A new report commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights how humans have massively altered the natural flows of nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients. While this has…
Sustainable development is becoming the guiding principle for the twenty-first century. This textbook, based on the author's course and rigorously class-tested by his students, provides an…
Comments on the EC proposal for amendment of the Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality Directives
At the end of 2012, the European Commission presented a proposal to deal with emissions from indirect land-use change (ILUC) in the sustainability criteria for biofuels. According to PBL Netherlands…
The EU and the World Health Organization apply a drinking water standard for nitrate in drinking water of 50 milligrams per litre. The risks to human health posed by nitrate in drinking water have…
Exploring global Cryptosporidium emissions to surface water
The protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium is a major cause of diarrhea worldwide. This paper presents the first model-based inventory with 0.5 by 0.5 degree resolution of global Cryptosporidium emissions…
Opening up the societal debate on climate engineering: how newspaper frames are changing
The use of climate engineering or geoengineering technologies to combat climate change has been a controversial topic, even in the scientific debate. In recent studies, it has been claimed that the…
Nutrient dynamics, transfer and retention along the aquatic continuum from land to ocean: towards integration of ecological and biogeochemical models
In river basins, soils, groundwater, riparian zones and floodplains, streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs act as successive filters in which the hydrology, ecology and biogeochemical processing are…
Water Footprint: Useful for sustainability policies?
The water footprint indicator for products, consumers and countries has been used to raise awareness about global-scale water appropriation for the production of goods. The indicator, however, does…
Management, regulation and environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilization in north-western Europe under the Nitrates Directive; a benchmark study
Implementation of the EU Nitrates Directive and its environmental impacts were compared for Member States in the north-west of the European Union (Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands…
Use and effectiveness of economic instruments in the decarbonisation of passenger cars
The European Commission aims at a 60% reduction in CO 2 emissions from transport by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. The Commission stresses that the decarbonisation of the transport sector depends…
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
