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.
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
The bi-weekly News Alerts are a cornerstone of the SfEP service. Presented in concise and easy-to-understand newsletter articles, SfEP brings the latest updates on key environmental research right into your inbox.
Future Briefs
SfEP also releases regular Future Briefs on the latest environmental topics, such as new technologies and innovations and their impact on the environment. Future Briefs are a series of horizon-scanning policy briefs, which explore the evidence around emerging environmental issues.
News Alerts
Pollutant chemicals found in stranded specimens of endangered dolphin on the Italian coastline
Issue 599: The Mediterranean Sea subpopulation of Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus is endangered, with population numbers falling.
Researchers develop data-driven framework for forecasting bacteria levels in beach water
Issue 599: Scientists in the USA have harnessed abundant environmental data to develop machine-learning models that can predict bacteria levels in beach water, up to three days in advance. Agencies could use this information to manage health risk to beach users.
Swedish risk assessment of contaminated sites points to the need for more objective measures
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.
Biobased biodegradable polymers may amplify absorption of mercury from the marine environment
Issue 598: Biobased polymers, designed to be used instead of fossil-based plastics, are growing in use worldwide.
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.