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Ulkoiluolosuhteiden edistämistyössä käsitykset ympäristön hallinnasta nousevat keskeisinä esiin. Ulkoilun edistämiseen liittyy monenlaisia ympäristönsuojelun, aluekehityksen, vallankäytön sekä luonnonresurssien omistus- ja käyttöoikeuksien kysymyksiä. Paikallisyhteisöjen toimijoiden suhtautuminen ympäristöasioihin, heidän arvostuksensa ja asenteensa koskien ympäristöä ja ympäristönhoitoa, eli ns. paikallinen ympäristöorientaatio on jatkuvan määrittelykamppailun kohteena. Kiistat koskien ympäristön ja luonnon käyttöä ovat synnyttäneet eräänlaisen hallitsemisen pakon, mikä edellyttää niin horisontaalista kuin vertikaalistakin verkostoitumista. Vuosina 2009–2011 toteutetun Sulka II -hankkeen avulla Suomen Latu keräsi tietoa 15 kunnan ulkoiluolosuhteista ja niiden kehittämisestä sekä toimi tämän tiedon jakajana. Ulkoiluolosuhteiden tila nähdään hallinnollisena ongelmana, mikä Suomen Ladun edunvalvontatyössä tarkoittaa ulkoilua vaarantavien uhkien hallintaa ja riskien poistamista. Sulka II -hanketta voidaan pitää Suomen Ladun ulkoilun edunvalvontatyön ilmentymänä, jossa asiantuntijuus ja verkostoituminen korostuvat ulkoilun olosuhteiden hallinnan välineinä. Ulkoiluasioista päättävien viranomaisten puutteelliset tiedot ovat esteenä ulkoiluolosuhteiden kehittämiselle. Suomen Ladun asiantuntijuutta tarvitaan levittämään hyviä käytäntöjä ja ohjeistuksia kuntien käyttöön. Keskeinen syy ulkoilun ongelmakohtiin on lisäksi puutteellinen yhteistyö eri sektoreiden sisällä ja välillä. Suomen Latu pyrkii mahdollistamaan eri tahojen välisen yhteistyön, toimimaan ikään kuin linkkinä useiden toimijoiden välillä. Tietoa levittämällä ja verkostoitumalla Suomen Ladun on mahdollista saada eri sektorit osalliseksi yhteiseen ongelmaan ja hallinnan piiriin. Sulka II -hankkeessa ulkoiluolosuhteiden hallintaan pyrittiin praktisten toimenpiteiden kautta. Arvo- ja asennevaikuttaminen eivät tule kehyksistä esiin yhtä selvästi kuin edunvalvontatyön kiinnittyminen fyysisiin paikkoihin. Ympäristö ei näyttäydy järjestössä arvona sinänsä, vaan välineenä oman intressin toteuttamiseksi. Tällöin hallinta liittyy erityisesti ympäristöön vaikuttamiseen, pyrkimykseen muokata maankäyttöä ja yhdyskuntarakennetta ulkoilua paremmin palvelevaksi. Sulka II -hankkeessa kunnissa vallalla olevia hallintakäytäntöjä ei kyseenalaistettu, vaan pikemminkin pyrittiin tuomaan kokemustietoa ulkoilun olosuhteista teknisen suunnittelutiedon rinnalle.

“Developments in the Arctic and Antarctica continue to be the subject of growing public interest and academic, political, scientific, and media discourse. The global magnitude of the changes that are currently taking place in the Polar Regions, also influence legal developments. Furthermore, the growing importance of both the Arctic and the Antarctica in various areas of global, regional, national and sub-national development requires further inquiry into the role of law in dealing with many of the current and emerging issues relevant to both Poles. Although law is not a panacea for all issues, it has its own role to play in dealing with many of them.” A broad overview of Polar law issues was presented in the pioneering Polar Law Textbook, N. Loukacheva ed. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, Tema Nord 538: 2010 (www.norden.org).This textbook represents the outcome of a cooperative process between an international group of well-known experts in the area of Polar law and related studies. Polar Law Textbook II further draws upon Polar law as an evolving and developing field of studies which is gaining increasing recognition and intersects with many other areas in the social sciences and humanities. It explores a variety of legal issues in the Arctic and Antarctica (i.e., questions of human rights law, environmental law, law of the sea, continental shelf, climate change, energy law, resources, indigenous peoples’ rights, etc.,) but also covers the relevant aspects of geopolitics, security, governance, search and rescue, biodiversity, devolution, institutions (e.g., the Arctic Council) and political developments.

Energi- og Transportprogrammets styre, finansiert av Nordisk ministerråd, diskuterte tidlig i 2012 utfordringer og framtidige behov for bærekraftig transport i de nordiske landene. En av de viktigste konklusjonene fra diskusjonen er at programmets styre anbefaler å fokusere framtidig nordisk samarbeid på videre utvikling av elektrisk mobilitet. Denne rapporten presenterer styrets anbefalinger til Nordisk ministerråd om å fortsette samarbeidet når det gjelder bærekraftig transport og å fokusere enda sterkere på elektrisk mobilitet. Rapporten drøfter de foreliggende resultatene fra det gjeldende Energi- &amp, Transportprogrammet, bakgrunnen for den foreslåtte fokuseringen og den nordiske merverdien av samarbeidet på dette området. Styret foreslår et nettverk av nordiske testarenaer når det gjelder elektrisk mobilitet, som skal fungere som en paraply for samarbeidsprosjekt for å akselerere implementeringen av elektrisk transport i Norden.

This report constitutes part of the larger project Eco-design and Future Product Policy – Further research on Energyrelated Products. The objective was to investigate how nine policy instruments affect the development and environmental performance of household washing machines. The following policy instruments are investigated: 1. The Eco-design Directive2. The EU energy label Directive3. The WEEE Directive4. The RoHS Directive5. The REACH Regulation6. The EU Ecolabel Regulation7. The Nordic Swan8. Green Public Procurements (GPP)9. Voluntary Environmental Agreements (VA)

This issue brief presents results from the project Capacity building regarding data inventory and air pollution modelling with the EMEP and GAINS models – applied on Oblasts of the Russian Federation, financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers (project KOL 10-11) and the Swedish Clean Air Research Programme (SCARP). The purpose with the brief is to highlight air pollution problems and policy options in the Russian Federation and to provide information on the benefits of Nordic-Russian co-operation over the last couple of years, as well as to provide suggestions for ways forward.

