The polar regions are often seen as a barometer for the health of the global environment, and understanding how changes in this area affect Europe and the world had become essential. An alliance of 22 research institutes has therefore set out to enhance the integration of European capabilities for polar research and maximise the benefits to society.
Biodiversity is a prerequisite for our existence, but is rarely top of our daily list of priorities. The EU recognises the value of biodiversity; it’s funded NetBiome-CSA to support life on earth, including yours.
Such is the wealth of biodiversity in Latin America that several countries sport the label ‘megadiverse’. But biological hotspots are also often home to precious cultural diversity. EU and Latin American researchers studied community-based initiatives to protect both – together known as ‘biocultural diversity’. The findings fed into guides to local conservation.
The European Commission is organising an information session in Brussels for Grant Coordinators, so they can learn legal aspects, business processes and IT tools used to prepare amendments and reports with particular attention to the financial aspects and eligibility of costs.
This report presents the conclusions of the independent Expert Group on the “Follow-up to Rio+20, notably the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” that was established by the European Commission (EC) to provide advice on the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) for implementing the new global sustainable development agenda (2030 Agenda).
The GEO-XII Plenary and the 2015 Ministerial Summit, as well as all the associated meetings and events will take in Mexico City from 9 to 13 November 2015.
By studying the impact of climate change on some of the ocean’s smallest organisms, EU-funded researchers have identified trends that could have profound implications for the health of marine ecosystems and the global environment.
Frozen in time for decades or even centuries, some of the world’s most intriguing shipwrecks could be about to give up their secrets to a set of underwater robots developed by EU-funded researchers. The diving drones are able to locate objects of interest and provide images for information-hungry historians and archaeologists.
Solar eruptions that eject electromagnetic radiation, clouds of hot plasma, magnetic flux and charged particles into space can have devastating effects, damaging satellites, communications systems and power grids – and can pose a hazard to human health. European researchers have built an alert system to provide early warning of these threats from the Sun.
Very specific conditions are needed for a tiny seed to grow into a mighty tree. Providing these conditions helps to preserve biodiversity, as plants produced from cuttings are essentially clones. EU-funded researchers have developed an innovative propagation unit where plantlets can thrive, along with tailor-made growth protocols for many species.
Farmers and forest managers need to monitor vital land management activities and changes in vegetation. They are just two potential end-users of a comprehensive new satellite-based earth monitoring system providing free, full and open mapping data to boost management and protection of the environment.
The aim of this event is to bring together the atmospheric science and civil aircraft operating communities to consider the prospects for reducing the climate impact of contrail-cirrus by re-routing air traffic to avoid the localised regions of cold moist air in which persistent contrails form.
The European Commission is organising a Stakeholder Partnership event on 20 October 2015 to facilitate networking, information exchange and cross-border partnerships of actors interested in addressing urban challenges through innovating with nature or by making innovative use of cultural heritage assets for regenerating cities.
Recalibrating relationships: bringing cultural heritage and people together in a changing Europe. The scope of the seminar is to discuss how the RICHES project (Renewal, Innovation and Change: Heritage and European Society) can provide insights to support evidence-based policymaking in Europe.
Participation in the event is by invitation only. All those with an interest in the Seminar may follow the preparatory work and access the results through the RICHES project website.
Short-lived pollutants such as ozone, methane and aerosols are key to fighting both climate change and air pollution, says the team behind an EU-funded study that assessed effective emission abatement strategies for these short-lived climate forcers. Such strategies could reduce increases in global temperatures by 0.22°C by 2050, the team believes.
Producing more food to feed a growing global population will require more intensive and extensive farming over the coming decades. Ensuring this can be achieved in a sustainable way is the goal of EU-funded researchers developing methods and tools to monitor and map agricultural areas and crop production.
It may look like rubbish, but food waste does have its uses. It could even be converted into valuable graphite and hydrogen. An EU-funded project has set out to do just that. The process it is developing combines anaerobic digestion with microwave plasma technology to transform trash into treasure.
The European Commission will invest almost €16 billion in research and innovation in the next two years under Horizon 2020, the EU's research and innovation funding scheme, following a new work programme for 2016-17 adopted on 13 October. The work programme is now available on the participant portal.
An EU-funded project has developed innovative technologies and techniques for recycling water, nutrients and by-products along the food supply chain – from horticulture to processing and on to shop shelves. These advances add up to big savings for producers and manufacturers, increase competitiveness, and benefit the environment.
Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation said: "Research and innovation are the engines of Europe's progress and vital to addressing today's new pressing challenges like immigration, climate change, clean energy and healthy societies. Over the next two years, €16 billion from Horizon 2020 will support Europe's top scientific efforts, making the difference to citizens' lives."
