Early-career scholars are increasingly asked to work across complex environmental challenges, yet finding where we belong and how we can contribute is not always easy. Drawing on our experience in the IPBES Nexus Assessment, we reflect on what helped us grow. We find that mentorship, peer learning, meaningful participation, and supportive relationships are as important as technical expertise, and call for more spaces where young scholars can learn, contribute, and grow together.

Studies estimate that global exports drive 13–94 % of land-system impacts like deforestation. This wide variation depends on how responsibility is allocated, though market-share methods consistently show international trade accounts for <25 % of impacts, with domestic markets driving the rest. We review data and methods to model domestic markets and discuss what these analyses reveal about actor responsibility, value chain governance, and resilience in these often-overlooked markets.

Solar and wind power are vital for clean energy, but projects face rising social and political opposition. These developments form complex "energy-land systems" that impact local communities. In Portugal, we identified 18 distinct system types across different regional contexts. Although large-scale projects incorporate more social and environmental measures, they often occupy marginalized areas. Understanding projects and their contexts can support planners design fairer energy projects.

Hundreds of companies have pledged to end deforestation in their supply chains. Yet little is known about how supply chain structures influence companies’ forest policies. To explore this question, we conducted 173 interviews and focus groups with stakeholders in the Brazilian cattle and soy, Indonesian palm oil, and West African cocoa sectors. Our findings show that to reduce deforestation, companies need to develop stronger relationships with farmers and build their compliance capabilities.

The manuscript highlights the limitations of co-producing visions for sustainable futures and transformative pathways in boom crop contexts, specifically where basic needs of local stakeholders remain constrained. These findings help address existing knowledge gaps and provide a framework for future research on sustainability transitions in similar boom crop contexts.