News

Legislation

Commission consults on transport carbon trading

The EU’s carbon emission trading scheme (ETS) could be extended to all major modes of transport, according to a consultation document issued by the European Commission. The idea is one of several policy options to internalise the costs of EU transport use.

The inclusion of road, rail, maritime and inland waterway transport in the ETS “could be envisaged”, says the document. But practical arrangements would be different for each transport mode. For road transport in particular, “this might affect the purchase or the use of vehicles” depending on the way the scheme was adopted.

Firm plans to include aviation in the ETS are already underway. Earlier this year the European Parliament demanded that shipping also be included in the scheme, but the Commission has given out mixed signals on the issue [JEM, 2007, 9, 295 & 493]. Previously, a consortium of European environment agencies cautioned against emission trading for transport, arguing that the large number of small emitters would make it difficult to monitor [JEM, 2006, 8, 675].

Other options for internalising the environmental costs of transport outlined in the paper include taxes on carbon dioxide and other pollutants. But the document says the effectiveness of taxes is limited because they cannot differentiate between the environmental effects of emissions in different locations. As a result, the Commission pledges also to examine the feasibility and public acceptability of electronic charging for using road transport infrastructure.

In a recent report, consultancy PWC warns that aircraft operators are still “far from being fully prepared” to enter the ETS. In a survey of 20 airlines, it found half expect emission trading to have a significant effect on their costs. Yet only one in four has assessed the full business impact on their organisation. The Commission has proposed including intra-EU flights in the ETS from 2011, and international flights from 2012. These dates could be brought forward by MEPs and ministers, who are currently debating the proposal [JEM, 2007, 9, 493 & 643]. In their latest debate on the issue, MEPs voted for a tighter emission cap and more auctioning of allowances.

The Commission will present a formal policy paper on the ETS and transport later this year, possibly with legislative proposals.

In a related move, ministers have backed away from proposals to weight car taxation more heavily on the basis of carbon dioxide emissions. The proposals, which were first tabled by the Commission in 2005, would require member states to link 25% of the tax paid on cars to CO₂ emissions by 2008, rising to 50% by 2010. They also call for the gradual replacement of registration taxes by annual circulation taxes. Several countries expressed significant opposition to the plan at a meeting of finance ministers in Brussels. Unanimity is required to adopt tax-related measures at EU level.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/white_paper/consultations/index_en.htm; PWC: http://www.pwc.de

Flexibility for EU soil law

The European Parliament has voted to give EU states more freedom to decide how to deal with areas at risk of soil degradation. The move came in a “first-reading” debate on a proposed soil protection directive [JEM, 2007, 9, 296 & 907].

MEPs endorsed many of the amendments tabled by its Environment Committee last October, which were designed to give member states more leeway in applying the new rules [JEM, 2007, 9, 1147]. Within five years of transposing the directive, countries would have to identify “priority areas” at risk of soil degradation and draw up measures containing risk reduction targets, timetables and an estimate of implementation costs. But the choice of measures themselves would be left entirely to governments to decide.

One key new amendment adopted would exempt EU countries that already have national soil protection legislation from drawing up such programmes, provided the existing rules “secure at least an equivalent level of protection”. The move is designed to reassure countries like Germany and the Netherlands, which feared the directive would force them to dismantle existing soil protection laws.

The Parliament reversed certain changes made by the Committee that had watered down the draft law. It also endorsed the Committee’s demand for an EU law on biowaste within two years of the soil directive’s adoption.

European Parliament: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/default.htm

Operators fail to overturn ship pollution law

EU judges have thrown out a legal challenge to a 2005 directive on ship pollution, on the grounds that it does not breach global rules. Shipping industry trade associations had brought the case, claiming that the criminal sanctions for “intentional, reckless or seriously negligent” pollution introduced under the directive were not compatible with international law.

In an opinion delivered in the European Court of Justice, Advocate-General Juliane Kokott argued that international law does not prevent the EU from imposing such sanctions. There is “no factor of such a kind as to bring into question the validity of the directive”, she said.

