Science for Environment Policy - All News

Issue 599: The Mediterranean Sea subpopulation of Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus is endangered, with population numbers falling.

Issue 599: European countries have developed their own methods of risk assessing contaminated sites. A comparison of Swedish (qualitative) and German (quantitative) methods shows that they can produce vastly different results for the same sites.

Issue 598: Biobased polymers, designed to be used instead of fossil-based plastics, are growing in use worldwide.

Issue 598: Disposable face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic limited viral transmission but created a plastic waste disposal problem. This study explored whether single use masks remain effective if worn multiple times with or without washing.

Issue 598: Trees growing in cities world-wide may be at risk from climate change. Urban greening must use species that can cope with future conditions to secure benefits.

Issue 598: UK scientists find two previously stable rocky stretches of coastline are set to erode faster than they have in thousands of years, due to climate-driven sea-level rise.

Issue 598: Tropical deforestation for land conversion to agriculture is a known problem. Through a novel method which maps changes in biodiversity in production areas, researchers have highlighted the impacts of Brazilian soy exports to Germany.

Issue 597: Bark beetle is a serious pest in temperate and boreal forests. New research pinpoints some of the factors that increase outbreak risk, especially in the context of more frequent droughts.

Issue 597: Trees make towns and cities better places to live, but they often need to co-exist with practical surfaces in the built environment. A five-year study compared the effects of three types of paving on trees.