Environmental social sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Governments worldwide collected US$923 billion in fuel taxes in 2023, revenues at risk with the transition to electric vehicles, especially in lower-income countries. Policymakers should anticipate and assess their own domestic exposure and develop policies to recover enough revenues from electric vehicles as the transition progresses.

Millions of fire hydrants in drinking water systems are rarely used, creating stagnant zones. A new study reveals these zones are breeding grounds for opportunistic pathogens and are governed by unique microbial–chemical interactions.

A model quantifies the environmental footprint of wearable health-care electronics and identifies strategies to reduce their environmental toll.

Decarbonizing road transport is critical, but the costs and emissions of low-carbon vehicles in Africa remain uncertain. The authors show that battery electric vehicles with solar off-grid systems can cost effectively reduce life-cycle emissions well before 2040.

This commentary examines a United States food policy which limits produce prescriptions to fresh fruits and vegetables within the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP). We explore potential unintended consequences of this restriction and argue for expanding eligible types of fruits and vegetables to include frozen, canned, and dried options. A strategic policy revision for transforming food systems is provided, with insights that can be applied globally.

Many cities worldwide separate farms from urban life, yet Japanese cities interweave the two seamlessly. Ayyoob Sharifi argues that this challenges planning orthodoxy and shows how rethinking zoning, incentives and infrastructure can build climate-resilient cities that grow food and people together.

There are challenges in making large-scale and full utilization of renewable energy in power systems. We consider the need to integrate prediction, analysis, dispatch and control — and call for a systems engineering approach to power system operation that can enhance the utilization of renewable energy.

Climate action clearly needs greater ambition in the face of increasing physical, biological and social impacts. However, it is important to acknowledge successes, including safeguards that protect action so far, and there are initiatives being implemented across scales that are effective.

Advanced monsoon onset prediction with multi-week lead time via an artificial intelligence (AI) weather model helps smallholder farmers adapt to a changing climate.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) management usually involves bringing multiple stakeholders together, to construct policy-relevant research programs and science-based tools for adaptive management. Here, we present the conclusions of a transdisciplinary workshop that aimed at reviewing experiences in the co-design of EBM research in MPAs. We find that MPAs represent powerful instruments for conducting real-world experiments, de facto acting as living labs in support of ocean governance.