No 3 september 2009
IVM Director Frans Berkhout - Copenhagen and after
The next three months will see a growing tumult of public debate, media attention and political negotiation leading up to the Copenhagen climate conference. Like the coming of a child, it is easy to be so focused on the symbolic moment of the birth that we forget that life will carry on afterwards. There is no doubt that the COP at Copenhagen has huge political significance and that the consequences of the decisions made (or not made) will reverberate for another decade and more. But we should also not expect too much and remember that Copenhagen is one moment in a long political process. Here are my predictions or what happens after Copenhagen:
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Chemical pollutants in fish
A variety of persistent chemical pollutants is present in wild caught and farmed fish, but in most cases, the levels are below the legislative limits. This is shown by phd research from Stefan van Leeuwen of the Institute of Environmental Studies of the VU University of Amsterdam. Van Leeuwen investigated the presence of chemical pollutants in fish destined for human consumption.
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EAERE Conference 2009, Amsterdam
From June 25th-27t, the VU University Amsterdam hosted the annual conference of the European Association of Environment and Resource Economists (EAERE). It was up to the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration and the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) to match with last year's well organized conference in Gothenburg. By attracting over 750 participants and offering a platform to discuss recent developments in a wide variety of themes and methods, the conference was very successful.
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Climate change adaptation in Central & Eastern Europe
As European governments continue to advance their efforts towards mitigating the causes of climate change through emission abatement, there is a clearer understanding that these efforts will not be enough to avoid the expected impacts of a changing climate. Drought, water scarcity and flooding are already a reality for many countries and regions; concerns of sea level rise are mounting; and heat waves are occurring with greater frequency. In light of this it is increasingly being recognized that adaptive measures must be taken.
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The colour of the Wadden Sea
While many tourists were spending their holidays on its islands and beaches this summer, the Wadden Sea was added to the UNESCO world heritage list. To keep the site as beautiful as it is, its water quality is regularly monitored. However, this needs expensive and time consuming expeditions. Is it possible to monitor its water quality by means of satellite images instead of water samples?
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