Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Improving local conditions can improve ecosystem resilience to global changes
Improving local water quality could mitigate the damaging effects of rising CO₂ on marine ecosystems, new research suggests. Scientists in Australia found that nitrogen pollution in seawater, when acting in combination with heightened CO₂ concentrations, had a significant effect on the growth of turfing algae, which displace kelp forest ecosystems.
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New cloud computing network could cut GHG emissions from ICT
The growing use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services is producing an increasing amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. New research has proposed a network model spanning Europe, USA and Canada that uses `cloud computing´ to supply renewable energy to IT data centres.
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Small boost of electricity aids natural clean-up of PCB contaminants
Applying a low voltage to polluted river sediment can boost microbes´ natural ability to degrade harmful polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminants, according to a new study. The approach could be a cost-effective, sustainable strategy to bioremediate polluted sites.
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Tourist cruise ships increase atmospheric pollution in the Arctic
Levels of air pollution significantly increase on the island of Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic when tourist cruise ships are present, according to a recent study. With shipping levels rising in the region, the researchers recommend that stricter emissions regulations are introduced in order to limit the impact of pollution on the Arctic environment.
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Limiting bioenergy crops to marginal land would not work, says study
Large-scale cultivation of bioenergy crops on marginal land is unfeasible, according to a recent study. While limiting bioenergy crops to less productive land could cut the sector´s impact on food prices, the financial incentive to grow crops on more productive land may be too strong for landowners to ignore, the researchers suggest.
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Study indicates decline in seabed-dwelling fish in the Mediterranean
Using data gathered by satellites, scientists have monitored changes in fishing activity around Italy in the Mediterranean Sea for the period 2007-2010. From this, they developed new ecological indicators that gave a more detailed pattern of fishing activity in the Italian seas. In addition, the new indicators suggest that fish stocks on the seabed around Italy are continuing to decline.
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