Blog

Nature Sustainability Alert – February 2021

<h2>Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2021</h2>
Volume 4 Issue 2
          <h3>Oil palm certification and well-being</h3>
          <p>Palm oil sustainability certification should achieve both   environmental and socioeconomic goals, but its effectiveness on the   latter is unclear. Santika and colleagues found that in Indonesia the   scheme improved well-being in villages where livelihoods were primarily   market-based, but had no effect where subsistence livelihoods dominated.</p>
          <p>See <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00630-1">Santika et al.</a></p>

        <p data-test="issue-image-credit" data-credit="Image: Image courtesy of Center for InternaMonal Forestry Research (CIFOR). Cover design: Valentina Monaco.">Image: Image courtesy of Center for InternaMonal Forestry Research (CIFOR). Cover design: Valentina Monaco.</p>




<h2 id="NewsandViews"> News &amp; Views </h2>


        <p> News &amp; Views |   28 September 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00618-x" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Natural capital in climate models</a></h3>

          <p>Models typically used to analyse   climate–economy interactions have paradoxically ignored much of nature&rsquo;s   value. A new study explicitly addresses this issue and reveals feedback   loops between nature and the climate system that make climate change   more costly.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Matthew Agarwala</li>
          <li>Diane Coyle</li>
        </ul>



        <p> News &amp; Views |   02 November 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00634-x" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> A &lsquo;middle way&rsquo; for Indonesian fires</a></h3>

          <p>Planetary health solutions that protect   the environment and promote development have been hard to find.   Eco-certification of palm oil that restricts fires also reduces local   poverty in Indonesia, but only in communities integrated into the   market.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Subhrendu K. Pattanayak</li>
          <li>Erin Sills</li>
        </ul>



<h2> Reviews </h2>


        <p> Perspective |   14 September 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00608-z" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Adding forests to the water–energy–food nexus</a></h3>

          <p>The water–energy–food nexus has provided a   framework for comprehensive analysis, but this Perspective argues for   adding forest studies to better integrate the needs and ecosystems of   smallholders, especially in the Global South.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Felipe P. L. Melo</li>
          <li>Luke Parry</li>
          <li>Robin L. Chazdon</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Perspective |   05 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00616-z" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> A pluralistic and integrated approach to action-oriented knowledge for sustainability</a></h3>

          <p>Sustainability science needs to better   mobilize a range of knowledge to support transformative change. This   Perspective contends that such transformative, action-oriented knowledge   emerges from integrating multiple kinds of knowledge and ways of   knowing.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Guido Caniglia</li>
          <li>C. Luederitz</li>
          <li>D. J. Lang</li>
        </ul>





<h2> Research </h2>


        <p> Article |   28 September 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00615-0" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Use and non-use value of nature and the social cost of carbon</a></h3>

          <p>Models used to calculate the costs of   carbon emissions do not include ecological damages. This study expands   an integrated assessment model to include natural capital as a form of   wealth, and shows that accounting for the use and non-use value of   nature has large implications for climate policy.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Bernardo A. Bastien-Olvera</li>
          <li>Frances C. Moore</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Article |   02 November 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00630-1" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Impact of palm oil sustainability certification on village well-being and poverty in Indonesia</a></h3>

          <p>A study of over 36,000 villages in   Indonesia shows that palm oil eco-certification reduces poverty in   market-oriented villages but increases it in subsistence villages.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Truly Santika</li>
          <li>Kerrie A. Wilson</li>
          <li>Matthew J. Struebig</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Article |   09 November 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00637-8" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Impact of local and landscape complexity on the stability of field-level pest control</a></h3>

          <p>Agricultural landscapes have become more   simplified as crop production has risen. This study finds that pesticide   use rises with crop area and field size but falls with crop diversity.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Ashley E. Larsen</li>
          <li>Frederik Noack</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Article |   05 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00614-1" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Criteria pollutant impacts of volatile chemical products informed by near-field modelling</a></h3>

          <p>Exposure to volatile chemical products   happens during or in the vicinity of product use and through ambient   air; the latter pathway is neglected in exposure estimates. This study   shows that both pathways should be considered in efforts to develop   safer and more sustainable products and to achieve cleaner air.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Momei Qin</li>
          <li>Benjamin N. Murphy</li>
          <li>Havala O. T. Pye</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Article |   05 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00619-w" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> High performance polyester reverse osmosis desalination membrane with chlorine resistance</a></h3>

          <p>Reverse osmosis membranes are the primary   technology used for desalination and wastewater recycling, but they are   prone to biofouling and subsequent performance deterioration due to   poor tolerance to disinfecting agents such as chlorine. Here a   chlorine-resistant polyester reverse osmosis membrane is developed to   prevent biofouling and increase the sustainability of desalination and   wastewater reuse.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Yujian Yao</li>
          <li>Pingxia Zhang</li>
          <li>Menachem Elimelech</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Article |   26 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00628-9" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> A highly efficient triboelectric negative air ion generator</a></h3>

          <p>Negative air ions (NAIs) have been widely   harnessed for air purification and environmental therapeutics. Herein,   the authors construct a triboelectric NAI generator that produces NAIs   with high efficiency, stimulated by mechanical motions.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Hengyu Guo</li>
          <li>Jie Chen</li>
          <li>Zhong Lin Wang</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Analysis |   02 November 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00631-0" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> The global divide in data-driven farming</a></h3>

          <p>Big data and mobile technology are   considered a growing boon for small-scale farmers. This study finds that   only 24–37% of farms of &lt;1 ha are currently served by third   generation (3G) or 4G services, compared to 74–80% of farms of   &gt;200 ha, and that regions with poor yields and low food security have   poor service coverage.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Zia Mehrabi</li>
          <li>Mollie J. McDowell</li>
          <li>Andy Jarvis</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Analysis |   12 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00625-y" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Increasing decision relevance of ecosystem service science</a></h3>

          <p>To increase the policy relevance of   ecosystem service benefits research, studies need to better predict the   impact of specific decisions, according to an analysis of the   literature.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Lisa Mandle</li>
          <li>Analisa Shields-Estrada</li>
          <li>Taylor H. Ricketts</li>
        </ul>



        <p> Analysis |   09 November 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00636-9" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> The politics of biodiversity offsetting across time and institutional scales</a></h3>

          <p>A discourse analysis across time shows   how reformist and transformative proponents have been competing over the   purpose of biodiversity offsetting, which requires stronger   institutional commitments to advance.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Florence L. P. Damiens</li>
          <li>Libby Porter</li>
          <li>Ascelin Gordon</li>
        </ul>


        <p> Analysis |   19 October 2020 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00624-z" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Limited climate benefits of global recycling of pulp and paper</a></h3>

          <p>Waste recycling is part of a circular   economy, but for some materials its environmental benefits are unclear.   Looking at the circularity of the global paper life cycle, under various   levels of waste recycling, this study shows that any climate benefits   hinge on reducing the carbon intensity of the energy used.</p>

        <ul>
          <li>Stijn van Ewijk</li>
          <li>Julia A. Stegemann</li>
          <li>Paul Ekins</li>
        </ul>



<h2> Amendments &amp; Corrections </h2>

        <p> Author Correction |   15 January 2021 </p>
        <h3> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00683-w" itemprop="url" data-track="click" data-track-action="view article" data-track-label="link"> Author Correction: Air pollution reduction and climate co-benefits in China&rsquo;s industries</a></h3>
        <ul>
          <li>Haoqi Qian</li>
          <li>Shaodan Xu</li>
          <li>Libo Wu</li>
        </ul>

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.