The plaintiffs include international oil tanker association Intertanko, which represents 80% of the world’s fleet. They claim that the EU directive breaches liability rules established by the 1973 Marpol convention, which has higher legal status. A final ruling from the full court is still awaited, but in most cases the verdict reflects the advocate-general’s opinion.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has announced it is to issue final written warnings to eight EU governments for failing to set out penalties for shipping pollution, as required under the directive. Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and the UK all failed to meet the April 2007 deadline for transposing the legislation into national law.

Elsewhere, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has promised to accelerate work to develop a global climate policy for the shipping sector. IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos said he would push for an IMO report on the issue to be completed early, in time for decisions in autumn 2008. The EU has repeatedly complained of slow progress and warned that it could decide to include shipping in the EU’s cap-and-trade scheme for controlling carbon emissions [JEM, 2007, 9, 493].

European Court of Justice: http://curia.europa.eu/, (Case ref: C-308/06) ; International Maritime Organisation: http://www.imo.org

Electrowaste rules should be more focused

EU rules for the handling and treatment of electronic waste should focus on equipment with the highest environmental impact, according to a report for the European Commission.

The study, by the UN University at Maastricht, is one of a series of reviews in the run-up to a revision, due later this year, of the 2003 waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive [JEM, 2006, 8, 769 & 871]. It recommends further differentiating EU collection, recycling and treatment targets according to the environmental impact of equipment types. High-impact products, such as fridges containing CFCs and mercury-based liquid crystal display monitors, should have stricter targets, it says. Other equipment unlikely to end up in domestic waste, such as large household appliances, should be excluded from the directive. No new inclusions under the law are recommended.

The report points to large disparities in collection practices across Europe. The directive’s collection targets are very challenging for eastern European countries, it says. Performance in the older EU-15 is much better but rates are still only roughly half those of Switzerland and Norway.

A second study, by a group of consultancies led by RPA, says the disparities between states could be reduced by harmonising registration and reporting requirements for take-back systems. The consultants also recommend harmonising requirements for financial guarantees linked to waste treatment. More should be done to ensure all producers pay for the collection of electronic waste, it says, but they should remain free to choose between individual and collective take-back systems.

The proposals received a mixed reaction from industry. Producer body the WEEE Forum welcomed the recommendations to differentiate waste types: “Better collection of, in particular, end-of-life refrigerators and proper extraction of CFCs is an important environmental priority”, said Secretary-General Pascal Leroy. But the AIPR, representing appliance makers and NGOs, warned policymakers not to tamper with the principle of individual producer responsibility. In a statement, the group said weakening producer responsibility would eliminate incentives for manufacturers to improve the design of products.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee_index.htm; Alliance for Individual Producer Responsibility: http://www.iprworks.org

Environmental quality

EU starts “Stern report” on biodiversity

The European Commission is to prepare a major independent report on the economics of biodiversity loss. The report was requested by environment ministers from the G8 + 5 countries in Potsdam earlier this year [JEM, 2007, 9, 389].

The Commission says the plan is to produce a “Stern report” for biodiversity, in reference to the widely acclaimed analysis by British economist Nicholas Stern, which has been credited with focusing attention on the economic costs of climate change [JEM, 2006, 8, 1185]. The report is intended to make the case for action now to stop biodiversity loss and to help develop cost-effective policy responses. A recent EU-led “business and biodiversity” conference, held in Lisbon, concluded that the public and private sectors are increasingly converging in realising the critical importance of biodiversity. Stakeholders are being requested to submit relevant information to support the study.

Scientists elaborated detailed planning for such a global biodiversity initiative at a recent meeting in France. The International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB) plans to organise an intergovernmental conference in 2008, in conjunction with UNEP.

Meanwhile, Finland has launched an action plan as a follow-up to a biodiversity strategy adopted last year. It includes 110 actions for the period 2006–2016, including integrating biodiversity conservation in agri-environmental subsidy schemes. No new funding will be available, however.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/call_evidence.htm; business and biodiversity conference: http://www.countdown2010.net/business; IMoSEB: www.gis-ifb.org; Finnish Ministry of Environment: http://www.ymparisto.fi

Mixed picture on Kyoto targets

Official figures on greenhouse gas emissions, released ahead of the UN climate talks in Bali, show a mixed picture.

