Active chlorine is the most widely used water disinfectant, but its production has environmental consequences. This work shows a photoelectrochemical synthetic route using only solar energy and seawater.

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is a green oxidant with diverse applications. Aided by a nickel phosphorus trisulfide nanosheet electrocatalyst, this work shows a sustainable synthetic route to produce H₂O₂ from seawater with high yield and impressive stability.

Current battery recycling processes face sustainability challenges. Using gas evolution in water electrolysis, this work realizes fast separation of active electrode materials from current collectors before their dry refabrication for electrodes without compromising performance.

Evaluating the short-term exposure to wildfire-specific fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) showed greater risks of hospitalization for all major respiratory diseases than non-wildfire PM_2.5. When developing air quality guidelines, it is also important to consider that PM_2.5 from varying sources can have different health effects, which require targeted health and environmental policy approaches.

Dry-season groundwater irrigation in southern Asia increases annual agricultural productivity while monsoon rains recharge aquifers. However, groundwater irrigation rates in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta exceed monsoonal recharge rates, reduce available surface freshwater and increase the risk of saltwater intrusion.

Seawater is the most abundant source of uranium. This work shows a bipolar electrochemical mining process from seawater at ultra-low voltages, ensuring maximized extraction efficiency and minimized energy consumption.

Crude oil is a mixture of different hydrocarbons, and their separation remains challenging. Here this work shows a molecular sieve that allows for direct, selective and sustainable isolation of valuable components.

Natural rubber is a widely used biopolymer and further improving its resistance to crack growth will extend its service life. Here the authors show a strategy to amplify the resistance to crack growth in natural rubber by forming a tanglemer.

The transition to sustainable diets is challenging for countries that face malnutrition and limited resources. Now a study explores how various dietary transformations in China can improve public health, make food affordable and reduce environmental impacts, while evaluating the feasibility of the diet changes.

Active radiant cooling is an emerging technology that consumes less energy than traditional air conditioning. This work demonstrates an outdoor radiant cooling structure incorporating infrared-reflective surfaces that delivers enhanced thermal comfort.

Climate science and national emissions reporting communities have historically used different definitions and methods for anthropogenic land-based carbon removals. As the mitigation agenda accelerates, reconciling these differences for comparability and moving towards integration is crucial for enhancing confidence in land-use emission estimates.

At a time when the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions precipitously, artificial intelligence (AI) brings large opportunities and large risks. To address its uncertain environmental impact, we propose the ‘Earth alignment’ principle to guide AI development and deployment towards planetary stability.

Wildfires in urban areas test our collective capacity not just for responsible land use and management, but also our social and political fabric for how we discuss and respond to these repeated disasters. A small collection of Correspondence articles in this issue provides some initial insights into what we can learn.