Publications

“Paris at 50 °C” is a mission that envisions an extreme heatwave scenario in which temperatures in Paris could reach 50 °C, aiming to prepare adaptive measures in advance. This commentary argues that the initiative provides valuable insights for other cities in planning and implementing climate change adaptation strategies. The “Paris at 50 °C”...

Climate change and river flow alterations in the Mekong River have significantly exacerbated drought conditions in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). Understanding the temporal dynamics and propagation mechanisms of drought, coupled with the compounded impacts of human activities, is crucial. This study analyzed meteorological (1992–2021) and...

Lakes play a crucial role in supplying water resources, regulating regional climates, and supporting ecosystems. However, they are increasingly threatened by recurrent droughts. This study focuses on the Mu Us Sandy Land, the fourth largest desert in China, and presents an approach that combines machine-learning techniques with a newly constructed...

Extract (first section): Humankind has used nature to address societal challenges for as long as complex society has existed—from managing floods by means of wetland preservation to controlling pests through crop diversity. Our reliance on nature continues today, even as technological innovation enables increasingly sophisticated engineered...

Water insecurity, intensified by climate change, environmental degradation, and unsustainable resource management, poses a significant threat to human well-being in coastal regions. This study examines the interrelationships among water governance, household well-being, and water security in southwestern Bangladesh. Using a multistage sampling...

The open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) remains a prevalent yet underreported source of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions, particularly in developing and transition economies. This study updates the 2006 IPCC activity inventory methods and subsequent refinements to quantify emissions from open waste burning (OWB) in Asian...

Identifying and leveraging synergies between the energy transition and other systems can accelerate change by achieving multiple policy goals and improving cost-effectiveness (very well established). The costs of inaction are higher than the costs of mitigation for pathways that limit global warming to 2°C over pre-industrial levels by the end of...

Achieving internationally agreed environmental, social and economic goals requires whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches (established but incomplete). These approaches can transform interconnected economic and financial, energy, food systems, materials/waste and environmental systems. Such a transformation, in turn, requires...

Countries at different stages of economic development face distinct challenges and opportunities in the transformation towards sustainability goals. High-income countries (HICs) are well-positioned to influence multilevel and multilateral governance, macroeconomic and fiscal policy to support sustainable financing in the global economic transition...

The global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, together with land degradation, are putting both people and nature at risk by pushing the environment system beyond six out of nine planetary boundaries, which are critical for maintaining a safe operating space for human existence (very well established). Sustainable development...