchange across disciplines and narratives about the prevailing future visions will be key to achieving what we call planetary health and what others might call Ubuntu or buen vivir.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study provide first insights into the planetary health visions of those whom we would consider members of a movement aligned behind the idea of planetary health. In future editions, the Planetary Health Academy could integrate more discursive elements with a particular focus on negotiating future visions to support the creation of a critical mass of change agents within the health community and beyond.

Multi-objective ecological restoration priority in China: Cost-benefit optimization in different ecological performance regimes based on planetary boundaries

In the context of the "United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration", optimizing spatiotemporal arrangements for ecological restoration is an important approach to enhancing overall socioecological benefits for sustainable development. However, against the background of ecological degradation caused by the human use of most natural resources at levels that have approached or exceeded the safe and sustainable boundaries of ecosystems, it is key to explain how to optimize ecological restoration by classified management and optimal total benefits. In response to these issues, we combined spatial heterogeneity and temporal dynamics at the national scale in China to construct five ecological performance regimes defined by indicators that use planetary boundaries and ecological pressures which served as the basis for prioritizing ecological restoration areas and implementing zoning control. By integrating habitat conservation, biodiversity, water supply, and restoration cost constraints, seven ecological restoration scenarios were simulated to optimize the spatial layout of ecological restoration projects (ERPs). The results indicated that the provinces with unsustainable freshwater use, climate change, and land use accounted for more than 25%, 66.7%, and 25%, respectively, of the total area. Only 30% of the provinces experienced a decrease in environmental pressure. Based on the ecological performance regimes, ERP sites spanning the past 20 years were identified, and more than 50% of the priority areas were clustered in regime areas with increased ecological stress. As the restoration area targets doubled (40%) from the baseline (20%), a multi-objective scenario presents a trade-off between expanded ERPs in areas with highly beneficial effects and minimal restoration costs. In conclusion, a reasonable classification and management regime is the basis for targeted restoration. Coordinating multiple objectives and costs in ecological restoration is the key to maximizing socio-ecological benefits. Our study offered new perspectives on systematic and sustainable planning for ecological restoration.

Systemic stomatal responses in plants: Coordinating development, stress, and pathogen defense under a changing climate

To successfully survive, develop, grow and reproduce, multicellular organisms must coordinate their molecular, physiological, developmental and metabolic responses among their different cells and tissues. This process is mediated by cell-to-cell, vascular and/or volatile communication, and involves electric, chemical and/or hydraulic signals. Within this context, stomata serve a dual role by coordinating their responses to the environment with their neighbouring cells at the epidermis, but also with other stomata present on other parts of the plant. As stomata represent one of the most important conduits between the plant and its above-ground environment, as well as directly affect photosynthesis, respiration and the hydraulic status of the plant by controlling its gas and vapour exchange with the atmosphere, coordinating the overall response of stomata within and between different leaves and tissues plays a cardinal role in plant growth, development and reproduction. Here, we discuss different examples of local and systemic stomatal coordination, the different signalling pathways that mediate them, and the importance of systemic stomatal coordination to our food supply, ecosystems and weather patterns, under our changing climate. We further discuss the potential biotechnological implications of regulating systemic stomatal responses for enhancing agricultural productivity in a warmer and CO2 -rich environment.

Cities, planetary boundaries, and degrowth

Cities are the main hubs of human activity and the engines of economic growth. In pursuit of such growth, cities are transgressing their local environmental boundaries. Ongoing urbanisation increasingly contributes to the human pressure on planetary boundaries and negatively affects planetary health. In a telecoupled world, cities externalise impacts by shifting production and many other functions away from their boundaries. At the same time, urban inhabitants and people who follow urban lifestyles but live outside cities are increasingly disconnected from nature. This Viewpoint highlights the role of degrowth in keeping an urban planet within planetary boundaries and suggests areas for further research and policy. Degrowth calls for meaningfully connecting planetary boundaries with cities and ensuring everyone receives a fair share of their ecological capacity. Degrowth calls for lower use of existing resources, highlights political power asymmetries, and moves beyond pricing interventions. Degrowth addresses three key aspects that connect cities and urban lifestyles to planetary boundaries: reducing production and consumption, connecting people and nature, and including nature (to a more substantial extent) in the design of cities and in what is used and consumed in cities. A radical degrowth transformation of cities is necessary to stay within a safe operating space for humanity.