Tilsynsmyndighetene for kjemikalier i Danmark, Sverige, Finland og Norge har gjennomført et felles tilsynsprosjekt i 2012-2013. Hovedformålet med prosjektet har vært å kontrollere om nordiske importører, produsenter og distributører av kjemikalier etterlever det nye klassifiserings- og merkingsregelverket CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) som trådte i kraft i 2010. Prosjektet omfattet også kontroll av klassifisering og merking i sikkerhetsdatabladene og at sikkerhetsdatabladene følger de nye kravene i vedlegg II til REACH (forordning (EU) nr. 453/2010). Det ble også kontrollert om virksomhetene hadde overholdt meldeplikten for kjemiske stoffer til det europeiske kjemikaliebyrået (ECHA). Rapporten gir en oversikt over gjennomføringen av prosjektet og lovgivningen for kjemikalier i EU/EØS området. Resultater og konklusjoner er beskrevet bå de for hver enkelt land og samlet.

De nordiske landene har et framgangsrikt samarbeid med det nordiske miljømerket Svanen, ett av de mest vellykkede eksemplene på miljømerking i hele verden (ifølge en internasjonal studie som ble utført av Evironmental Resources Management i England i 2008). EU Ecolabel havnet blant de fire beste i samme studie. I denne rapporten presenteres 18 gode eksempler (”suksesshistorier”) fra små foretak innen Norden, som har fått sine varer eller tjenester miljømerket med Svanen eller EU Ecolabel. Eksemplene viser at miljømerking er mulig og lønnsomt - ikke bare i storbyene, men også i mindre tettsteder og spredetbygde strøk.

Environmentally sound disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances is increasingly recognized as an important issue in terms of both the protection of the ozone layer and the effect on climate change. However, there is only a limited overview in the Nordic countries of product groups containing Ozone Depleting Substances, regulation of the substances, available treatment technologies, and waste infrastructure etc. This report provides an overview of the waste treatment and regulation of Ozone Depleting Substances in the Nordic countries. The report identifies gaps, proposes solutions and provides recommendations for relevant Nordic efforts within the area. The report has been prepared by PlanMiljø ApS (Denmark) for the Nordic Ozone Group. The report has been financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, through the Nordic Chemical Group and the Nordic Waste Group.

Den Nordiske avfallsgruppen under Nordisk ministerråd gjennomførte i 2012 en kost-nytteanalyse av et forslag til fellesnordisk pantesystem for drikkevareemballasje. I rapporten som nå foreligger dokumenteres problemstillingen, de ulike løsningsmodellene og resultatene fra analysearbeidet. Resultatene viser at et fellesnordisk pantesystem ikke er samfunnsøkonomisk lønnsomt. Derimot er det lønnsomt å rette fokus mot de store mengdene drikkevareenheter som privatimporteres til Norden fra Tyskland og Estland uten at det betales pant. Det pågår for tiden bilaterale forhandlinger mellom berørte land for å finne løsninger på dette. Å arbeide for et fellesnordisk pantesystem i kombinasjon med bilaterale avtaler vil også være samfunnsøkonomisk lønnsomt, men ikke like lønnsomt som å konsentrere seg om de bilaterale løsningene.

The global carbon market currently faces a deep demand crisis. The consequent price fall reduces the incentive to make low-carbon investments and thus increases the risk of locking in carbon-intensive infrastructure. The global carbon market relies on ambitious climate policy and consists of a mosaic of different schemes. Despite the current lack of ambitious global climate policy, various market-based approaches are emerging around the world, indicating increasing scope and fragmentation of the carbon markets. This report, conducted by GreenStream together with Climate Focus, analyses the status and outlook of global carbon markets and identifies measures and circumstances how new demand for carbon credits could be created to strengthen global efforts to limit the global average temperature rise to 2°C, taking into account the trend towards fragmentation of carbon markets.

Hösten 2012 publicerade Nordiska ministerrådet ett häfte med 18 goda exempel (”succéhistorier”) på miljömärkning av varor eller tjänster från små företag i mindre samhällen i Norden. Dessa exempel visar att miljömärkning inte bara är möjlig utan också lönsam, inte bara i storstäderna utan också i mindre samhällen. Denna rapport bygger vidare på ”succéhistorierna” och innebär en närmare och mer detaljerad undersökning av vilka styrmedel som skulle kunna användas för att göra Svanen mer tillgänglig/aktuell för producenter av varor och tjänster i mindre samhällen i Norden. Undersökningen har gjorts av Environice på Island på uppdrag av Nordiska ministerrådets Småsamfundsgrupp, en undergrupp till arbetsgruppen för hållbar konsumtion och produktion.

The application of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is substantial in industrialized and high-income north-western European societies. Faroe Island, Iceland and Greenland are part of this modern society, although some areas are more suffused by technology and modern living than others. This also pertains to the standards of the local solutions for waste water treatment systems, but not so much to the health services. The present report summarises the results of screening analyses of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products in presumed hotspots in Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. The study focuses on sewage lines from households and industry in general, and from hospitals. In all 38 pharmaceuticals or metabolites of pharmaceuticals and 7 personal care products were analysed.

This project adds insight into the potential contribution to fiscal consolidation from environmental tax and subsidy reforms, i.e. strengthening public budgets while at the same time improving economic efficiency and the environment. The report contributes with own calculations for potential revenues from environmental taxes and discusses the financial crisis and environmental tax policy responses in Iceland, Estonia and Ireland as case studies.The analysis has been carried out during the period July 2012 – December 2012 by Vista Analysis AS, Norway, Reykjavik University, Iceland and PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies, Estonia. The project was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Ikääntyneistä ihmisistä noin kolmannes kokee yksinäisyyttä. Yksinäisyyden kokemus uhkaa ikääntyneiden ihmisten terveyttä ja heikentää hyvinvointia sekä liikkumiskykyä. Yksinäisyyden kokemukseen yhteydessä olevia tekijöitä on kartoitettu paljon, mutta fyysisen ympäristön yhteyttä yksinäisyyden kokemukseen ei ole vielä tutkittu. Fyysisen ympäristön esteet rajoittavat tai estävät ikääntyneiden ihmisten ulkona liikkumista sekä kotoa ulos pääsemistä. Tämän pro gradu- tutkielman tarkoituksena oli selvittää, onko ulkoympäristön esteillä yhteyttä ikääntyneiden ihmisten yksinäisyyden kokemukseen. Tutkimuksessa käytettiin Life Space Mobility in Old Age -hankkeen vuoden 2012 haastatteluaineistoa. Tutkimukseen osallistui 848 Muuramen ja Jyväskylän alueella kotona itsenäisesti asuvaa 75-90 -vuotiasta ihmistä. Aineistoa tarkasteltiin frekvenssijakaumien, ristiintaulukoin-nin, χ²-testin ja riippumattomien otosten t-testin avulla. Logistisen regressioanalyysin avulla selvitettiin fyysisen ympäristön esteiden yhteyttä yksinäisyyden kokemukseen sekä liikkumiskyvyn ja osallistumisen vaikutusta tähän yhteyteen. Ikääntyneistä ihmisistä 28 % koki yksinäisyyttä. Yksinäisyyttä kokevat ikääntyneet ihmiset raportoivat merkitsevästi enemmän ympäristön esteitä kuin henkilöt, jotka eivät kokeneet yksinäisyyttä. He raportoivat merkitsevästi (p

Norðurlond hava eitt fruktagott samstarv við norðurlendska umhvørvismerkið Svanan, sum er eitt tað besta umhvørvismerki í heiminum (sambært altjóða kanning, sum Environmental Resources Management í Onglandi gjørdi í 2008). EU Ecolabel var millum fýra tey bestu í somu kanning. Í hesi frágreiðing eru 18 “sólskinssøgur” um smáar fyritøkur, ið hava sítt virksemi í minni samfeløgum í Norðurlondum, har tær framleiða vørur ella tænastur, ið eru umhvørvismerktar við Svananum ella við EU-Ecolabel. Søgurnar vísa, at tað væl ber til hjá smáum fyritøkum at fáa Svanan ella EU Ecolabel og at umhvørvismerking eisini kann vera lønandi í smáum samfeløgum.

