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Green Jobs. A critique of the occupational approach to measure the employment implications of the green transition
Get PDFThe green transition is set to transform labour markets, yet its impact remains difficult to measure. This paper critically examines the occupational approach—based on task-based measures—which is the most widely used framework among researchers and institutions for estimating green employment. First, we identify theoretical shortcomings in this approach, emphasizing that its reliance on occupational titles leads to false positives by misclassifying non-green jobs as green, while also producing false negatives by excluding key contributors to the green transition. Second, we highlight methodological issues, such as inconsistent categorizations, arbitrary task definitions, outdated classifications, and the flawed assumption that occupational content remains stable across time and countries. Third, we apply the occupational approach using the O*NET framework to quantify green employment in 24 European countries from 2011 to 2022. Our analysis reveals that, according to this method, there has been virtually no net creation of green jobs in Europe. Moreover, we find no meaningful correlation between the presence of green jobs and various aggregate and sectoral environmental indicators. These findings underscore the fundamental limitations of the occupational approach, suggesting that it is an inadequate tool for assessing the labour market effects of the green transition. We discuss how this measure is suitable for policy benchmarking in the context of the European green transition.JRC.B.6 - Industrial strategy, skills and technology transfe
The Place and Role of Environmental Labels for Tourist Accommodations: A Survey-Based Characterisation for the European Union
No full textOver the past few decades, many environmental labels and schemes have been established at different levels to verify the degree to which businesses are operating in an environmentally sustainable manner and to inform tourist choices. These voluntary tools are used by tourist accommodation services to guarantee quality and conformity to high environmental and sometimes broader performance criteria, drive sustainability awareness and act as a marketing tool. According to the EU’s “Transition Pathway for Tourism” and “European Agenda for Tourism 2030”, environmental labels and schemes can play a role in driving the green transition and strengthening the contribution of tourism to the European Green Deal. This article summarises the main findings from an online survey conducted among global entities managing environmental labels and schemes for tourist accommodation services. The aim of this study is to provide a first characterisation at the European Union level. The results show that, in addition to EU tools such as the EU Ecolabel and the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, a diverse range of other labels and schemes is available on the market, but further harmonisation, clarity, and transparency are required to enhance the uptake and effectiveness of these tools for the accommodation sector.JRC.B.3 - Territorial Developmen
Complying with low-emission hydrogen standards in long-term integrated supply chains
No full textRenewable hydrogen is a promising alternative to increase the presence of renewable energy in hard-to-decarbonize economic sectors. Renewable-fuel regulation standards have been formalizing to ensure that on-grid electrolytic production is primarily powered by renewable electricity. This work evaluates the mid- and long-term impact of integrating renewable hydrogen supply chains into the expansion and operation of the power system using a tailored modification of the open-source energy modeling system (OSeMOSYS). The model optimizes the joint expansion of the Chilean power system and a hydrogen supply chain for exports, between 2025 and 2060, under the European standard for renewable hydrogen. Results show that incorporating renewable hydrogen supply chains that comply with this standard impacts the infrastructure and operation of the power system during its transition towards decarbonization. Between 2025 and 2040, the off-grid hydrogen production scenario results in distributed production, requiring internal hydrogen transport and low grid reliance. Conversely, a scenario that assumes Power Purchase Agreements for renewable electricity results in centralized hydrogen production, with higher electricity transmission investments and grid reliance. For the scenarios studied, the average systemic cost of hydrogen production ranges from 6.4/kgH2.JRC.C.3 - Energy Security, Distribution and Market
Examining human exposure to pesticides using wastewater-based epidemiology: Evaluating direct Injection LC-MS/MS for measuring pesticide transformation products in wastewater samples
Get PDFWastewater, as a by-product of various human activities, can serve as a valuable source of infor-mation for understanding a population's health, behaviour, and consumption patterns. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a well-established field that uses wastewater analysis to monitor the presence of biomarkers, pharmaceuticals, and other substances to gain insights into the health sta-tus of a community. In the context of pesticide exposure assessment, wastewater can provide valu-able information on the types and levels of pesticides and their metabolites present in a given area, providing early warning signs of potential health issues and informing public health strategies.
The availability of appropriately validated analytical methodologies for the detecting and quantify-ing pesticides and metabolites is of the utmost importance in the subject matter.
