The purpose of the paper is to determine the environmentally safe and economically feasible technology of biofertilizer production from the digestate including dewatering process. Methodological basis is based on the systematic approach to the determination of factors effected on the distribution of nutrients and pollutants between liquidand solid fractions after digestate separation. We studied modern technologies aimed at dewatering the digestateand reduction of its volume, showed their effectiveness. These technologies allow expanding the opportunities forcommercialization of the digestate, increasing the cost of its transportation and application to the soil instead ofcomplex fertilizers, using some valuable products. The results of the study showed that the ecological quality ofthe digestate is the highest as well as co-digested thermally pre-treated feedstock is used for solid-liquid separationin centrifuge with polymer addition as post-treatment approach to the flocculation. In order to increase efficiencyof biofertilizer application the technological scheme of production process of granular fertilizers from digestatewas proposed. Special feature of this scheme is in the use of phosphogypsum binder for the production of organomineral fertilizer that contributes phosphogypsum recycling in the waste management system.

The study aims to define the potential and technological aspects of the digestate treatment for its application as a biofertilizer. Life cycle assessment methodology was used in terms of digestate quality management. The potential of nutrients, organic carbon, and useful microelements in the digestate allows for its consideration as a mineral fertilizer substitute and soil improver. The valorization of digestate as fertilizer requires quality management and quality control. Based on the research focus, the successful soil application of digestate post-treatment technologies was analyzed. Among the different commercial options for digestate treatment and nutrient recovery, the most relevant are drying, struvite precipitation, stripping, evaporation, and membranes technology. Comparing the physical and chemical properties of the whole digestate, separated liquid, and solid liquor fractions showed that in the case of soil application of granular fertilizer, nutrients from the digestate are released more slowly than digestate application without granulation. However, realizing this potential in an economically feasible way requires improving the quality of digestate products through appropriate technologies and quality control of digestate products. To support the manufacture of quality digestate across Europe, the European Compost Network developed a concept for a pan-European quality assurance scheme.

This paper focuses on determining the influence of soil, oil, and environmental factors on the process of oil filtration in a porous medium such as soil. Mathematical modeling of the oil geofiltration process based on classical and modified regularities makes it possible to solve a significant environmental problem associated with predicting the pollution zone due to accidental oil spills. The research methodology is based on the substantiation of theoretical models of oil filtration through porous media, methods for the numerical solution of equations, and computer visualization (ANSYS CFX software). Experimental data supported the verification of the adequacy of the models. Based on obtained results, it was found that all oil flowed into well-permeable sand at a speed of approximately 4-10 -4 m/h. The developed model of the stochastic process of petroleum hydrocarbons geofiltration involved obtaining the output as dependent variables, contamination level, contamination depth, and oil spot borders. Numerical solution and visualization using computer simulation showed the distribution of oil hydrocarbons in the soil in vertical and horizontal directions. The mathematical model allowed to predict the formation of the pollution front and assess the contaminated zone's size.

The population of the River Nyando catchment largely relies on rain fed agriculture for their subsistence.

Important crops grown include cereals, cash crops fruits and vegetables. Farming is one of the contributors of pollution to Lake Victoria. Organophosphates and other banned organochlorine pesticides such as lindane, aldrin and dieldrin were used by farmers. The pesticides transport was by storm water run-off and air drift into the lake. Environmental risk assessment background information was collected through questionnaire and interviews of farmers to determine knowledge and safe use of pesticides. Fourteen pesticides were identified as commonly used of which four are toxic to bees and five to birds. The farmers identified declines in the number of pollinating insects, the disappearance of Red-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorthynchus) and wild bird’s fatalities. The general knowledge among farmers about chemicals risks, safety, and chronic illnesses was low. Activities that increases environmental awareness and safety of pesticides should be initiated by the agrochemical firms and government.

Soil samples were collected from six locations representative of the Nyando River catchment area of the Lake Victoria over a period of two years. Sampling was done four times in the year in February, May, September and December 2005 and 2006 in farms where maize, tea, sugar cane, coffee, rice and vegetables have been grown over the years. This coincided with the effects of different seasons and farming activities on residue levels of the pesticides in use. The objective was to investigate levels and distribution of organochlorine pesticides that have either been banned or are restricted for use in Kenya. Organochlorine pesticides investigated were DDT, lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, endrin, endosulfan (both α- and β- isomers and endosulfan sulphate), the sum is called “total” or Σendosulfan and methoxychlor. Prior to the ban or restriction in use, these pesticides had found wide applications in public health for control of disease vectors and in agriculture for control of crop pests. The analysis revealed presence of all the targeted pesticides with the highest mean concentrations for methoxychlor 140 ± 1.5 μg/kg, Σendosulfan (30 ± 2.1 μg/kg), aldrin (18 ± 0.28 μg/kg), respectively. The results show the presence of these pesticides in soils in the basin and this could be impacting negatively on the ecosystem health of the area.

Climate change has been recognised as one of the biggest challenges of our time. To prevent further climate change impacts, nations at COP21 further stressed the need to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions enough to prevent dangerous temperature rise and to adapt societies to become more resilient. Municipals have been found important actors in this transition due to their power to inflict change on a local level. However, there is a lack of methods to assess how transition is made due to the fact that transition is a fairly new approach to managing climate change combined with a lack of completed transitions in municipalities. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of indicators as a method to assess municipal transition processes. Focusing on two Swedish municipalities that have been deemed vulnerable but at the same time apt to combat climate change, this study uses a triangulation of methods that are divided into two phases. The first phase uses a literature review in order to create a scientifically based list of transition indicators. The second phase uses document analyses and interviews in order to test the indicators and analyse transition process on a local level. The study revealed that there are multiple barriers and triggers for transition such as conflicting interests, economic factors, political steering, knowledge building- and awareness and long term perspectives, but that there also exist important tools for municipal transition in the form of networks through multi-level collaborations and plans/objectives. The findings in this study also suggests that the use of indicators as a method to assess transition could be viable, but that it is limited due to its contextual nature and lack of successful transitions to compare with.

The previous year there was a change of power in Norrköping, where the Borgerlig samverkan consisting of the Moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals took over from Kvartetten, in other words the Social Democrats, the Center Party, the Liberals and the Christian Democrats. The purpose of this study is both to explore disagreements within the local environmental and climate policy among the parties in Norrköping as well as to investigate how the change of power affects the local environmental and climate policy. A qualitative content analysis of both documents and debates has been carried out to answer the study's questions. Through scientific literature, we have identified themes, which became the starting points for the analysis of the study's material. The results show that there are clear contradictions between parties, something that the literature suggests is becoming more and more common. The parties' views diverge on what role technology should have, whether the airport should be closed down or preserved, whether to switch to renewable energy sources, how essential organic food production is, what transport-related changes should take place, whether nature reserves should be established and to what extent climate adaptation measures should be implemented. Furthermore, it appears that the new governance, Borgerlig samverkan, has lower ambitions than Kvartetten when it comes to environmental-and climate policy actions. The new board, Borgerlig samverkan, claims that the municipality's environmental and climate work should be characterized by technological optimism. In that case, this would mean that a societal change will not be achieved, which the parties in Borgerlig samverkan also do not consider to be necessary or desirable. Borgerlig samverkan further wants to preserve the airport, is positive towards nuclear power as a form of energy and regard wind power negatively, does not prioritize ecological or climate adaptation measures and does not want to establish nature reserves, but sees it as important that the car is included in the municipality's central areas. 

