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Concrete samples from demolition waste of a former pesticide plant in Sweden were analysed for total contents and leachate concentrations of potentially hazardous inorganic substances, TOC, phenols, as well as for pesticide compounds such as phenoxy acids, chlorophenols and chlorocresols. Leachates were produced by means of modified standard column leaching tests and pH-stat batch tests. Due to el
Every year in December to February the dust laden Harmattan blows from Sahara towards southwest to the countries along the east west going coast of the Gulf of Guinea. Only few investigations have quantified external dust deposition in forests and plantations in that region and hereby the nutrient input by dust. This paper investigates three different methods for sampling and quantifying dust depo
Things are seldom ideal. The quality in information underlying the assessment of risk and support decisions is not an exception. Quantitative measures of uncertainty are extremely useful, but a problem with quantitative measures of uncertainty is that qualitative aspects of uncertainty, e.g. related to weaknesses in background knowledge or deep uncertainty (Cox 2012), are difficult to address.
The articles included in this thesis centre on what can be called the normative basis of risk analysis. Since risk analyses are decision procedures, they should adhere to norms of rational decision-making, and this they do. Most risk analysis schemes are built on a notion of the decision theoretic maxim that the goal of every decision is to maximize expected utility. However, for some thirty years
Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has driven major changes in the global climate through increased greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, the EU has introduced several regulatory instruments, including the CSRD and the accompanying ESRS, which require companies to report on environmental and social impacts, risks, and opportunities. As part of these obligations, companies are req
The coast is an ever-changing environment, and due to climate change, coastal research is becoming more challenging. To detect changes in the coastline, such as erosion, researchers need large amounts of data over long periods of time. Part of the solution could be the citizen science project CoastSnap – a global community beach monitoring program. The aim of this study was to examine factors that
This study aimed to investigate how a Swedish standard, developed by the Swedish Institute for Standards, can support local governments in their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda. Local authorities have been identified as key actors in the transition towards sustainable development, making the standard a potentially valuable tool. To achieve this aim, interviews were conducted with local govern
Environmental protection supervision is an important instrument for limiting and controlling the negative effects that environmentally hazardous activities can have on human health and the envi-ronment. Fuel facilities (“gas stations”) are one of these hazardous activities, supervised by envi-ronmental protection inspectors at the municipal level. To ensure legal compliance, inspectors use tools s
Sweden has long been seen as a leader in environmental policy. However, after the reorganization of the Swedish Ministry of the Environment in 2023, concerns have been raised about how this change affects the country’s climate work. This study investigates how the merger of the Ministry of Climate with the Ministry of Enterprise has influenced the political priorities between renewable energy and
Global biodiversity is declining, which threatens ecosystems as well as essen-tial ecosystem services. The corporate sector is an important part of the solu-tion. Companies covered by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) are required to disclose their impacts on biodiversity according to the European Sustainability Reporting Standard (ESRS) E4 if their impacts are determined to
We are at a critical point where the carbon emissions worldwide must cease. One way to do so is to switch to renewable energy and become less dependent on fossil fuels. Solar power is an energy source which can be expanded rather quickly, and has become more common in the past years. The issue with large scale solar power plants is that they take up a lot of space, which leads to conflict of inter
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly persistent synthetic chemicals that have raised growing concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential health effects. This study focuses on Lake Bolmen, one of southern Sweden’s most important sources of drinking water, and investigates how PFAS enter and accumulate in the lake. A total of 23 PFAS compound
The Swedish forest is subject to significant pressure from the forestry industry. As a consequence, biodiversity is negatively affected. Sustainability reporting serves as a means for consumers and stakeholders to gain insight into companies' sustainability ef- forts. Reporting on biodiversity is relatively new compared to climate reporting and poses greater challenges in terms of quantificati
The public sector is responsible for 28 percent of the average Swedish citizen’s consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). Looking at purchasing categories with the highest GHGe, consumables – products like paper and single use items – play a significant role. The first step in becoming more circular and reducing waste is often to completely refrain from purchases when possible. However,
In the context of the current climate crisis and a growing need for electricity, renewable energy plays an important role. Repowering means upgrading existing renewable energy production with new, more efficient technology to increase production in older sites. Wind-power technology has developed significantly in the last few years and upgrading wind parks in the most suitable locations is relevan
One third of the produced food for human consumption is wasted throughout the sup-ply chain. Given that 45% of the Earth's habitable land is classified as agricultural land, of which 16% is used for crop production, this situation is unsustainable. Food packaging could be one of the solutions to reduce food waste. Smart packaging, which includes active and intelligent packaging, is an innovati
Introduction: The recent Covid-19 pandemic has renewed interest in studying the impact of environmental factors on the airborne transmission of viral infectious diseases. Human rhinovirus is the main cause of acute respiratory infections, primarily driven by young children who have an average of 6 -10 infections annually, while healthy adults typically experience 2–3 infections per year. Although
Society's increased demand for wood has led to amplified extraction of forests, which has negatively affected the preservation of biological diversity. In Sweden, the world's fourth largest wood exporter, forest conservation legislation is based on freedom with responsibility, which means that forest owners are expected to take personal responsibility for the consideration of the forest
Drained peatlands in Sweden emit approximately 11 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually. Attempts to rewet to eliminate emissions have shown that the irreversible processes of peat oxidation in the form of peatland deposition makes it hard, since it instead greatly increases methane gas emissions. This study presents a literature review of the environmental consequences of peat and peatland
