Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Advising on which fish to eat is short term solution to protect against mercury exposure
A US study has concluded that issuing public health advice on fish consumption is the best short-term solution to reducing people´s exposure to mercury contamination. Reducing mercury emissions at source is considered a longer-term solution. Health advice should be targeted towards populations at greatest risk and consider the pollution levels of the water from which the fish came.
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Compact city strategies in Europe compared for trade-offs
Researchers have recently compared strategies to limit urban sprawl in four European city regions. The `compact city´ concept in spatial planning is used to improve sustainability, but there can be trade-offs, especially between environmental and social aspects of sustainability, which vary according to the planning strategy used.
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Pollutants released by seafloor trawling affect marine life
Commercial bottom trawling, the technique of pulling fishing gear across the seabed to catch fish and other seafood, releases pollutants trapped in the seabed, which can negatively affect local marine life and ecosystems. Recent findings from a Norwegian fjord show how mussels can take up high levels of contaminants released by trawling, with important health implications for consumers.
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Nanoparticles present in residues of waste incineration plant
The use of nanomaterials in consumer goods is growing, as is their presence in waste. A new study is the first to follow the fate of engineered nanoparticles through the entire waste incineration chain. The results indicate current filter technology is effective in removing nanoparticles from flue gas, but that nanoparticles also bind to residues, such as fly ash and slag, which eventually end up in landfill.
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More information and training on green public procurement could increase its uptake
Public authorities in EU Member States are encouraged to purchase more environmentally-friendly goods and services through Green Public Procurement (GPP). A recent survey of purchasing managers in Italy has identified some factors that influence their adoption of this strategy, and suggests that a broad knowledge of GPP is key to its implementation.
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Viewing fish stocks as economic investments
In economic terms, overfishing can be regarded as borrowing natural capital at a high rate of interest, according to a new study. Combining economic and biological principles, the study develops a concept that expresses overfishing in terms of the `interest´ that the fishing industry have to repay in future years as a result of lost income from depleted fish stocks.
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Corporate sustainability does improve financial stability
`Doing good´ can lead to `doing well´ for companies that implement corporate sustainability, according to a new study by Polish researchers. Eighty-five American companies that met corporate sustainability criteria proved to have better returns and greater stability in stock price than average, and better growth rates than their less sustainable counterparts.
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