Science for Environment Policy (SfEP) is a free news and information service published by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) of the European Commission. It is designed to help busy policymakers keep up-to-date with the latest environmental research findings needed to design, implement and regulate effective policies.
The News Alerts are a cornerstone of the SfEP service. Presented in concise and easy-to-understand newsletter articles, SfEP offers quick access to scientific research on environmental issues.
SfEP also releases regular Future Briefs on the latest environmental topics. Future Briefs are a series of horizon-scanning policy briefs, which explore the evidence around emerging environmental issues.
Our News alert articles and Future Briefs are freely accessible through this site. To access SfEP content published between 2005 and June 2022, please consult the dedicated archive.
News Alerts
Flood and drought analysis shows that impact-reduction strategies are effective – but fail in unprecedented events
Issue 596: A new analysis suggests that while generally effective, flood and drought risk management strategies are usually not designed to cope with unprecedented events – which may increase with climate change.
Noise from wind farm installation activities can impact commercially important cuttlefish
Issue 596: Installing offshore energy facilities is known to impact fish and mammals; this study reports that noise from drilling and pile driving can impair egg hatching and larval survival as well as damaging sensory tissues in common cuttlefish.
On-site renewable energy generation could help decarbonise shipbuilding given suitable incentives
Issue 596: Researchers say that application of a hybrid renewable energy system on a large Italian shipyard could pay for itself in 3.53 years and reduce air emissions in the construction phase, but incentives are needed to mitigate the financial
Growing number of studies detect antibiotics, medicines and caffeine in groundwater
Issue 596: Research shows that commonly used chemicals – including caffeine, antibiotics and painkillers – all enter the environment. Levels in groundwater across the world highlight the need to assess the risk posed by these substances.
Future Briefs
FUTURE BRIEF: Nanoplastics: state of knowledge and environmental and human health impacts – Issue 27
This Future Brief presents the current science on nanoplastics: their detection, assessment and monitoring; their impacts in the environment, ecotoxicity, and environmental fate; and their potential impacts on human health.
FUTURE BRIEF: COVID-19 and the environment: links, impacts and lessons learned – Issue 26
This brief looks at environmental factors that potentially contribute to the emergence of disease and the effects of COVID-19, and environmental impacts that have arisen from COVID-19.
FUTURE BRIEF: European Forests for biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation – Issue 25
Forests are under pressure by inadequate management practices and climate changes. This research is based on the latest scientific evidence to show how biodiversity, the bioeconomy and climate change mitigation are underpinned by Europe's forests.
Contact Us
Science for Environment Policy (SfEP) is a European Commission initiative. The secretariat is currently run by Ecorys.
For comments on this service, please contact Ecorys at sfep@ecorys.com.
If you would like to contact the editors of SfEP, the Science Communication Unit at UWE, email us at sfep.editorial@uwe.ac.uk. You can use this email to:
- obtain permission to reproduce material from the service in another publication
- suggest a study to be considered for inclusion in the News Alert. Criteria for inclusion are listed in our archive section.
To get in touch with the researchers, please refer to the Source section indicated under each News Alert article.