The purpose of the thesis is to analyze how downscaling of a global climate vision to a local context is expressed in Oslo Muncipality’s climate strategy. The choice of Oslo municipality's climate strategy as a study object was based on Oslo's collaboration with UN-Habitat, the nomination of Oslo as Europe's environmental capital in 2019 and Norway's petroleum operations. The document Klimastrategi mot Oslo 2030 (2020) has been analyzed on the basis of the concepts of Urbanity and Sustainable Transition, as well as the meaning of downsizing climate policy and three communication methods. The thesis is anchored in the previous research that treats Copenhagen and Stockholm. To answer the questions; which measures are presented as most important to become a zero-emission city in 2030? How are the links between the local climate strategy and global goal fulfillment described? What are the critical points of the strategy's measures and solutions? a qualitative analysis method is used where the empirical data and the scientific foundation are given equal space. Based on the concluding discussion, it appears from the conclusions that the largest measure in the climate strategy is the CCS facility at Klemetsrud. A fossil-free restructuring of the transport sector and a reduction in energy use are also important for Oslo to succeed in becoming a zero-emission city by 2030. It is highlighted that local emission accounting affects global target fulfillment. The critical points in the climate strategy that have been identified are; uncertainty regarding the future role of biofuels, the diffuse goal formulation in Indirect Emissions and the problem of following measures and solutions from the strategy for other international cities.

Digestate produced during anaerobic digestion of food waste is recognised as a good alternative to mineral fertilizer which could also be used to amend soil properties. This has conventionally been applied directly and unprocessed to nearby farms or processed and transported elsewhere. The latter option has gained recognition due to environmental restrictions coupled with soil nutrient management objectives but is an expensive venture. With increasing biogas production and AD plants across Europe, production of digestate has however exceeded its demand. Improving the dewaterability of the digestate has the benefit of reducing the cost and time of processing and handling. The principal aim of this experiment was to enhance the dewaterability of food waste digestate by the addition of pulp fibre to the AD process. In doing so, the study also investigated the effect of co-digestion of food waste and pulp fibre on the performance and stability of the digestion.

Source separated food waste was digested at OLR of 3.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 for 163 days in 3 CSTRs with a working volume of 6L at HRT OF 23-26 days. Soft- and hardwood pulp fibres were added to 2 designated digesters for 104 days and increased stepwise at OLR of 0.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 PF until 1.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 PF with the 3rd digester serving as a control. 3 other post-digesters, each with a working volume of 1.41L were operated for 104 days with sludge from the 3 main digesters serving as inoculum and substrate. This was run at HRT of 7 days. 

Pulp fibre addition of 1.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 OLR to 3.5 ±0.1 g VS/L*d-1 food waste increased the total biogas and methane production to 35-40% and 21-32% respectively. Though recording a higher biogas production, the corresponding specific methane production from the fibre addition was 12-8% lower than food waste digestion. Analysis of the digestate from post digestion showed that CST increased linearly from 595 ±13s for food waste digestate to 962 ±19s for pulp fibre addition. The experiment established a positive correlation between CST and organic matter content. Suspended solids increased from 128 ±10 mg/l for FW digestate to 177 ±12 – 237 ±10 mg/l for fibre addition. Addition of kraft pulp fibre types did not enhance the dewaterability of the digestate. However, the total methane production was enhanced by the addition of pulp fibre. 

More frequent and intensified rainfalls are expected to occur due to climate change in the nearfuture. This together with a higher proportion of paved areas increases the pressure on today’sstorm water systems (Risinger, 2014; Boverket, 2013; Stahre, 2006). Traditional storm watersystems (i.e. underground pipe systems) have during last decades started to be questioned(Olshammar & Baresel, 2012). The precipitation over Sweden is expected to increase 10-20% over the next century (SMHI, 2009). Increased precipitation may cause temporary capacityloss in pipe-based storm water system with flooding in sensitive areas as a result (Östlund &Lagerblad, 2011). To decrease the potential stress on traditional storm water systems,sustainable urban drainage systems have started to be developed (Viklander & Bäckström,2008). The era of traditional storm water systems has reached a breaking point and moresustainable storm water systems has become more desired as a complement to today’ssystems (Cettner et al, 2014; Semadeni-Davies et al., 2007). In order to build an increaseunderstanding sustainable storm water management it is decisive to investigate what obstaclesthat municipalities has to tackle, regarding storm water management. This study aims toanalyze problems that may occur concerning storm water management including whatchallenges and possibilities that municipalities have to face. The study is based on qualitativeinterviews with informants in the municipalities of Linköping and Norrköping to see how theyare working with storm water and sustainable storm water management. The conclusions ofthe study is mainly, the need for a more pronounced governance, a more explicit demandconcerning laws and regulations, in particular the Swedish planning and building act, acommon vision about how storm water management practices should be handled and finallyquestions concerning how storm water should be handled in an early stage in the planningprocess. This is the main factors to facilitate the work with sustainable urban drainage system.

The take-make-waste approach to resource management in human production and consumption systems is contributing to a variety of environmental and social problems worldwide. Additionally, as the world’s population and affluence increase, so do the negative impacts of poor resource management. Lifting the waste management (WM) sector into a new phase of development, which takes its lead from the ideals of Industrial Ecology and circular economy, is seen by many scholars and practitioners as one potential to assist in alleviating these impacts. While there are many studies on how more efficient inter-organizational resource management is (or could be) constructed, there are relatively few business development studies which have explored novel approaches (from roles to tactics) that WM organizations might operationalize toward more efficient resource management.

The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the development of knowledge and understanding of how the waste management sector can operationalize more effective and efficient resource management. In approaching this aim, two research questions guided the exploration of: 1) novel roles for WM and 2) support tactics for such roles. Grounded in the broader context of Industrial Ecology (IE) and Business Development, five studies were performed. Two studies, focused on the novel roles of inter-organizational resource management and high value secondary resource extraction, were performed through literature review and interviews, and market driver analysis respectively. In exploring support tactics, two design and proof of concept studies were carried out to investigate data analysis tools for inter-organizational resource management, and one long-term action research engagement project was coordinated to study hands-on inter-organizational collaboration tactics.

The studies highlighted that the Swedish WM sector holds some key capacities for operationalizing (and in some cases, is already developing) the novel resource management roles identified: industrial symbiosis facilitator, eco-industrial park manager, holistic facility management, and high value resource extractor. However, depending on the portfolio of services to be performed in such roles, several capacities may need to be developed or strengthened. Main opportunities seen for these roles were – staying ahead of market developments, and aligning activities with organizational goals. The main general risk related to these roles was insufficient returns on investment. Looking forward, the main enablers identified were policy leadership for more balanced market mechanisms, increasing use of external knowledge, developing long term partnerships, lobbying, stockpiling resources, and carefully crafting new business models.

The tools developed for strategically applying external information toward the identification of opportunities within new roles showed tactical potential. However, their implementation in broader development processes has yet to be fully validated. The hands-on exploration of change oriented collaboration, highlighted collective system framing and goal setting and face-to-face interaction as key activities for inter-organizational approaches within roles such as industrial symbiosis facilitator.

Throughout the studies, several novel roles were investigated. Each of these roles will need to be individually evaluated by directing bodies of WM organizations, and evaluated from the organization’s vision and strategy. If certain roles are chosen to be explored in more detail, they will need to be developed within full business models - addressing issues such as income structure, internal processes and capacities to be developed, and key customers. Through applying IE and business development concepts and findings, WM organizations have possibilities to translate ambitious visions into novel offerings.

