Human induced harmful algal blooms (2008-05)
The occurrence of coastal harmful algal blooms (HABs) over the last several decades has become a worldwide environmental concern. Some of these HABs are caused by anthropogenic nutritient pollution and can harm whole marine ecosystems which, in the worst cases, may become devoid of life. Aside from biodiversity impacts, they can also menace coastal economies.
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Coastal degradation leaves the Caribbean in troubled waters (2008-02)
Recent assessments in the Caribbean indicate that suspended solids in the coastal and marine environment are already leading to severe environmental impacts in the region(a). Key economic sectors are threatened by sedimentation and excessive runoff, and future scenarios indicate potential increases in the amounts of sediments transported from land to sea. Can something be done before local livelihoods may be irreversibly affected by these processes?
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The environmental price to pay for heavy goods traffic (2007-11)
New methods of production and consumption, as well as ongoing economic growth in the European region in recent decades, have led to an increasing demand for faster and more flexible transport modes, often favouring road freight. This trend is mainly sustained by the fact that environmental costs are not internalised (included) in road transport prices. Developing and switching to more environmental-friendly transport modes will require major efforts in all European countries.
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Nuclear waste: is everything under control? - Special six-page edition (2007-02)
50 years after the opening of the world's first civil nuclear power station, very little radioactive waste produced has been permanently disposed of. Moreover, the average age of today’s reactors is approximately 22 years, meaning most of them will be decommissioned over the next decades. All of these wastes will have to be disposed of even if no more nuclear reactors are built. But is it wise to take further advantage of the “nuclear path”, without proven and widely-utilized solutions to the problem of nuclear waste?
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Gold prices on the rise, environment under pressure (2006-11)
Although the gold industry is often presented as a “first foreign direct investment” leading to positive outcomes in many developing countries and securing the wealth of many nations, it is also clear that some of its practices have negative environmental impacts. The use of hazardous chemicals and the generation of large amounts of mining waste(1) often result in lasting pollution for the environment. Are such current extraction processes sustainable and, if they are, at what costs?
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Illegal Oil Discharge in European Seas (2006-02)
One-third of global marine oil transportation passes through European waters. Not only oil tankers, but various other cargo ships pose a constant threat of small to medium-scale oil pollution from illegal dumping of oily wastes with at least 3000 major events per year around Europe. The devastating consequences of occasional “newsworthy” accidents are outmatched by constant small, but still harmful, releases from oil industry transport.
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Tourism Expansion : Increasing Threats, or Conservation Opportunities? (2005-04)
Tourism generates 11% of global GDP, employs 200 million people but produces 4.8 million tonnes of waste yearly and consumes as much energy as a country the size and development level of Japan. The number of tourists is expected, at least, to double to 1.6 billion by the year 2020. Sustainable management of natural resources and wastes is essential for the well-being of this economic sector and natural ecosystems.
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E-waste, the hidden side of IT equipment manufacture and use (2005-01)
The production of electrical and electronic devices is the fastest-growing sector of the manufacturing industry in industrialised countries. At the same time, technological innovation and intense marketing engender a rapid replacement process. Every year, 20 to 50 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment waste ("e-waste") is generated world-wide, which could bring serious risks to human health and the environment.
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Overfishing, a major threat to the global marine ecology (2004-08)
In 2002, 72% of the world's marine fish stocks were being harvested faster than they could reproduce. Fishing activities have various negative impacts on marine ecosystems. The greatest concern is the rapid depletion of fish population due to extensive commercial fishing. A full one-fourth of the total catch (27 million tonnes in 2003) is not those targeted, and most often are lost.
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Wildland Fires, a double impact on the planet (2004-06)
Wildland fires annually burn an area half the size of Australia and generate nearly 40% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxyde (CO2). Their impact in terms of deforestation, climate change and loss of biodiversity is significant. The year 2003 was one of the worst in history in terms of loss of human life and damage to the environment and infrastructure. Although fires are a natural part of many ecosystems, 90% are caused by human activities.
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Impacts of summer 2003 heat wave in Europe (2004-03)
The second issue covers the human, environmental and economic impacts of the extreme drought and heat wave that hit Europe in the summer of 2003, that had adverse effects such as the death of thousands of vulnerable people, the destruction of large areas of forests by fire, and effects on water ecosystems and glaciers. For example, Alpine glaciers lost 10% of their mass in just one summer, and the total economic losses in Europe are estimated to exceed 13 billion Euros. This Early Warning brief concludes that the heat wave that hit Europe in the summer of 2003 could be seen as one more warning of impacts from a warmer climate on populations and ecosystems.
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Caulerpa taxifolia, a growing menace for the temperate marine environment (2004-01)
The first issue of the publication depicts the impacts of Caulerpa taxifolia, a genetically altered seaweed which is colonising large areas of the marine environment in an uncontrollable way. The green alga, mutated by exposure to chemicals and ultraviolet light, has shown dangerous capabilities allowing it to adapt, colonise, and threaten multiple biotopes. Accidentally released into the Mediterranean Sea around 1984, it has now colonised more than 30 000 ha around the Mediterranean basin. It has also been spotted in southern Australia and on the west coast of the United States, where various methods are being tested to eradicate this seaweed to avoid its uncontrolled spread as in the Mediterranean Sea.
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