On the one hand, industrialised countries bound by climate targets under the Kyoto protocol are well on track to meet a collective pledge to cut emissions by 5% by 2012. Emissions in the 38 countries that have reduction targets are currently 15% below 1990 levels, the UN’s climate convention secretariat (UNFCCC) said. And they will remain about 11% below 1990 levels during the 2008–12 Kyoto compliance period, it added.

However, the overall picture is masked by two major distortions: firstly, the collapse in eastern European economies after 1990, where emissions are now on the rise; and the absence in the figures of emissions from the US and Australia, which declined to sign-up to Kyoto targets. Releases from these countries are well above 1990 levels. When these factors are included, industrialised country emissions are only between three and five per cent below 1990 levels, the UNFCCC says. The statistics are based on submissions from governments covering the period up to 2005.

Meanwhile, the EU is well on course to meet its joint Kyoto target, even without buying carbon credits on the international carbon market or including carbon sinks, according to the latest annual projections by the European Environment Agency (EEA). According to the projections, the EU-15 will reduce its emissions by 4% below 1990 levels by 2010 with existing policies alone. This is halfway to its Kyoto target of minus 8%. Additional policies, both at EU and national level, can make up the other half, the EEA says. The figures are a marked turnaround from last year, when the Agency predicted the EU-15 would barely reach their target even if they used all these means [JEM, 2006, 8, 1184].

Looking ahead, a new study for the European Parliament has cautioned that EU states should share future reductions more equally. Under a burden-sharing agreement reached in 1998, EU states took on different targets aimed at reaching the bloc’s overall cut of 8% by 2012. These ranged from a 28% cut by Luxembourg to a maximum emission rise of 27% in Portugal. The European Commission is now developing draft new burden-sharing targets for a 20% cut in the EU by 2020. “The range [of national target figures] should be narrower,” says the study, produced by consultancy Copenhagen Economics.

UNFCCC: http://unfccc.int; EEA: http://www.eea.europa.eu; Copenhagen Economics: http://www.copenhageneconomics.com

‘Acid rain’ pollutants on downward trend

Industrialised countries continue to make cuts in key air pollutants. The latest statistics released independently in the United States and Europe show small but steady reductions in both regions.

In the US in 2006, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions from the power sector fell below 10 million tonnes for the first time. Annual SO₂ emissions fell sharply, with reductions of 830 000 tons from 2005 levels and an overall reduction of 40% from 1990 levels [JEM, 2006, 8, 1186]. NO_x emissions were down by over 3 million tons since 1990 and had decreased to nearly half the level anticipated without the Acid Rain Program. EPA claims that new measures, such as the Clean Air Interstate Rule [JEM, 2005, 7, 405], will further reduce SO₂ and NO_x emissions by about 70% and 60%, respectively, from 2003 levels.

For Europe, the EEA’s latest annual inventory shows emissions of both pollutants were approximately 3.5% lower in 2005 compared to 2004. Emissions reductions have taken place across many sectors, including transport, energy, agriculture and waste. Since 1990, overall emissions of SO₂ and NO_x within the EU-27 have been reduced by 70% and 35%, respectively. Large emission reductions were also recorded for other key air pollutants, including carbon monoxide (–51%) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (–42%). Other EEA data show that measured concentrations of particulate matter and ozone have generally not shown any improvement, however, due to increases from other sources, such as transport.

Also, EPA has announced it has teamed up with Google to make its air quality information available through new online tools. Users will be able to track air quality in real-time on Google Earth using EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI). They will also be able to pin-point emission sources based on EPA’s National Emissions Inventory.

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/progress/arp06.html and http://www.epa.gov/air/emissions; EEA: “Annual European Community LRTAP Convention Emission Inventory report 1990–2005”, Technical report No 14/2007, http://reports.eea.europa.eu

Chemical hazards

POPs list to be expanded

Global chemical regulators have formally recommended adding five persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to a list of thirteen already banned or severely restricted internationally.

Meeting recently in Geneva, the Review Committee of the UN’s Stockholm Convention recommended a complete ban on chlordecone, penta-BDE, hexabromobiphenyl and lindane [JEM, 2006, 8, 18]. They also recommended including a fifth group of perfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFOS, to the Convention’s blacklist. But a decision should be taken later on whether PFOS should be banned or merely restricted to use for certain “acceptable purposes”. At present, only one chemical on the POPs list—DDT—enjoys such a provision.