Wetlands water quality is influenced by the anthopogenic activities in the catchments’ areas. Wastewaters from the urban storm, agricultural runoff and sewage treatment often end up in wetlands before flowing to rivers, lakes and the sea. A lot of pollutants are readily transported in these wastewaters, thus subjecting the wetland ecosystem into a continuous resilience. Importantly, heavy metals like Cu, Zn, and Pb etc. are constituents of such pollutants in the wastewaters.

The study has as a specific objective to investigate the effects of heavy metal Cu, Zn and Pb on denitrification, an important ecosystem process and service. In a wetland situation, denitrification is a permanent nitrogen removal process accounting for about 90% of the total nitrogen removal.

The research was carried out in the laboratory and sediment samples were taken from a constructed wetland in Linkoping. We employed acetylene inhibition technique in obtaining N2O as a product resulting from nitrate reduction. The treatments (Cu, Zn and Pb) levels were 100 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg of sediment, in three replicates and a control.

Samplings of the assay were taken within 24hours. Gas chromatography was used to analyse and quantify N2O in the various samples. A linear regression analysis was carried out with Windows Excel and SPSS to compare the various treatments with the control at 95% confidence level.

The results show that there were no inhibitions of denitrification at 100 mg/kg sediment treatment level for any of the element. Inhibition of denitrification was observed at treatment levels 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg of sediment. The rate of nitrate reduction was compared from the slope of the regression curve. The rate for Cu at 500 mg and 1000 mg /kg of sediment was moderately related to that of the control, Zn shows a similar trend but a higher rate in some samples, while Pb shows more inhibition.

The urban centres are becoming more vulnerable to climate change because of the rapid urbanization and the inequality of urban development. This study assesses the urban vulnerability in an integrated approach focusing the slum people as the targeted group. The slum people are severely exposed to climate risks in terms of city‟s overall development. The negative indications of the indicators of person‟s vulnerability represent their high sensitivity to the adverse impact of climate change. The determinants of adaptive capacity also confirm that the slum people are more vulnerable to climate change with having lower adaptive capacity; though, the city is possessing high development indexes. In this context, an institutional structure is developed to build multi-level urban climate governance with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders based on the case study and literature review to integrate the vulnerable group in development planning for climate change adaptation.

Achieving food security will require closing yield gaps in many regions, including Pakistan. Although fertilizer subsidies have facilitated increased nitrogen (N) application rates, many staple crop yields have yet to reach their maximum potential. Considering that current animal manure and human excreta (bio-supply) recycling rates are low, there is substantial potential to increase the reuse of nutrients in bio-supply. We quantified 2010 crop N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) needs along with bio-supply nutrient availability for Pakistani districts, and compared these values to synthetic fertilizer use and costs. We found that synthetic fertilizer use combined with low bio-supply recycling resulted in a substantial gap between nutrient supply and P and K crop needs, which would cost 3 billion USD to fill with synthetic fertilizers. If all bio-supply was recycled, it could eliminate K synthetic fertilizer needs and decrease N synthetic fertilizer needs to 43% of what was purchased in 2010. Under a full recycling scenario, farmers would still require an additional 0.28 million tons of synthetic P fertilizers, costing 2.77 billion USD. However, it may not be prohibitively expensive to correct P deficiencies. Pakistan already spends this amount of money on fertilizers. If funds used for synthetic N were reallocated to synthetic P purchases in a full bio-supply recycling scenario, crop needs could be met. Most recycling could happen within districts, with only 6% of bio-supply requiring between-district transport when optimized to meet national N crop needs. Increased recycling in Pakistan could be a viable way to decrease yield gaps.

Increased recycling of nutrient-rich organic waste to meet crop nutrient needs is an essential component of a more sustainable food system. However, agricultural specialization continues to pose a significant challenge to balancing crop nutrient needs and the nutrient supply from animal manure and human excreta locally. For Sweden, this study found that recycling all excreta (in 2007) could meet up to 75% of crop nitrogen and 81% of phosphorus needs, but that this would exceed crop potassium needs by 51%. Recycling excreta within municipalities could meet 63% of crop P nutrient needs, but large regional differences and imbalances need to be corrected to avoid over or under fertilizing. Over 50% of the total nitrogen and phosphorus in excreta is contained in just 40% of municipalities, and those have a surplus of excreta nutrients compared to crop needs. Reallocation of surpluses (nationally optimized for phosphorus) towards deficit municipalities, would cost 192 million USD (for 24 079 km of truck travel). This is 3.7 times more than the total NPK fertilizer value being transported. These results indicate that Sweden could reduce its dependence on synthetic fertilizers through investments in excreta recycling, but this would likely require valuing also other recycling benefits.

We evaluate the N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) using panel quantile regression analysis. We investigate the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP per capita for 74 countries over the period of 1994-2012. We include additional explanatory variables, such as renewable energy consumption, technological development, trade, and institutional quality. We find evidence for the N-shaped EKC in all income groups, except for the upper-middle-income countries. Heterogeneous characteristics are, however, observed over the N-shaped EKC. Finally, we find a negative relationship between renewable energy consumption and CO2 emissions, which highlights the importance of promoting greener energy in order to combat global warming.

Uppdraget för denna rapport har varit att beskriva näringslivets insatser på miljöområdet med avseende på vilka miljöfrågor som näringslivet prioriterar, hur företagen organiserar sina insatser och vilka verktyg de använder för att förbättra sin miljöprestanda, hur de ser på några vanliga statliga styrmedel, vilka som är de viktigaste drivkrafterna och hindren till förbättrad miljöprestanda samt att även blicka utanför Sveriges gränser.

Generationsperspektivet, ungefär 3-års cykler, på miljöfrågorna innebär att det ofta tar lång tid innan ett miljöproblem uppenbarar sig som ett problem. Likaså tar det ofta lång tid att åtgärda upptäckta problem med hänsyn till att de ofta kräver omställningar med nya tekniska lösningar, som inte alltid finns till hands, och som också behöver inför as brett i näringslivet.

När det gäller den första frågan om vilka de viktigaste miljöfrågorna är för näringslivets del visar denna studie att det främst gäller klimatfrågan och produkternas miljöaspekter i ett värdekedjeperspektiv. Båda frågorna är globala till sin karaktär. De studerade företagen har hög beredskap och har redan påbörjat arbetet att för svensk del bidra till att minska klimatpåverkan. Innebörden av de antagna målen hos de 50 studerade företagen är att företag som verkar i Sverige enligt denna studie ska kunna medverka till att nå den nivå på insatser som IPCC indikerat för år 2050. Det är den tidpunkt som IPCC siktar på i sina senaste utvärderingar. Flera företag har vardera skisserat en trovärdig färdplan för att göra verksamheten koldioxidsnål eller koldioxidneutral till nämnda tidpunkt. Det är känt från andra liknande studier att det f rån näringslivets perspektiv dock också behövs ett politiskt mål av flera skäl, bl a för att regeringar och näringsliv i alla länder ska dra åt samma håll. Det som emellertid är intressant nu är att näringslivet i Sverige enligt denna studie har påbörjat arbetet med att finna lösningar för att nå ett ev kommande politiskt globalt mål. De studerade företagen i Sverige har även i stor utsträckning upprättat egna mål och genomför åtgärder på de områden som de nationella miljökvalitetsmålen täcker, bl a med inriktning på att begränsa förorening av luft- och vattenområden men även på att värna den biologiska mångfalden i jord- och skogsbruk samt att värna och utveckla naturvärden i den bebyggda miljön. Resultaten i form av utsläppsminskningar på de föroreningsanknutna områdena är goda även om det på flera områden återstår insatser att göra. Miljökvaliteten i Sverige på dessa områden påverkas dock främst av verksamhet i länder utanför Sveriges gränser. Den miljöpåverkan som uppstår som följd av den ökade handeln mellan länder är idag svår av kvantifiera på grund brister i lämplig statistik och mätetal. Inriktningen av handeln pekar emellertid på att Sverige exporterar mer varor med goda miljöprestanda, räknat i hela värdekedjan, än importerar varor med dåliga. Utöver nämnda områden har företagen ofta mål för användning av resurser och utveckling av förnybara energikällor.

