The 2022 edition of QS World University Rankings per subject places Stockholm University among the top 50 in four subjects, and the best in Sweden in five subjects. The highest ranked subject was environmental science, where Stockholm University ranks 28th in the world. QS World University Rankings are published by Quacquarelli Symonds, QS, a company specializing in higher education information. …
Standalone course showcases why tackling climate change requires a cross-disciplinary approach
What can we do to counteract climate change and how this responsibility should be shared? Get answers by taking the course Climate Change Solutions: Bending the Curve this coming autumn! Send your application by 19 April. Dealing with climate change is an urgent issue for humanity today. Most recently, climate change has received attention in the form of two reports …
High black carbon emissions from traffic lie behind poor air quality in Nairobi
Fine particular aerosols and black carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion, attributed to road traffic, are major contributors to poor air quality in Nairobi, Kenya, shows a new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science recently published in Communications Earth & Environment. It is one of the few studies on air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa and the only …
No longer about risks in the distant future – researchers attend Fridays for Future march
On 25 March, climate demonstrations under the international environmental movement Fridays for Future took place around the world. In Stockholm, thousands of people gathered outside the Swedish Parliament building and marched towards Tantolunden in the centre of the city. Several researchers from Stockholm University were there to show their support. “I am here because the climate issue is high on …

Arctic climate research on hold due to Ukraine conflict
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a Swedish-led Arctic expedition being postponed with implications for collecting important data on the connection between climate, sea ice and the release of greenhouse gases in the Arctic. Örjan Gustafsson, Professor at the Department of Environmental Science, who has collaborated with Russian scientists for the past 20 years, is one of many researchers …
Stockholm University stands with Ukraine
In light of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Stockholm University wishes to show its support for students and employees who may be affected, and the University is following developments closely. Stockholm University stands in solidarity with the universities and the civilian population in Ukraine and supports the European University Association’s (EUA) statement: The European University Association’s (EUA) statement of solidarity …
New study sheds light on the ‘molecular dark matter’ of polluted air
Airborne fine particular matter (PM) is a major component of air pollution that impacts global climate and leads to millions of premature deaths globally every year. Yet its molecular composition remains largely unknown. Now, a new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science and colleagues from India and the Maldives have proposed molecular structures of over ten thousand …
More chemicals, fewer words: exposure to chemical mixtures linked to impaired brain development
Exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy is linked to delayed language development shows a new study by researchers at the Department of Environmental Science and colleagues from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Greece, France, Italy and USA published in the journal Science. In light of these findings, the scientists caution that today’s systems for risk assessment of chemicals are not adequate for …
The Department of Environmental Science to host the Bolin Centre for Climate Research
From January 1st 2022, the Bolin Centre for Climate Research will be hosted by the Department of Environmental Science. Professor Ilona Riipinen from the Department of Environmental Science and Associate Professor Gustaf Hugelius from the Department of Physical Geography will be the Centre’s new directors. ”We are excited to step in as the new directors of the Bolin Centre. It is …
Global study finds the extent of pharmaceutical pollution in the world’s rivers
A new study by an international consortium that includes researchers from Stockholm University looking at the presence of pharmaceuticals in the world’s rivers found concentrations at potentially toxic levels in more than a quarter of the locations studied. The new study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first truly global-scale investigation of pharmaceutical …

Harmful health effects of local particulate emissions in Swedish cities have been underestimated, shows new PhD thesis
Harmful effects from local particulate emissions are often underestimated in health impact calculations. Furthermore, local emissions account for the majority of premature deaths in Swedish cities. These are the conclusions presented in a recent PhD thesis from the Department of Environmental Science. On January 21, David Segersson defended his PhD thesis on the effects of air pollution on health. During …

From Sweden to Italy – mobile lab deployed to measure air pollution in Italy’s ‘famous’ fogs
A container equipped with instruments to measure air pollution will make its way from Stockholm University campus to the Po Valley in Northern Italy, as part of major EU-funded climate research project. Since November 2021, researchers from the Department of Environmental Science have been preparing the bright blue shipping container, which has been a permanent feature behind the Geoscience building …