Cory's shearwater as a key bioindicator for monitoring floating plastics

The potential of using organisms as bioindicators of marine litter has been an area of general interest in multiple scientific and monitoring programs across the globe. Procellariiformes seabirds are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination, which makes them a research focus group. This study investigated plastic ingestion in deceased fledglings and adults Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) collected over eight years (2015 to 2022) at two Atlantic archipelagos: the Azores and the Canaries. Necropsies were carried out in a total of 1,238 individuals showing a high prevalence of plastic ingestion (90%), with approximately 80% of items recovered from the gizzard. Fledglings carried greater plastic loads compared to adults, yet plastic morphologies were similar between both age classes. The temporal analyses conducted with generalised additive mixed-effect models revealed a distinct temporal trend in plastic numbers, but not in terms of plastic mass. In addition, the spatial analyses showed that Cory's shearwaters from the Canary Islands ingest a higher quantity of plastic and a greater proportion of threadlike items than the Azorean birds. These results suggest higher contamination at the NW Africa foraging grounds next to the Canaries and highlight fisheries as a potential source of marine litter in that region. On the other hand, the information gathered from the Azorean birds suggests they would be able to monitor changes in the composition of the plastic items floating in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Overall, our outcomes support the use of Cory's shearwater fledglings that are victims of light pollution as a key bioindicator of plastic contamination in the North Atlantic. For its policy application, the presented threshold value in combination with the assessment method will enable effective tracking of floating plastic litter in the framework of the MSFD and OSPAR.

Plastics in the environment in the context of UV radiation, climate change and the Montreal Protocol: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2023

This Assessment Update by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) considers the interactive effects of solar UV radiation, global warming, and other weathering factors on plastics. The Assessment illustrates the significance of solar UV radiation in decreasing the durability of plastic materials, degradation of plastic debris, formation of micro- and nanoplastic particles and accompanying leaching of potential toxic compounds. Micro- and nanoplastics have been found in all ecosystems, the atmosphere, and in humans. While the potential biological risks are not yet well-established, the widespread and increasing occurrence of plastic pollution is reason for continuing research and monitoring. Plastic debris persists after its intended life in soils, water bodies and the atmosphere as well as in living organisms. To counteract accumulation of plastics in the environment, the lifetime of novel plastics or plastic alternatives should better match the functional life of products, with eventual breakdown releasing harmless substances to the environment.

Costs of molecular adaptation to the chemical exposome: a focus on xenobiotic metabolism pathways

Organisms adapt to their environment through different pathways. In vertebrates, xenobiotics are detected, metabolized and eliminated through the inducible xenobiotic-metabolizing pathways (XMP) which can also generate reactive toxic intermediates. In this review, we will discuss the impacts of the chemical exposome complexity on the balance between detoxication and side effects. There is a large discrepancy between the limited number of proteins involved in these pathways (few dozens) and the diversity and complexity of the chemical exposome (tens of thousands of chemicals). Several XMP proteins have a low specificity which allows them to bind and/or metabolize a large number of chemicals. This leads to undesired consequences, such as cross-inhibition, inefficient metabolism, release of toxic intermediates, etc. Furthermore, several XMP proteins have endogenous functions that may be disrupted upon exposure to exogenous chemicals. The gut microbiome produces a very large number of metabolites that enter the body and are part of the chemical exposome. It can metabolize xenobiotics and either eliminate them or lead to toxic derivatives. The complex interactions between chemicals of different origins will be illustrated by the diverse roles of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor which binds and transduces the signals of a large number of xenobiotics, microbiome metabolites, dietary chemicals and endogenous compounds. This article is part of the theme issue 'Endocrine responses to environmental variation: conceptual approaches and recent developments'.

