Environmental Science Colloquium Series (ECo-Series)

Celebrating 60 years of Silent Spring: The loud uproar that still resonates November 17th, 2022 15:00 – 16:30 CET https://vimeo.com/772788282 This year, the Department of Environmental Science turns 30. To mark this important milestone, we would like to pay tribute to Rachel Carson, a remarkable woman, whose work, 60 years ago, was a catalyst for making the environment a vital …

Prospects of the precautionary principle in circular economy and chemicals policy in the EU The precautionary principle is described as one of the cornerstones of EU chemical regulation, but its actual application in individual pieces of legislation remains unclear. Recently, calls for the examination of possibilities for improving the application of the precautionary principle, in particular with respect to its …

Summoning the Lorax: Is it time for a global science-policy body for chemicals? https://vimeo.com/680960181 Anthropogenic chemicals are a ubiquitous part of our lives. From the clothes we wear, to the medicines we take, to the electronics we use on a daily basis, chemicals are all around us. The production and consumption of chemicals has increased dramatically in the past decades, …

The Roots and History of the Department of Environmental Science In 1962, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring documented widespread detrimental effects on wildlife from organochlorine pesticides such as DDT. In response to this, Sweden created the National Envi­ronmental Protection Board (now the Swedish EPA) in 1967, including establishing several research laboratories to measure and study environmental pollutants and their effects. …

The Precautionary Principle – Dead or Alive? Trying to find someone who has heard about the precautionary principle is very easy. Much more difficult is finding a consistent definition of what it is, and how it should be implemented. This workshop is aimed at exploring examples of ways in which the precautionary principle has been applied, and discussing the barriers …

STRESSED-OUT! Combined effects of multiple stressors on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/625593191 In the past, researchers focused on the effects of single stressors in isolation. However, recent publications show considerable progress in understanding how the combination of multiple stressors affects ecosystems.  Experiments addressing multiple stressor scenarios are challenging due to the complexity generated in various levels of biological organization, the …

Panel Discussion on Panel Discussion on Safe and Responsible reuse of waste water resources, Co-organized by ECo-Series and ECORISK2050

Toxicological Trade Barriers: Governing Chemicals at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Co-organized by ECo-Series and ECORISK2050 https://vimeo.com/523820875 The postwar expansion of the chemical industry and liberalization of international trade resulted in an unprecedented proliferation of chemical products. As the unanticipated global health and environmental impacts of these products became increasingly apparent in the 1970s, governments around the world …

Droning on about UAVs & Innovative applications January 18th, 2021 15:00 – 16:00 View the full seminar below: https://vimeo.com/502152727 Unmanned aerial vehicles (a.k.a drones), allow researchers to investigate new and challenging problems that are otherwise difficult or impossible to address by conventional means. The use of integrated systems (e.g. UAVs LiDAR) and advanced technology ensures highly accurate data collection, provides …

We’ve seen some unwelcome developments in the last few years, both domestically and internationally. Some of these unwelcome developments – like an increase in exclusionary nationalist tendencies, growing animosity towards immigrants and immigration, the “Make [place your country name here] Great Again!” mentality – not only affect society, but even higher education. The ideals of openness, collaboration and solidarity that allowed the European Union to be created and develop are being challenged.

https://vimeo.com/459260842 Click and download the Audience Q&A from PFAS/Essential Use Webinar. PFAS and the Essential Use Concept Per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of more than 4700 anthropogenic organic chemicals that are widely used in many industrial applications and consumer products. They are persistent and ubiquitous in the environment and it is known that the exposure to …