Towards better integration of environmental science in society: Lessons from BONUS,the joint Baltic Sea environmental research and development programme

Integration of environmental science in society is impeded by the large gap between science and policy that is characterised by weaknesses in societal relevance and dissemination of science and its practical implementation in policy. We analyse experiences from BONUS, the policy-driven joint Baltic Sea research and development programme (2007–2020), which is part of the European Research Area (ERA) and involves combined research funding by eight EU member states. The ERA process decreased fragmentation of Baltic Sea science and BONUS funding increased the scientific quality and societal relevance of Baltic Sea science and strengthened the science-policy interface. Acknowledging the different drivers for science producers (academic career, need for funding, peer review) and science users (fast results fitting policy windows), and realising that most scientists aim at building conceptual understanding rather than instrumental use, bridges can be built through strategic planning, coordination and integration. This requires strong programme governance stretching far beyond selecting projects for funding, such as coaching, facilitating the sharing of infrastructure and data and iterative networking within and between science producer and user groups in all programme phases. Instruments of critical importance for successful science-society integration were identified as: (1) coordinating a strategic research agenda with strong inputs from science, policy and management, (2) providing platforms where science and policy can meet, (3) requiring cooperation between scientists to decrease fragmentation, increase quality, clarify uncertainties and increase consensus about environmental problems, (4) encouraging and supporting scientists in disseminating their results through audience-tailored channels, and (5) funding not only primary research but also synthesis projects that evaluate the scientific findings and their practical use in society – in close cooperation with science users − to enhance relevance, credibility and legitimacy of environmental science and expand its practical implementation.     

The European Conformity Assessment Procedures and the Quality Assurance Instruments for Personal Protective Equipment in the Internal Market

Conformity assessment procedures prescribed by European legislation are presented and their concrete implementation is illustrated by the example of personal protective equipment (PPE). The different categories of PPE defined by Council Directive 89/686/EEC are explained with reference to the applicable conformity assessment elements. Quality assurance of production is presented as the central element of the conformity assessment procedure for complex PPE. Special emphasis is put on the necessity of having a regular exchange of views and information among notified bodies in Europe. Ways in which third countries can eventually carry out conformity assessment on the basis of a contract with the European Community Commission are explained.     

Agricultural landscapes as multi-scale public good and the role of the Common Agricultural Policy

During the last 50 years, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has impacted the evolution of European agricultural landscapes by driving changes in land use and farming practices. We propose a typology characterising the scales relevant for agricultural landscapes management and argue that action is required on three scales: (1) a landscape oriented management at the farm level; (2) the coordination of land managers’ actions at the landscape level; and (3) the conservation of the diversity of agricultural landscapes in the EU. We provide evidence that until now the CAP has mainly focused on the first scale. We also illustrate how agricultural policy could encourage coordinated actions at the landscape- and EU-scales. In particular, we propose policy instruments to coordinate actions of individual land owners (e.g. collective bonus in agro-environmental contracts or support to environmental cooperatives (scale 2)). We also analyse how the recognition and transposition of the European Landscape Convention could promote trans-frontier landscape cooperation in order, not only to conserve high-quality rural landscapes, but also to ensure the conservation of the diversity of EU landscapes (scale 3). This paper provides a knowledge base to support an integrated CAP design in the direction of improved landscape management, as an important component of the EU project towards more sustainable agriculture.     

Farm management indicators and farm typologies as a basis for assessments in a changing policy environment

This paper focuses on the assessment of farm management indicators and argues that typologies are a necessary tool for comprehensive environmental assessments. In the paper Andersen et al., [(2004a). Farming and the Environment in the European Community--using agricultural statistics to provide farm management indicators. Paper presented at OECD Expert meeting, March 2004, New Zealand. < http:webdomino1.oecd.org/comnet/agr/farmind.nsf/viewHtml/index/$FILE/Anderson_et_al.PDF> (1st of February 2006).] presented at the OECD expert meeting on farm management indicators in New Zealand in March 2004, a set of farm management indicators was presented in the framework of a typology of grazing livestock farming systems in the EU-15 (includes all Member States of the European Union before 2004). The present paper presents new results on farm management indicators within the framework of an extended typology for all farming sectors. It presents an environmentally oriented extension to the EU typology of farms currently used for assessing the situation of farming within the European Union. The extended typology is tested in relation to emerging policy issues such as environmental sustainability and rural viability by analysing some of the farm management indicators suggested in Andersen et al., [(2004a). Farming and the Environment in the European Community--using agricultural statistics to provide farm management indicators. Paper presented at OECD Expert meeting, March 2004, New Zealand. (1st of February 2006).]. Finally, recommendations in relation to the next generation EU farm typology are given.     