Exploring biodiversity patterns at the landscape scale by linking landscape energy and land use/land cover heterogeneity

Agricultural Biodiversity dynamics has been evaluated by social metabolism or by landscape structure-function analysis. In this study, by using ELIA modeling, we used both methods in combination to understand how the interplay between social metabolism and landscape structure-function can affect biodiversity pattern distribution. We used energy reinvestment (E) as an indicator of social metabolism and landscape heterogeneity (Le) as an indicator of landscape structure-function. We propose a research hypothesis to analyze biodiversity patterns considering four different clusters identified based on high or low E or Le. As cluster 1, we defined E as high and Le as low and associated natural ecosystems to it. These ecosystems are expected to contain high species abundance but low richness. As cluster 2, both E and Le were defined as high and semi-natural ecosystems were associated to it, where nature friendly farm system developed. In these ecosystems, high species abundance and richness are expected. Cluster 3 with low E and Le was associated intensive farmland, which is due to the simplification of the landscape. Here, low energy reinvestment and landscape heterogeneity confirm that ecosystem services related to biodiversity have been drastically reduced. Lastly, cluster 4 with low E but high Le refers to intensive mosaics of farmland and pasture. In this cluster, the biodiversity richness index is high due to spatial landscape diversity, but the biodiversity abundance index is low due to the lack of energy reinvestment. We evaluate the proposed hypothesis for biodiversity analysis in the Qazvin province, emphasizing the interplay between energy availability and landscape heterogeneity in shaping ecological communities. This study highlights the importance of understanding biodiversity patterns at spatial scale and emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary research to address conservation and sustainability challenges. Our approach would be very useful where there is lack of biodiversity data.

Assessing groundwater denitrification spatially is the key to targeted agricultural nitrogen regulation

Globally, food production for an ever-growing population is a well-known threat to the environment due to losses of excess reactive nitrogen (N) from agriculture. Since the 1980s, many countries of the Global North, such as Denmark, have successfully combatted N pollution in the aquatic environment by regulation and introduction of national agricultural one-size-fits-all mitigation measures. Despite this success, further reduction of the N load is required to meet the EU water directives demands, and implementation of additional targeted N regulation of agriculture has scientifically and politically been found to be a way forward. In this paper, we present a comprehensive concept to make future targeted N regulation successful environmentally and economically. The concept focus is on how and where to establish detailed maps of the groundwater denitrification potential (N retention) in areas, such as Denmark, covered by Quaternary deposits. Quaternary deposits are abundant in many parts of the world, and often feature very complex geological and geochemical architectures. We show that this subsurface complexity results in large local differences in groundwater N retention. Prioritization of the most complex areas for implementation of the new concept can be a cost-efficient way to achieve lower N impact on the aquatic environment.

Single-polyp metabolomics for coral health assessment

Coral reef ecosystems supported by environmentally sensitive reef-building corals face serious threats from human activities. Our understanding of these reef threats is hampered by the lack of sufficiently sensitive coral environmental impact assessment systems. In this study, we established a platform for metabolomic analysis at the single-coral-polyp level using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry (probe electrospray ionization/tandem mass spectrometry; PESI/MS/MS) capable of fine-scale analysis. We analyzed the impact of the organic UV filter, benzophenone (BP), which has a negative impact on corals. We also analyzed ammonium and nitrate samples, which affect the environmental sensitivity of coral-zooxanthella (Symbiodiniaceae) holobionts, to provide new insights into coral biology with a focus on metabolites. The method established in this study breaks new ground by combining PESI/MS/MS with a technique for coral polyps that can control the presence or absence of zooxanthellae in corals, enabling functions of zooxanthellae to be assessed on a polyp-by-polyp basis for the first time. This system will clarify biological mechanisms of corals and will become an important model system for environmental impact assessment using marine organisms.

Ecology, ethology, and evolution in the Anthropocene

The 53rd Ontario Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution Colloquium (OE3C 2023) took place at Western University (London, Canada) on 25-27 May 2023, attracting 160 participants. This Meeting Review aims not only to recapitulate what was discussed during the event, but also to provide a brief synthesis of how biologists can move forward. The event was organised and run by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from the Department of Biology at Western University. With three international keynote speakers, seventy talks, and fifty poster presentations, the OE3C 2023 spanned a wide range of contemporary research in Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution ("the 3 E's"). The colloquium theme was "Surviving the Anthropocene: future steps for the 3 E's under pressing planetary issues", which was complemented by illustrations depicting the fauna and flora of the "Canadian Anthropocene". Participants discussed what biologists and researchers can do regarding future climate and environmental catastrophes. The meeting culminated in a panel discussion comprising three climate change specialists who examined topics such as the Anthropocene and the Great acceleration, the living planet index, and carbon bombs. Although not exhaustive, these topics served as a starting point for the necessary discussions about how biologists can contribute to the fight for the survival of life on Earth.