På trods af 20 års politisk indsats for en bæredygtigt livsstil fortsætter det materielle forbrug med at stige i Norden, hvor det er en ambition at være førende i bæredygtig samfundsudvikling. Det står klart, at den nuværende forbrugerpolitik ikke er så effektiv, som den kan være. Dette policy papir giver en række grunde til dette, lige fra forbrugernes selvbestemmelsesret, manglen på politiske instrumenter og til manglen på politisk mod til at involvere sig i forbrugerspørgsmål. Der eksisterer især i de politiske cirkeler nogle vedvarende misforståelser – myter – om forbrugeradfærd og bæredygtigt forbrug. Dette policy brief beskriver 10 myter om omstilling til en bæredygtig livsstil, der indtil nu har fastholdt beslutningstagerne i et fokus på teknologisk innovation og produkteffektivitet. 10 myter der indtil nu har forhindret at social innovation, nye alternative modeller for værdiskabelse, og at normer for et rimeligt forbrug har fået den nødvendige opmærksomhed.

24-26 June 2013, 130 leading international policy makers, scientists, experts and others met at an international workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden, in order to discuss and outline future directions in air pollution science and policy. The workshop, which was organised in close collaboration with the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and the European Commission, involved several themes such as linkages to climate change including SLCP, nitrogen, global governance and effects to health and environment. The output is a series of recommendations for further actions with respect to effects to health, ecosystems and near-term climate actions. Recommendations were also given with respect to heavy metals and POPs. The recommendations are directed towards several international organisations and initiatives such as CLRTAP, European Commission, Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Arctic Council.

Background A crucial issue for the sustainability of societies is how to maintain health and functioning in older people. With increasing age, losses in vision, hearing, balance, mobility and cognitive capacity render older people particularly exposed to environmental barriers. A central building block of human functioning is walking. Walking difficulties may start to develop in midlife and become increasingly prevalent with age. Life-space mobility reflects actual mobility performance by taking into account the balance between older adults internal physiologic capacity and the external challenges they encounter in daily life. The aim of the Life-Space Mobility in Old Age (LISPE) project is to examine how home and neighborhood characteristics influence people’s health, functioning, disability, quality of life and life-space mobility in the context of aging. In addition, examine whether a person’s health and function influence life-space mobility. Design This paper describes the study protocol of the LISPE project, which is a 2-year prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older people aged 75 to 90 (n = 848). The data consists of a baseline survey including face-to-face interviews, objective observation of the home environment and a physical performance test in the participant’s home. All the baseline participants will be interviewed over the phone one and two years after baseline to collect data on life-space mobility, disability and participation restriction. Additional home interviews and environmental evaluations will be conducted for those who relocate during the study period. Data on mortality and health service use will be collected from national registers. In a substudy on walking activity and life space, 358 participants kept a 7-day diary and, in addition, 176 participants also wore an accelerometer. Discussion Our study, which includes extensive data collection with a large sample, provides a unique opportunity to study topics of importance for aging societies. A novel approach is employed which enables us to study the interactions of environmental features and individual characteristics underlying the life-space of older people. Potentially, the results of this study will contribute to improvements in strategies to postpone or prevent progression to disability and loss of independence.

Bruk och förvaltning av de nordiska havsområdena – i dag och i morgon Resultat och rekommendationer från en workshop om havsplanering, Tórshavn, Färöarna, 14-16 november 2011

Ympäristöministeriö asetti ELY-keskusten ympäristötehtävien (YM:n toimialan ja MMM:n vesivaratehtävien) keventämishankkeen kesäkuussa 2011. Keventämisellä tarkoitetaan ympäristötehtävien hoidon järjestämistä siten, että ELY-keskukset selviävät ydintehtävistään henkilövoimavarojen vähentyessä voimakkaasti. Selviäminen edellyttää tehtävien priorisointia, vaikuttavuudeltaan vähäisten tehtävien karsimista, nykyistä tuottavampien ja sujuvampien toimintatapojen omaksumista sekä töiden ja työnjaon uudelleen järjestämistä. Hankkeen loppuraportissa on tarkasteltu ELY-keskuksia koskevia kehittämishankkeita ja ohjelmia ja niiden vaikutuksia ympäristötehtävien hoitoon ja töiden järjestämiseen. Tehtäväalueittain on selvitetty tehtävien hoidon nykytilannetta, tehty toimenpide-ehdotuksia ja arvioitu ehdotusten vaikutuksia. Raportti sisältää myös ehdotuksia jatkohankkeiksi.

We investigated genetic and environmental influences common to adolescent externalizing behavior (at age 12), smoking (at age 14) and initiation of drug use (at age 17) using the FinnTwin12 cohort data. Multivariate Cholesky models were fit to data from 737 monozygotic and 722 dizygotic twin pairs. Heritability of externalizing behavior was 56%, that of smoking initiation/amount 20/32%, and initiation of drug use 27%. In the best-fitting model common environmental influences explained most of the covariance between externalizing behavior and smoking initiation (69%) and amount (77%). Covariance between smoking initiation/amount and drug use was due to additive genetic (42/22%) and common environmental (58/78%) influences. Half of the covariance between externalizing behavior and drug use was due to shared genetic and half due to the environments shared by co-twins. Using a longitudinal, prospective design, our results indicate that early observed externalizing behavior provides significant underlying genetic and environmental influences common to later substance use, here manifested as initiation of drug use in late adolescence. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.

