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Environment
The sun is shining… Let’s prepare for severe weather!
The sun is shining… Let’s prepare for severe weather!
As well as being a time for celebration, winter in Europe is a time for serious weather. Blizzards, flash floods, hurricanes, heavy snow fall can cause chaos, major disruption, economic loss, and endanger lives.
Biomass: a green source of energy?
Biomass: a green source of energy?
Bioenergy represents two-thirds of the energy produced from renewable sources in Europe, though biomass sustainability is not taken for granted.
Italy, Vajont “tsunami” and Malborghetto-Valbruna floods: such different lessons from the past
Italy, Vajont “tsunami” and Malborghetto-Valbruna floods: such different lessons from the past
Luckily, past mistakes can sometimes be useful for present or especially future decisions. This can apply to spatial planning and management in response to natural disasters and extreme weather events.
Preventing a Fukushima disaster in Europe
Preventing a Fukushima disaster in Europe
In 2005, Europe was exposed to a potential risk of a nuclear disaster caused by the flooding of the Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland . Sea levels rose by 1.73 meter above normal levels, due to a storm.
Hilppa Gregow – Learning from the past to prepare for future extreme weather events
Hilppa Gregow – Learning from the past to prepare for future extreme weather events
In Central or Northern Europe, extreme snowfall, snow storms or freezing rain during winter can damage forests and infrastructures, such as power lines . This may, in turn, disrupt power supply and cause considerable economic loss.
Mitigating the impacts of extreme weather
Mitigating the impacts of extreme weather
Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, storms, floods or forest fires can considerably damage roads, railways, communication systems and power lines.
Alan O’Connor - Taming nature’s wild character
Alan O’Connor - Taming nature’s wild character
Flash floods in Central Europe in 2002 damaged hundreds of roads, caused electricity failures, contaminated clean water and cost an estimated €150 billion in damage .
New bio packaging for food
New bio packaging for food
To address these problems, an international research team working for the European Project SUCCIPACK is producing packaging made from PBS (polybutylene succinate) , which is based on vegetable biomass.
That’s a bioplastic wrap
That’s a bioplastic wrap
Producing food in a sustainable way is one thing. Making sure that it is wrapped in a sustainable packaging is another issue that also needs to be addressed.
Revolutionary System Monitors Water Pollution
Revolutionary System Monitors Water Pollution
Toxic microalgae, viruses and chemical contaminants are floating in our waters. These hazardous materials pose a high risk to the livelihood of the sea dwellers. Especially the aquaculture is affected by this rising problem.
Early warning system for fish farmers
Early warning system for fish farmers
The marine aquaculture sector has grown continuously over the past years, according to the FAO’s world review of fisheries and aquaculture.
Ridding the sea and land from toxic plastics fragments
Ridding the sea and land from toxic plastics fragments
Plastic products made of PVC, Polystyrene and other prominent plastics are flooding the market. They are a growing threat to the environment, as they are found in the sea or dumped in land fills .
Speeding up nature’s oil spill cleaners
Speeding up nature’s oil spill cleaners
Imagine if oil spills could be completely cleaned up soon after a marine accident. And this could be made possible thanks to none other than warrior microorganisms who attacked and completely broke down the oil.
Cleaning up behind the fashion industry
Cleaning up behind the fashion industry
The European fashion industry is a huge consumer of fresh water. Estimates point to 600 million cubic meter of fresh water being consumed yearly in Europe by the textile and clothing industry ; not a negligible amount.
Ralf Otterpohl: a second life for unsuspected nutrient-rich waste
Ralf Otterpohl: a second life for unsuspected nutrient-rich waste
Every day cities in Europe discard a useful nutrient-rich resource that could be used to grow crops. Ironically, we treat and process human wastes while we mine non-renewable phosphate and potassium and we consume fossil fuel to make nitrogen fertiliser.
Sheltering rising population from storm water
Sheltering rising population from storm water
Storm water is a critical consideration in managing urban water , as it influences the risks of flooding. Unfortunately, a global rise in urban population means that water management in urban areas is now under strain.
Jorge Marx Gómez: Putting environmental performance into practice
Jorge Marx Gómez: Putting environmental performance into practice
Jorge Marx Gómez is professor and chair of business information systems at the Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg , Germany. He was the scientific manager of the EU-funded project OEPI , completed in 2012.
Crops watering by phone
Crops watering by phone
In Europe, irrigated agriculture is the chief water consumer for food production. Yet water resources are in limited supply.  One way out of this problem is to take more care with the water we use , and reduce the estimated 60% water waste.
Ton Baltissen: Optimised blooming
Ton Baltissen: Optimised blooming
Ton Baltissen , researcher at Wageningen University and Research Centre , in the Netherlands, who works  in the Applied plant research (PPO) department, gives youris.
Precision irrigation for ornamental plant
Precision irrigation for ornamental plant
In commercial nurseries, many different plant species are cultivated in the same irrigation sector. This means that the dosage of water and nutrients is often excessive for some of the crops’ requirement, as the most water demanding species set the standards.
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