Summer may be extending longer into the season, but we still have changed the name of our annual meetings in September to Autumn meetings. And this year autumn showed itself in full effect when ClimBEco students arrived by train from the north and the south into Helsingborg on 25-27 September and getting ready for this autumn meeting entitled “The Nature of the Urban: Sustainability challenges in

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/reflections-climbeco-autumn-meeting-2024 - 2025-09-13

Jesica López on her participation at COP16 In the Colombian rainforest, cattle ranching is spreading and leading to forest fires and deforestation. This threatens the environment, climate and indigenous people in the Amazon. More efficient use of existing pastures and alternative livelihoods are some of the factors needed to protect the rainforest, according to a new thesis by Jesica López. Colomb

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/new-thesis-highlights-sustainable-solutions-protect-amazon-rainforest - 2025-09-13

The government has appointed Olof Johansson Stenman, professor of economics at the University of Gothenburg and a BECC PI, as a new member of the Climate Policy Council. "It is an honor, but above all, it is an important task that the council has," he says. The Climate Policy Council is an independent and interdisciplinary expert body that evaluates and reviews the government's climate policy. The

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/olof-johansson-stenman-new-member-climate-policy-council - 2025-09-13

Research estimates that rainforests account for more than half of all carbon captured by plants on our planet. However, photosynthesis is disrupted when levels of ground-level ozone become too high. Photo by Johan Wingborg Exhaust fumes and burning reduce the ability of rainforests to capture carbon by 0.29 billion tonnes each year. A new study by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, wit

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/burning-reduce-rainforest-carbon-sequestration - 2025-09-13

What were the main outcomes of the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 and what happened behind the scenes? Here are key takeaways from our webinar with negotiators, researchers, NGOs and other experts. On 21 November, some 150 people tuned into the webinar Post COP16 analysis: From biodiversity commitments to action. The event was co-organized by SIANI, Focali, Stockholm Environment Institute, WWT,

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/post-match-analysis-cop16-learn-what-happened-and-why-it-matters - 2025-09-13

Andreas Nord, a researcher at the Department of Biology and Mikkel Brydegaard, senior lecturer at the Physics department - both members of BECC, have been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant Mikkel Brydegaard draws on his experiences from electrical engineering and atomic physics to develop laser diagnostic tools for new insights into the ecology and diversity of insects.By combining biophotonics (i

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/congratulations-andreas-nord-and-mikkel-brydegaard-recieving-erc-consolidator-grant - 2025-09-13

Grass fodder production in southern Sweden. Photo: Josefin Winberg. Bioenergy plays a vital role in the transition to a fossil-free society. However, the "unused" agricultural land, so-called marginal land, deemed suitable for bioenergy cultivation in southern Sweden is practically nonexistent, according to a new study from Lund University. Much of the land is already in use, for example, for hors

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/land-identified-crucial-swedish-bioenergy-already-occupied-new-study-shows - 2025-09-13

Much of the world's infrastructure is made of concrete, which presents a challenge when it cracks and needs repair. Traditional repair methods involve cutting away a large amount of material. Now researchers at Lund University are investigating an innovative solution: using fungi to mend concrete. This groundbreaking research got off the ground with a Sustainable Idea Exploration grant and support

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/sustainable-construction-how-fungi-research-lund-university-could-revolutionise-infrastructure - 2025-09-13

With his cycling helmet perched on his head, he rushes in like a whirlwind, fires off monosyllabic replies to emails and then asks thoughtful questions during meetings while simultaneously managing to work away on his computer. For Henrik Smith, life moves at a hundred miles an hour. But he is also a lauded professor and the previous, long-time coordinator of BECC with an awful lot to do. Henrik S

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/henrik-smith-visionary-who-never-slows-down - 2025-09-13

Satellite image of Lake Yamzho Yumco in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China – one of the lakes that, thanks to minimal human impact, has not undergone major colour changes. (Photo: Google Earth) Over the last 40 years, the majority of the world’s lakes have changed colour, according to a new study. The research team analysed 32 million satellite observations from over 67,000 lakes. Major changes

