Worldwide exposure to ambient PM_2.5 causes over 4 million premature deaths annually. As most of these deaths are in developing countries, without internationally coordinated efforts this polarized situation will continue. As yet, however, no studies have quantified nation-to-nation consumer responsibility for global mortality due to both primary and secondary PM_2.5 particles. Here we quantify the global footprint of PM_2.5-driven premature deaths for the 19 G20 nations in a position to lead such efforts. G20 consumption in 2010 was responsible for 1.983 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.685–2.285] million premature deaths, at an average age of 67, including 78.6 [71.5–84.8] thousand infant deaths, implying that the G20 lifetime consumption of about 28 [24–33] people claims one life. Our results indicate that G20 nations should take responsibility for their footprint rather than focusing solely on transboundary air pollution, as this would expand opportunities for reducing PM_2.5-driven premature mortality. Given the infant mortality footprint identified, it would moreover contribute to ensuring infant lives are not unfairly left behind in countries like South Africa, which have a weak relationship with G20 nations.

Although the global economy requires geological resource mining, production has substantial environmental impacts, including the use of regional available water. In this study, we shed light on the global production capacity of 32 mined geological resources, considering regional water availability as a constraint. We found that current resource mining greatly exceeds regional water constraints for several, notably copper (37% of current production exceeds available water capacity) in 2010. Changing the location of production to regions of lower water stress would alleviate current exceedances of water constraints; however, considering economic factors shows that this is not always feasible. Future demand for geological resources is expected to require a considerable increase in water consumption. Considering the constraints of water resources in geological resource production is crucial for sustainability.