När det gäller den andra frågan om företagens egna insatser visar studien att det i rapporten studerade delen av näringslivet i Sverige i betydande omfattning på frivillig väg har infört egna verktyg för att effektivt kunna hantera sina miljöfrågor. Den viktigaste förändringen är att begreppet hållbar utveckling nu har slagit rot. Det medför att miljöfrågorna nu fått en tydligare plats i företagens ledningar i samverkan med andra frågor inom begreppet hållbarhet. De viktiga förebilderna för innebörden av hållbar utveckling är UN Global Compact, OECDs vägledning för multinationella företag och den internationella standarden ISO 26000 om socialt ansvarstagande. Rapporteringen av studerade företagens insatser på hållbarhetsområdet sker i stor utsträckning enligt den modell som utarbetats av GRI (Global Reporting Initiative). Den egna målstyrda verksamheten baseras väsentligen på miljöledningssystem som upprättats med stöd av den internationella miljöledningsstandarden ISO 14001, inom vilken även lagstyrda insatser hanteras internt . Syftet med sådana miljöledningssystem är att bidra med en effektiv metod att hantera miljöfrågorna i ett företag. Den logik som denna standard har byggt upp, m ed målstyrning som viktigaste komponent, lyser igenom i alla företagens hållbarhetsredovisningar. Det är alltså tydligt att ISO 14001 har fått stort genomslag i den praktiska hanteringen av miljöfrågorna. Vidare är det tydligt att företagen idag fäster sto r vikt vid att värna och utveckla den biologiska mångfalden i skogen. Mer än 70 procent av den produktiva skogsmarken i Sverige är certifierad enligt något av de stora förekommande certifieringssystemen (FSC/PEFC). Det innebär omfattande åtaganden för skog sägarna att värna om den biologiska mångfalden och att sätta av marker för naturvårdsändamål.

När det gäller den tredje frågan om näringslivets förhållningssätt till statliga styrmedel har näringslivet i Sverige generellt sett en positiv syn på det regel verk som reglerar deras verksamhet. Efterlevnaden synes vara god av gällande regler. Den statliga individuella, integrerade tillståndsprövningen anses av berörda företag vara ett bra styrmedel. Det gäller även den europeiska kemikalielagstiftningen REACH. Däremot framgår det tydligt av studien att den nuvarande utformningen av tillståndsprövningen enligt berörda företag efter hand har blivit alldeles för omständlig och tidsmässigt utdragen. Idag tar tillståndsprocessen över tre år i genomsnitt. Det bör tydliggöras att inget företag har yrkat på att sänka miljökraven i sig utan framförallt att få tillståndsprocessen att gå fortare. Studien visar att det finns flera sådana möjligheter utan att varken göra avkall på kraven i direktiv från EU eller hänsyn till miljön. Avgiften på kväveoxider har mer eller mindre förlorat sin roll som styrmedel och fungerar numera mest som subvention av energisektorn på bekostnad av skogsindustrin. Det är framförallt skogsindustrin som framför kritik på denna punkt. Vidare ans er berörda företag att handeln med utsläppsrätter enligt EU ETS bör utvidgas till ett globalt system för att kunna bli verkningsfullt.

När det gäller den fjärde frågan om drivkrafter och hinder för förbättrad miljöprestanda var lagstiftningen den stora drivkraften under 1970- och 1980-talen. Olika marknadsbaserade krav har numera fått en betydligt större roll än tidigare. Kraften i dessa krav skiftar från bransch till bransch och från miljöfråga till miljöfråga. En notering som stödjer tesen om att marknad en tagit över är det faktum att även de i denna undersökning utvalda företag, som inte i någon påtaglig utsträckning styrs av lagstiftning, också har ambitiösa program och planer. En annan bild av samma utveckling är relationen till kunder och andra intressenter. Det framkommer av företagen i studien att de knappast idag kan verka på marknaden samtidigt som förtroendet för företaget sviktar hos kunder och andra intressenter. En viss reservation kan dock vara befogad. Bakom olika marknadsrelaterade krav står ofta myndighetskrav eller lagstiftning. Det motsatta gäller naturligtvis också, dvs bakom lagstiftningskrav finns ofta ytterst ett krav på marknaden. Vidare är det tydligt från studien att d en värdegrund som idag omfattar de flesta svenskar, att värna om miljön, gäller också för företag. Sverige är ett relativt homogent land med en i stora delar gemensam värdegrund. En betydande del av alla insatser för miljön görs därför på helt frivillig väg av ren omtanke om miljön. Också detta bekräftas av det faktum att även de företag som inte omfattas av statliga krav på tillstånd, anmälan eller andra ”skarpa krav” också vidtar åtgärder för att skydda miljön med liknande inriktning och omfattning som de med sådana krav.

Genomgången av olika verktyg och styrmedel får konsekvenser för de statliga och kommunala myndigheterna. Olika statliga regelverk är inte längre är det enda svaret på förbättrad miljöprestanda hos näringslivet. Det innebär att miljöpolitiken för regering och myndigheter snarare bör vara att skaffa sig ett rimligt förhållningssätt till de olika initiativen på marknaden med innebörd att staten underlättar för och stödjer företag, snarare än reglerar. Efter genomgången i denna rapport är svaret entydigt nej på frågan om det behövs kompletterande styrmedel. Det saknas i varje fall miljömotiv för det.

Informationen för att besvara frågorna i denna undersökning har främst hämtats från en grupp av 50 stora företag med verksamhet i Sverige. Därutöver har information inhämtat s från intervjuer (11 företag, varav 6 från gruppen av 50), andra tillgängliga undersökningar och litteratur. De 55 företagen utgör inte ett representativt urval av näringslivet idag. Däremot vet vi från tidigare undersökningar att den värdegrund och de insatser som de stora företagen gör efter hand verkar som inspiration för de mindre företagen. Många av de mindre företagen är också leverantörer till de stora och har krav fr ån kunden att förhålla sig till. Det de stora företagen gör idag förmodas vara giltiga för en större del av näringslivet om några år.

The objective of the present study was to assess historical emissions of Pb to air around a number of glassworks sites in southeastern Sweden, and the possible implications for human exposure. To do so, a four-step method was applied. First, emissions of Pb to air around 10 glassworks were modelled for the 20th century. Second, an assessment of the resulting exposure was made for a number of scenarios. Third, the number of people potentially exposed at different times was estimated, and fourth, measurements of "current" Pb concentrations in PM10 material from four sites were conducted in 2019. The results show that the highest emissions, and exposures, occurred from 1970 to1980. It coincides with the time period when the highest number of people resided in the villages. At this time, the average Pb concentration in air around the six largest factories was about 2.4 mu g Pb/m3, i.e. 16 times the present US national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) of 0.15 mu g Pb/m3. By year 2000 the modelled average concentration had dropped to 0.05 mu g Pb/m3, a level that is normal for urban regions today. The PM10 measurements from 2019 indicate a further decline, now with a mean value of about 0.02 mu g Pb/m3. Over the entire study period, inhalation hazard quotients (HQs) exceeded the dietary HQ by many orders of magnitude, indicating that inhalation has been the most prevalent exposure pathway in the past. At present, both pathways are judged to be associated with low exposures. Even if only roughly approximated, a picture of the historical exposure can increase our understanding of the connection between exposure and disease, and can be valuable when risks are to be communicated to residents near contaminated areas.