In addition, the Committee decided to advance four other chemicals to the next phase in the waiting list of substances likely to be included in the Convention. These are octa-BDE, pentachlorobenzene, alpha-HCH and beta-HCH [JEM, 2007, 9, 16]. But the Committee deferred decisions on whether to advance potential controls on short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) and to include the pesticide endosulfan in the regulatory process.

POPs Convention: http://www.pops.int

REACH fees cause controversy

Industry has criticised a draft scale of charges for firms involved in complying with the EU’s new REACH chemicals policy.

Under the proposals, which are still being discussed by the European Commission, the standard chemical registration fee would range from €1600 per manufacturer or importer for substances produced below ten tonnes, to €31 000 for those produced above 1000 tonnes. Firms that register a substance jointly with other producers would get a 25% discount, and there would be an additional 30% discount for small firms. Separate fee schedules would apply to registration updates, such as an increase in production volume. The standard fee for authorising the use of a substance of very high concern would be €50 000. The same fee would apply to authorisation renewals and extra fees would apply for requests to keep certain data confidential.

European chemical distributors' association FECC said the fees were “high” and complained of a lack of consultation. The proposals had taken too long to emerge and would create uncertainty in businesses, FECC said.

The revenue will support the operation of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the new EU body charged with policing the REACH regime. A proportion will also be paid to government authorities that carry out assessment work for the Agency. Initial guidance for companies on complying with the legislation has recently been issued [JEM, 2007, 9, 1150 & 1298].

In a confirmation hearing at the European Parliament, the head of the new Agency said he will work to ensure REACH leads to the substitution of dangerous chemicals with less harmful ones. ECHA Executive Director Geert Dancet promised to “robustly apply” the authorisation procedure to high-concern chemicals identified under REACH. Authorisation will require firms to move to safer alternative chemicals unless they can prove otherwise. “One should be able to give clear signals to industry that once a sunset date is there, that they should move as fast as possible out of these chemicals,” Mr Dancet said.

In a separate development, the Commission has released “annex IV” criteria for determining which chemicals may be excused the REACH registration step on the grounds that enough is known about their properties for them to be considered of insignificant risk. Decisions on which substances would qualify for the derogation will be taken next year.

Meanwhile, non-EU members Norway and Switzerland have unveiled their positions regarding the new REACH policy. Addressing an industry conference, Norwegian Environment Minister Erik Solheim hinted that, in the absence of a global deal, the government might introduce its own, even tougher regulations: “If there are opportunities to go further with specifically Norwegian regulations, I think we should consider the possibility.” Switzerland is proposing a more cautious stance. An environment ministry report recommends applying REACH to chemicals produced for the EU and domestic markets but not for exports to other countries.

European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach.htm; FECC: http://www.fecc.org; Swiss Environment Ministry: http://www.uvek.admin.ch

EU to fast-track chemicals rules

The EU is on course to fast-track new rules on the classification and labelling of chemical substances and mixtures. According to the Portuguese presidency, governmental talks on the proposals are making good progress and a deal could be agreed as early as May 2008.

The rules, which were proposed by the European Commission in June [JEM, 2007, 9, 786], would replace a 40-year-old EU system for classifying the hazard level of substances with the broadly similar “Globally Harmonised System” (GHS) agreed through the UN. Most EU states agree that implementation should be limited to those substances already covered by the EU system, but many want further clarification from the Commission. Some are also concerned about the impact of confidentiality provisions on consumer protection and the availability of information in end-user languages.

In a related development, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a review of GHS implementation.

EU Council of Ministers: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/07/st13/st13894.en07.pdf; OECD: http://www.oecd.org

Collaboration will speed up chemical programme

EPA’s National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT) has announced a partnership with Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences as part of efforts to accelerate chemical testing.

The partnership is being launched under the ToxCast Program, which aims to apply approaches first developed in the pharmaceutical industry to speed up the provision of information on the potential impact of chemicals on human health. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, Hamner will look at a subset of the initial 320 chemicals being examined in ToxCast using a complementary system of in vitro assays.

