1,721,050 research outputs found
Combating the threat of zoonotic infections
Get PDFMost new human pathogens reported in the past 25 years, such as influenza and SARS, have zoonotic origins. The risk of zoonotic infection, that is any infection transmissible between vertebrate animals and humans, is predicted to continue to increase. The European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) today publishes a policy report giving evidence-based recommendations on how to combat the threat of zoonotic infections for man and animals
Ecosystem services and biodiversity in Europe
Get PDFThe life support systems that are provided by the environment ("ecosystem services") are undervalued by Europeans and must be protected by new legislation, warns a new report by the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). The report identifies and assesses the essential and often irreplaceable benefits that Europeans get from their environment and shows that biodiversity is fundamental to sustaining them. Current threats to biodiversity, for example from climate change, intensive agriculture and urbanisation, will lead to loss of essential services, crucial to Europe's economy and society. Despite this, the full range of these services is currently not fully acknowledged, objectively valued or protected
Transforming Europe’s Electricity Supply: An Infrastructure Strategy for a Reliable, Renewable and Secure Power System
Get PDFEuropean energy policy seeks to achieve a substantially increased contribution from renewable sources of electricity, and the creation of a pan-European competitive electricity market. The existing infrastructure of the European electricity grid, and generally low levels of integration and co-ordination in the planning and operation of the grid, will not enable these goals to be achieved. The European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) has therefore examined the developments that are required in grid planning, operation and infrastructure to accommodate more renewable sources of electricity and to support a European electricity market. The study concludes that developments are required in planning a European grid to ensure that investments are made in the right places, in the way the grid is operated so that maximum benefi t is extracted from a given infrastructure, and in transmission technologies so that effective options are available for environmental, operational, energy efficiency and investment considerations. Specific recommendations are made in each of these areas
Concentrating solar power: its potential contribution to a sustainable energy future
Get PDFConcentrating solar power (CSP) sits alongside photovoltaic electricity generation as a commercially available renewable energy technology capable of harnessing the immense solar resource in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (the MENA region), and elsewhere. In CSP a high-temperature heat source is created by concentrating the sun’s rays to produce electricity in a thermodynamic cycle. This study by the European Academies Science Advisory Council has examined the current status and development challenges of CSP, and consequently has evaluated the potential contribution of CSP in Europe and the MENA region to 2050, and identified actions that will be required to enable that contribution to be realised. This new report summarises the findings of the study and is intended to inform policy-makers in the European institutions – in particular the European Commission and Parliament – and policy-makers at a national level in Europe and the MENA region
Tackling antibacterial resistance in Europe
Get PDFDeaths from previously treatable infections will become more common unless there is investment in the science needed to tackle antibiotic resistance the Royal Society has warned in a report published on 21 June 2007. The report, produced by European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC) highlights the ever growing problem of resistance to pathogens such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile, E-coli and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis. Scientists from across Europe are calling for the EU and member states to provide greater support for the development of simple and cheap means of identifying specific infections as early as possible and greater support for drug companies who are seeking to develop new treatments. The report also urges greater awareness and monitoring of the problem, more prudent use of antibiotics, more effective containment of the spread of resistance and greater co-operation and co-ordination across Europe
Circular economy: a commentary from the perspectives of the natural and social sciences
Get PDFn May 2015, the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) started a review of issues related to the ‘circular economy’. The circular economy involves many aspects of science, technology and social science but this commentary is intended to contribute to the debate between stakeholders on the principles and objectives of the European Commission’s policy. This has been compiled by a Working Group of scientists and economists nominated by member academies of EASACnonPeerReviewe
The imperative of climate action to protect human health in Europe: Opportunities for adaptation to reduce the impacts, and for mitigation to capitalise on the benefits of decarbonisation
Get PDFThe pace and extent of recent environmental change, in particular climate change, poses serious challenges to global health gains made over recent decades. In previous work, the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) has covered several significant challenges relevant to climate change across Europe, for example in assessing the potential of negative emissions technologies in meeting emission targets, and monitoring trends in extreme weather events. In the present report, EASAC focuses on climate change and health. Although the European Union (EU) is very actively engaged in collective efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and to identify how best to adapt, the impacts of climate on health have been relatively neglected in EU policy. This must change. Our concern is motivated by the risks to health in the near future. In this report, EASAC advises on (1) using the available evidence to inform coherent health policy development for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and their connection to other policy initiatives; and (2) the priorities for filling knowledge gaps through transdisciplinary and intersectoral research
The current status of biofuels in the European Union, their environmental impacts and future prospects
Get PDFAs part of its strategy to combat global warming by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, the European Union (EU), in 2009, agreed the Renewable Energy Directive with ambitious targets for the use of renewable energy. These include targets for renewable energy in the road transport sector. By 2020 10% of the final consumption of energy in transport in the EU and each of its Member States should come from renewable sources. This energy could come from renewable electricity generation or from biomass. However, uptake of electric vehicles and the overall contribution of renewable energy systems to electricity generation in Europe are low, and it is expected that the renewable energy for the 2020 target will come primarily from biomass in the form of biofuels. In 2020 it is expected that the dominant production route for biofuels will still be through the use of edible parts of plants (`first-generation’ biofuels). This Statement arises from concerns about the use of biomass for producing road transport fuels and about the arrangements for ensuring that such fuels provide a real climate benefit while not harming the wider environment. It has been generated as an output of a study by a Working Group of experts on biofuels and biodiversity established by the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) in 2011
Carbon capture and storage in Europe
Get PDFCarbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important component of many national, European and worldwide strategies to tackle climate change. CCS can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by large point sources before it is released to the atmosphere, and then transporting it to a secure underground storage facility. The European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) established a Working Group in October 2011 to examine the challenges that must be addressed to secure CCS as a viable component of strategies to mitigate climate change, and consequently to consider what contribution it may make in Europe up to 2050. This report presents the findings and recommendations of that EASAC study. The three main technologies for CO2 capture – postcombustion capture, pre-combustion capture and oxy-fuel combustion – are considered technologically feasible, but integrated operation on commercial-scale power stations remains to be demonstrated. They have broadly similar costs, adding around 50% to the levelised cost of electricity when applied to coal- or gas-fired power stations. Present and anticipated developments should bring this penalty down to 30–45% over the next 20 years, and further incremental improvements may be expected beyond that timescale. More substantial improvements based on radically new technologies and configurations are currently speculative
Packaging plastics in the circular economy
Get PDFPlastics are an essential material for products in almost all sectors of the economy, and the single word ‘plastics’ cannot convey their vast complexity as a result of the range of monomers available, the ability to control their molecular structure and the wide range of additives and fillers which together make thousands of different ‘plastics’. In terms of plastics for packaging, they can offer an almost infinite range of options for manufacturers in terms of function (durability, preserving hygiene and quality, etc.) as well in designing shape, colours or labels to convey marketing messages. However, the durability and resistance to degradation of plastics means that if they ‘leak’ into the environment, they persist. Quantities in the environment have been increasing rapidly and their impacts, especially on the marine environment, have attracted public and political attention. Currently, the amount of plastics entering the environment exceeds the amount that is recycled, with large quantities entering via rivers from the Asian and African continents. Reducing leakage to the environment and improving recycling rates for packaging plastics are objectives of the European Commission’s circular economy package, its plastics strategy and specific measures on the use of ‘single-use plastics’ (SUPs). To assist in the development of these policies, the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) decided in November 2018 to establish an Expert Group to look at scientific aspects of plastics packaging and the circular economy
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