experiences from Estonian energy sector planning

LIAISE Policy Brief No. 3 on "Re-assessment of CO₂ and SO₂ emissions in energy sector by using LEAP-model: experiences from Estonian energy sector planning" has just been published. The LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) model is a software tool for energy policy analysis and climate change mitigation assessment. In 2012, a re-assessment of LEAP modelling results on CO2 and SO2 emissions in the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Estonian National Energy Sector Development Plan until 2020 (further referred to as the Energy Plan 2020) was carried out. The aim of this re-assessment was to find out to what extent the LEAP model results for the Energy Plan 2020 were achieved and what were the possible reasons for deviation. The results highlight the opportunities for policy learning through the re-assessment of modelling results and the need to find out how to include into Impact Assessment the uncertainties that remain outside the scope of models

Civil rights and obligations are connected to environmental issues in the curricula?: a comparative analysis of education for sustainability content in 9 European countries

The book is a product of collaborative learning and research project involving 14 organizations and over 30 researchers from 9 European countries. The main aim of the resear4ch was to identify, collect and systematically present the existing content most relevant to sustainable development in the national curricula of the participating countries in order to provide evidence for policy change. Our findings show that most of existing ESD-knowledge in almost all the countries is about social and cultural aspects of sustainable development. Of the skills and values elements Respect, Responsibility, reflexivity and Complexity are the foundational values in the curricula. Economic and environmental cognitive elements need greater inclusion in the national curricula in some of the countries. Shaping the existing content into a unified ESD agenda is the first task of focusing educational systems on sustainability for future generations

The 2008 evaluation of SYKE

Riippumaton kuusijäseninen kansainvälinen asiantuntijapaneeli arvioi SYKEn tutkimustoimintaa ja asiantuntija-palveluita marraskuussa 2008. Työssään se hyödynsi saamiansa taustamateriaaleja ja tekemiänsä kysely- ja haastatteluaineistoja. Arviointipaneelin mukaan SYKE on aktiivinen ja elinvoimainen laitos. SYKEn menetelmälliset vahvuudet ovat laitoksen kehittämissä tieteellisissä lähestymistavoissa ja työkaluissa, jotka pohjautuvat sen laajoihin ympäristötietovarantoihin. Panelistien keskeisimmät suositukset liittyvät tutkimuksen ja asiantuntijapalveluiden organisatoriseen jakoon, operatiivisiin 24/7-palveluihin, neuvottelukunnan rooliin sekä SYKEn rooliin ja asemaan ympäristönsuojelun kentässä, erityisesti ympäristöpolitiikan tukemisessa. Panelistien näkemysten mukaan SYKEllä on hyvät mahdollisuudet vahvistaa ennakoivaa roolia monessa: arvioida ympäristöpolitiikan toteutumista, kehittää kestävän kehityksen strategioita ja skenaarioita sekä tuottaa tietoa eri politiikkavaihtoehtojen ympäristövaikutuksista. Panelistit suosittelevat tutkimuksen ja politiikan välisen yhteyden vahvistamista luomalla osallistumiseen ja kokonaisvaltaiseen arviointiin perustuva lähestymistapa, jossa hyödynnetään SYKEn ympäristöosaamista ja sidosryhmien tarpeita. SYKEn ympäristöön liittyvät paikkatiedot ja sosio-ekonomiset tiedot mahdollistavat yhdessä innovatiivisten yhdennettyjen arviointien tekemisen. Panelistien näkemyksen mukaan tavoite lisätä SYKEn yhteistyötä kansallisten ja kansainvälisten yliopistojen kanssa, ympäristö ja luonnonvarat -konsortion perustaminen sekä osallistuminen strategisen huippuosaamisen keskittymien ohjelmiin ovat kaikki tärkeitä SYKEn kehittymisen kannalta

Toward the Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan

Abstract This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in 2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP. Keywords Cost-effectiveness Incentives Innovation Manure Performance-based policyAbstract This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in 2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP. Keywords Cost-effectiveness Incentives Innovation Manure Performance-based policyPeer reviewe

Toward the Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan

Abstract This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in 2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP. Keywords Cost-effectiveness Incentives Innovation Manure Performance-based policyAbstract This paper analyzes the main weaknesses and key avenues for improvement of nutrient policies in the Baltic Sea region. HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP), accepted by the Baltic Sea countries in 2007, was based on an innovative ecological modeling of the Baltic Sea environment and addressed the impact of the combination of riverine loading and transfer of nutrients on the ecological status of the sea and its sub-basins. We argue, however, that the assigned country-specific targets of nutrient loading do not reach the same level of sophistication, because they are not based on careful economic and policy analysis. We show an increasing gap between the state-of-the-art policy alternatives and the existing command-and-control-based approaches to the protection of the Baltic Sea environment and outline the most important steps for a Baltic Sea Socioeconomic Action Plan. It is time to raise the socioeconomic design of nutrient policies to the same level of sophistication as the ecological foundations of the BSAP. Keywords Cost-effectiveness Incentives Innovation Manure Performance-based policyPeer reviewe

Metsanduse arengukava 2030 arengustsenaariumite mõju analüüs : lõpparuanne

Metsanduse arengukava (MAK 2030) on laiapõhjaline dokument metsade jätkusuutliku majandamise ja metsanduse suunamiseks, arvestades nii sotsiaalseid, majanduslikke, keskkonnakaitselisi kui ka kultuurilisi aspekte. Kokkuleppe aluseks on piisavalt lahti kirjutatud strateegilised arengustsenaariumid, mis luuakse metsanduse arengukava koostamise käigus koostöös teadlastega huvirühmade aruteludest tulnud ettepanekute põhjal. Metsanduse arengustsenaariumeid arutatakse juhtkogu kohtumistel 11., 12., 17. ja 18. detsembril 2019. aastal ning valitakse välja sobivaim stsenaarium või nende kombinatsioon, mille põhjal koostatakse metsanduse arengukava terviktekst. Juhtkogu koosneb huvirühmade, riigi- ja uurimisasutuste esindajatest ning selle on kokku kutsunud keskkonnaminister

AIRE-Deficient Patients Harbor Unique High-Affinity Disease-Ameliorating Autoantibodies

APS1/APECED patients are defined by defects in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) that mediates central T cell tolerance to many self-antigens. AIRE deficiency also affects B cell tolerance, but this is incompletely understood. Here we show that most APS1/APECED patients displayed B cell autoreactivity toward unique sets of approximately 100 self-proteins. Thereby, autoantibodies from 81 patients collectively detected many thousands of human proteins. The loss of B cell tolerance seemingly occurred during antibody affinity maturation, an obligatorily T cell-dependent step. Consistent with this, many APS1/APECED patients harbored extremely high-affinity, neutralizing autoantibodies, particularly against specific cytokines. Such antibodies were biologically active in vitro and in vivo, and those neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) showed a striking inverse correlation with type I diabetes, not shown by other anti-cytokine antibodies. Thus, naturally occurring human autoantibodies may actively limit disease and be of therapeutic utility.Peer reviewe