Turpeinen, Heli 2012. Kohti huippu-urheilijan uraa. Tutkimus nuorten urheilijoiden sosiaalisista, fyysisistä ja psyykkisistä taustatekijöistä sekä heidän uraan vaikuttaneista ympäristötekijöistä. Jyväskylän Yliopisto. Liikuntapedagogiikan pro gradu- tutkielma, 106s. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää suomalaisten urheilijalupausten sosiaalisia, fyysisiä ja psyykkisiä taustatekijöistä sekä urheilijoiden uraan vaikuttaneita ympäristötekijöitä. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltuja sosiaalisia tekijöitä olivat päälajin valinta, erikoistuminen, organisoidun urheilun ja määrätietoisen valmentautumisen aloittaminen sekä perhe, valmennussuhde ja koulutus. Fyysisistä tekijöistä tarkasteltiin vartalon fyysistä kokoa sekä harjoittelun laatua ja määrä. Psyykkisistä tekijöistä tutkittiin minkälaisia motiiveja urheilijoilla oli. Ympäristötekijöistä selvitettiin urheilijoiden syntymäajankohtaa sekä asuinpaikkakuntien kokoa uran eri vaiheissa. Tutkimuksen kohteena olivat Olympiakomitean tukea saavat Haastaja- tai Nuorten ohjelmaan kuuluvat nuoret yksilölajien urheilijat (n= 79). Vastanneista 52 oli miehiä ja 27 naisia. Aineisto kerättiin keväällä 2010. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin kyselytutkimusta, ja aineisto kerättiin kvantitatiivisen sekä kvalitatiivisen tutkimusotteen mukaan. Aineisto analysoitiin tilastollisesti PASW Statistics 18 ohjelmalla. Pääanalysointimenetelmänä käytettiin aineiston kuvailua frekvensseillä, keskiarvoilla, keskihajonnilla, prosenttijakaumilla sekä minimi ja maksimi arvoilla. Kahden muuttujan välisiä yhteyksiä tutkittiin lisäksi χ²-testillä. Kvalitatiivinen aineisto luokiteltiin ja käsiteltiin kvantitatiivisesti. Tutkimustulosten mukaan päälaji aloitettiin keskimäärin 9- vuotiaana, organisoitu urheilu 13- ja määrätietoinen valmentautuminen 15- vuotiaana. Päälajin valinta tehtiin keskimäärin 13 vuoden iässä. Tärkein tekijä urheilua kohtaan syttyneeseen kipinään oli urheilijoiden oma kiinnostus lajiin. Suurin osa tutkimuksen kohteena olleista urheilijoista oli perheensä esikoisia. Heillä oli ollut uransa eri vaiheissa keskimäärin 2 valmentajaa, joista tutkimuksen tekohetkellä voimassa ollut valmennussuhde oli kestänyt keskimäärin 6 vuotta. Suurin osa urheilijoista (n=51) kävi yläkoulussa normaalin luokan, mutta vaihtoi sen jälkeen urheilulukioon. Naisurheilijat kokivat koulunkäynnin vaikutuksen uraansa positiivisemmaksi kuin miehet. Urheilijat arvioivat päälajin valinnan aikaan olleensa fyysisesti suunnilleen samankokoisia ikätovereidensa kanssa. Mitä vanhemmaksi urheilijat kasvoivat, sitä enemmän he käyttivät aikaa päälajinsa harrastamiseen verrattuna muihin urheilulajeihin. Lähes 70 % urheilijoista on syntynyt ensimmäisessä vuosipuolikkaassa, ja heistä kolmannes on syntynyt ja aloittanut organisoidun urheilun pienessä kaupungissa. Muuttoliikkeen seurauksena yli puolet urheilijoista asui kuitenkin tutkimuksen tekohetkellä isossa kaupungissa. Myös urheilijoiden yleisimpänä asuinpaikkana organisoidun urheilun alkaessa ollut taajama on vaihtunut ajan myötä keskustaksi. Tutkimustulosten mukaan urheilijoiden sisäistä motivaatiota edisti kehittymisen halu sekä urheilun tuoma ilo ja nautinto. Ulkoista motivaatiota edisti perhe sekä menestyminen. Sisäistä motivaatiota heikensivät loukkaantumiset sekä sairastumiset, ja ulkoista motivaatiota urheilun ja muun elämän yhdistäminen sekä rahaongelmat. Tuloksien perusteella voidaan todeta löytyvän yhteisiä taustatekijöitä, joilla on merkitystä nuoren urheilijan uran kehitykselle.

Default values are often used in exposure assessments e.g. in modelling because of lack of actually measured data. The quality of the exposure assessment outcome is therefore heavily dependent on the validity and representativeness this input data. Today the used default factors consist of a wide range of more or less well-documented values originating from many different sources. The purpose of this report is to give an overview and to evaluate exposure factors that are currently used by the authorities and industry in the exposure assessments for both adults (occupational and consumer exposure) and children in relation to REACH. Another important purpose of the report is to contribute towards a further harmonisation of exposure factors by giving recommendations of most valid and representative defaults. These recommendations can be used besides REACH also in biocide's and plant protection product's exposure assessments. The exposure default values were collected from the relevant European sources (ECHA, Consexpo, EUSES, Biocide TNsG, ECETOC, ExpoFacts) as well as from WHO and US-EPA. The following key default factors selected to the evaluation: body weight, body surface area, inhalation rate, soil and dust ingestion, drinking water, food intake, non-dietary ingestion factors, lifetime expectancy, activity factors and consumer products

This report illustrates the consequences for hazardous waste classification in the Nordic countries by introducing leaching criteria (Criterion H15). Data on secondary aggregates and waste were compared to the proposed H15 criterion and the amounts of waste exceeding the criteria were evaluated. The quality of leaching data and waste statistics varies considerably between countries and waste types. Therefore it is not possible to give a precise estimate of how much waste would have to be classified as hazardous waste if the proposed leaching criteria were introduced. However, the collected data indicated that the amount of contaminated soil, municipal waste incineration bottom ash, fly ash (both coal fly ash and bio fly ash) and metallurgical slag classified as hazardous could be expected to increase substantially if leaching criteria were introduced. The proposed H15 criteria have been developed specifically for protection of groundwater under landfill conditions, based on certain, specified assumptions and scenarios and did not address hazardousness or environmental impacts in general. The leaching test methods used are not equally suitable for all materials e.g. mining waste, and their applicability depends on a number of prerequisites including sample pre-treatment which can have a significant effect on the results. Such general use of leaching criteria and test methods developed for other purposes could lead to non-harmonised and erroneous classification.

Seventeen Nordic and international labelling and certification schemes met at an international workshop on dialogue and cooperation at Lund’s University in November 2011. With this meeting among schemes across fields such as the environment, organic, fair trade and sustainability, NCM Working Group on Sustainable Consumption and Production and Nordic Ecolabelling has taken a first step to create transparency and exchange of experience between label schemes with relevance for Sustainable Consumption and Production. Prior to the workshop in Lund the consulting firm Ecostory mapped information schemes on the Nordic markets and carried out a stakeholder survey. Ecostory found four megatrends that are important for schemes within SCP: convergence towards sustainability, information overload, regulation as driver, and national/regional labels on global markets. This report presents findings from the mapping of schemes, the stakeholder survey and the workshop on dialogue and cooperation. Ecostory describes 10 key challenges and recommends policy responses and gives tentative proposals to follow-up and support cooperation between the Swan and other information systems.

