The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

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The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

• Is the national agency for environmental
  protection and nature conservation as well as
  outdoor recreation and hunting issues
• Was created in 1967
• Has about 550 employees

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Key tasks are

• To ensure that environmental policy decisions are
  implemented
• To supply expert knowledge and proposals to the
  Swedish Government in its work on environmental
  issues
• Participate in EU-related and international work
  on environmental issues

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Areas of responsibility

• The National Environmental Quality Objectives
• Providing guidance on environmental and
  regulatory issues
• Monitoring and reporting on the state of the
  environment
• Developing environmental policy instruments,
  including environmental legislation
• Appearing in courts of law
• Funding environmental research and communicating
  expert knowledge
• Funding environmental protection

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16 Environmental Quality
Objectives

• 1 Reduced Climate Impact
• 2 Clean Air
• 3 Natural Acidification Only
• 4 A Non-Toxic Environment
• 5 A Protective Ozone Layer
• 6 A Safe Radiation Environment
• 7 Zero Eutrophication
• 8 Flourishing Lakes and Streams
• 9 Good-Quality Groundwater
• 10 A Balanced Marine Environment, Flourishing
  Coastal Areas and Archipelagos
• 11 Thriving Wetlands
• Sustainable Forests
• A Varied Agricultural Landscape
• A Magnificent Mountain Landscape
• A Good Built Environment
• A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life

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Research

• Research results provide a sound evidence base
  when we make decisions
• We fund research in key areas for us
• Our annual research funding is approx. 10 M 

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Environmental research in Sweden
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EU and international cooperation

• Experts from the Swedish EPA participate in
  nearly 100 working groups within the EU and
  international organisations
• We have development cooperation with a number of
  countries on environmental capacity building
• We participate in 8 ERA-nets

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• Solution/Action
• Effect/Problem
• Fundamental

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What are the knowledge needs of Swedens
environmental managers in local government and
industry?

• Traffic
• Energy
• Waste
• Chemicals

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Global environmental research

• 12 EU states plus the USA
• Coordinated programmes
• Inter-multidisciplinary approach
• Socio-economic perspectives
• Environmental threat research
• Research for an ecologically sustainable society

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Environmental problems are societal problems

• What is meant by an ecologically sustainable
  society?
• Environment
• Economy Social/culture
• Sustainability in all dimensions
• Ecological sustainability not a static state
  (dynamic)
• Environmental threat research makes an important
  contribution to determining whether a social
  trend is ecologically sustainable

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Socio-culture
Ecological
equal
Economic
Socio-culture
one common share
Ecological
Economic
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Ecology give the frame
Ecological
Socio-culture and economic
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Foresight study - IVA

• The New Arena for Environmental Work
• Today and future global flow of resources
• The global environmentally driven technical
  development
• Innovation and policy instruments

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Research and Policy Cycles
Tools and data (indicators, sampling analytical
standards)
Impact assessments (environment, economic,
social risk assessment
Problemidentification
Policy design
Policy review
Monitoring and modellingIdentification/definition
of scenarios and review
Instruments
Policy implementation
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HIGH consensus on values
High knowledge of the problem
Low knowledge of the problem
LOW consensus on values
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Research needs

• Sustainable society road map
• Regional development
• International agreements

• General

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Research needs

• Action for Energy/Transport Efficiency
• Climate
• Health and Air Quality
• Action for Waste and Ecocycle
• Sustainable production and consumption
• Sustainable remediation

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Action for Waste and Ecocycle Waste

• Consumer behaviour
• Risk assessment
• Instruments
• System solution

• Health and toxic compounds
• Eutrophication
• Mercury, Dioxin, PCB etc.

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Action for household efficiency

• Preservation of soil and water
• Nature for us/outdoor life
• Nature for animals and plants

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Recent announced research programmes

• Outdoor life
• Waste and Ecocycle
• Climate adaption
• Health and air quality
• coming. Baltic area

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Research Organization
Advisers

• Abatement strategies for

Householdagriculture, forestry, wild-life
Waste/Ecocycleconsumption/production, water
Effects/Follow-upmonitoring
Efficiencyenergy, transport
Advisers
Research Board
Decision
Director General
Integrated Responsibility for Research
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Programme Phases
Programme design
Research needs
Decision
Accomplishment
Budget and programme steering
SEPA, other authorities, research community
Letters of interest
Full programme plan
Research Agenda SEPA in dialogue with
researchers.Quality of research Research Board
with external expertise(Equel quality as for
basic resarch council)
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Programme Phases
Accomplishment
Reporting
Half-time evaluation
Announcement of budget reserve
Communicationof research results
topolicy-makers
Evaluation
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Experiences of the Environmental ERA-nets in
joint calls/transnational research programs

• Agencies as financial partners
• Short distance between knowing and doing
• Knowledge to support the Agency
• HOW?
• The operative departments decide on knowledge
  needs and are key-actors in the process from
  initiation of research until care-takers of the
  research results in a time/space adopted
  way(Integrated research responsibility)

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Experiences of the Environmental ERA-nets in
joint calls/transnational research programs

• National Programs and ERA-net
• DECISION

PoliticianMinistryAgencyExpert
PoliticianMinistryAgencyExpert

• International Conventions
• EU-directives

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Experiences of the Environmental ERA-nets in
joint calls/transnational research programs

• Examples
• Acid Rain
• BalticSea Action Plan (Bonus-Plus)
• Better Regulations of Emerging Technologies(bio-,
  information-, nano)- Risk Assessment- Promote
  sustainable development(legal instruments
  standardization etc.)