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
Chemical releases from coatings on durable water-resistant clothing suggests a need for wide-ranging regulation
Issue 590: Several per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are regulated internationally and within the EU, however existing restrictions focus on individual substances or small chemical groups
Extreme decentralisation of water production: environmentally sustainable and economically feasible?
Issue 590: Water from ‘off-grid’ supply and treatment systems for individual buildings may be cheaper to supply than water from conventional systems, new research suggests.
Climate change: warming may extend some tree growing seasons and compensate for reduced carbon uptake during drought
Issue 590: A Swiss experiment on two tree species indicates that global warming may lead to extra carbon uptake in some trees due to an extended growing season. This effect may compensate for reduced growth during dry periods.
Exposure to chemicals from plastic and other sources: a possible causal factor in obesity?
Issue 590: Do chemicals, including environmental contaminants, contribute to obesity? A review looks at the evidence with implications for policy and research
Future Briefs
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.
FUTURE BRIEF: The solution is in nature – Issue 24
The research collated in this brief confirms that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) deliver simultaneously multiple benefits and shows the wide-ranging beneficial impacts of scaling up their implementation across Europe.
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.