Biogas Research Center (BRC) is a center of excellence in biogas research funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Linköping University and a number of external organizations with one-third each. BRC has a very broad interdisciplinary approach, bringing together biogas-related skills from several areas to create interaction on many levels:

• between industry, academia and society,
• between different perspectives, and
• between different disciplines and areas of expertise.

BRC’s vision is:

BRC contributes to the vision by advancing knowledge and technical development, as well as by facilitating development, innovation and business. Resource efficiency is central, improving existing processes and systems as well as establishing biogas solutions in new sectors and enabling use of new substrates.

For BRC phase 1, the first two year period from 2012-2014, the research projects were organized in accordance with the table below showing important challenges for biogas producers and other stakeholders, and how these challenges were tackled in eight research projects. Five of the projects had an exploratory nature, meaning that they were broader, more future oriented and, for example, evaluated several different technology paths (EP1-5). Three projects focused more on technology and process development (DP6-8).

This final report briefly presents the background and contains some information about competence centers in general. Thereafter follows more detailed information about BRC, for example, regarding the establishment, relevance, organization, vision, corner stones and development. The participating organizations are presented, both the research groups within Linköping University and the partners and members. Further on, there is a more detailed introduction to and description of the challenges mentioned in the table above and a short presentation from each of the research projects, followed by some sections dealing with fulfillment of objectives and an external assessment of BRC. Detailed, listed information is commonly provided in the appendices.

Briefly, the fulfillment of objectives is good and it is very positive that so many scientific articles have been published (or are to be published) from the research projects and also within the wider center perspective. Clearly, extensive and relevant activities are ongoing within and around BRC. In phase 2 it essential to increase the share of very satisfied partners and members, where now half of them are satisfied and the other half is very satisfied. For this purpose, improved communication, interaction and project management are central. During 2015, at least two PhD theses are expected, to a large extent based on the research from BRC phase 1.

In the beginning of 2014 an external assessment of BRC was carried out, with the main purpose to assess how well the center has been established and to review the conditions for a future, successful competence center. Generally, the outcome was very positive and the assessors concluded that BRC within a short period of time had been able to establish a well-functioning organization engaging a large share of the participants within relevant areas, and that most of the involved actors look upon BRC as a justifiable and well working investment that they plan to continue to support. The assessment also contributed with several relevant tips of improvements and to clarify challenges to address.

This report is written in Swedish, but for each research project there will be reports and/or scientific papers published in English.

The work presented in this report has been financed by the Swedish Energy Agency and the participating organizations.

Coastal eutrophication and urban flooding are increasingly important components of global change. Although increased seawater renewal by barrier openings and channelizing are common mitigation measures in coastal lagoons worldwide, their effects on these ecosystems are not fully understood. Here, we evaluated the re-lationships between human interventions in the watershed, artificial connections to the sea, and the sediment burial rates in an urban coastal lagoon (Maric & PRIME;a lagoon, Southeastern Brazil). Sediment accretion along with nutrient and carbon burial rates were determined in two sediment cores representing the past-120 years (210Pb dating) and associated with anthropogenic changes as indicated by historical records and geoinformation ana-lyses. Lagoon infilling and eutrophication, expressed by the average sediment accretion, TP, TN, and OC burial rates, respectively, increased-9-18, 13-15, 11-14 and 11-12-fold from the earliest (<1950) to the most recent (2000-2017) period. These multi-proxy records confirm mechanistic links between deforestation, urbanization, and untreated sewage discharges. In addition, our findings reveal artificial connections to the sea may contribute to lagoonal eutrophication and infilling, particularly when not integrated with sewage treatment and forest conservation or reforestation in the watershed. Therefore, increased seawater renewal by physical interventions commonly considered as mitigation measures may in contrast cause severe degradation in coastal lagoons, causing harmful consequences that should be not neglected when implementing management practices.

När avloppsvatten från sjöfarten släpps ut i havet påverkar det miljön negativt genom att bakterier sprids och näringsämnen kommer ut i havet. Utsläppen är koncentrerade till farleder och hamnar och där kan effekterna vara tydliga, även om utsläppen är små i förhållande till de totala utsläppen till havet.

Hamnarna kan spela en viktig roll för att minska sjöfartensutsläpp i havet. Reglerna för fartygens avfallsdumpning harskärpts och i Östersjöområdet har det länge funnits en överenskommelseom att fartygen ska kunna lämna sitt avfall ihamn utan extra avgift. I praktiken låter dock de stora förbättringarnavänta på sig.

Kryssningssjöfarten ger växande inkomster för kuststäderna,men innebär också ökad påverkan på miljön i Östersjön och dess hamnar. Trots att branschen åtagit sig att sluta släppa utavloppsvatten till sjöss lämnar bara var tredje kryssningsfartygsitt avfallsvatten vid hamnbesök. Dessutom är delar av fartygsflottani stort behov av förbättrad miljöprestanda.

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are potentially toxic compounds formed when drinking water is treated with disinfectants, such as chlorine or chloramine. A large proportion of the exposure to DBPs is still unknown and the health risks observed through epidemiological studies cannot be explained by DBPs known today. In this thesis, a part of the unknown DBP fraction is investigated, covering a wide range of non-volatile, chlorine/bromine-containing DBPs. The goals were to investigate how the compositions of these DBPs differ between water treatment plants, how their occurrence changes in the distribution system until reaching consumers and how new treatment techniques can reduce their formation and toxicity. To analyze unknown DBPs, a non-targeted approach adopting ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), was used, where the mass of molecules is measured with such accuracy that the elemental composition of individual DBPs can be calculated. A panel of bioassays was used to assess the combined toxic effects from these DBP mixtures. 

The results show that the formation of these DBPs to a large extent was specific to each water treatment plant and that local conditions influenced DBP formation, based on e.g., the abundance of organic material with certain chemical structures, bromide and disinfection procedure and agent (chlorine or chloramine). The DBPs were detected in both chlorinated and chloraminated water and in all tap water samples, demonstrating that they are part of human exposure. The number of DBP formulae decreased and the DBP composition changed between drinking water treatment and consumer taps, suggesting that DBP exposure to consumers is not necessarily resembling measurements at the treatment plants. Evaluation of new treatment techniques showed that suspended ion exchange and ozonation have potential to decrease the formation and toxic effects of DBPs and that the removal of organic matter can influence qualitative aspects of DBP formation, such as the proportions of chlorine-containing (less toxic) versus bromine-containing (more toxic) DBPs. Through increased knowledge about the role and relevance of non-volatile DBPs, this work can contribute to future monitoring and actions to reduce the health risks associated with DBPs in chlorinated or chloraminated drinking water. 

The occurrence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water has become an issue of concern during the past decades. The DBPs pose health risks and are suspected to cause various cancer forms, be genotoxic and have negative developmental effects. The vast chemical diversity of DBPs makes comprehensive monitoring challenging. Only few of the DBPs are regulated and included in analytical protocols. In this study, a method for simultaneous measurement of 20 DBPs from five different structural classes (both regulated and non-regulated) was investigated and further developed for 11 DBPs using solid phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled with a halogen specific detector (XSD). The XSD was highly selective towards halogenated DBPs, providing chromatograms with little noise. The method allowed detection down to 0.05 µg/L and showed promising results for the simultaneous determination of a range of neutral DBP classes. Compounds from two classes of emerging DBPs, more cytotoxic than the “traditional” regulated DBPs, were successfully determined using this method. However, haloacetic acids (HAAs) should be analyzed separately as some HAA methyl esters may degrade giving false positives of trihalomethanes (THMs). The method was tested on real water samples from two municipal waterworks where the target DBP concentrations were found below the regulatory limits of Sweden.

The formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) during drinking water treatment has been associated with various health concerns but the total DBP exposure is still unknown. In this study, molecular level non-target analysis by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used to study non-volatile DBPs, and how their composition changes during water distribution in four drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Sweden using different types of raw water and disinfection processes. The largest portion of tap water DBP compositions were detected also at the DWTPs, highlighting that these DBP formulae were rather stable and contribute to human DBP exposure. Yet the number of detected DBPs decreased 14-48% between drinking water treatment and consumer taps in the three plants in which no mixing of water from other DWTPs in the distribution system occurred showing active DBP processing in the water distribution network. While considerable amounts of bromine-containing DBPs were detected upon chemical disinfection in some DWTPs, few of them were detected in the tap water samples, likely due to debromination by hydrolytic reactions. The overall fewer non-volatile DBPs detected in tap waters, along with changed distribution among chlorine and bromine DBPs, demonstrate that DBP mixtures are highly dynamic and that DBP measurements at DWTPs do not adequately reflect exposure at the point-of-use. Clearly, more knowledge about changes of DBP mixtures through the distribution system is needed to improve DBP exposure assessments.

Reactions between chemical disinfectants and natural organic matter (NOM) upon drinking water treatment result in formation of potentially harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs). The diversity of DBPs formed is high and a large portion remains unknown. Previous studies have shown that non-volatile DBPs are important, as much of the total toxicity from DBPs has been related to this fraction. To further understand the composition and variation of DBPs associated with this fraction, non-target analysis with ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was employed to detect DBPs at four Swedish waterworks using different types of raw water and treatments. Samples were collected five times covering a full year. A common group of DBPs formed at all four waterworks was detected, suggesting a similar pool of DBP precursors in all raw waters that might be related to phenolic moieties. However, the largest proportion (64–92%) of the assigned chlorinated and brominated molecular formulae were unique, i.e. were solely found in one of the four waterworks. In contrast, the compositional variations of NOM in the raw waters and samples collected prior to chemical disinfection were rather limited.This indicated that waterworks-specific DBPs presumably originated from matrix effects at the point of disinfection, primarily explained by differences in bromide levels, disinfectants (chlorine versus chloramine) and different relative abundances of isomers among the NOM compositions studied. The large variation of observed DBPs in the toxicologically relevant non-volatile fraction indicates that non-targeted monitoring strategies might be valuable to ensure relevant DBP monitoring in the future.

The majority of today's environmental problems are caused by a lack of environmental awareness and behavioral change is essential for reducing human impact. Knowledge of what shapes people's environmental awareness and environmental behavior is therefore necessary.  The aim of this study is to examine children’s environmental awareness and behavior with focus on age and gender. We want to increase the understanding of what affects children’s interest, commitment and understanding of environmental problems and pro-ecological behavior. We have conducted interviews with twenty children in the age groups of nine and twelve years as well as one teacher from each age group. The study highlights the children’s view on the concept of environment, environmental problems, pro-ecological behavior and the future of the environment as well as the children’s interest, commitment and knowledge about the environment. The results show that children’s environmental awareness varies and that there are individual differences which are affected by parents influence and school education. Differences caused by age are observed when it comes to the children’s commitment and interest to the environment as well as their thoughts of the future. Differences caused by gender are not as apparent but is displayed when discussing pro-ecological behavior and the children’s view of the future environment.

As the climate changes, actors on all levels and in all sectors will be affected. Thus it is imperative that authorities, municipalities, businesses and individual property owners all take action.

Flooding, heat waves, landslides and erosion are only a few examples of the challenges that that society faces and needs to prepare for. Sweden must adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, as well as the indirect effects of climate change impacts in other parts of the world.

The costs of adaptation can be high, but the European Commission, among others, has deemed that it still pays to adapt in relation to the costs incurred if no action is taken.

Climate adaptation initiatives in Sweden have advanced significantly in recent years. Notable examples include governmental missions for a national elevation database, landslide risk mapping in the Göta Älv River Valley, the Swedish drinking water investigation, the County Administrative Boards’ regional climate change action plans, and the establishment of the National Knowledge Centre for Climate Adaptation.

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute’s mission to survey, analyse and follow-up on climate adaptation work in Sweden has shown that there is still a considerable need for further measures. This report provides proposals for a road map for climate adaptation in Sweden and concludes that climate adaptation is best conducted in a long-term manner, that roles and responsibilities should be made more transparent, and that better coordination among the many actors involved in climate adaptation is necessary.

The most important conclusions for continued work are:

• Laws and regulations need to be adapted; roles and responsibilities as well as strategies and goals should be made clearer.
• Priority and funding should be given to research and development measures that fill an identified knowledge-gap, including long-term monitoring.
• Knowledge and decision support as well as prognoses and warning systems should be more accessible.
• There is a need to outline how the costs of adaptation should be distributed among actors and how resources for prioritised measures can be guaranteed.

This mission has compiled knowledge of the current and future risks and consequences for society of a changing climate, such as effects on vital societal functions and human health. The mission has also surveyed the work that has been done since the publication of the final report of the Swedish Commission on Climate and Vulnerability in 2007. From this background material our goal has been to describe the gaps and challenges and provide suggestions for how adaptation can be approached in various sectors of society. The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change has been an important point of departure. The work has been performed in cooperation with national and regional authorities, municipalities, researchers, sectoral organisations and representatives of the private sector.

This report is comprised of a main report and 18 annexes. Chapter 3 of the main report is a synthesis of all of the proposals made throughout the document and as such can be seen as a road map to ensure that Sweden adapts to a changing climate.

By examine how six different groups in Katrineholm and Malmö talks and arguments about recycling this study aim to identify arguments and perceptions about recycling in the two municipalities. Three focus groups in the age categories 20-26, 30-45 and 46-65 were performed in each municipality. These six focus groups were compared among each other to identify similarities and differences between the age categories and municipalities. Furthermore, previous science and the results from this study were compared in aim to investigate whether this study reflects arguments and perceptions in previous studies or if new arguments were established. The result in this study show that proximity to recycling stations, maintenance of recycling stations, lack of space in the home, knowledge about recycling processes, knowledge about how to recycle, the environmental mentality and positive feedback are, for the participants in this study, working as motivation factors to recycle more. Factors as legislative demands and rate billing were seen as insignificant or in some cases obstacles when increase the participant’s recycling. The results of this study show no differences between the two municipalities, however, differences in arguments and perceptions between the age categories could be interpreted.

This thesis identified dominant discourses in climate change mitigation policy in three Swedish municipalities using argumentative discourse analysis. It was explored how these discourses influence the potential for success in mitigating climate change. Other studies have identified several factors that are important when working with climate change mitigation in municipalities, for example, political leadership and organizational structure. However, studies have shown that discourse is also an influential factor since it sets the frame for what can be thought of, consequently influencing policies and actions, but this has not been studied as much at the municipal level in Sweden. Previous studies of environmental policy have shown the dominance of an ecological modernization discourse, where economic growth and environmental issues are combined to create a win-win. The results in this thesis show the dominance of a strong ecological modernization where the decoupling between economic growth and environmental problems, renewable energy and technology, a global justice perspective, and a focus on collaboration between stakeholders is central. A main conclusion is that the ecological modernization discourse risks obscuring potential solutions that are not related to the market or technological innovation. However, the inclusion of a diversity of actors and a focus on justice could potentially minimize this risk. Finally, emerging discourses around transformation and circular economy could be ways to problematize the taken-for-granted ecological modernization discourse. However, their potential depends on how these concepts are framed and what is included in them.