Putting radioactive materials on the sustainability agenda: a report from a workshop on the sustainability of human-made radioactive materials held at the safeND Research Symposium 2023

This report summarizes the findings of a workshop held at the safeND Research Symposium and hosted by the German Federal Office for the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management (BASE) in Berlin in September 2023. The workshop aimed to channel perspectives from various fields of expertise to discuss key sustainability concepts in terms of radioactive waste management. Therefore, the report highlights that current sustainability concepts, such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as the concept of Planetary Boundaries, neglect challenges arising from the production and storage of human-made radioactive materials. The workshop consisted of three group tasks. The first attempted at identifying the interrelations between "sustainability" and radioactive waste management. The second was to map the global nature of the challenges. The third took first steps to determine a human-made radioactive material as a potential planetary sub-boundary for "novel entities". All three groups identified valuable knowledge gaps that should be addressed by future research and concluded that radioactive waste management is underrepresented in these sustainability concepts.

The impact of multifactorial stress combination on plants, crops, and ecosystems: how should we prepare for what comes next?

The complexity of environmental conditions encountered by plants in the field, or in nature, is gradually increasing due to anthropogenic activities that promote global warming, climate change, and increased levels of pollutants. While in the past it seemed sufficient to study how plants acclimate to one or even two different stresses affecting them simultaneously, the complex conditions developing on our planet necessitate a new approach of studying stress in plants: Acclimation to multiple stress conditions occurring concurrently or consecutively (termed, multifactorial stress combination [MFSC]). In an initial study of the plant response to MFSC, conducted with Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings subjected to an MFSC of six different abiotic stresses, it was found that with the increase in the number and complexity of different stresses simultaneously impacting a plant, plant growth and survival declined, even if the effects of each stress involved in such MFSC on the plant was minimal or insignificant. In three recent studies, conducted with different crop plants, MFSC was found to have similar effects on a commercial rice cultivar, a maize hybrid, tomato, and soybean, causing significant reductions in growth, biomass, physiological parameters, and/or yield traits. As the environmental conditions on our planet are gradually worsening, as well as becoming more complex, addressing MFSC and its effects on agriculture and ecosystems worldwide becomes a high priority. In this review, we address the effects of MFSC on plants, crops, agriculture, and different ecosystems worldwide, and highlight potential avenues to enhance the resilience of crops to MFSC.

The impact of multifactorial stress combination on reproductive tissues and grain yield of a crop plant

Global warming, climate change, and industrial pollution are altering our environment subjecting plants, microbiomes, and ecosystems to an increasing number and complexity of abiotic stress conditions, concurrently or sequentially. These conditions, termed, "multifactorial stress combination" (MFSC), can cause a significant decline in plant growth and survival. However, the impacts of MFSC on reproductive tissues and yield of major crop plants are largely unknown. We subjected soybean (Glycine max) plants to a MFSC of up to five different stresses (water deficit, salinity, low phosphate, acidity, and cadmium), in an increasing level of complexity, and conducted integrative transcriptomic-phenotypic analysis of their reproductive and vegetative tissues. We reveal that MFSC has a negative cumulative effect on soybean yield, that each set of MFSC condition elicits a unique transcriptomic response (that is different between flowers and leaves), and that selected genes expressed in leaves or flowers of soybean are linked to the effects of MFSC on different vegetative, physiological, and/or reproductive parameters. Our study identified networks and pathways associated with reactive oxygen species, ascorbic acid and aldarate, and iron/copper signaling/metabolism as promising targets for future biotechnological efforts to augment the resilience of reproductive tissues of major crop plants to MFSC. In addition, we provide unique phenotypic and transcriptomic datasets for dissecting the mechanistic effects of MFSC on the vegetative, physiological, and reproductive processes of a crop plant.

