Nature Geoscience, Published online: 11 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41561-026-02039-5

Integrated model simulations suggest that air quality across China could be substantially degraded by emissions from fossil fuel power plants during renewable energy droughts in the 2050s, underscoring the need for a deeper clean energy transition.

Nature, Published online: 08 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10712-3

Viscoelastic phase separation is used to fabricate non-collapsible, air-rich networks in high-water-content hydrogels containing silica aerogel beads, allowing air to permeate through the material and enabling a tenfold increase in oxygen permeability over pristine hydrogels.

Nature Energy, Published online: 12 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41560-026-02073-y

Lyu et al. show that industrial overcapacity, long viewed as a burden, can be repurposed. Using China’s aluminium sector as an example, they demonstrate that excess capacity and material storage can provide seasonal flexibility to lower energy costs.