Nature Reviews Earth & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Rethinking ocean alkalinity enhancement","authors":"Lennart T. Bach, Dariia Atamanchuk, Damon Britton, Michael Fuhr, Astrid Hylén, Sara Nawaz, Tyler Rohr","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00828-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00828-5","url":null,"abstract":"Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) aims to increase the capacity of seawater to durably store anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2). OAE has been portrayed as a top–down coordinated geoengineering approach that could potentially remove gigatonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere. In this Perspective, we argue that OAE should instead be considered as a flexible tool for localized CO2 management. Integrating small-scale OAE into diverse local contexts has the potential to deliver achievable mitigation goals defined by individual governments and communities. The diversity of OAE pathways favours implementation of an OAE portfolio across heterogeneous coastal environments. Upscaling could be achieved through widespread bottom–up adoption of diverse OAE pathways, but only if these are environmentally responsible, demonstrably carbon-negative, and receive public trust. This practical vision is consistent with early real-world OAE deployments. However, adopting it requires substantial adjustments in environmental and geochemical assessments, CO2 removal verification, and governance. There is a need to move away from a globally uniform perspective and towards locally designed and context-relevant research, policy and practice. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is often thought of as a global-scale geoengineering approach to mitigate climate change. This Perspective explores the environmental effects, geochemical constraints, verification and governance of OAE and argues for local-scale, context-led evaluation.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 10","pages":"725-742"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149100800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seismic nodes for environmental seismology","authors":"James O. S. Hammond, Erin Scott","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00833-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00833-8","url":null,"abstract":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment interviewed James Hammond about their project investigating new opportunities for seismology in environmental science.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 10","pages":"653-653"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149100762","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards global nutrient justice via a circular bionutrient economy","authors":"Chuan Liao, Shuai Zhou, Seongmin Shin, Danning Lu, Yujin Lee, Shuai Xu, Ying Tu, Krisztina Mosdossy, Lucinda Li, Rebecca Nelson, Johannes Lehmann","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00831-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00831-w","url":null,"abstract":"Global nutrient flows are profoundly imbalanced. Essential nutrients are extracted, consumed and wasted unevenly across regions, leaving some areas nutrient deficient and others affected by pollution. These imbalances reflect not only biophysical inefficiencies but also structural inequalities in access to fertilizers, sanitation and waste-management infrastructure. In this Perspective, we examine how a circular bionutrient economy can recover nutrients from organic waste streams and redirect them into agrifood systems to promote both sustainability and equity. Global mapping suggests that although approximately 75% of cropland is nitrogen limited and approximately 90% is phosphorus limited relative to locally recoverable nutrients from human and livestock waste, substantial recovery potential exists in many lower-income and middle-income regions, where unmet demand for fertilizer and recoverable waste streams are often co-located. We also compare the features of physicochemical, thermochemical and biological recovery pathways across centralized and decentralized systems and reveal that their benefits depend on context, governance and infrastructure. Although local circular economies have the potential to improve efficiency, reduce pollution and strengthen nutrient sovereignty, they cannot overcome entrenched global nutrient inequalities in the absence of supportive infrastructure, institutions and redistribution mechanisms. Further research is needed to identify which combinations of technologies, governance arrangements and implementation scales can align nutrient recovery with justice goals. Nutrient management is central to global food security, ecosystem health and climate resilience, yet current practices are profoundly inequitable and unsustainable. This Perspective introduces the circular bionutrient economy as a justice-oriented framework for advancing ecological balance and social equity through the recycling of organic waste streams into agrifood systems.