Humans impacted Earth’s atmosphere more than previously known
New study links an increase in black carbon in Antarctic ice cores to fires on New Zealand more than 700 years ago.
Harald Dovland appointed Knight of the Order of St. Olav
His Majesty the King has appointed former climate negotiator Harald Dovland Knight 1st Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
The benefits and costs of generating energy from renewable sources
From NILU’s Annual Report 2020: Renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind or water have become increasingly important for the energy sector in recent decades. But does increased use of RES for electricity production have exclusively positive impacts?
Oslo’s wildlife reveals what pollutants we live with
From NILU’s Annual Report 2020: Red foxes, rats, earthworms, fieldfares, sparrowhawks and tawny owls. All these creatures live in and around the city of Oslo, where they are surrounded by – and affected by – everything humans own, eat, and do.
HAPADS: A mobile air quality monitoring platform
From NILU’s Annual Report 2020: Imagine this: You’re driving your lorry down the street, and you get a warning about high levels of NO2 in the air of the cab. Immediately, the vehicle’s built-in air conditioning system switches to self-contained ventilation, filtering out the unhealthy gas and preventing entrainment of more NO2.
Evaporation of volatile chemicals from soft, fun toys
From NILU’s Annual Report 2020: Have you heard of “squishies”? They’re those soft, brightly coloured foam toys that have taken over Norwegian toy stores and children’s rooms in recent years. Children play with them, collect them, and cuddle with them. But is that safe?
Millions of microfibers flow from Longyearbyen into the sea
Every time we wash our clothes, thousands of microfibers come loose from the garment. A single pair of jeans releases around 56,000 microfibers – per wash. A new study shows that small settlements in the Arctic are a major source of this type of man-made particles into the vulnerable environment.
AMAP: Increase in Arctic temperature is three times higher than the global average
20 May 2021: Observations show that the increase in Arctic average surface temperature between 1971 and 2019 was three times higher than the global average during this period. This is higher than previously reported by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).
Open course about proposals writing May 6-7, 2021
As an activity in the VISION project, NILU’s health effect laboratory offers an open course in writing project proposals.
John Rune Nielsen new CEO at NILU
The board of the Foundation NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research has decided to appoint John Rune Nielsen as new CEO from 1 September 2021.
Biplab Kumar Datta – new Director of Innovation at NILU
Biplab Kumar Datta has been hired as the new Director of Innovation at NILU – Norwegian Institute for Air Research from 1 March 2021.
Better European air quality leads to fewer deaths over the past decade
Better air quality has led to a significant reduction of premature deaths over the past decade in Europe. However, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) latest official data show that almost all Europeans still suffer from air pollution, leading to about 400,000 premature deaths across the continent.
Rising nitrous oxide emissions jeopardize climate goals
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide and remains in the atmosphere for more than 100 years. A growing use of nitrogen fertilizers in food production is increasing concentrations of N2O in the atmosphere. If left unabated, it will require far larger reductions in CO2 emissions than otherwise in order to be on track for limiting global warming to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
The drought of 2018 stopped Europe’s natural CO2 uptake
In 2018, Europe experienced one of the worst droughts of the 21st century. An exceptionally long period of high temperatures and little precipitation resulted in an unprecedented browning of vegetation. It also meant that Europe’s vegetation did not take up any CO2 from the atmosphere in that year.
A toxic cocktail in seawater – chemicals from car tire rubber
Crumb rubber granulate (CRG) produced from used car tires, also called end of life tires (ELTs), is commonly applied to artificial turf pitches, including football fields, playgrounds and walkways in Norway. In addition to the rubber itself, tires also containa cocktail of chemicals as fillers, stabilizers, pigments, oils, resins and a range of other organic compounds and heavy metal additives that can leache to the environment.
Microplastic particles from road traffic rides the wind
A new study, recently published in Nature Communications, describes how microplastics from road traffic are transported to the oceans – and to remote regions such as the Arctic.
Want to join in on the NordicPATH?
The NordicPATH project aims to find new ways to include citizens in planning their cities for better air, more inclusive urban areas and a better climate.
Three NILU scientists in national reference groups in Horizon Europe
June 23rd, 2020: The Research Council of Norway has appointed three NILU scientists as members of various national reference groups in Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe is the EU’s ninth framework program for research and innovation, starting in 2021.
Covid-19 lockdown effect on global carbon dioxide levels: A needle in a haystack
So far, COVID-19 lockdowns have caused an estimated decrease in human carbon dioxide emissions of around 17%. While the overall impact will depend on the duration of the lockdowns, the current estimate is for an annual decrease of 4-7% assuming the COVID-19 lockdowns end in mid-June 2020.
The devil is in the details: Improving scientific methods to better regulate environmental contaminants from your shampoo
The environmental contaminants known as siloxanes are in your shampoo, your lotions and your deodorant. Siloxanes are odourless, invisible, and they can be toxic to aquatic animals. They are also heavily restricted in wash-off hygiene products, and further regulations are under consideration. But, how can we know that the regulations work?
ClairCity: Citizen-led air pollution reduction in cities
From the NILU Annual Report 2019: The ClairCity project aims to increase awareness about air pollution and carbon emissions in cities by looking at how people’s behaviour contributes to the problems. Unlike many other projects, ClairCity focuses on involving citizens in deciding on the best solutions, since citizens are among those ultimately affected by poor air quality and climate change.
A Greener Europe: NILU contributes through topic centres
From the NILU annual report 2019: With its “European Green Deal”, the new European Commission has initiated hectic activity to translate political visions into a climate-neutral Europe that ensures good lives for its citizens. This means that pan-European environmental and climate cooperation will play an increasingly important role.
The Leopard project opens up for new NILU services to industry
From the NILU Annual Report 2019: Road dust and wood burning are well-known sources of particulate matter in Norwegian cities, but industry and construction sites are also where workers may at times be exposed to high levels of particulate matter in their daily lives. In a new project, NILU has developed services that can provide more detailed information on real-time pollution levels in industrial workplaces.
RAVEN: Sharing air quality data across a growing number of borders
From the NILU Annual Report 2019: All EU countries must monitor and report air quality data to the European Environment Agency (EEA) in accordance with EU directives and standards. Every year, data on air quality zones, monitoring regimes, monitoring methods and “near real-time data” are reported, as well as environmental goals, plans and measures to comply with the limit values.