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Climate and Energy Roadmaps towards 2050 in north-western Europe

Although energy markets are interlinked and energy companies operate internationally, European countries have a strong national focus in their climate and energy policies. Countries have little regard…

European-scale modelling of groundwater denitrification and associated N2O production

This paper presents a spatially explicit model for simulating the transport of nitrogen (N) and the denitrification and associated production of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) in groundwater, with a one…

Assessment of the environmental impacts and health benefits of a nitrogen emission control area in the North Sea

Two studies have analysed the costs and benefits of creating a nitrogen emission control area in the North Sea and the English Channel. Such a control area requires new ships to emit 75 percent less…

Roads from Rio+20

This report analyses how combinations of technological measures and changes in consumption patterns could contribute to achieving a set of sustainability objectives, taking into account the…

Cobenefits of climate and air pollution regulations

In 2011, the European Commission published its roadmap towards a competitive low-carbon economy for 2050. For this roadmap the possibilities of a far-reaching reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in…

PBL Note Sustainability of biomass in a bio-based economy

The conversion of the present European economy based on fossil fuels into a more bio-based economy will probably be restricted to about 10 per cent of final energy and feedstock consumption in 2030…

EU Resource efficiency perspectives in a global context

Resource Efficiency is one of the flagship projects of the European Commission. On this subject, the expected global development of five related aspects has been mapped by the PBL: energy, land use…

Exploring global changes in nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in agriculture induced by livestock production over the 1900–2050 period

Global nutrient surpluses will continue to increase in the next fifty years. This will lead to larger amounts of nutrients in soil and surface waters, disrupting ecosystems and harming biodiversity.

Emission scenarios for a global hydrogen economy and the consequences for global air pollution

Hydrogen is named as possible energy carrier for future energy systems. However, the impact of large-scale hydrogen use on the atmosphere is uncertain. Application of hydrogen in clean fuel cells…

Nitrogen: 'Too much of a good thing'

Nitrogen pollution costs the European Union between €70 billion and €320 billion per year. This cost is more than double the value that nitrogen fertilizers are estimated to add to European farm…