EPA sees ToxCast as “a key prototype for the future of environmental health protection”. The science-based information will enable the Agency to prioritise chemicals for more detailed and expensive toxicological evaluations, and make the use of animals in testing more efficient and effective. In the two years since its launch, nine contracts have been awarded to companies to provide chemical management and various high-throughput screening assays. And in August 2007, the list of chemicals (mainly pesticides and other select chemicals) to be tested under phase one’s proof-of-concept stage was announced [JEM, 2007, 9, 1042].

EPA: http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast

Global mercury controls move closer

A global strategy to tackle mercury pollution is in prospect after experts asked the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop policy options.

Meeting recently in Bangkok, a UNEP working group set up last year [JEM, 2007, 9, 299] said the options should include possible targets and timetables for action and funding mechanisms. Anti-mercury campaigners said there was now “good momentum towards establishing a global treaty to control mercury pollution”. The working group will meet again in October but no decisions are expected before next year.

In Europe, arguments over EU plans to ban exports of mercury are set to resurface after governments reiterated an agreement reached last summer [JEM, 2007, 9, 783]. The European Parliament is pushing for stronger measures, such as banning mercury-containing compounds and mercury-containing devices from the EU market. The most divisive issue is likely to be the rules for storing waste mercury from chlorine production, natural gas purification and mining. MEPs are resisting ministers’ calls for permanent storage of this mercury in liquid form underground, in disused salt mines and deep rock formations.

UNEP: http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury/default.htm; ZeroMercury campaign: http://www.zeromercury.org; EU Council of Ministers: http://www.consilium.europa.eu

Pesticide import re-approvals get the green light

EU member states have the power to require re-authorisation of pesticides imported from countries where they have already been authorised, even when the imports are for personal use and not for resale, the European Court of Justice has confirmed.

In a recent ruling, the EU court endorsed a 2005 court ruling in France that condemned two French wine growers for illegally importing pesticides. Under the EU’s pesticide approval system, formulations which are authorised in one country but find their way into another where they are not authorised—known as “parallel imports”—are required to go through a simplified authorisation step. The farmers argued they did not need this authorisation because the pesticides were intended for their own use, not for resale. But the EU court said the French authorities were “justified” in requiring authorisation for such uses. They also ruled that member states are free to charge importers whatever amount was needed to cover administrative costs.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has overturned an EU ban on the fungicide metalaxyl, in line with a judgement delivered by the ECJ in July. The Commission has adopted a regulation allowing EU states to authorise products containing metalaxyl, pending a fresh assessment of the substance. The assessment and a final decision on metalaxyl’s market status will be completed by June 2010.

European Court of Justice: http://curia.europa.eu (Case ref C-260/06): European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/protection/evaluation/index_en.htm

Ruling on product laws

The European Court has issued an important ruling on the precedence of EU and national laws for product marketing and use, which has been a focus for several recent disputes over chemicals.

The Court ruled that member states can decide for themselves how far harmonised EU product marketing and use rules limit their right to adopt tougher national rules on environmental protection grounds. Governments did not automatically have to ask the Commission to decide whether EU rules affect their ability to take national measures, the Court said. But if they do ask the Commission for permission to adopt stronger rules, they cannot later claim the permission was not required.

Judges were ruling on a case brought against the Commission by the Netherlands over controls on short-chained chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs). Harmonised EU rules limiting the use of SCCPs in certain applications were adopted in 2002. The Netherlands requested—and received—permission from the Commission to adopt tougher national controls, but also launched the court case on the grounds that the controls fell outside the scope of the harmonised EU rules.

The ruling adds to case law on Article 95 of the EU treaty, which tries to balance EU harmonised standards for internal market purposes with environmental safeguards. The article has repeatedly prompted disputes between the EU and national governments, often over tougher curbs on chemicals.

European Court of Justice: http://curia.europa.eu/ (Case ref: T-234/04)

Public & occupational health

Ozone can affect heavier people more

A new study provides the first evidence that people with a higher body mass index (BMI) may have a greater response to ozone than leaner people. This is the first study in humans to look at whether body weight influenced how much lung function falls after acute ozone exposure.

A research team led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) analysed data on young (18–35 years), healthy, non-smoking men and women to see if BMI—a measure of the amount of fat a person has—had an effect on lung response to acute ozone exposure. The study, which was published in the November issue of the journal Inhalation Toxicology, found that ozone response was greater with increasing BMI.

