Transport
Public transport faces several challenges, and how the industry handles them will have a major impact on the climate transition. Electrification of the vehicle fleet will be costly. Meanwhile, passenger numbers have only just rebounded from historic lows during the pandemic.
Lifestyle & consumption
In the densely populated UK, at times the merits or lack thereof of holiday homes have become the subject of a heated debate on sustainability and the fair distribution of resources. Here in Sweden, the conditions are different and the research is essentially unanimous: holiday homes are often more of an asset than a burden for local communities.
Chemicals
These days, good methods are available for removing PFAS from water, but effective means of soil remediation are still lacking. In the absence of solutions for polluted areas, researchers are testing locking “forever chemicals” into the land instead.
Biodiversity
Hobby gardeners see the effects of climate change in their gardens and want to contribute to a better world. But how should gardeners navigate the onslaught of information that isn’t always based on fact? The low status of gardens may be an obstacle for home gardeners who are trying to do the right thing.
Industry & Energy
Technology historian Per Högselius ventures into an ideological battlefield with his book project on the rise and decline of nuclear power. He believes that understanding the industry’s history is important now that the debate about its future has flared up again.
Biodiversity
Meadows instead of lawns and sand piles for attracting pollinators are increasingly common in municipalities. The green spaces of a city are a resource, but how should they be designed to benefit diversity and not just attract pollinators that move from one place to another?
Social sustainability
More and more researchers are raising their voices for a more ambitious climate policy. The difference between public appeals and radical climate actions may seem vast, but when does enthusiasm become activism and how is research impacted? This is the subject of a new research project.
Sustainable cities
When society faces divisive forces, gardening can be a way to bring a community together? This is the belief of researcher Marine Elbakidze, who studies the importance of community gardening in times of crisis.
Forest
Reindeer herding and forestry have coexisted for at least 150 years, but in recent decades the conflict between the two industries has increased. With a new project, researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences want to point the way to forestry that does not displace reindeer herding.
Water
“The salmon that can no longer migrate up the river to reproduce. That has long been the preconception of how the expansion of hydropower in Sweden’s rivers affects nature. But we should not overlook the rest of the ecosystem,” says researcher Richard Johnson
Sustainable cities
“Impractical”, “in the way” and downright “ugly”. This is the perception of the old office buildings in many places where new neighbourhoods are emerging. Choosing to demolish the entire complex is an obvious alternative, but now voices are being raised in defence of these buildings.
Chemicals
Researchers at Stockholm University have revealed that pesticide companies have withheld information on the harmful properties of their products. In a new study, researchers are now reviewing about 40 animal studies to see if companies are systematically avoiding disclosing risks.
Climate
The summer of 2023 risks being as hot as the record summer of 2018, heralding a tough battle for Sweden’s dairy cows. New research shows that they produce less milk and have poorer reproductive capacity at elevated temperatures, and that the heat affects unborn calves in the mother’s womb.
Sustainable cities
The Kakhovka dam explosion in Ukraine has caused widespread devastation, and Sweden also has dams that would devastate large areas if they burst.
Food & agriculture
You’ve heard it before: we should eat less meat and dairy products for the sake of climate change. But you can actually make a big contribution to the environment just by cutting back on snacks, coffee and alcohol.
Climate
How much influence do Nordic think tanks have on global climate negotiations and climate policy? In a new project, researchers intend to find out.
Water
Throughout Sweden, wetlands are being restored with the hope of increasing biodiversity, sequestering carbon and reducing eutrophication. But what do we really know about the effects of wetland restoration?
Food & agriculture
Vitamin D is found naturally in fish and dairy products, foods that we need to consume less of in a climate-smart world. But how should we eat to safeguard the environment while preventing vitamin D deficiency? In a new project, researchers intend to find the answers.
Industry & Energy
Electricity prices are soaring to all-time highs this winter, and warnings of the potential power cuts needed to keep the system in balance loom large. At Dalarna University, researchers know a way to make electricity cheaper and its supply more reliable.