China's anthropogenic N2O emissions with analysis of economic costs and social benefits from reductions in 2022

We assess China's overall anthropogenic N2O emissions via the official guidebook published by Chinese government. Results show that China's overall anthropogenic N2O emissions in 2022 were around 1593.1 (1508.7-1680.7) GgN, about 47.0 %, 27.0 %, 13.4 %, 4.9 %, and 7.7 % of which were caused by agriculture, industry, energy utilization, wastewater, and indirect sources, respectively. Maximum reduction rate for N2O emissions from agriculture, industry, energy utilization, wastewater, and indirect sources can achieve 69 %, 99 %, 79 %, 86 %, and 48 %, respectively, in 2022. However, given current global scenarios with a rapidly changing population and geopolitical and energy tension, the emission reduction may not be fully fulfilled. Without compromising yields, China's theoretical minimum anthropogenic N2O emissions would be 600.6 (568.8-633.6) GgN. In terms of the economic costs for reducing one kg of N2O-N emissions, the price ranged from €12.9 to €81.1 for agriculture, from €0.08 to €0.16 for industry, and from €104.8 to €1571.5 for energy utilization. We acknowledge the emission reduction rates may not be completely realistic for large-scale application in China. The social benefits gained from reducing one kg of N2O-N emissions in China was about €5.2, indicating anthropogenic N2O emissions caused a loss 0.03 % of China's GDP, but only justifying reduction in industrial N2O emissions from the economic perspective. We perceive that the present monetized values will be trustworthy for at least three to five years, but later the numerical monetized values need to be considered in inflation and other currency-dependent conditions.

Understanding nurses' experience of climate change and then climate action in Western Canada

AIM

To understand nurses' personal and professional experiences with the heat dome, drought and forest fires of 2021 and how those events impacted their perspectives on climate action.

DESIGN

A naturalistic inquiry using qualitative description.

METHOD

Twelve nurses from the interior of British Columbia, Canada, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was employed. No patient or public involvement.

RESULTS

Data analysis yielded three themes to describe nurses' perspective on climate change: health impacts; climate action and system influences. These experiences contributed to nurses' beliefs about climate change, how to take climate action in their personal lives and their challenges enacting climate action in their workplace settings.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' challenges with enacting environmentally responsible practices in their workplace highlight the need for engagement throughout institutions in supporting environmentally friendly initiatives.

IMPACT

The importance of system-level changes in healthcare institutions for planetary health.

Threats to conservation from national security interests

There is a growing trend of nation states invoking national security and emergency declarations to build state-sponsored infrastructure projects for border defense, energy production, and transportation. Established laws, regulations, and agreements for the protection of nature and cultural heritage within and between countries are becoming secondary to national security, compromising the function of protected areas, such as national parks, wilderness areas, and biosphere reserves that safeguard biodiversity, climate, and human health. We considered cases where decades-long multinational cross-border endangered species recovery programs have been jeopardized by waivers of environmental protection laws to facilitate rapid construction of border barriers that impede the movement and migration of animals, such as at the US-Mexico and Poland-Belarus borders. Renewable energy megaprojects, such as the Pinacate solar plant in Mexico, coupled with power transmission lines and road networks likewise cast a large footprint on the land and are being carried out with minimal to no environmental compliance under the guise of national security. National sovereignty likewise has been used as justification for bypassing laws to proceed with similar projects, such as Mexico's Dos Bocas refinery and Poland's Vistula Spit canal. Emphasis on security is also apparent in increasing military expenditure by the world's largest economies, which has created a mismatch with improvement in environmental policy stringency. Decisions to prioritize security can undermine democratic principles and environmental review protocols, trivialize humanity's dependence on functioning ecosystems, and contradict the United Nation's resolution on the human right to a healthy environment. Framing infrastructure projects as matters of national security also foments civil and political unrest by the labeling and casting of dissenters, including conservation scientists and environmental defenders, as antinational. World leaders must refrain from misusing extraordinary powers, adhere to laws and international agreements, and consult experts and local people before taking unilateral action on projects that affect ecological and human communities.