Nordic municipalities can have a significant impact on creating a more climate-friendly Nordic region. This study gathers valuable information about climate change management in Nordic municipalities and gives a general view to the local climate work in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The study aims at recognising the success factors and needs for support in Nordic local climate change work. It is based on a web survey conducted between October 2011 and February 2012, with an overall response rate of 37 %. The study shows that Nordic municipalities are actively working for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Commonalities in the success factors and challenges are found in the study, however, there is no ’one size fits all’ solution, because the countries differ in many respects – the national framework conditions being the most crucial difference.

SIR—Older people with mobility limitations often report more barriers in their outdoor environment than people with intact mobility [1]. However, it is uncertain whether older people perceive their environment as problematic because of their mobility limitations or whether the environmental barriers precede incident mobility limitation, as most studies have been limited to cross-sectional analyses [2–5]. Only a few longitudinal studies have shown that barriers in the outdoor environment, such as poor street conditions, poor lighting and heavy traffic, increase the risk for overall functional loss [6, 7] and decrease physical activity participation [8]. More knowledge is needed about the characteristics of outdoor environments that threaten the mobility of older people [9]. The aim of the study reported in this letter was to explore whether perceived barriers in the outdoor environment predict development of difficulties in advanced and basic mobility among community-dwelling people who did not have walking difficulties at baseline.

Content What about the Literature Prize then? An infectiously fine example Local authorities inspire energy innovation – at home and abroad New Nordic Food – Food Diplomacy Research exchanges in the name of democracy Consigning tax evasion to the history books Climate projects and development aid go hand in hand

The ReNo network has consolidated knowledge on ecological restoration work in the Nordic region and facilitated exchange of this knowledge within and between the Nordic countries. Scientific papers, reports on the status of restoration, guidebooks on restoration, and analyses of ecological restoration in the area have been published as a result of the network. Ecosystem degradation is a problem in all the Nordic countries, but varies in nature, severity and scale between the countries. In order to counteract present and past ecological degradation, all the Nordic countries emphasise ecological restoration, but to various degrees. Ecological restoration has the potential to make a critical contribution for the benefit of the global environment and human living conditions. The ReNo network recommends that this important activity should be prioritized in Nordic environmental policy.

The aim of this study is to support the future update of the present BREF’s from 2006 on Waste Treatment Industries. The practical work has been carried out by the Ramboll Group and associated consultants in close cooperation with the Nordic BAT-group with Rambøll Danmark A/S as leading consultant. The study made it clear that there are several BAT-level technologies, processes etc. already implemented in the Waste Treatment Industries in the Nordic Countries. The study was carried out in cooperation with these industries. The general objective was to identify a total of approx. 60 industries and select and describe in more detail a total of approx. 30 relevant industries. Among the total of 57 identified industries 49 are classified as "Estab-lished techniques" and 8 are classified as "Emerging techniques". All the objects were screened for environmental and climate impacts and 29 were selected based on level of achieved impact.

This report explores the urgent question of how to transition to a green economy. If the price of pollution becomes the same as the price to not pollute, i.e. the investment required for a non-polluting solution, could market forces be harnessed to create a totally green economy? Would the consumer lead the way if pollution fees were simply credited into everyone’s account? Would economic growth and technical development forge ahead? Taking the flexible fee mechanism proposed by Höglund as a starting point, the report examines the academic literature and presents the results of a workshop where leading Swedish economists and environmentalists examine the issues involved in price discovery mechanisms and call for further developments in this field.

The emergence of the ecosystem services concept suggests that economic valuation studies are already fulfilling a role in raising awareness by demonstrating the loss of nature’s goods and services using monetary indicators. In order to have future relevance in capturing value and giving support to policy-makers, valuation methods must specifically address resource accounting, priority setting, and instrument design. This report provides an overview of economic valuation methods of ecosystem services from watersheds in the Nordic countries. The study was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and conducted by The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, The Norwegian Institute of Water Research and Sweco Norge during the period May – November 2011. The study indicates that economic valuation methods can be applied to watershed management in multiple ways. However, policy makers should be wary of “one size fits all” valuation estimates that appear ready to use across different watershed types and stakeholder interests.

The Nordic Council of Ministers has a long tradition for highlighting solutions to theenvironmental challenges in their working groups, research programs and publications.This reports aim to summarize some of the recent work on greater resource efficiencyand greener economic growth and development in the Nordic countries, including corebackground documents from the Nordic Council of Ministers, The Nordic primeministers’ Working Group for Green Growth, and the EU, research studies related togreen growth financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Oslo conference onGreen economic growth held in March 2012. The report was commissioned by theNordic Council of Ministers, with Øyvind Lone, chair of its Working Group onEnvironment and Economy, as contact person.

This report covers and describes all kinds of operations preparing and serving food outside private homes, we call all these operations the “hospitality sector”. According to Danish and Finnish statistics it might be concluded that one third of all food is served within the hospitality sector. This means that the hospitality sector is important also when it comes to fighting avoidable food waste in society. Due to the fact that the hospitality sector is complex and comprises various kinds of activities and organisations, the report contains a thorough description of this sector in each of the four Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Based on different methods the amounts of food waste and avoidable food waste are calculated in order to illustrate the situation of avoidable food waste within the hospitality sector in general and for different segments. The analyses conclude with a best estimate for total avoidable food waste in the four countries of 456,000 tons, e.g. about 18kg/ inhabitant. The differences between available reports underline a need for better statistics, including better definitions and reporting systems. Prevention of avoidable food waste is an important environmental issue. Each country will be affected of new EU ambitions on avoidable food waste reduction. Further, every member state has to develop waste prevention plans for 2013. New EU strategies on resource efficiency will probably also comprise the issue of avoidable food waste. The report describes initiatives taken both by Governments and operators in the market. Both EU and some countries are also about to define reduction targets on avoidable food waste. Many operators within the hospitality sector are active as well in order to reduce their avoidable food waste, both in order to reduce their costs and reduce the environmental impacts of food that is not eaten by humans. The report concludes that new instruments are needed in order to meet overall avoidable food waste targets, to reduce environmental negative impacts and obtain benefits for society. Instruments are also required in order to bridge the ambitions and rules related to food safety and avoidable food waste prevention. Different economic, regulative and communicative instruments are listed without concluding on which instrument or package of instruments that should be chosen. The report proposes that national instruments might be reinforced and coordinated on a Nordic level. The project results consist of a report and a guide. The guide includes practical advices for the operators within the hospitality sector. The report and the guide are partly based on information gathered from interviews and a survey undertaken in the four countries in January 2012.

