Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) based on purpose-grown lignocellulosic crops can provide negative CO2 emissions to mitigate climate change, but its land requirements present a threat to biodiversity. Here, we analyse the implications of crop-based BECCS for...
The supply of phosphorous is crucial to food security. Future phosphorous management will therefore play an important role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2, zero hunger). However, in many tropical countries, phosphorous fixing soils and very low historical...
The post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which is expected to be agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in April 2022, calls for a credible ‘whole of society’ approach if we are to bend the curve on biodiversity loss. The “Action Agenda for...
The Netherlands has the ambition to achieve a fully circular economy by 2050. At the request of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we explore what such a transition could mean for low- and middle-income countries that are connected to the Netherlands through international...
Many European countries have witnessed new immigration patterns in the past two decades through the gradual enlargement of the European Union. While migration motives and labour market positions of EU migrants are well-understood, relatively little is known about their...
To track progress towards keeping global warming well below 2 ∘C or even 1.5 ∘C, as agreed in the Paris Agreement, comprehensive up-to-date and reliable information on anthropogenic emissions and removals of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is required. Here we compile a new...
Closing the emissions gap between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the global emissions levels needed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate goals will require a comprehensive package of policy measures. National and sectoral policies can help fill the gap,...
Worldwide, more than 4 million people die prematurely every year due to ambient air pollution. This is more than from malnutrition or overweight. Particulate matter (PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers) in the atmosphere is the largest contributor to this mortality....
China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), labelled as the world's largest infrastructure program, has so far directed investments mainly to energy and transportation networks in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Since its launch, the BRI has changed significantly in terms of...
This commentary provides perspectives on advances over the last decade and future directions for research. Over the last 10 years, research on the topic of food consumption patterns and environmental impacts has progressed in various ways: it now not only looks at a range of...
