Evidence that everything is connected
Three of the Faculty of Science and Technology’s main research areas are chemical pollutants, the climate and biodiversity. These areas have been referred to by the UN as ‘the triple planetary crisis’, since they pose existential threats to humanity.
FOR JUST OVER A YEAR, these research areas have been grouped together under the thematic area A Healthy Living Planet.
“I see this thematic area primarily as a network in which we can create collaborations between different research disciplines,” says theme leader Deliang Chen.
A Healthy Living Planet was established as a thematic area in 2023. Following a long journey, three important research fields were finally linked.
“Our thematic area covers research on chemical contaminants, climate and biodiversity,” says Deliang Chen. “This makes sense, because the three areas affect each other. For example, air pollution can create climate change, which in turn threatens biodiversity. Thanks to our thematic area, these connections become clearer and we can address them more effectively.”
A RECENT EXAMPLE of research encompassing all the research areas within the thematic area is biologist Johan Uddling’s research on the impact of ground-level ozone on tropical forests. Ground-level ozone is formed from the pollutants produced during combustion. It is toxic to trees and other plants, making photosynthesis less efficient. Trees are unable to capture as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the greenhouse effect is thereby exacerbated in two different ways when fossil fuels or wood are burnt. Biodiversity can also be affected if ground-level ozone wipes out certain plants.
“Everything is interconnected,” explains Johan Uddling. “The chemical and physical environment affects plants, which affect ecosystem processes and species composition, which affect the physical and chemical environment, and so on. Climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss are thus closely interlinked.”
Climate, biodiversity and chemical contaminants are also three of the nine environmental areas for which planetary boundaries have been drawn up by a research team at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, led by well-known researcher Johan Rockström. A planetary boundary is defined as a quantitative value for a particular process which, if exceeded, will have a serious impact on the Earth system’s properties.
THE MODEL SHOWS how serious the problems are, area by area. In terms of biodiversity, the planetary boundary has been exceeded, according to researchers. The amount of chemical contaminants is equally bad, as is climate change as measured by the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Johan’s model has had a widespread impact, and there is generally a great deal of interest in research within the thematic area’s three pillars.
In a new study led by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, several researchers have shown how plastic contaminants are changing Earth system processes, and also have an impact on other global environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss and increasingly acidic oceans. One of the authors is ecotoxicologist Bethanie Carney Almroth, who has been researching the environmental impact of plastics for many years.
“By working together with researchers from other disciplines, within both natural sciences and social sciences, we can get a better understanding of the driving forces and effects of human activities,” she explains. “We can thereby build up a large-scale overview of environmental impacts, helping us to contextualise research questions and findings.”
Bethanie devoted a lot of time to providing politicians and other decision-makers with the best possible evidence and arguments as the UN drew up the Global Plastics Treaty. She highlights the importance of communicating scientific information to support evidence-based decision-making. This is something that Deliang can attest to in his role as a climate expert on the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
“We’ve noticed that research articles covering multiple aspects are not only read by the general public, who hear about them via the media,” he says. “Policymakers around the world are also listening to what we have to say.”
THE THREE RESEARCH AREAS are represented by their own centres of expertise, which support interdisciplinary studies. Establishing the A Healthy Living Planet thematic area provides another tool for ensuring essential cross-fertilisation within research.
“The thematic area mainly functions as a loose network,” he continues. “By getting to know each other’s research, we can cover more ground when writing scientific papers than if we had worked individually. We can also submit joint research applications, for example between climate and biodiversity.”
The thematic area’s researchers also work with researchers at Lund University within the Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing Climate (BECC) strategic research area. BECC’s mission is to assess the impact of climate change on ecosystem services and biodiversity in Sweden. The research aims to create synergies and added value within climate and environmental research at the two universities.
IN A NEW STUDY, several researchers from the thematic area’s various disciplines in Lund and Gothenburg have reviewed the many changes taking place in the Arctic. This covers everything from climate and biodiversity to people’s everyday lives and health. The study identifies the big research questions being worked on in the Arctic right now, but also tries to point out the potentially big questions that no one has started looking at yet.
“There have been many studies on climate change in the Arctic, but they usually focus on one specific area – climate or biodiversity or ecosystem functioning,” says ecologist Anne Bjorkman, co-author of the study. “Our aim with this study was to look at a range of different areas of research and see how they fit together.”
Many researchers from the faculty are involved in the thematic area. Seminars are held a few times a year to encourage and potentially form new networks between researchers. At an upcoming workshop, Deliang and Amelie Lindgren plan to invite stakeholders from outside academia to initiate a dialogue on which research is wanted.
“The authorities often work on just one issue at a time, but that’s not how research should work,” continues Deliang. “We have a lot to gain from working together. Interdisciplinary thematic areas are important for the University’s role in the world. And to ensure a systems thinking approach, all our research is connected.”
Text: Olof Lönnehed
Photo: Mats Björkman, Myriam Mujawamariya, Johan Wingborg
About the thematic area
A Healthy Living Planet is one of the faculty’s five thematic areas. These thematic areas combine interdisciplinary research, and aim to strengthen cooperation both within and beyond the University. A Healthy Living Planet is based around three scientifically and socially interlinked research pillars: climate change, chemical contaminants and biodiversity loss.
GAC, Gothenburg Air and Climate Network. The network aims to highlight, coordinate and strengthen existing climate and atmosphere research in western Sweden.
GGBC, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre. The centre strives to link researchers, policymakers and the general public in connection with biodiversity, and to expand and further develop biodiversity research.
FRAM, Centre for Future Chemical Risk Assessment and Management Strategies. The centre’s research aims to define safe local, regional and global limits for chemical contaminants to protect humanity and ecosystems.