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 10","pages":"743-755"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149100755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drivers, trends and impacts of nitrogen deposition in China","authors":"Lei Liu, Xuejun Liu, Xuemei Wang, Wen Xu, Aohan Tang, Enzai Du, Lei Duan, Yuepeng Pan, Lin Zhang, Jianlin Shen, Ling Song, Kaihui Li, Xiaobing Zhou, Xiankai Lu, Yu Zhao, Qian Yu, Mengmeng Li, Xiuying Zhang, Zhang Wen, Tianxiang Hao, Liquan Yao, Keith Goulding, Jeffrey L. Collett Jr., Peter Vitousek, Fusuo Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00830-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00830-x","url":null,"abstract":"Since 1980, there have been substantial changes in reactive nitrogen (Nr) deposition in China, with implications for nutrient pollution, ecosystem health and the sustainability of food systems. This Review synthesizes evidence from national monitoring networks and modelling studies to elucidate the drivers and profound ecological consequences of these changes. Nr deposition increased to a maximum of 16.4 Tg N yr−1 in 2010–2012. Thereafter, stringent industrial nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission controls led to a 14% decline in total Nr deposition by 2020, to 13.3 Tg N yr−1, primarily through a 34% reduction in oxidized nitrogen. Reduced nitrogen from agriculture now dominates Nr deposition, constituting 60–70% of the total deposition. This dominance of reduced nitrogen has resulted in severe ecological impacts, including widespread soil acidification, freshwater eutrophication and biodiversity loss. As of 2020, ~15% of China’s land area is experiencing Nr deposition exceeding critical loads for eutrophication. Future climate change, particularly warming and intensified precipitation extremes, is projected to further reduce ecosystem resilience, thereby increasing the terrestrial area in which Nr deposition exceeds critical loads for eutrophication. China would need to achieve reductions in ammonia and NOx deposition of 56–76% and 53–60%, respectively, to match average Nr deposition levels in the USA and Western Europe. Thus, integrating agricultural ammonia management into wider climate and air quality policies is a priority to ensure ecosystem protection and long-term environmental sustainability in China. Reactive nitrogen deposition in China has changed markedly since 1980 owing to variations in emissions from industry and agriculture, with consequences for ecosystems, food systems and pollution control. This Review synthesizes deposition trends, emission and meteorological drivers, ecological impacts and management strategies for sustainable nitrogen mitigation in China.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 10","pages":"672-687"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149100760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stratigraphic rationale for rejecting the Anthropocene epoch proposal","authors":"Liping Zhou, Adele Bertini","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00822-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00822-x","url":null,"abstract":"The rejection of the proposal for Anthropocene as a formal epoch of the Geological Time Scale has attracted wide interest in the stratigraphic aspects of the debate. Here, we clarify the distinction between the established evidence of anthropogenic planetary transformation versus the debate over the representation in the stratigraphic record.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 9","pages":"565-566"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining the Anthropocene using precise geological evidence","authors":"Colin N. Waters, Jan Zalasiewicz, Simon D. Turner, Martin J. Head, Francine M. G. McCarthy, Michinobu Kuwae, Yongming Han, Barbara Fiałkiewicz-Kozieł, Michael Wagreich, Kristine L. DeLong, Jérôme Kaiser, Andrea Borsato, Jens Zinke, Mark Williams, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Neil L. Rose, Juliana A. Ivar do Sul, Agnieszka Gałuszka, Andrew B. Cundy, Alejandro Cearreta, Scott L. Wing, Irka Hajdas, Colin P. Summerhayes, Yoshiki Saito, Reinhold Leinfelder, Anthony D. Barnosky, M. Allison Stegner, Elizabeth Hadly, Catherine Jeandel","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00817-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00817-8","url":null,"abstract":"The Geological Time Scale provides a global framework for correlating major Earth system changes over geological history. The Anthropocene term is widely used to describe transformative human impacts on the environment but lacks a formal Geological Time Scale definition, and hence is applied and interpreted inconsistently. In this Perspective, we summarize multi-proxy evidence from 12 globally distributed stratigraphic records to show that mid-twentieth century Earth system changes are abrupt, globally synchronous, and stratigraphically distinct, providing a basis for precisely defining the Anthropocene as a series and epoch. Accelerated fossil fuel combustion, industrial pollution and biosphere transformation have caused extensive climate, environmental and ecosystem disruptions that are recorded in stratigraphic successions. Atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane concentrations at 51% and 157% above Holocene levels have driven global temperatures to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, marking a substantial departure from earlier relatively stable climatic conditions. A sharp global plutonium increase in 1952, related to above-ground thermonuclear detonations, provides the most suitable primary marker for establishing the Anthropocene’s base, supported by an array of proxies, many unique to the Anthropocene. Formal recognition of the Anthropocene on the Geological Time Scale would communicate the scale and abruptness of human-driven Earth system change, distinct from the less pronounced human impacts during the Holocene. The Anthropocene is widely used without fixed definition. This Perspective argues for its base to be defined in 1952 by a sharp plutonium upturn coinciding with changes in multiple proxies, providing a globally correlatable horizon reflecting substantial human-driven Earth system disruption.