Textile exerts various environmental impacts throughout its life cycle. Prevention of textile waste is one means to reduce these impacts. This study seeks to map-out the flow of textile products in the three Nordic Countries – Denmark, Finland and Sweden – from the time they are put on the market until they are discarded. Based on the findings on the flows as well as on the perception of stakeholders, the study reviews and discusses government interventions that may be useful for the enhancement of textile waste prevention. Potential use of various policy instruments based on the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) is analysed. The study indicates a handful of areas where further research is needed in order to fine-tune policy actions that would best address the situation specific to the case countries.

Finding and using indicators that are most suited for tracking progress, raising awareness and supporting analysis is a challenge. Indicators need to be used in appropriate contexts and should ideally be fit-for-purpose. For example, indicators which are best used for awareness-raising cannot be used for monitoring policy goals. This report presents a short review of different indicators typically encountered by environmental policy makers. General advice is provided regarding their uses. In the second part of the report, an overview of the environmental-economic accounting work of the Nordic statistical institutes is presented. Lessons learned from the development of these accounts as well as ideas for future work are described. These types of environmental accounts provide a framework for developing information about the connections between the economy and the environment. The study was commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and conducted by the national statistical agencies in the Nordic countries, led by Statistics Norway and Statistics Sweden.

Tilsynsmyndighederne på kemikalieområdet i de nordiske lande har gennemført et fælles tilsynsprojekt om poolkemikalier i 2009. Ved poolkemikalier forstås produkter til rensning, regulering og hygiejneformål i forhold til kvaliteten af badevandet i pools. Hovedformålet med projektet har været at kontrollere om importører og producenter af poolkemikalier i Norden overholder kemikaliereglerne, som omfatter reglerne for markedsføring af biocid- og rengøringsmidler og klassificering og mærkning af farlige kemiske produkter. Rapporten beskriver relevant lovgivning og problemområder vedrørende sundheds- og miljøfarer for de kontrollerede produkter. Resultaterne fra landenes inspektioner samt vurdering og tolkning af de fundne overtrædelser er opsummeret for hvert enkelt land. Projektet munder ud i en række anbefalinger til virksomheder og forbrugere i forhold til markedsføring og anvendelsen af poolkemikalier.

The purpose of this pilot project is to investigate the relationship between the implementation of classification and labelling of chemical substances and their use. The system that has been examined is the EU legislation for classification and labelling of chemical substances and mixtures. The focus lies on substances with harmonised classification at European Union (EU) Community level as dangerous for the environment which by themselves or in a mixture above a certain concentration limit lead to classification and labelling with the symbol “Fish and tree” and the indication of danger Dangerous for the environment (N). Other effects were also included to some extent. EU Environmental hazard classification has been conducted since the mid 1990s and from the early first decade of the 21st century for chemical substances and mixtures. Now, almost 20 years after the first criteria were implemented it is interesting to look back and see whether this classification has had an impact on the use of these substances.

The report reviews the different initiatives aiming to measure aspects of “green” sectors, jobs and technologies. The report discusses whether the statistics collected under the present initiatives aimed at measuring these aspects increase insights into the fundamental questions motivating the initiatives. An alternative framework is suggested, as it appears fundamentally impossible to make consistent frameworks for a division of the economy into “green” and “non-green” activities. The analysis has been carried out during the period September 2011 – March 2012 by Vista Analysis AS, Gaia Consulting Oy and University of Aarhus. Gaia Consulting Oy is responsible for the chapters 5.2., 5.3, 6.2, 6.3 and 7.2 only. The project was commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economy under the Nordic Council of Ministers.

I rapporten beskrives de nordiske landes aktiviteter indenfor miljøeffektiv teknologi eller miljøteknologi i perioden 2004-11. Rapporten dokumenterer, at samtlige nordiske lande har store ambitioner på området, men der er samtidig et stort behov for større viden i hvert af de nordiske lande om virksomheder, eksport, patenter, enkelte projekter, overblik etc. Rapporten dokumenterer også, at der er et endog meget stort behov for at fremme efterspørgselssiden, eftersom ingen af landene gør nogen målrettet indsats på dette felt. Hvert af de nordiske lande beskrives i et afsnit med vægten på den sidste del af perioden, og der gives anbefalinger til forbedringer. Der sker en vis sammenligning landene imellem, og der gives anbefalinger til, hvordan hvert enkelt land kan bidrage til en forbedret indsats, som måske også kan hjælpe de andre lande. Denne gennemgang af landene er rapportens hovedindsats. Hertil er der et indledningsafsnit, som sætter undersøgelsen i perspektiv og en sammenfatning, som forsøger at give anbefalinger til en forbedret indsats. Det anbefales generelt, at der etableres bedre datagrundlag om virksomheder og eksport etc. Det anbefales også, at der tilvejebringes mere information og bruges flere mandskabsressourcer. Og endelig anbefales det, at der gøres langt mere ved at styrke efterspørgselssiden i arbejdet med miljøeffektiv teknologi.

The Nordic NanoNet Workshop and EDC discussion was organised in October 2011 in Espoo, Finland as part of the 2011 Finnish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers (NMR). The workshop focused on the safety assessment and management of nanomaterials (NMs) while reflecting on experiences in regulating endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This report describes the presentations, break-out group discussions and conclusions of the meeting. The regulatory frameworks and links between NMs and EDCs as well as the applicability of test guidelines and risk assessment tools for nanomaterials were addressed in presentations and break-out group work. Regulatory possibilities were further considered in a panel-led discussion. The Nordic dimension was of special interest: strengthening of Nordic regulatory cooperation in the field of nanosafety gained support, while commencing a TG/GD project in the OECD test guideline programme was seen a concrete idea for future cooperation.

Tänä vuonna, vuonna 2012, Pohjoismaiden neuvosto täyttää 60 vuotta. Juhlavuoden kunniaksi on julkaistu tämä kirja, joka ei kuitenkaan ole tavallinen juhlakirja, sillä Pohjoismaiden neuvosto haluaa katsoa tulevaan ja tarttua virinneeseen keskusteluun pohjoismaisesta yhteistyöstä. Moni asia viittaa siihen, että pohjoismaiset asiat kokevat renessanssin. Muun muassa EU:n kriisi, hyvinvointimallin vahvuus sekä kansainvälinen kiinnostus arktista aluetta kohtaan ovat tekijöitä, jotka tällä hetkellä tuovat Pohjoismaita yhteen. Ulko- ja turvallisuuspolitiikasta on tullut keskeisiä yhteistyön alueita, mikä tarkoittaa, että 1950- ja 1970-luvuilla yhteistyötä varten kehitetyt rakenteet eivät enää vastaa ajan vaatimuksia. Tämä kirja esittelee pohjoismaisen vision, joka perustuu Pohjoismaiden Yhteisöissä toteutettavalle näkyvälle, profiloidulle ja tuloshakuiselle yhteistyölle.

