Publications

Liang, Y.; Hertwich, E. G.*; Istrate, R.; Valente, A.; Wang, R.* A Brussels effect for battery sustainability. Science 2026, 393 (6813), 769–771.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aed8133

Hagenaars, R. H.*; de Koning, A.; Heijungs, R.; Tukker, A.; Wang, R.* A hybrid LCA framework for drug-level carbon footprint assessment under data constraints: Application to narrower-spectrum penicillin. Environmental Science & Technology 2026.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6c00661

Hou, L.*; Fishman, T.; Merciai, S.; Watari, T.; Liang, Y.; van der Voet, E.; Tzachor, A.; Wang, H.; Wang, P.; Bi, J.; Wang, R.* Embodied transboundary greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation opportunities of over 700 Belt and Road Initiative projects. Environmental Science & Technology 2026.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c17941

Hagenaars, R. H.; Heijungs, R.; de Koning, A.; Tukker, A.; Wang, R.* The greenhouse gas emissions of pharmaceutical consumption and production: An input–output analysis over time and across global supply chains. The Lancet Planetary Health 2025, 9 (3), e196–e206.

DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(25)00028-2

Cover article.

Wang, R.*; Hertwich, E. G.*; Fishman, T.; Behrens, P.; Deetman, S.; Xu, M.; Matus, K.; Ward, H.; Tukker, A.; Zimmerman, J. B. The legacy environmental footprints of manufactured capital. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2023, 120 (24), e2218828120.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218828120

Wang, R.; Assenova, V. A.; Hertwich, E. G.* Energy system decarbonization and productivity gains reduced the coupling of CO₂ emissions and economic growth in 73 countries between 1970 and 2016. One Earth 2021, 4 (11), 1614–1624.

DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.10.010

Yang, L.; Wang, Y.*; Wang, R.*; Klemeš, J. J.; de Almeida, C. M. V. B.; Jin, M.; Zheng, X.; Qiao, Y. Environmental-social-economic footprints of consumption and trade in the Asia-Pacific region. Nature Communications 2020, 11, 4490.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18338-3

van Dijk, S.; Lounsbury, A. W.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Wang, R.* Strategic design and finance of rainwater harvesting to cost-effectively meet large-scale urban water infrastructure needs. Water Research 2020, 184, 116063.

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116063

Liang, Y.; Hertwich, E. G.*; Istrate, R.; Valente, A.; Wang, R.* A Brussels effect for battery sustainability. Science 2026, 393 (6813), 769–771.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aed8133

Hagenaars, R. H.*; de Koning, A.; Heijungs, R.; Tukker, A.; Wang, R.* A hybrid LCA framework for drug-level carbon footprint assessment under data constraints: Application to narrower-spectrum penicillin. Environmental Science & Technology 2026.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6c00661

Hou, L.*; Fishman, T.; Merciai, S.; Watari, T.; Liang, Y.; van der Voet, E.; Tzachor, A.; Wang, H.; Wang, P.; Bi, J.; Wang, R.* Embodied transboundary greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation opportunities of over 700 Belt and Road Initiative projects. Environmental Science & Technology 2026.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5c17941

Liu, K.; Wang, R.*; Tukker, A.; KC, S.; Hoekstra, R. Projecting temperature-related mortality impacts at urban scale under climate scenarios: A methodological review. Sustainable Cities and Society 2026, 107476.

DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2026.107476

Liu, K.; Wang, R.*; Samir, K.; Goujon, A.; Kiesewetter, G.; Hoekstra, R. Integrating air pollution-health feedback into climate projections: Towards endogenous environmental-social links in the integrated models. Environment International 2025, 109817.

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109817

Hagenaars, R. H.; Heijungs, R.; de Koning, A.; Tukker, A.; Wang, R.* The greenhouse gas emissions of pharmaceutical consumption and production: An input–output analysis over time and across global supply chains. The Lancet Planetary Health 2025, 9 (3), e196–e206.

DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(25)00028-2

Hagenaars, R.*; Heijungs, R.; Tukker, A.; Wang, R. Hybrid LCA for sustainable transitions: Principles, applications, and prospects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2025, 212, 115443.

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.115443

Liu, K.*; Wang, R.; Behrens, P.; Schrijver, I.; Jansen, A.; A. Rum, I.; Hoekstra, R. A comprehensive beyond-GDP database to accelerate wellbeing, inclusion, and sustainability research. Scientific Data 2024, 11 (1), 1166.

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-04006-4

Lian, J. Z.; Siebler, F.; Steubing, B. R.; Jesorka, A.; Barbarossa, V.; Wang, R.; Leo, K.; Sen, I.; Cucurachi, S.* Quantifying the present and future environmental sustainability of cleanrooms. Cell Reports Sustainability 2024, 1 (9), 100219.

DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100219

Jansen, A.*; Wang, R.; Behrens, P.; Hoekstra, R. Beyond GDP: A review and conceptual framework for measuring sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. The Lancet Planetary Health 2024, 8 (9), e695–e705.

DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00147-5

The 4th Frontiers Planet Prize National Champion for the Netherlands.

Hou, L.; Fishman, T.; Wang, R.; Tzachor, A.; Wang, H.; Wang, P.; Chen, W.-Q.; van der Voet, E. A comprehensive accounting of construction materials in Belt and Road Initiative projects. Environmental Science & Technology* 2024, 58 (35), 15575–15586.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c04142

Du, Y.; Wang, R.*; Zimmerman, J. B.* Assessing the progress toward a water-efficient economy in the United States from 1985 to 2015. Environmental Science & Technology 2024, 58 (20), 8696–8708.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09219

Liu, K.*; Wang, R.; Schrijver, I.; Hoekstra, R. Can we project well-being? Towards integral well-being projections in climate models and beyond. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 2024, 11 (1), 1–11.

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-02941-6

She, Y.; Chen, J.; Zhou, Q.; Wang, L.; Duan, K.; Wang, R.; Qu, S.*; Xu, M.; Zhao, Y. Evaluating losses from water scarcity and benefits of water conservation measures to intercity supply chains in China. Environmental Science & Technology 2024, 58 (2), 1119–1130.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c07491

Behrens, P.*; Scherer, L.; Wang, R.; Yi, J.; Drews, M.; Larson, M. A. D.; Schaible, C. Enforcing and improving water data reporting in the energy system is urgently needed. Next Energy 2024, 2, 100102.

DOI: 10.1016/j.nxener.2024.100102

Jiang, M.*; Wang, R.; Wood, R.; Rasul, K.; Zhu, B.; Hertwich, E.G. Material and carbon footprints of machinery capital. Environmental Science & Technology 2023, 57 (50), 21124–21135.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c06180

Wang, R.*; Hertwich, E. G.*; Fishman, T.; Behrens, P.; Deetman, S.; Xu, M.; Matus, K.; Ward, H.; Tukker, A.; Zimmerman, J. B. The legacy environmental footprints of manufactured capital. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2023, 120 (24), e2218828120.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2218828120

Dumont, M.; Wang, R.*; Wenzke, D.; Blok, K.; Heijungs, R. The techno-economic integrability of high-temperature heat pumps for decarbonizing process heat in the food and beverages industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2023, 188, 106605.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106605

Zheng, X.*; Wang, R.; Liddle, B.; Wen, Y.; Lin, L.; Wang, L. Crude oil footprint in the rapidly changing world and implications from their income and price elasticities. Energy Policy 2022, 169, 113204.

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2022.113204

Chen, W.; Carstensen, T. A.; Wang, R.; Derrible, S.; Rueda, D. R.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J.; Liu, G.* Historical patterns and sustainability implications of worldwide bicycle ownership and use. Communications Earth & Environment 2022, 3 (1), 171.

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00497-4

Grubb, M.*; Jordan, N. D.; Hertwich, E. G.; Neuhoff, K.; Das, K.; Bandyopadhyay, K. R.; Van Asselt, H.; Sato, M.; Wang, R.; Pizer, B.; Oh, H. Carbon leakage, consumption, and trade. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 2022, 47, 753–795.

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-120820-053625

Wang, R.; Assenova, V. A.; Hertwich, E. G.* Energy system decarbonization and productivity gains reduced the coupling of CO₂ emissions and economic growth in 73 countries between 1970 and 2016. One Earth 2021, 4 (11), 1614–1624.

DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.10.010

Ye, Q.; Bruckner, M.; Wang, R.; Schyns, J. F.; Zhuo, L.; Yang, L.; Su, H.; Krol, M. S. A hybrid multi-regional input-output model of China: Integrating the physical agricultural biomass and food system into the monetary supply chain. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2022, 177, 105981.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105981

Zheng, X.; Zou, Y.; Lounsbury, A. W.; Wang, C.; Wang, R.* Green roofs for stormwater runoff retention: A global quantitative synthesis of the performance. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2021, 170, 105577.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105577

Huang, H.; Zhuo, L.; Wang, R.; Shang, K.; Li, M.; Yang, X.; Wu, P. Agricultural infrastructure: The forgotten key driving force of crop-related water footprints and virtual water flows in China. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 309, 127455.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127455

Ye, Q.; Hertwich, E. G.; Krol, M. S.; Font Vivanco, D.; Lounsbury, A. W.; Zheng, X.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Wang, Y.; Wang, R.* Linking the environmental pressures of China’s capital development to global final consumption of the past decades and into the future. Environmental Science & Technology 2021, 55 (9), 6421–6429.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c07263

Yang, L.; Wang, Y.*; Wang, R.*; Klemeš, J. J.; de Almeida, C. M. V. B.; Jin, M.; Zheng, X.; Qiao, Y. Environmental-social-economic footprints of consumption and trade in the Asia-Pacific region. Nature Communications 2020, 11, 4490.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18338-3

Zheng, X.; Wang, R.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Krol, M. S.; Zhang, Y.; Guo, K.; Sanwal, M.; Sun, Z.; Zhu, J.; Zhang, J.; Lounsbury, A. L.; Pan, X. Z.; Guan, D.; Hertwich, E. G.; Wang, C.* Consideration of culture is vital if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. One Earth 2021, 4 (2), 307–319.

DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.01.012

van Dijk, S.; Lounsbury, A. W.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Wang, R.* Strategic design and finance of rainwater harvesting to cost-effectively meet large-scale urban water infrastructure needs. Water Research 2020, 184, 116063.

DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116063

Huang, G.; Hoekstra, A. Y.; Krol, M. S.; Jägermeyr, J.; Galindo, A.; Yu, C.; Wang, R.* Water-saving agriculture can deliver deep water cuts for China. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2020, 154, 104578.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.104578

Miller, T. R.; Berrill, P.; Wolfram, P.; Wang, R.; Kim, Y.; Zheng, X.; Hertwich, E. G.* Method for endogenizing capital in the United States environmentally extended input-output model. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2019, 23 (6), 1410–1424.

DOI: 10.1111/jiec.12931

Wang, C.; Wang, R.; Hertwich, E. G.; Liu, Y.*; Tong, F. Water scarcity risks mitigated or aggravated by the inter-regional electricity transmission across China. Applied Energy 2019, 238, 413–422.

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.01.120

Lounsbury, A. W.; Wang, R.; Plata, D. L.; Billmyer, N.; Muhich, C.; Kanie, K.; Sugimoto, T.; Peak, D.; Zimmerman, J. B.* Preferential adsorption of selenium oxyanions onto {110} and {012} nano-hematite facets. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2019, 537, 465–474.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2018.11.018

Vivanco, D. F.*; Wang, R.; Deetman, S.; Hertwich, E. G. Unraveling the nexus: Exploring the pathways to combined resource use. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2019, 23 (1), 241–252.

DOI: 10.1111/jiec.12733

Winner of the Graedel Prize for best JIE paper by researchers under the age of 40.

Vivanco, D. F.*; Wang, R.; Hertwich, E. G. Nexus strength: A novel metric for assessing the global resource nexus. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2018, 22 (6), 1473–1486.

DOI: 10.1111/jiec.12704

Zheng, X.; Wang, R.; Wood, R.; Wang, C.; Hertwich, E. G.* High sensitivity of metal footprint to national GDP in part explained by capital formation. Nature Geoscience 2018, 11 (4), 269–273.

DOI: 10.1038/s41561-018-0091-y

Wang, R.; Zimmerman, J. B.; Wang, C.; Font Vivanco, D.; Hertwich, E. G.* Freshwater vulnerability beyond local water stress: Heterogeneous effects of water-electricity nexus across the continental United States. Environmental Science & Technology 2017, 51 (17), 9899–9910.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01942

Wang, C.; Wang, R.; Hertwich, E. G.; Liu, Y.* A technology-based analysis of the water-energy-emission nexus of China’s steel industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2017, 124, 116–128.

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.04.014

Wang, R.; Hertwich, E. G.; Zimmerman, J. B.* (Virtual) water flows uphill toward money. Environmental Science & Technology 2016, 50 (22), 12320–12330.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b03343

ACS Editors’ Choice.

Wang, R.; Zimmerman, J. B.* Hybrid analysis of blue water consumption and water scarcity implications at the global, national, and basin levels in an increasingly globalized world. Environmental Science & Technology 2016, 50 (10), 5143–5153.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b00571

Wang, R.; Zimmerman, J. B.* Economic and environmental assessment of office building rainwater harvesting systems in various U.S. cities. Environmental Science & Technology 2015, 49 (3), 1768–1778.

DOI: 10.1021/es5046887

Mo, W.; Wang, R.; Zimmerman, J. B.* Energy–water nexus analysis of enhanced water supply scenarios: A regional comparison of Tampa Bay, Florida, and San Diego, California. Environmental Science & Technology 2014, 48 (10), 5883–5891.

DOI: 10.1021/es405648x

Wang, R.; Eckelman, M.; Zimmerman, J. B.* Consequential environmental and economic life cycle assessment of green and gray stormwater infrastructures for combined sewer systems. Environmental Science & Technology 2013, 47 (19), 11189–11198.

DOI: 10.1021/es4026547

Nasiri, F.*; Savage, T.; Wang, R.; Barawid, N.; Zimmerman, J. B. A system dynamics approach for urban water reuse planning: A case study from the Great Lakes region. Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment 2013, 27 (3), 675–691.

DOI: 10.1007/s00477-012-0631-8