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Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for Europe
Citation:
van den Brink, P., A. Boxall, L. Maltby, B. Brooks, M. Rudd, T. Backhaus, D. Spurgeon, V. Verougstraete, C. Ajao, G. Ankley, S. Apitz, K. Arnold, T. Brodin, M. Cañedo-Argüelles, J. Chapman, J. Corrales, M. Coutellec, T. Fernandes, J. Fick, A. Ford, G. Papiol, K. Groh, T. Hutchinson, H. Kruger, J. Kukkonen, S. Loutseti, S. Marshall, D. Muir, M. Ortiz-Santaliestra, K. Paul, A. Rico, I. Rodea-Palomares, J. Römbke, T. Rydberg, H. Segner, M. Smit, C. van Gestel, M. Vighi, I. Werner, E. Zimmer, AND J. van Wensem. Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for Europe. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Pensacola, FL, 37(9):2281-2295, (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4205
Impact/Purpose:
The SETAC World Council launched the Global Horizon Scanning and Prioritization Project aimed at identifying geographically specific research needs to address stressor impacts on environmental quality. Priority research questions were solicited from SETAC Europe members and other environmental professionals. During a 2-day workshop in Barcelona, these questions were then synthesized by academic, business and government representatives to identify 22 priority research needs. Following the workshop the research questions were ranked by SETAC Europe members and partitioned among the following breakout themes: 1) aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology, 2) analysis, fate and behaviour of contaminants, 3) ecosystem responses and services under multiple stressors, 4) ecosystem responses and services under stress of chemical mixtures, 5) exposure and effect modelling and predictive toxicology, 6) risk assessment, regulation and public perception and 7) characterization, fate and effects of nanomaterials. Highly ranked questions ranged from research needed to understand consequences of multiple stressors and chemical mixtures, defining adverse outcomes across multiple levels of biological organization, and understanding chemical emissions through space and time to development and selection of mechanistic toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic modelling tools and identification of protection goals. It is anticipated that outputs from this effort will help to increase the quality and relevance of environmental research, decrease scientific uncertainty in assessing and managing environmental risks, and increase the credibility of technical and policy responses to global environmental stressors.
Description:
The SETAC World Council launched the Global Horizon Scanning and Prioritization Project aimed at identifying geographically specific research needs to address stressor impacts on environmental quality. Priority research questions were solicited from SETAC Europe members and other environmental professionals. During a 2-day workshop in Barcelona, these questions were then synthesized by academic, business and government representatives to identify 22 priority research needs. Following the workshop the research questions were ranked by SETAC Europe members and partitioned among the following breakout themes: 1) aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology, 2) analysis, fate and behaviour of contaminants, 3) ecosystem responses and services under multiple stressors, 4) ecosystem responses and services under stress of chemical mixtures, 5) exposure and effect modelling and predictive toxicology, 6) risk assessment, regulation and public perception and 7) characterization, fate and effects of nanomaterials. Highly ranked questions ranged from research needed to understand consequences of multiple stressors and chemical mixtures, defining adverse outcomes across multiple levels of biological organization, and understanding chemical emissions through space and time to development and selection of mechanistic toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic modelling tools and identification of protection goals. It is anticipated that outputs from this effort will help to increase the quality and relevance of environmental research, decrease scientific uncertainty in assessing and managing environmental risks, and increase the credibility of technical and policy responses to global environmental stressors.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for Europe