“It has been known for a long time that in many people, lung function tends to temporarily drop in response to short-term ozone exposure. There has recently been interest in why some people’s lung function drops more than others—age and perhaps genetics, as well as diet may play a role” said NIEHS researcher and co-author Dr Stephanie London. “We were intrigued by recent mouse studies that showed obesity increases lung responses to ozone and wanted to see whether this applied in humans.”

In general, the higher the BMI, the greater the ozone response. When subjects were put into categories of body fatness defined by the US Centers for Disease Control based on their BMI, the ozone-related drops in lung function, particularly the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), were lowest in underweight people (BMI less than 18.5), greater in normal weight people (BMI 18.5 to 25) and greatest in overweight individuals (BMI above 25). An estimated two-thirds of US adults are overweight or obese, with a BMI greater than 25, according to CDC.

The physiologic mechanisms responsible for the decline in lung function are not clear, although the authors suggest that perhaps circulatory hormones and other inflammatory factors may play a role. These factors have been shown to affect airway hyper-responsiveness and inflammation in animal models.

NIEHS: http://www.niehs.nih.gov

More data on mobile sources

Mobile sources, such as cars, trucks, SUVs and on-road equipment, are a major source of toxic air pollutants. HEI, the US-based research institute, has published a major review aimed at better understanding the state of scientific knowledge on these pollutants and their effects on human health.

The review summarises the health effects of exposure to the 21 Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSATs) defined by EPA in 2001. It focuses on a subset of seven MSATs, for which mobile sources are a sizeable source of human exposure and for which existing data suggest that health effects might be observed at concentrations approaching those found in ambient air. These MSATs are acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, naphthalene, and polycyclic organic matter.

For each substance, the following questions are addressed: (1) To what extent are mobile sources a significant source of exposure? (2) Does the substance affect human health? (3) Does the substance affect human health at environmental conditions? The report also assesses and summarises research gaps and unresolved questions, as understood in the context of the current regulatory agenda.

The HEI Panel elected not to focus on a critical review of diesel exhaust, a substantial contributor to human exposure and to health risks in the overall context of MSATs, because it is well covered elsewhere. However, it has provided an expanded summary of diesel exhaust reviews.

Health Effects Institute: “Mobile-Source Air Toxics: A Critical Review of the Literature on Exposure and Health Effects”, HEI Special Report 16, http://www.healtheffects.org

GM crop cultivation continues to rise

The EU land area devoted to growing genetically modified (GM) crops increased by 77% in 2007, to 110 000 hectares, according to figures from biotech industry association EuropaBio. Spain remains the EU’s major cultivator with 75 000 ha, a growth of 40% since 2006. France more than quadrupled its area under GM in 2007, planting over 20 000 ha. EuropaBio said the growth of biotech cultivation had been achieved despite the fact that only one GM crop variety (a Bt maize) has been approved for cultivation in the EU.

The association has also warned the European Commission not to ban two further varieties of GM maize from EU-wide cultivation. This would go against the EU’s own scientific advice, it says. The Commission is considering whether to authorise GM maize Bt11 and 1507, both of which have been cleared by European food safety regulator EFSA [JEM, 2005, 7, 662]. A ban would undermine EU risk assessment procedures, EuropaBio says.

EuropaBio: http://www.europabio.org

Environment and health targets in doubt

Europe must work hard to meet objectives set for 2010 on reducing the health impacts of environmental pollution, according to a resolution issued by EU environment ministers.

The resolution details EU governments’ position on the implementation of an action plan unveiled by the European Commission in 2004 [JEM, 2004, 6, 101N], and responds to a mid-term review of the plan published in June [JEM, 2007, 9, 787]. This review found that good progress had been made in implementing the plan's 13 tasks but cautioned that much more needed to be done to meet the 2010 targets.

The ministerial resolution urges the Commission to further integrate environment-related health issues into all aspects of its work, to continue supporting research and to gather information to advise policy makers. Ministers want the Commission to pay particular attention to indoor environments, concentrate more on prevention of health risks, and launch a human biomonitoring pilot project as soon as possible.

European Council of Ministers: http://www.consilium.europa.eu

Research activities

New insights on climate mechanisms

Researchers in many disciplines continue to gain insights into some of the micro-mechanisms behind climate change.