The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a rapid and sensitive analyt-ical methodology for the quantitative determination in influent wastewater of the insecticide acet-amiprid and its biomarkers (n-desmethyl acetamiprid and 6-chloronicotinic acid), the fungicide thia-bendazole and its biomarker (5-hydroxy-thiabendazole), -2-diethylamino-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinol (DEAMPY) as a biomarker of the insecticide Pirimiphos-methyl and 3-phenoxy benzoic acid (3-PBA) as a biomarker of pyrethroid pesticides class. The study intends to support the application of wastewater-based epidemiology in assessing human pesticide exposure.
Methodological parameters such as calibration and working ranges, detection and quantification limits, trueness as well as repeatability and intermediate precision were determined. The concentra-tion ranges tested for the analytes were 1, 5, 10, 50 100 and 500 ng/l, and the final expanded un-certainty for the measurement method was estimated to vary between ±5% and ±14% at the 95% confidence level, depending on the selected analyte.
The developed procedure was applied in the analysis of several influent wastewater samples, col-lected throughout Europe, to demonstrate its applicability.
The presence of acetamiprid, n-desmethyl acetamiprid, thiabendazole, 5-hydroxy-thiabendazole and 3-phexybenzoic acid was confirmed in 100% of the samples with maximum concentrations of 36, 9.7, 23.6, 10.2, and 46.6 ng/l, respectively. 2-Diethylamino-6-methyl-4-pyrimidinol was present in 82% of the samples with a maximum concentration of 119.9 ng/l. The concentration of 6-chlorono-cotinic acid was below the detection limit (i.e., 14.07 ng/l) in all analysed samples.
Concentrations of pesticide metabolites were used to back-calculate exposure of populations resid-ing within the wastewater treatment plant catchment areas to the parent pesticide compound. The resulting exposure values were compared to health-based guidance values.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
ESAC Opinion on the Scientific Validity of the RS Comet and RSMN Test Methods
Get PDFESAC, the EURL ECVAM Scientific Advisory Committee, advises EURL ECVAM on scientific issues. Its main role is to conduct independent peer review of validation studies of alternative test methods and to assess their scientific validity for a given purpose. The committee reviews the appropriateness of study design and management, the quality of results obtained and the plausibility of the conclusions drawn. ESAC peer reviews are formally initiated with a EURL ECVAM Request for ESAC Advice, which provides the necessary background for the peer-review and establishes its objectives, timelines and the questions to be addressed. The peer review is normally prepared by specialised ESAC Sub-Groups. ESAC's advice to EURL ECVAM is formally provided as 'ESAC Opinions' and 'Sub-Group Reports' at the end of the peer review. ESAC may also issue Opinions on other scientific issues of relevance to the work and mission of EURL ECVAM but not directly related to a specific alternative test method.
The ESAC Opinion expressed in this report relates to the peer-review of the Reconstructed human Skin (RS) Comet and Micronucleus (RSMN) in vitro test methods for the assessment of genotoxicity.JRC.F.3 - Systems Toxicolog
Programmes of Measures under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status
Get PDFThis report provides an analysis of the information reported electronically on the second Programmes of Measures (PoMs) under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (Article 13) of 17 EU Member States (MS) (BE, CY, DE, EE, ES, FI, FR, IE, IT, LT, LV, NL, PL, PT, RO, SI and SE). This report does not delve into an analysis of detailed descriptions of the measures but is instead based on an analysis of the pre-defined fields provided in the e-reporting system. The findings and conclusions are therefore limited to the structured data submitted through this standardised reporting framework.
In total, 2046 measures were reported by the 17 MS, covering all marine regions, Descriptors and pressures on the marine environment. Although MS have done a remarkable work on addressing the highly complex and diverse nature of marine pressures needed to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES), this analysis shows that the measures reported often lack specificity, especially when used to address multiple Descriptors and pressures on the marine environment. Most importantly, this analysis underscores the critical role of the MSFD as a legislative driver for new measures. However, the absence of measurable metrics to assess progress and outcomes hinders the ability to determine whether the reported measures are effectively contributing to achieving GES.
Thorough enhancement of existing reporting guidelines and protocols, clearer terminology, common/precise definitions and agreed measures at EU level can further promote the harmonisation process across MS and the implementation of measures.
