Pollution
When hydropower plants emit carbon dioxide
Research
Eawag
Hydropower is considered to be CO2-neutral, but certain power plants in tropical regions produce large quantities of greenhouse gases. Researchers at Eawag have now studied how much carbon dioxide escapes into the atmosphere below the Kariba Dam in southern Africa. Such previously ignored emissions must be taken into account by future carbon budgets.
Research efforts to reduce pesticide contamination
Research
Eawag
With the latest analytical methods, potentially toxic substances can be detected even at very low concentrations. However, the aim of research is not merely to document such contamination but also to understand how it occurs in streams and groundwater, and to propose mitigation measures.
The waters of the Zambezi: time to act
Research
Eawag
The Zambezi River Basin in southern Africa is a high-quality waterscape. But current rapid development threatens the waters of the Zambezi, particularly its tributaries. The challenge will be to ensure that mitigation measures keep up with population and economic growth to avoid degradation of water quality degradation.
Online biomonitoring of WWTP wastewater
TechTransfer
Eawag
Treated wastewater can be continuously monitored online with the use of organisms. This gives operators of wastewater treatment plants and discharging industrial companies the ability to respond to acute pollution quickly.
Atmospheric inputs of nutrients to soil to decrease in the future
Research
Eawag
The shift from fossil to renewable energy sources is essential for climate mitigation but will also significantly reduce the atmospheric input of the nutrients sulphur and selenium into soils. Sustainable solutions are therefore needed to supply intensively used agricultural soils with sufficient nutrients and to ensure a safe and healthy diet for the world's population.  
EPFL works to address debris collision risk
Politics
EPFL
Space debris threatens human safety in space and puts at risk critical space-based infrastructure that supports services such as the internet, global navigation and climate monitoring. A new project from the EPFL International Risk Governance Center (IRGC), in collaboration with the EPFL Space Center (eSpace) and Space Innovation, is studying the governance of risks related to space debris and assessing policy options to ensure the safe and sustainable use of space.
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