Toward sustainable environmental quality : priority research questions for Europe

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals have been established to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals will require a healthy and productive environment. An understanding of the impacts of chemicals which can negatively impact environmental health is therefore essential to the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, current research on and regulation of chemicals in the environment tend to take a simplistic view and do not account for the complexity of the real world, which inhibits the way we manage chemicals. There is therefore an urgent need for a step change in the way we study and communicate the impacts and control of chemicals in the natural environment. To do this requires the major research questions to be identified so that resources are focused on questions that really matter. We present the findings of a horizon-scanning exercise to identify research priorities of the European environmental science community around chemicals in the environment. Using the key questions approach, we identified 22 questions of priority. These questions covered overarching questions about which chemicals we should be most concerned about and where, impacts of global megatrends, protection goals, and sustainability of chemicals; the development and parameterization of assessment and management frameworks; and mechanisms to maximize the impact of the research. The research questions identified provide a first-step in the path forward for the research, regulatory, and business communities to better assess and manage chemicals in the natural environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;9999:1-15

Elaborations on the use of the ecosystem services concept for application in ecological risk assessment for soils

This paper describes scientific developments that have raised awareness that changes in ecological risk assessment (ERA) methods are necessary. These changes have also been triggered by developments in environmental policies. This is illustrated by examples for The Netherlands and Europe. The ecosystem services concept seems to gain a central role in developments of new ERA methods. Main reasons for this are the integrative character of the concept, making it possible to integrate over environmental compartments or over environmental assessment methods, the concept's strength as communication tool and the possibility to value ecosystem services in economic terms. A method using ecosystem services in ERA is presented here in more detail, as an example. In this method assessment endpoints are derived from structures and processes in the ecosystem that are considered indispensable for the provision of particular ecosystem services. The approach facilitates fine-tuning ERA to specific land use demand

Elaborations on the use of the ecosystem services concept for application in ecological risk assessment for soils

This paper describes scientific developments that have raised awareness that changes in ecological risk assessment (ERA) methods are necessary. These changes have also been triggered by developments in environmental policies. This is illustrated by examples for The Netherlands and Europe. The ecosystem services concept seems to gain a central role in developments of new ERA methods. Main reasons for this are the integrative character of the concept, making it possible to integrate over environmental compartments or over environmental assessment methods, the concept's strength as communication tool and the possibility to value ecosystem services in economic terms. A method using ecosystem services in ERA is presented here in more detail, as an example. In this method assessment endpoints are derived from structures and processes in the ecosystem that are considered indispensable for the provision of particular ecosystem services. The approach facilitates fine-tuning ERA to specific land use demand

Ecosysteembenadering als innoverend concept voor bevordering van duurzame bodemkwaliteit

De ecosysteembenadering is ook geschikt voor een beoordeling op meerdere ruimtelijke schaalniveaus tegelijkertijd. De benadering is door de TCB uigewerkt voor het bodemecosysteem, maar is ruimer toepasbaar. Dat laten TCB en Alterra in deze bijdrage zie

Soil organic carbon contents of agricultural land in the Netherlands between 1984 and 2004

There is some debate about the likelihood that soil organic carbon (SOC) contents of agricultural land decreases because of global warming and governmental restrictions on animal manure application rates in some countries. Here, we report on changes in the mean SOC contents of the top soils (0-5 cm) of grassland and the top soil (0-25 cm) of arable land in the Netherlands during the period 1984-2004, using a data base with similar to 2 million results of SOC determinations from farmers' fields. The analyses were made for all agricultural land on mineral soils and for agricultural land in 9 regions with distinct differences in mean soil textures and SOC contents (marine and riverine clay, peaty clays, reclaimed peat soils, and Aeolian sand and loess), and land uses (arable land and permanent grassland). Except for the regions with peaty clay and reclaimed peat soils, samples with SOC>125 g/kg were designated as peat and peaty soils and excluded from the analyses. Mean SOC content of soils under arable land in 2003 ranged from 13 to 22 g/kg for sand, loess and clay soils to 59 g/kg for reclaimed peat soils. Mean SOC content of soils under permanent grassland in 2003 ranged from 22 to 56 g/kg for sand and clay soils. The difference in mean SOC contents between grassland and arable land is in part related to the difference in sampling depth. Mean SOC contents of all mineral soils under grasslands and arable land tended to increase annually by 0.10 and 0.08 g/kg, respectively. We observed large differences in mean trends between regions. Regions with relatively low SOC contents tended to accrue C by up to 0.37 g/kg/year, while regions with relatively high SOC contents (e.g., peaty clays) tended to lose C by up to 0.98 g/kg/year. In conclusion, mean SOC contents of the top part of mineral soils of agricultural land in most regions in the Netherlands tended to increase slightly during the period 1984-2004. This result contrasts with reports from e.g., United Kingdom and Belgium that suggest decreasing C stocks in arable land possibly due to changes in land use and climat

Soil organic carbon contents of agricultural land in the Netherlands between 1984 and 2004

There is some debate about the likelihood that soil organic carbon (SOC) contents of agricultural land decreases because of global warming and governmental restrictions on animal manure application rates in some countries. Here, we report on changes in the mean SOC contents of the top soils (0-5 cm) of grassland and the top soil (0-25 cm) of arable land in the Netherlands during the period 1984-2004, using a data base with similar to 2 million results of SOC determinations from farmers' fields. The analyses were made for all agricultural land on mineral soils and for agricultural land in 9 regions with distinct differences in mean soil textures and SOC contents (marine and riverine clay, peaty clays, reclaimed peat soils, and Aeolian sand and loess), and land uses (arable land and permanent grassland). Except for the regions with peaty clay and reclaimed peat soils, samples with SOC>125 g/kg were designated as peat and peaty soils and excluded from the analyses. Mean SOC content of soils under arable land in 2003 ranged from 13 to 22 g/kg for sand, loess and clay soils to 59 g/kg for reclaimed peat soils. Mean SOC content of soils under permanent grassland in 2003 ranged from 22 to 56 g/kg for sand and clay soils. The difference in mean SOC contents between grassland and arable land is in part related to the difference in sampling depth. Mean SOC contents of all mineral soils under grasslands and arable land tended to increase annually by 0.10 and 0.08 g/kg, respectively. We observed large differences in mean trends between regions. Regions with relatively low SOC contents tended to accrue C by up to 0.37 g/kg/year, while regions with relatively high SOC contents (e.g., peaty clays) tended to lose C by up to 0.98 g/kg/year. In conclusion, mean SOC contents of the top part of mineral soils of agricultural land in most regions in the Netherlands tended to increase slightly during the period 1984-2004. This result contrasts with reports from e.g., United Kingdom and Belgium that suggest decreasing C stocks in arable land possibly due to changes in land use and climat

Tools and concepts for sustainable management of the subsurface in the Netherlands: a technical investigation

Increasing use of the subsurface leads to a need for modernisation of policies on sustainable use of the subsurface. We have analysed a series of case studies about exploitation of subsurface resources including spatial use of the subsurface, on social relevance, environmental impact, social and technical pressure points and management solutions. The case studies range from building underground parking to geothermal exploitation. The following general issues were identified for the technical-scientific aspects: site investigation, suitability, risk assessment, monitoring and measures after failure. Additionally, the following general issues were identified for the administrative aspects: spatial planning, option assessment, precaution, transparency, responsibility and liability. Open communication seems to be a necessity for successful acceptance of exploitation of subsurface resources (subsurface space is also considered a resource)