Disproportionate costs in the EU Water Framework Directive—How to justify less stringent environmental objectives

The ambitious objective pursued by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) is good status for all European waters. However, “less stringent environmental objectives” are permissible if the costs of achieving good status are disproportionately high. This exemption, if abused, carries the risk of watering down the ambitions of the Directive. Currently, no transparent, well-established, universally applicable method for routinely testing disproportionality exists throughout Europe. In this paper, such a method is developed for surface water bodies. The core idea is to determine a water body-specific disproportionality threshold which is then compared to the projected costs of achieving “good status/potential”. For the sake of practicability, the benchmark for disproportionality is estimated on the basis of prior expenditure on water quality enhancement. The paper argues that the proposed method combines both possible interpretations of (dis-)proportionality—affordability and cost-benefit considerations. Due to the method’s moderate data requirements it can be used readily in most German federal states and is transferable in principle to other EU Member States. The method was tested empirically for a river in the German federal state of Rhineland–Palatinate.     

New environmental performance baseline for inland ports: A benchmark for the European inland port sector

This paper presents the results of a collaborative programme of action between the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) and the EC PORTOPIA research project to assist EU inland ports to enhance further their environmental performance. In order to achieve this goal, an environmental survey was specifically designed to reflect the operational and geographical circumstances of inland ports and to help to accelerate the culture of the reporting of environmental performance.The survey was developed to be user-friendly and practicable, and based on established good-practice taking into account the suggestions and advice of EFIP and its members, as well as the experience of the EcoPorts Network. As a result of the survey, an initial baseline of environmental performance for the EU inland port sector was established.A total of 27 port authorities participated in the survey, representing a range of port profiles in terms of size, commercial profile and geography. All response details were treated in strict confidence and the benchmark performance was reported as a European average. Results show that approximately 70% of the respondent ports declare that they have the major components of an Environmental Management System (EMS) actively in place (e.g. policy, inventory of legislation). An environmental index (1–10) has been calculated reflecting the performance of the sector in terms of the application of major EMS components. The average index value for the EU inland port sector baseline resulted in 6.Almost 67% of respondent ports indicated that they conduct environmental monitoring of different aspects, with waste being the most common. The survey results have also delivered the first top-10 ranking of environmental priorities for the EU inland port sector. It is interesting to note that also almost 70% of the inland ports apply initiatives to implement green actions. The outcomes of this paper are likely to be of interest to a wide range of stakeholders and decision-makers.     

荷兰与欧盟环境培训考察报告

2002年5月19日至6月10日,荷兰鹿特丹住宅与城市发展研究学院(1HS)举办的中国市长、环保局长、专家环境管理与可持续发展培训班给我们一些有益的启示,西方国家的经验与政策对我国解决环境问题具有借鉴意义。     

Evaluation of the effect of meteorological data resolution on Lagrangian particle dispersion simulations using the ETEX experiment

This paper presents results from a series of numerical experiments designed to evaluate operational long-range dispersion model simulations, and to investigate the effect of different temporal and spatial resolution of meteorological data from numerical weather prediction models on these simulations. Results of Lagrangian particle dispersion simulations of the first tracer release of the European Tracer Experiment (ETEX) are presented and compared with measured tracer concentrations. The use of analyzed data of higher resolution from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model produced significantly better agreement between the concentrations predicted with the dispersion model and the ETEX measurements than the use of lower resolution Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) forecast data. Numerical experiments were performed in which the ECMWF model data with lower vertical resolution (4 instead of 7 levels below 500 mb), lower temporal resolution (12 h instead of 6 h intervals), and lower horizontal resolution (2.5° instead of 0.5°) were used. Degrading the horizontal or temporal resolution of the ECMWF data resulted in decreased accuracy of the dispersion simulations. These results indicate that flow features resolved by the numerical weather prediction model data at approximately 45 km horizontal grid spacing and 6 h time intervals, but not resolved at 225 km spacing and 12 h intervals, made an important contribution to the long-range dispersion.     

Low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses for endocrine active chemicals: Science to practice workshop: Workshop summary

A workshop was held in Berlin September 12–14th 2012 to assess the state of the science of the data supporting low dose effects and non-monotonic dose responses (“low dose hypothesis”) for chemicals with endocrine activity (endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCs). This workshop consisted of lectures to present the current state of the science of EDC action and also the risk assessment process. These lectures were followed by breakout sessions to integrate scientists from various backgrounds to discuss in an open and unbiased manner the data supporting the “low dose hypothesis”. While no consensus was reached the robust discussions were helpful to inform both basic scientists and risk assessors on all the issues. There were a number of important ideas developed to help continue the discussion and improve communication over the next few years.