Power grids have a high content of metal, mainly copper and aluminium. When old cables reach their end-of-life, or in some way lose their intended purpose, they are usually left lying in their subsurface position. Material no longer used, but not yet discarded as waste, is in a state known as hibernation. Over time there is an accumulation of hibernating cables under ground that potentially could be recovered or “mined”. The aim of this study is to examine the total hibernating metal content of an urban, subsurface power grid, how it is distributed and also what reasons for disconnection are the most common. The focus of the study is the power grid of Linköping. Using a GIS based variant of material flow analysis the hibernating metal stock is examined both in terms of size and spatial distribution. The results of the study show a significant amount of hibernating copper and aluminium; in total 240 tons of metal were identified. By comparing the results with previous studies both similar and differing patterns appear. The main differences lie in the distribution of the stock within the city which is affected by the characteristics of the cities. When examining the reasons for disconnection continuous repair and maintenance work seems to be the most common reason for disconnection of cables. Further studies on how the characteristics of a city affects the formation of hibernating metal stocks in the infrastructure are suggested.

This study focuses on the rhetorical rendering of organic foods, within the research area of environmental communication and ecological theories. The aim is to analyse which renderings are connected to the concept organic foods. Further on Swedish authorities and organisations views on organic foods are examined, in comparison to the grocery retailer’s rhetorical rendering of organic foods. The methodology is based on two methods of data collection. Qualitative research interviews have been conducted with the following authorities: the Swedish Food Agency, the Swedish Consumer Agency and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. Interviews were also conducted with the organisations KRAV and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The interviews were conducted with the intention of making visible the underlying rendering of the concept of organic foods. A textual and metaphor analyses of ICA, Coop and Axfood’s combined communication of organic foods were performed. The aim with these analyses is to examine the grocery retailer’s rhetorical rendering of the concept. The study highlights that there are two main attitudes towards the rendering of organic foods among the actors. Additionally this study clarifies that the authorities, organisations and grocery retailer’s use of the concept differ. Partly the authorities rendering of organics are mainly focused around environmental benefits. While the grocery retailers rendering of organic foods is based on metaphors and idyllic nature values. The study also shows that organic labels is part of green consumerism and thereby legitimize consumption as a solution of environmental and social problems. 

This study aims to investigate the approach of relevant actors to achieving climate neutrality within Sweden with bio-CCS as a measure. A qualitative content analysis of referrals from the climate policy inquiry report Vägen till en klimatpositiv framtid carried out with a multi-level perspective theory to study the position of these actors. The actors' views are identified and analyzed and compared to previous research. The results show that there are divided opinions among actors regarding bio-CCS and what is needed to promote the technology. The main obstacles to implementing bio-CCS as a measure are considered to be economic and political aspects, other factors also have a significant role in influencing Sweden to achieve climate neutrality by 2045.

Recent publications have highlighted the ubiquitous presence of unidentified organofluorine compounds, whose environmental occurrence is poorly understood. In this study, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and sludge samples from seven countries were analyzed for extractable organofluorine (EOF) and target PFAS, to evaluate which compounds are released back into the environment. Fluorine mass balance analysis of effluent samples (n = 14) revealed that on average 90% of the EOF could not be explained by the 73 PFAS monitored in this investigation. The levels of EOF in effluent (324–1460 ng of F/L) and sludge (39–210 ng of F/g of dry weight) indicate that a substantial amount of organofluorine compounds is released back into nature. A commonly overlooked PFAS class, ultra-short-chain PFCAs, accounted for 4% of EOF on average, while the remaining 71 compounds explained only a further 6% of EOF on average. The highest number of PFAS was detected in the effluent dissolved phase (37), compared to 29 and 23 PFAS in sludge and effluent particulate phase, respectively. The increased concentrations of EOF in both WWTP effluent and sludge are of concern, as the chemical species contained therein remain largely unknown, and thus, their potential health and environmental risks cannot be assessed.

Detta är ett studiematerial för alla som vill göra något ihop med andra kring energi. Materialet tar upp hur vi kan bygga ett smartare, mer demokratiskt och miljövänligt energisystem genom att medborgare, kommuner, kooperativ och andra lokala företag samverkar. Det handlar om hur vi kan starta energigemenskaper för att producera, dela och spara på energi tillsammans. Energigemenskaper är ett sätt att jobba med energi och lokal utveckling. Att starta en studiecirkel kan vara början på många spännande initiativ. Detta studiematerial hjälper dig och några till att utforska olika möjligheter och med kunskap om möjligheterna göra något praktiskt. Kanske finns det redan ett initiativ du vill gå med i? I annat fall ger det här materialet rikligt med kunskap om initiativ som du och några andra kan ta tillsammans för en hållbar, smart och demokratisk energiomställning! 

While previous research into understandings of climate change has usually examined general public perceptions and mainstream media representations, this thesis offers an audience-specific departure point by analysing climate change frames and frame formation in Swedish agriculture. The empirical material consists of Swedish farm magazines’ reporting on climate change, as well as eight focus group discussions among Swedish farmers on the topic of climate change and climate change information. The analysis demonstrates that while Swedish farm magazines frame climate change in terms of conflict, scientific uncertainty, and economic burden, farmers in the focus groups tended to concentrate on whether climate change was a natural or human-induced phenomenon, and viewed climate change communication as an issue of credibility. It was found that farm magazines use metaphorical representations of war and games to form the overall frames of climate change. In contrast, the farmers’  frames of natural versus human-induced climate change were formed primarily using experience-based and non-experience-based arguments, both supported with analogies, distinctions, keywords, metaphors, and prototypical examples. Furthermore, discussions of what constitutes credible climate information centred on conflict-versus consensus-oriented frames of climate change communication along with different views of the extent to which knowledge of climate change is and should be practically or analytically based. This analysis of climate change communication in the Swedish agricultural sector proposes that the sense-making processes of climate change are complex, involving associative thinking and experience-based knowledge that form interpretations of climate change and climate change information.

Methane (CH4) is guaranteed to affect climate change and is essential in rising temperatures. Scientists have known for over two decades that wetlands emit CH4 to such an extent that it affects our climate. Tropical trees that grow in wetlands tend to emit or act as a conduit of CH4, to the extent that it has a negative environmental impact. However, until this study, no one has examined whether wetland species growing in another environment have the same effects. Hence, this thesis aimed to collect data from wetland-adapted tropical trees in a non-wetland environment, namely the Botanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro. The results showed a difference in the sampling height of the stem, namely that a decrease in emission is seen with an increased height. All the species except one (Pseudobombax munguba) showed both assimilation and emission from the day-to-day measurements of CH4, which speaks for the trees acting both as a sink and a source of CH4. This suggests that the species are more robust than the environmental stressors in a non-wetland environment. Previous studies have found that increased CH4 emissions can be seen with different meteorological parameters. The results presented in this thesis show the opposite, that some species tend to emit less or assimilate more CH4 during days with increased rainfall, humidity, and temperature. 