This report contains the results of a scoping study on the potential for mainstreaming green public procurement in the Nordic countries. The report gives recommendations on how green public procurement can be better integrated in other policy areas. The study was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Working group on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

I år, 2012, fyller Nordiska rådet 60 år och för att fira detta har man låtit trycka upp denna bok. Men det är ingen vanlig jubileumsbok. Nordiska rådet vill denna gång se framåt och följa upp den förnyade diskussionen om det nordiska samarbetet.Mycket tyder på att det nordiska upplever en renässans.Krisen i EU, välfärdsmodellens styrka och det globala intresset för den arktiska regionen är några av de faktorer som driver de nordiska länderna samman. Utrikes- och försvarspolitiken har blivit centrala områden för samarbetet vilket betyder att de strukturer som byggdes upp för samarbetet på 1950- och 70-talen inte längre är tidsenliga.Denna bok presenterar en vision för Norden som bygger på ett synligt, profilerat och resultatorienterat samarbete i Nordiska Gemenskaper.

Liikuntakulttuuri on viime vuosikymmenten aikana muuttunut paljon. Se on esimerkiksi monipuolistunut, kaupallistunut ja liikuntaa on yhä enemmän siirrytty harrastamaan keinotekoisiin olosuhteisiin kuten halleihin, liikuntakeskuksiin, tekolumiladuille tai golfkentille. Samalla liikuntaan liittyvä liikenne on lisääntynyt. Niinpä liikunnalla ja urheilulla on yhä enemmän ympäristövaikutuksia, jotka liikuntakulttuurissa on otettava huomioon. Toisaalta myös ympäristössä tapahtuvat muutokset vaikuttavat liikunnan harrastamiseen. Esimerkiksi ilmastonmuutos on jo vaatinut talvilajien harrastajilta ja palveluiden järjestäjiltä sopeutumista. Tässä tutkimuksessa käsitellään ympäristökysymyksen hallintaa liikuntajärjestöissä. Tutkimuksen keskeisiä käsitteitä ovat ympäristöhallinta, ympäristöpolitiikka ja ekologinen modernisaatio. Aineistona on 16 lajiliiton 27 ympäristöasiakirjaa. Sisällönanalyysin avulla selvitetään millaisia ympäristöongelmien määritelmiä lajiliittojen ympäristödokumentit sisältävät, millaisia hallinnan menetelmät dokumenteissa esitetään ja miten dokumenteissa määrittyy liikuntajärjestöjen suhde ympäristöpolitiikkaan. Ympäristöasiakirjojen analyysi osoittaa, että lajiliitot ovat tietoisia toimintansa ympäristövaikutuksista. Lajiliittojen ympäristöpolitiikka on hyvin lajikeskeistä. Lisäksi se on lajin tulevaisuuden olosuhteiden säilyttämistä ja lajin hyväksyttävyyden turvaamista. Lajiliitot ovat ympäristöajattelussa ja ympäristötyössä vielä alkutekijöissä mutta raameja on luotu. Laajamittaista ympäristöheräämistä lajiliittojen asiakirjoista ei ole luettavissa. Lajiliittojen kirjaamat ympäristöhallinnan menetelmät keskittyvät suurelta osin yksilöiden käyttäytymiseen vaikuttamiseen esimerkiksi koulutuksen, kasvatuksen ja tiedotuksen keinoin. Puhtaamman teknologian käyttöönottoa ympäristöhallinnan menetelmänä pohdittiin asiakirjoissa vähän. Liikuntakulttuurin rakenteiden uudistamista laajassa mittakaavassa ei pohdittu juuri ollenkaan. Vain muutamassa liitossa on alettu arvioida lajikulttuurin rakenteiden ekologisuutta. Esimerkiksi Jääkiekkoliiton ympäristödokumentaatiossa pohditaan pelien muuttamista yhä enemmän turnausmuotoiseksi sekä varusteiden säilytysmahdollisuuksien järjestäminen halleilla, jolloin lajiin liittyvää runsasta autoilua voitaisiin vähentää.

This paper explores possibilities to strengthen the global climate change negotiations by improving the efficiency of the negotiations process under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of continuing growth of global greenhouse gas emissions and already observable impacts of climate change. Given the urgent and multifaceted nature of the climate change problem, the expanding international climate policy agenda and the various new institutions and processes created under the UNFCCC in recent years, the efficiency of the negotiations process is an important challenge. This working paper was commissioned by the Nordic Working Group for Global Climate Negotiations (NOAK) to serve as a discussion paper for a workshop “Strengthening the Global Climate Change Negotiations” that took place at the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2012. The paper was subsequently updated to reflect discussions at the workshop on the basis of the Chatham House rule. It aims to address the state-of-play in the UNFCCC negotiations, identify some of the main problems and develop concrete proposals to enhance the effectiveness of the climate regime. In doing so, the paper focuses on three main clusters of procedural issues: organization of the work, institutions exercising oversight of the negotiation process, and the decision-making of the COP. Inputs from outside the regime are also briefly addressed. The paper does not intend to give mature suggestions on the way forward, but rather, it seeks to identify issues and themes concerning the efficiency of the UNFCCC negotiations for further discussion.

Klimatilpasning i Norden gør status for arbejdet med klimatilpasning i de nordiske lande og giver en oversigt over den nordiske forskning inden for området. Den gennemgår de vigtigste begreber og diskuterer hvordan klimatilpasning opfattes. En række barrierer der hindrer en tilpasning identificeres med anbefalinger af, hvordan de kan reduceres gennem udvikling af fælles nordiske værktøjer og fortsat videnopbygning. Målgruppen er nordiske aktører indenfor klimatilpasning, herunder nationale beslutningstagere i udvikling af beslutningsværktøjer og forskningsudbud.

Prissaetning af CO2 anses generelt for at vaere et saerdeles effektivt vaerktoj med henblik pa at reducere CO2-udslippet. At prissaette CO2 skaber incitament for brugere og producenter af fossile braendsler til at reducere forbruget og udvikle produkter og processer med et lavt CO2-udslip. Hoje klimapolitiske ambitioner kan dog medfore CO2-laekage, hvilket betyder at en unilateral eller regional klimapolitik tilskynder virksomheder til at flytte deres investeringer og produktionsanlaeg, og dermed CO2-udslippet, til tredjelande. Rapporten er udarbejdet af Copenhagen Economics pa opdrag af Nordisk Ministerrad med henblik pa at give et overblik over de industrier som risikerer CO2-laekage i de nordiske lande, og at vurdere det forventede omfang af CO2-laekagen som folge af den unilaterale klimapolitik i de nordiske lande. I rapporten gives ogsa en vurdering af de eksisterende politiske muligheder som kan reducere risikoen for CO2-laekage, sasom fritagelse for energiskat og fritagelse for kvoteforpligtelser i forbindelse med gronne certifikater. I rapporten identificeres de primaere arsager til CO2-laekage, herunder energiintensitet, produktdifferentiering, transportudgifter og kapitalintensitet. Analysen viser at virksomheder som eksempelvis producerer papir og cellulosemasse, jern og stal, aluminium, cement, laegemidler, kemikalier og godning, har den storste risiko for CO2-laekage inden for den nordiske produktionssektor.

