News & Features

The warming during the summer months in Europe has been much faster than the global average, shows a new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science published in Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres. As a consequence of human emissions of greenhouse gases, the climate across the continent has also become drier, particularly in southern Europe, leading to worse heat …

Gustaf Hugelius, Deputy Director of the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, which has been hosted by the Department of Environmental Science since January 1st 2022, is attending the COP27 climate summit in Egypt in hopes of reaching out to companies, civil servants, and organizations with important scientific findings.   The COP27 climate summit is underway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt …

Plants are known to not only remove CO2 from the atmosphere but to also emit thousands of compounds, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), whose role in climate change has largely been “overlooked.” Now, researchers from the Department of Environmental Science will launch a new research project into the role of VOC emissions in climate change. Forests are the largest sources …

Curbing fossil fuel emissions drastically is the most effective way to reduce long-term climate risks as well as one of the toughest challenges facing world governments today. But many of us often wonder about what individuals can do to make an impact. “We can use our vote to affect climate policy,” says Mem Swanborough, a former Master’s student at the …

A previously approved variant of the herbicide glyphosate causes negative effects on brain development in rats, according to the US environmental authority EPA. Researchers at the Department of Environmental Science now reveal that this knowledge has not come to the attention of EU authorities for the evaluation of current variants. Glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in the product Roundup, …

On 11 September, Swedish citizens will go to the polls to vote in the national election. Recently, an urgent call for action by 1,944 researchers and employees from 45 Swedish universities and research institutes was published in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet with a clear message: what does it take for Swedish politicians to take the science of climate crisis seriously? …

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made hazardous chemicals that are spread globally in the atmosphere and as a result they can be found in the rainwater and snow in even the most remote locations on Earth, shows a new study by researchers from Stockholm University and ETH Zurich published in Environmental Science & Technology. According to the authors, PFAS define …

In a new Master’s thesis, Laith Al-Qudah measured air quality during rush hour traffic along two popular bicycle routes in Stockholm for 2.5 months to understand how air pollution affects cyclists’ health. Laith Al-Qudah, a Master’s student in environment and health protection (MHS) at the Department of Environmental Science, recently presented his thesis, for which he measured air quality along …

The ITN PERFORCE 3 research consortium held their biannual meeting on 26 April at Stockholm University where Early Career Researchers (ESRs) of the consortium spent two weeks attending a series of advanced training courses. Highly fluorinated chemicals or PFAS encompass a large and diverse class of over 4700 substances and are widely used in consumer and industrial products. They are …

An international initiative led by researchers at the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, among others, stresses the need to take thawing permafrost into account in negotiations to reach global climate goals. From June 6th to 16th, the UNFCCC secretariat (UN Convention on Climate Change) and Germany hosts the Bonn Climate Change Conference where UNFCCC parties, negotiation groups, researchers and observer …

Professor Cynthia de Wit is one of the two recipients of Stockholm University’s gold medal in the 8th size* awarded to academics whose work to promote the University’s research or education has been longstanding and significant. The motivation behind the decision of the President of Stockholm University Astrid Söderbergh Widding to award Professor De Wit is as follows: As a …

Science has an important role to play in the transition to a sustainable society. But more cooperation is needed and decision-makers must act faster on incorporating scientific evidence into meaningful policies. These were the key messages at the international sustainability conference hosted by the three main  universities in Stockholm and Stockholm Environment Institute. Watch Inger Andersen´s keynote address “The role …