The cultivation area and diversity of genetically modified (GM) crop varieties worldwide is increasing rapidly. Taking Turkey as an example of a country with tight restrictions on the import and use of GM crops but limited resources for product monitoring, we developed a cost-effective 3-tier screening protocol, and tested 110 retail food products and 13 animal feeds available in 2016-2017 for GM ingredients. No evidence was found for the presence of GM wheat or rice in the foodstuffs tested; however, 6 feeds and 3 food products containing soybean and/or maize were positive for one or more GM elements. GM events present in positive samples were identified by event-specific PCR and quantified by real-time PCR. We also compared the results with previous surveys in Turkey. Overall, we observed consistent use of GM animal feeds; however, these were not labelled as GM at the point of sale. Occasional food products also tested positive for GM ingredients, usually at low concentrations that could be attributed to accidental contamination.

This study focuses on assessing the greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency of 40-tonne haulage trucks in fuel production and manufacturing in a Swedish context. The aim was to provide accurate greenhouse gas accounting and evaluate the contribution to mitigating climate change. Four scenarios were analysed: hydrogen from steam reforming, hydrogen from electrolysis, biomethane from biogas, and electricity in battery-electric vehicles. A comprehensive methodology involving literature review, data collection, and CO2 emissions calculations was employed. The manufacturing stage had higher CO2 emissions than fuel production for all scenarios. Hydrogen from steam reforming had the lowest emissions during manufacturing, while LBM from organic waste had the lowest emissions during fuel production. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the importance of lifespan, fuel consumption, and electricity generation in emissions. This research provides insights into renewable technologies and underscores the need for optimization to achieve climate goals. The study supports EU and Swedish climate laws and emphasizes the significance of considering the full life cycle of fuels to accurately assess their environmental impact. 

Extreme weathers such as heat waves and heavy rain are becoming increasingly prominent because of a changing climate and cause great strains on the society. Heat waves contribute to several different health problems, while heavy rain and rising sea levels also create a great strain on society ́s infrastructure and buildings. Diseases, bush fires, and shortages of electricity, water and food are examples of problems created because of climate change. This entails major challenges for Sweden ́s municipalities that have a part of the responsibility for dealing with these issues through the spatial planning. This study examines Ydre municipality ́s prerequisites for carrying out effective climate change adaptation work set to which barriers the municipality face, which driving forces there are, the interviewees approach on climate risks and possible ways forward. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from the municipal executive committee, the children- and education department, the social services department, the economic sector and the technical sector. The results show that the municipality is at the start of its work and has a lot left to do. The issue of climate change adaptation has been a bit overshadowed, partly because each official has broad tasks, where one tends to prioritize the municipal core issues, but also due to lack of resources and conflicts of interest about how the resources should be distributed. The closeness between the officials in the municipalities can make opportunities for a good collaboration and that each voice is heard more, but at the same time, a greater responsibility is added to each official. The results show that there is a certain lack of knowledge in the climate adaptation issue as climate adaptation on several occasions was confused with mitigation of the interviewees. Hiring a climate adaptation coordinator would add clarity to the climate adaptation work and would ease the organization as well as streamline the work. 

This study aims to shed light on the perspectives of social actors regarding the mining of critical raw materials in connection with climate change. The study examines how social actors highlight the effects of a possible future mine establishment in the village of Vittangi in northern Sweden. Through semi-structured interviews with five social actors, in combination with a thematic analysis, various justice conflicts have been investigated to create insight and to provide a nuanced critical perspective. The analysis of the result has been based on the theory of environmental justice and demonstrates the majority of goal conflicts that arose in connection with the potential mine establishment in Vittangi. The conclusions clarify conflicts of interest and are based on how they affect the actors, which makes the perspectives visible on the mining of critical raw materials as part of the climate transition.

Today, the society are facing change in the climate due to human activities (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2014). Solar powercan be a part of the solution to mitigate the climate effects (Palm & Tengvard, 2009). The essay will investigate what factors may affect individualsin Sweden to choose solar as a part of their energy supply. It will also analyse drivers and barriers to increase the quantity of installations of solarpower in the future. The essay will also contribute to the research field which today is limited. The chosen method is qualitative semi-structuredinterviews, where the interviewees lives in the municipalities of Linköping and Västerås. These two municipalities in Sweden have the most installedeffect of solar. The most important drivers which has emerged among individuals during installation of solar are the opportunity to apply for financialsupport, environmental awareness and an interest in technology. Barriers that dominates are administrative work, changes of rules and investmentcost. For more people to install solar, the technology needs to develop, the administration needs to be simple, information needs to be gathered inone place and better batteries are needed for storing electricity.

One of the unintended “products” of intensive energy using production processes is excess heat, also called waste heat. Excess heat can for instance be found in the chemical, cement, iron and steel making, and the pulp and paper industry. The constantly growing demand for energy and resulting climate change effects are reinforcing interest in the application of excess heat, while increasing knowledge about industrial symbiosis makes facilitation easier. The growing costs of energy and the big loss of waste heat is the basis for the fact that recovering of waste heat is the most promising and cost effective option to reduce the world-wide amount of industrial energy consumption (International Energy Agency 2010). Waste recovery and reuse also provide financial savings, reduction of CO₂ and NO_x, and innovation by quality improvement of processes and products. Besides the single company’s internal improvement of excess heat recovery, the concept of industrial symbiosis provides a basis for waste heat exchange between companies as examples in the Netherlands and Sweden illustrate.

Purpose This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability and the CE, developed with collaborating industry partners for four consecutive circular design internships conducted in Ireland, Catalunya, The Netherlands and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach These four internships were conducted between September 2017 and June 2019 and each internship lasted three to four months. The supervisors for each internship collaborated with local industry partners genuinely interested in adopting sustainable business practices to develop design briefs focussing on real-life challenges they face. The briefs for each internship were developed further according to the feedback of the interns, industry partners and supervisors of previous internships. Findings Five steps of brief making for circular design were identified as reviewing the existing resources, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for the CE, focussing on circularity and communicating expectations. The paper outlines how design briefs changed throughout the consecutive internships according to the different curricula and the characteristics of an educational circular design brief. Originality/value For design educators and researchers, the value of this paper lies in presenting the steps for the brief making of educational circular design projects. Additionally, the characteristics of circular design briefs are outlined, discussing their focus and content to act as a guide for design educators.

Fair Trade is an international movement which aims to strengthen the livelihoods of producers in the South, and to give the opportunity for conscious customers in the North to buy socially and environmentally friendly products. The conventional trade system is criticised, as well as the efficiency of aid to support developing countries. The core idea of Fair Trade is therefore “Trade not Aid”, where marginalised producers are given the chance to improve their living conditions by fair wages, market access and improved working conditions. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the potential of Fair Trade to contribute to sustainable development and empowerment, which therefore also act as the theoretical frameworks for this thesis. Sustainable development is investigated by its division into economic, social and environmental sustainable development. Fair Trade is furthermore investigated through specific key elements connected to these theories, by performing interviews with managers and producers within five separate Fair Trade organisations in India and Sri Lanka.  The main findings within this study reveal how Fair Trade does have the potential to contribute to sustainable development and empowerment to a certain degree. It is specifically prominent regarding social development and empowerment, while economic development occurs mainly on an individual level. The contribution to environmental development is also possible to detect, even though it remains clear how the initiative to do so might not always be fully related to environmental causes.

<ol><li>The PCMBase R package is a powerful computational tool that enables efficient calculations of likelihoods for a wide range of phylogenetic Gaussian models.</li><li>Taking advantage of it, we redesigned the R package mvSLOUCH.</li><li>Here, we demonstrate how the new version of the package can be used to thoroughly examine the evolution and adaptation of traits in a large dataset of 1252 vascular plants through the use of multivariate Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes.</li><li>The results of our analysis demonstrate the ability of the modelling framework to distinguish between various alternative hypotheses regarding the evolution of functional traits in angiosperms.</li> </ol>