Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Harmful traffic pollution falls within Munich low emission zone
Low emissions zones (LEZs) can substantially reduce local levels of traffic-based air pollution, a new study has shown. Monitoring air pollution in Munich, Germany, researchers found that particulate matter from traffic sources dropped by 60% after implementation of an LEZ.
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New tool to assess the environmental impact of landfill sites
A fast and reliable method to measure the environmental impact of landfill sites has been developed by researchers. Analysis of the chemical composition of gas emissions and water leaching from sites provides a detailed picture of the extent of environmental pollution around landfill sites. Such monitoring is essential in order to manage risks to human health and natural resources.
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Living close to heavy traffic strongly linked to heart disease deaths
A strong link between long-term exposure to vehicle pollution and deaths from heart disease and lung cancer has been found in a study of over a million individuals. The researchers say their results are relevant to European policymaking relating to air quality.
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How do you measure something that´s not there? The case of waste prevention
The challenge of measuring the `absence of waste´ makes it particularly difficult to monitor and evaluate waste prevention policies. Researchers have examined the strengths and weaknesses of nine methods of assessing waste prevention, and recommend a hybrid approach, which combines the best of many methods, as particularly valuable.
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Risk-averse behaviour may improve farmland biodiversity
`Bet-hedging´ behaviour among farmers, who diversify land use to avoid investing in a single land use that might fail, can boost farmland biodiversity, a new study suggests. However, because historical data show this is not the most frequent strategy used by farmers, balancing environmental and economic concerns in agriculture may still require public policy instruments, such as subsidies or taxes.
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Assessing the environmental impact of water supplies: a case study in Copenhagen
New research has compared the environmental impact of four alternative methods of water supply in Copenhagen. Results indicated that rain and stormwater harvesting is the most environmentally sound approach, whilst desalination currently has a large environmental impact, mainly due to electricity use. However, if freshwater extraction is included as an impact, the environmental credibility of desalination is improved.
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