The long road from Arctic science to international law The road to the Minamata Convention on mercury took almost 15 years and has been significantly influenced by Arctic research and Norwegian efforts. Why and in what way did Arctic research play such a significant role in this road towards the convention?
Researchers use drones to photograph seaweeds Drones are the future for nature mapping and monitoring. – Compared to satellite pictures, drone images provide 1,000 times better image resolution and one million times more data points, says Kasper Hancke, marine biologist at NIVA.
Pollutant-ban has made snails healthy again The environmental pollutant TBT can mimic hormones to the extent that it sterilizes female snails and make them grow non-functional penises and vas deferens. But for the first time since monitoring started up in 1991 and the total ban of TBT entered force in 2008, only fertile dogwhelk have been found along the Norwegian coastline.
News Article 12.02.2020 NIVA leads new JPI Oceans and climate project NIVA will lead a new Joint Project Initiative Climate and Oceans project that will provide a greater understanding of global change effects on ocean and coastal ecosystems and services at regional to local levels.
Publication 03.02.2020 Top Priority to Curb Plastic Pollution: Empowering Those at the Bottom In the January issue of Cell Press journal OneEarth, NIVA scientist Luca Nizzetto and co-writer Satish Sinha of Toxic Links argue that further empowering marginalized waste pickers in developing countries (already involved in the efficient recovery of value and materials from recyclable plastic waste) is key to curbing plastic inputs to the ocean and tackling several sustainable development goals. Financial mechanisms aimed at valuing also the non-recyclable plastic waste can trigger these workers' spontaneous engagement to curb plastic releases, with an expenditure lower than that of pollution impacts.
News Article 14.02.2020 NIVA participates in newly funded H2020 project FUTUREmares NIVA is a leading research partner in the newly funded H2020 project, FUTUREmares, that will provide socially and economically viable nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation to safeguard these ecosystems’ natural capital, biodiversity and services.
Report 10.12.2019 Eutrophication remains a major problem for Europe’s seas despite some progress The shared vision for Europe’s seas is a healthy marine environment where human-induced eutrophication is minimised. However, the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessment, published December 11th shows that eutrophication still remains a large scale problem in Europe’s regional seas. The assessment shows some positive effects from better nutrient management but the overall target of healthy seas will not be met by 2020.
News Article 09.12.2019 Norway to support ASEAN in combating marine plastic debris The transport of plastics from sources on land via rivers to the world’s oceans is a global environmental challenge. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, are building local capacity for reducing plastic pollution, and Norway has taken a leading role in supporting ASEAN’s endeavors in combating plastic pollution through a new program.