The findings of this analysis can support technical discussions on measures and further development of future harmonised reporting, also in view of the MSFD review process.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Ontology Learning for Hybrid Threats
Get PDFThis technical report discusses the potential use of advanced Artificial Intelligence technologies for mining Open Source Information in the context of Hybrid Threat analysis. Increasing international tensions depict a scenario where Hybrid Threats acquire even more importance than in past years and monitoring such activities poses important technological challenges. In this scenario, Large Language Models show promising results but also the corresponding fundamental limitations. Hallucinations, biases, and lack of knowledge are emerging as issues difficult to tackle, especially in the field of Hybrid Threat analysis. We propose the use of formal knowledge bases to correct Large Language Model issues. Despite their interesting applications knowledge bases require humanintensive labor. After exploring the state-of-the-art we propose a methodology to reduce the human effort and learn automatically part of the Knowledge base. This last step involves again Large Language Models but, with the precaution of exploiting only a simple restricted set of linguistic abilities, we avoid the common pitfalls observed before. We expect to enhance the quality of Open Source Intelligence by having more reliable analysis of textual data.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
Debating Solutions to Water Contamination: a Role-Play game
Get PDFThe Joint Research Centre (JRC) Water Laboratory has worked with the Education for Climate Coalition to develop a role-play game on debating solutions to water quality contamination. The starting point and context for the game was provided by real water quality data collected as part of “The Gems of Water” citizen engagement initiative. The initiative, launched in 2021, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), seeks to engage citizens in the collection of chemical water quality data particularly on pesticide presence. This report shares the structure of the role-play game, which was developed according to the frameworks set out by the participatory democracy principles of the Council of Europe, the Water Framework Directive and the European Green Deal. The report furthermore discusses its potential development as part of an environment-focused curriculum, using results and lessons learnt from a first trial conducted at the high school Liceo Classico Cairoli in Varese, Italy, in November 2024.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Special Section on Integrated Operation, Planning, and Business Paradigm for Coupled Energy, Transportation, and Information Networks
No full textGovernments around the world have taken significant initiative towards transportation electrification (TE) towards deep decarbonization. TE introduces new charging and communication infrastructure requirements. Meanwhile, the production of high-volume data from energy and transportation systems provides possibilities on the system-level reshaping of energy and traffic demand, and opportunities to unlock electric vehicle (EV) flexibility for renewable energy integration and more cost-effectively balance demand and supply. Those emerging characteristics could ultimately result in novel operation, planning and business models for the coupled energy, transportation, and information networks. While tremendous progress has been made in advancing the operating and planning paradigms of these networks separately while making simplifications of the others and/or neglecting their interdependencies, less attention has been paid to holistic integration of these three networks and comprehensive exploration their complex interactions; through joint optimization of these networks, facilitating more cost-efficient global energy transition. This is highly multidisciplinary area that has received unprecedented research attention around the globe and requires an ever-increasing integration of electrical engineering, transportation, control and information and economics disciplines. A broad spectrum of contributors (e. g., academics, researchers, engineers, consultants, market regulators and system operators, key policymakers) are sourced to define and develop the interdisciplinary technical approaches collectively, in order to facilitate integration of the four networks to promote economic efficiency, facilitate renewable energy generation and carbon reduction, efficiently balance of supply and demand and improve the capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that the integrated network can provide.JRC.C.3 - Energy Security, Distribution and Market
Topical operating experience report on events related to supply chain
Get PDFTopical studies are a major product of the European Clearinghouse providing in-depth assessment of safety significant events and generic safety issues.
This is the second report on the topic of Supply Chain. Prior, in 2011 JRC published a report related to the supply of NPP components. That report had a different scope. It considered in-depth assessment of event reports in the IRS (OECD NEA/IAEA), NRC (US), IRSN (France) and GRS (Germany) databases during period 1980 - 2010. It (the previous report) covered events at NPPs which were directly or partially caused by in-adequate spare parts, products or components supplied by suppliers/vendors during the period of operation of the NPPs. In the current study (this document) relevant events, which occurred during the 2011-2022 time period, were identified and analysed. The re-sults of this in-depth analysis of events from different countries with different types of nuclear reactors should enable the nuclear safety authorities of the EU Clearinghouse Member States to apply the general findings to their respective nuclear installations.
In total 22 high-level lessons learned have been derived from the selected events. These are discussed and grouped according to the predominant cause they are tack-ling. Thus, a structured set of generic lessons learned are provided, which may be uti-lised by regulatory bodies.JRC.G.I.4 - Reactor Safety and Component