At COP29 delegates from countries around the world are meeting to discuss and agree plans to reduce emissions and tackle climate change. In this collection, experts in law, policy, science, finance and education explore the sustainability challenges facing India, and how chemistry can enable the country to meet its ambition of reaching net zero emissions and to deliver its plans for growth and development.
Chemistry is central to addressing challenges across a range of sectors
From energy and materials to food and transport, the central science is having an impact
The central science offers opportunities for energy, buildings, industry and transport
India’s history of protecting its forests will be vital for its future
A model to put health and wellbeing at the heart of climate action
The promising energy storage alternative still faces a number of challenges
In India’s Uttarkhand state, public engagement has been the key to adopting new technology
India’s income tax framework could provide the means for direct public investment
How to make sure the country’s cap and trade system succeeds
Changes to India’s undergraduate curriculum could be transformative
Challenges, innovations and the path to reducing waste
Metal oxide–polymer composites offer a nanotech sensing solution
Dutch court underlines firm’s climate responsibility but rejects legally binding reduction requirement
The father of green chemistry on his love of the environment, striving for unattainable perfection and breathing life into an old town library
Fast take-up and low regeneration temperatures make direct air capture promising
Unique mud formula coats and roughens baseballs, boosting control and grip for pitchers
82 Nobel laureates warn of the threat Donald Trump poses to science, climate and living standards
Government funding welcomed, but issues over strategy and CO2 purity persist
Low-energy device is a ‘step forward’ for sustainable lithium mining
Lab Innovations brings together experts from all corners of the industry
Instruments in space have studied the planet’s atmosphere and surface, and are now being joined by powerful new ones, finds Andy Extance
Rule changes intend to make Formula One more environmentally friendly from 2026. But what are the changes, and can a sport known for gas-guzzling engines really go green?
Leading industry figures and academics talk about the challenges faced in the transition to sustainable PLFs
Avoid so-called climate solutions that disadvantage the most marginalised
Scientists and entrepreneurs are sowing the seeds for a new kind of industry. Hayley Bennett explores the buzz around the marine ‘biorefinery’ business – and what might hold it back
Technologies available now can decarbonise most heat demand, but cost and infrastructure barriers still exist
Join us on 16 September to learn about reducing the environmental impact of chemistry research
Holistic analysis combines models and experiments to find the sorbent that works for each industrial site
Electrochemical catalytic system can handle real wastewater
Labs have an outsized environmental footprint but solutions are within reach
Proof-of-concept trifluoromethylation study attempts post-consumer plastic waste challenge
Practical advice builds on a new study comparing air-cooled condensers
A new strategy chemically recycles the most common fibres found in fashion waste, including polyester, cotton and nylon