Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Global urban expansion threatens biodiversity and carbon storage
Over the next 30 years, there is a vital need for planners to shape urban expansion to minimise the impact on biodiversity and carbon losses from land use change, according to a recent study.
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Toxic by-products of ballast water treatment evaluated
A new study has evaluated disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed during the treatment of ballast water. As some of the DBPs produced are hazardous, the study concludes that more information is needed to ensure DBPs from treatment methods do not harm human health or aquatic environments.
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New insight on the spread of contamination from Fukushima
A study on the transport of radioactive isotopes from Fukushima in the two months after the nuclear incident suggests that they were at official levels of contamination for 34,000 km² of Japan, and that 2.8% of iodine radionuclides from the event were calculated to have reached the EU.
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Human health benefits from reducing short-lived air pollutants and methane concentrations
A recent global study has estimated that, each year, 1.5 million people die early from cardiopulmonary diseases and 0.1 million people die early from lung cancer caused by exposure to PM_2.5 pollution. A further 0.4 million people are estimated to die early from respiratory diseases caused by exposure to surface ozone (O₃) pollution. Although short-lived air pollutants have the largest influence on air quality and premature deaths, controlling methane emissions as well would improve air quality and reduce the number of people dying prematurely each year, the study suggests.
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`Soft´ flood defences to protect riverside biodiversity
Riversides that are unprotected by flood defences are home to more diverse plant communities, according to a new study. According to the researchers of the study, `soft´ approaches to flood management, which work in harmony with natural processes, could help promote biodiversity in flood-prone regions.
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