The amount of information available has increased due to the development of our modern digital society. This has caused an information overflow, meaning that there is lot of data available but the meaningful information or knowledge is hidden inside the overwhelming data smog. Nevertheless, the large amount of data together with the increased capabilities of computers provides a great opportunity to learn the behaviour of different kinds of phenomena at a more detailed level. The quality of life, well-being and a healthy living environment, for example, are fields where new information services can assist the creation of proactive decisions to avoid environmental problems caused by industrial activity, traffic, or extraordinary weather conditions. The combination of data coming from different sources such as public registers, companies’ operational information systems, online sensors and process monitoring systems provides a fruitful basis for creating new valuable information for citizens, decision makers or other end users. The aim of this thesis is to present the concept of intelligent information services and a methodological background in order to add intelligence using computational methods for the enrichment of multidimensional data. Moreover, novel examples are presented where new significant information is created and then provided for end users. The data refining process used is called data mining and contains methods for data collection, pre-processing, modelling, visualizing and interpreting the results and sharing the new information thus created. Information systems are a base for the creation of information services, meaning that stakeholder groups have access only to information but they do not own the whole information system that contains measurement systems, data collecting, and a technological platform. Intelligence in information services comes from the use of computational intelligent methods in data processing, modelling and visualization. In this thesis the general concept of such services is presented and concretized using five cases that focus on environmental and industrial examples. The results of these case studies show that the combination of different data sources provides fertile ground for developing new information services. The data mining methods used such as clustering and predictive modelling together with effective pre-processing methods have great potential to handle the large amount of multivariate data in this environmental context also. A self-organizing map combined with k-means clustering is useful for creating more detailed information about personal energy use. Predictive modelling using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) is well suited for estimating the number of tourists visiting a leisure centre and to find the correspondence between pulp process characteristics and the chemicals used. These results have many indirect effects on reducing negative concerns regarding our surroundings and maintaining a healthy living environment. The innovative use of stored data is one of the main elements in the creation of future information services. Thus, more emphasis should be placed on the development of data integration and effective data processing methods. Furthermore, it is noted that final end users, such as citizens or decision makers, should be involved in the data refining process at the very first stage. In this way, the approach is truly customer-oriented and the results fulfil the concrete need of specific end users. Tiivistelmä Informaation määrä on kasvanut merkittävästi tietoyhteiskunnan kehittymisen myötä. Käytössämme onkin huomattava määrä erimuotoista tietoa, josta voimme hyödyntää kuitenkin vain osan. Jatkuvasti mitattavan datan suuri määrä ja sijoittuminen hajalleen asettavat osaltaan haasteita tiedon hyödyntämiselle. Tietoyhteiskunnassa hyvinvointi ja terveellisen elinympäristön säilyminen koetaan aiempaa tärkeämmäksi. Toisaalta yritysten toiminnan tehostaminen ja kestävän kehityksen edistäminen vaativat jatkuvaa parantamista. Informaatioteknologian avulla moniulotteista mittaus- ja rekisteritietoa voidaan hyödyntää esimerkiksi ennakoivaan päätöksentekoon jolla voidaan edistää edellä mainittuja tavoitteita. Tässä työssä on esitetty ympäristöalan älykkäiden informaatiopalveluiden konsepti, jossa oleellista on loppukäyttäjien tarpeiden tunnistaminen ja ongelmien ratkaiseminen jalostetun informaation avulla. Älykkäiden informaatiopalvelujen taustalla on yhtenäinen tiedonlouhintaan perustuva tiedonjalostusprosessi, jossa raakatieto jalostetaan loppukäyttäjille soveltuvaan muotoon. Tiedonjalostusprosessi koostuu datan keräämisestä ja esikäsittelystä, mallintamisesta, tiedon visualisoinnista, tulosten tulkitsemisesta sekä oleellisen tiedon jakamisesta loppukäyttäjäryhmille. Datan käsittelyyn ja analysointiin on käytetty laskennallisesti älykkäitä menetelmiä, josta juontuu työn otsikko; älykkäät informaatiopalvelut. Väitöskirja pohjautuu viiteen artikkeliin, joissa osoitetaan tiedonjalostusprosessin toimivuus erilaisissa tapauksissa ja esitetään esimerkkejä kuhunkin prosessin vaiheeseen soveltuvista laskennallisista menetelmistä. Artikkeleissa on kuvattu matkailualueen kävijämäärien ennakointiin ja kotitalouksien sähköenergian kulutuksen pienentämiseen liittyvät informaatiopalvelut sekä analyysi selluprosessissa käytettävien kemikaalien määrän pienentämiseksi. Näistä saadut kokemukset ja tulokset on yleistetty älykkään informaatiopalvelun konseptiksi. Väitöskirjan toisena tavoitteena on rohkaista organisaatioita hyödyntämään tietovarantoja aiempaa tehokkaammin ja monipuolisemmin sekä rohkaista tarkastelemaan myös oman organisaation ulkopuolelta saatavien tietolähteiden käyttämistä. Toisaalta, uudenlaisten informaatiopalvelujen ja liiketoimintojen kehittämistä tukisi julkisilla varoilla kerättyjen, ja osin yritysten hallussa olevien, tietovarantojen julkaiseminen avoimiksi.

Marine mammals hold a special position in the hearts of people inhabiting Nordic Arctic areas and in coastal communities around the North Atlantic Ocean as they are an essential part of the diet and traditional life-style. However, marine mammals are in a particularly vulnerable position as regards environmental pollutants, because of the large fat stores in their bodies which serve as a “magnet” to a large number of persistent and toxic pollutants. A Nordic Council of Ministers supported collaboration between Norway, Denmark/Greenland, Faroe Island, Iceland and Sweden set out to look for possible trends in “new” contaminants in marine mammals in Nordic Arctic waters. The “new” contaminants in focus are the brominated flame retardants including the PBDEs, methoxylated PBDEs, perfluorinated compounds including the PFOS family, and polychlorinated naphthalenes. In addition, a subset of the samples was analysed for brominated dioxins and dibenzofurans. The marine mammals studied were fin whale, minke whale, pilot whale, white-sided dolphins, harbour porpoise, ringed seal and hooded seal. The study aims at giving a wide scope of the presence of these ”new” contaminants in marine mammals in recent time and going back to the 1980s using samples from specimen banks.