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 9","pages":"612-632"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Future directions for Anthropocene research and its applications","authors":"Jan Zalasiewicz, Julia Adeney Thomas, Kim M. Cohen, Davor Vidas, Sverker Sörlin, Colin N. Waters, Martin J. Head, Colin P. Summerhayes, Reinhold Leinfelder, Nathanaël Wallenhorst, Jaia Syvitski, John R. McNeill, Libby Robin, Mark Williams, Alejandro Cearreta, Juliana A. Ivar do Sul, Buhm Soon Park, Francine M. G. McCarthy, Yongming Han, Simon Turner, Neil Rose, Victor Galaz, Magnus Nyström, Andrew Cundy, Dan Richter, Agnieszka Gałuszka, Michael Wagreich, Jens Zinke, Jacques Grinevald, Anthony D. Barnosky, Elizabeth Hadly, William Shotyk, Jürgen Renn, Yoshiki Saito, John Palmesino, Ann-Sofi Rönnskog, Michinobu Kuwae","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00820-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00820-z","url":null,"abstract":"The term ‘Anthropocene’ was coined in recognition that human activities have ended the relatively stable environment of the Holocene epoch. However, its widespread adoption across the humanities, arts and sciences has led to diverse and sometimes incompatible definitions. In this Perspective, we argue for a stabilized definition of the Anthropocene epoch to help address contemporary environmental challenges, and explore various applications of the Anthropocene across disciplines. The Anthropocene epoch, with a proposed start point in 1952, underscores that human-driven global-scale environmental disruption differs from earlier human impacts of the Holocene, which did not cause such profound destabilization. This clear distinction enables quantitative and qualitative comparisons between the Holocene and Anthropocene epochs, as already utilized, for instance, within the planetary boundaries framework. As the Anthropocene Earth system transformation is systemic, political responses also need be systemic, rather than ad hoc. A unified Anthropocene epoch would help facilitate systematic, actionable climate and environmental policies. By contrast, alternative, extended interpretations of the Anthropocene are used to reflect accumulated human environmental impacts over many millennia. These broader interpretations portray the totality of anthropogenic change but obscure the quantitatively established departure from Holocene conditions. Applying a consistent Anthropocene epoch definition will improve its utility to science, scholarship and policy. The Anthropocene is a term applied across geological, environmental and social sciences, and the humanities and arts. This Perspective explores various applications of the term and discusses how a consistent definition could support transdisciplinary efforts to address modern environmental challenges.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 9","pages":"633-646"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Anthropocene debate","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00829-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00829-4","url":null,"abstract":"In 2024, geologists rejected the Anthropocene as a new epoch amid dispute over the definition of the term. This Focus issue and online Collection bring together opinion pieces on the renewed Anthropocene debate.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 9","pages":"563-564"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-026-00829-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Time matters in the case against the Anthropocene epoch","authors":"Dorothy J. Merritts, Robert C. Walter","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00823-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00823-w","url":null,"abstract":"Defining the Anthropocene as a formal epoch with a fixed stratigraphic marker and global start date remains contentious. This Comment summarizes the arguments for a time transgressive extended Anthropocene event that encompasses cumulative diachronous human impacts over millennia, viewing it as an open-ended and transformative episode in Earth history.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 9","pages":"567-569"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148904449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fluxes and imbalances in the modern global nitrogen cycle","authors":"Maya Almaraz, Xin Sun, Eric A. Davidson, Xin Zhang, James N. Galloway, Peter A. Raymond","doi":"10.1038/s43017-026-00821-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s43017-026-00821-y","url":null,"abstract":"Nitrogen (N) limits primary productivity in much of the world. Since the 1940s, synthetic fertilizers produced via the conversion of unreactive atmospheric dinitrogen (N2) into reactive N have supported agricultural production but also perturbed natural nutrient cycles. In this Review, we compile estimates of global N cycling since 1955 and explore changes in the global N balance. Since the 1960s, the annual amount of reactive N entering the biosphere increased fivefold. Meanwhile, N emissions from the biosphere to the atmosphere increased just 12% between the oldest and latest estimates, indicating terrestrial N accumulation on the order of ~50 Tg N yr−1 between 1959 and 2025. The increased N availability due to these inputs has polluted soils, waters and air, negatively affecting ecosystems and economies. Quantifying N pools and fluxes across the atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic reservoirs is critical to monitor and mitigate this imbalance in the N cycle. Reducing fertilizer demand and use through dietary changes, technological advances to enhance fertilizer efficiencies, and improvements to waste management and nutrient recycling could support a net flux of 51 Tg N yr−1 to the atmosphere, which could help address the existing imbalance in the global N cycle. Synthetic fertilizer use has perturbed the global nitrogen cycle by increasing reactive nitrogen inputs to terrestrial systems. This Review synthesizes estimates of global nitrogen pools and fluxes since 1955, assessing flux imbalances and identifying research and policy priorities to rebalance the global nitrogen cycle.","PeriodicalId":18921,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment","volume":"7 10","pages":"656-671"},"PeriodicalIF":74.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149100761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}