Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Groundwater pollution in Europe: an overview
An overview of groundwater contaminants in Europe is provided by a recent study, which calls for more integrated monitoring using a range of indicators. Groundwater contamination presents serious health and environmental concerns.
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Reduced meat consumption in the EU would significantly lessen water usage
A study on how diet can affect water usage in the EU has concluded that a vegetarian diet is the most sustainable, but any reduction in meat consumption would be a move towards more sustainable water use.
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New tiered-approach to assessing hazardous substance levels in water
Debate exists as to whether environmental concentrations of the hazardous substance hexachlorobenzene (HCB) should be measured in water or in wildlife when assessing compliance with environmental quality standards (EQS). New research has proposed a method to calculate concentrations in water that best represent critical levels in wildlife, and a tiered approach to compliance assessment that minimises sampling of wildlife.
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Do companies influence travel behaviour of employees?
Information on travel behaviour can provide insight into the most effective and sustainable ways to manage traffic congestion and its environmental impacts. A new German study focuses on service-related traffic and shows that employees of different types of companies have distinctly different travel behaviour.
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Clear recognition of uncertainty is lacking in scientific advice for policymakers
Sustainable management of complex ecosystems requires clear understanding of uncertainty. However, scientific guidance documents show a lack of clarity and coherence regarding uncertainties and tend to focus solely on the need for more data or monitoring, new research indicates. The researchers suggest that scientific guidance should recognise uncertainty as an inherent part of any complex ecosystem.
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Conservation efforts may be paying off for wild plants and insect pollinators
Since the 1990s, rates of biodiversity loss of wild plants and their insect pollinators have slowed down in north-west Europe, according to a recent study. It is likely that conservation activities, such as agri-environmental schemes, have contributed to this improving situation.
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