At Wageningen University, the Netherlands, for instance, researchers have shown that a drop in atmospheric nitrogen deposition—through successful air pollution policies [see separate item this issue]—will slow down forest growth. This lower tree growth implies less carbon sequestration and thus a decrease in the sequestration of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. This may have a significant impact on Kyoto or post-Kyoto targets. Model calculations showed that the carbon sequestration for all Dutch forests may drop to 27% of its present value.

Meanwhile, British researchers have suggested that the delay in autumnal leaf coloration and leaf fall in trees is caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rather than by increased global temperatures, as current theories predict.

In recent years, woodland autumnal colour changes have been occurring later in the season, whilst re-greening in spring has been occurring earlier. During the last 30 years across Europe, autumnal senescence—the process of plant ageing where leaves discolour and then fall—has been delayed by 1.3–1.8 days a decade. To date, this has been explained by global warming, with increasing temperatures causing longer growing seasons. However, the correlation between autumn leaf colour change and fall and temperature trends is relatively weak. On the other hand, atmospheric CO₂ has risen by 13.5% over this period and experimental studies show that increased CO₂ concentration affects plant physiology and function, influencing a myriad of processes.

According to Professor Gail Taylor, of Southampton University’s School of Biological Sciences: “The research data provide compelling evidence in terms of both the leaf and canopy that autumnal senescence in such forest ecosystems will be delayed as the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ continues to rise, independent of increased temperatures.”

Photosynthesis and canopy greenness are maintained for longer in elevated CO₂. This is because a CO₂-rich atmosphere allows the tree to generate carbon-rich compounds that are known to prolong the life of leaves. These compounds may have a positive effect for carbon balance and stress tolerance but may also have a negative effect on the control of dormancy. Using cDNA microarrays, the researchers looked at approximately 20 000 genes and have identified a suite of genes that are switched on during delayed senescence in elevated CO₂.

In other research, US scientists have cast doubt on the viability of plans to fertilise the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture. Proponents see ocean fertilisation—the process of adding iron or other nutrients to the ocean to cause large algal blooms—as a possible solution to global warming because the growing algae absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. However, this process only reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere if the carbon incorporated into the algae sinks to deeper waters. This “biological pump” has been thought to be dependent on the abundance of algae in the top layers of the ocean. The more algae in a bloom, the more carbon is transported, or “pumped”, from the atmosphere to the deep ocean.

Analysing this circulation for the first time, researchers from Stanford and Oregon State Universities found clear seasonal patterns in both algal abundance and carbon sinking rates. However, the relationship between the two was surprising: less carbon was transported to deep water during a summertime bloom than during the rest of the year. Dr Michael Lutz, lead researcher on the study, commented: “Ocean fertilization schemes, which resemble an artificial summer, may not remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as has been suggested because they ignore the natural processes revealed by this research”.

University of Southampton: http://www.soton.ac.uk

Swiss lead the way on high-tech monitoring

Swiss agencies and researchers have launched a high-profile initiative which they say will lead to “a next-generation approach to environmental monitoring”.

The Swiss Experiment aims to give the country a world-leading position by connecting important advances in data collection, management and communications technology to on-the-ground environmental research and monitoring efforts. An interdisciplinary consortium, bringing together the expertise of researchers in a wide array of domains, will tackle some of the key challenges facing the Swiss environment today.

The initiative will utilise new technologies for wireless networking, data management and communications. For instance, in a recent pilot study, two wireless, autonomous sensor networks were successfully deployed in the Swiss Alps. A shared IT infrastructure—a common storage, management and analysis platform, dedicated to environmental data—is also being created that will be made available to research groups across Switzerland.

The work is expected to benefit a variety of environmental projects at various sites across Switzerland. Applications include improved models that predict natural hazards, such as floods, avalanches, and landslides, as well as to document environmental degradation and change. In another pilot project, for example, snowfall detected by existing weather stations around Switzerland automatically triggers models that calculate snow cover, generating a real-time analysis of snowpack stability. “Being able to handle the data this way is a real advance for us,” said researcher Michael Lehning. “It will improve our forecast ability, and thus ultimately the safety of people in Alpine regions.”

EPFL: http://actualites.epfl.ch

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