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/lakes-worldwide-are-changing-colour-possibly-due-human-impact - 2025-09-13

Photo: Michael O. Dillon Tropical forest canopies play a crucial role in the biosphere’s carbon, water, and energy cycles. Despite this, they are often treated as uniform in climate system models. A new study now reveals that canopy traits vary significantly across different regions, which could have major implications for how we understand and model forest functions in a changing climate. By comb

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/unique-mapping-canopy-diversity-tropical-forests - 2025-09-13

Lead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers at Lund University found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate the environmental pollutants found in urban environments. Previous research has investigated the presence of heavy metals in hedgehogs from other urban areas in Europe and found simi

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/surprising-number-environmental-pollutants-hedgehogs - 2025-09-13

This October marks the launch of Sweden’s first Swedish Biodiversity Symposium—an entirely new meeting place where experts and stakeholders in biodiversity will gather to promote positive developments in the field. We had the opportunity to talk with Mats Björkman, BECC's coordinator in Gothenburg and the project manager for the symposium. Mats Björkman is a senior lecturer at the Department of Bi

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/has-been-lacking-premiere-swedish-biodiversity-symposium-new-meeting-place-biodiversity - 2025-09-13

Species diversity is higher in plant communities surrounded by landscapes with low human impact, the study shows. Photo: Honor Prentice. A new global study shows that in human-disturbed regions, many native plant species are absent from their natural habitats, contributing to the missing so called “dark diversity”. Natural vegetation often lacks many species that could potentially be present, espe

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/global-study-dark-diversity-reveals-hidden-impact-human-activities-nature - 2025-09-13

Hyltemossa celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Photo: ICOS Sweden. On 15 May 2025, scientists, engineers, and environmental stakeholders will gather to celebrate a milestone for Swedish climate research: the 10-year anniversary of ICOS Sweden’s national greenhouse gas observation network; a decade of operation for ICOS Sweden’s station Hyltemossa and 30 years of data collection at the Norunda site

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/celebrating-decade-data-icos-sweden-marks-milestone-climate-science - 2025-09-13

Mountain birches are establishing themselves higher and higher up in the Swedish alpine meadows, often at the expense of other low-growing species that are shaded by the birch. Global warming is causing rapid changes in vegetation in the Arctic. A major study in Nature with researchers from BECC-members at the University of Gothenburg shows large local differences in which species are favoured, an

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/major-changes-biodiversity-arctic - 2025-09-13

Photo: Mostphotos/KASPER NYMANN For over 60 years, scientists have tried to determine whether plants are pollinated primarily during the day or at night — without reaching a clear conclusion. Now, a major research review from Lund University with two BECC-PI:s has revealed that nighttime pollinators play just as significant a role as daytime species in 90 percent of the cases studied. Most of us k

https://www.becc.lu.se/article/nocturnal-pollinators-just-important-their-daytime-colleagues - 2025-09-13

To researchers at the Faculties for Humanities and Theology, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Law and the School of Economics and Management. The Centre for European Studies at Lund University announces the availability of funds for seminars, symposia and lectures on European themes during spring 2023 – autumn 2023. The theme must have a clear connection to European matters. It shoul

https://www.cfe.lu.se/en/article/grants-seminars-symposia-and-lectures-european-themes-1 - 2025-09-13

The Centre for European Studies at Lund University (CFE) announces the availability of grants for preparing research applications. The Centre has allocated 400.000 SEK (plus LKP) for this purpose during 2022 which will be divided into two calls (spring and autumn). This is the second call. The grant is to be used during spring 2023 – autumn 2023. The application must have a clear connection to Eur

https://www.cfe.lu.se/en/article/grants-preparing-research-applications-1 - 2025-09-13

The Centre for European Studies at Lund University (CFE) regularly awards smaller travel grants to students who would benefit from carrying out field studies in connection with their Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis. The overall theme of the thesis must be related to European affairs, broadly interpreted. Students enrolled at Lund University, who are planning to write their Bachelor's or Master's the

https://www.cfe.lu.se/en/article/apply-student-travel-grants-bachelors-and-masters-theses-spring-semester-2023 - 2025-09-13