As the environmental footprint of humans continue s to grow, and the amount of easily available resources keeps dwindling, many countries and institutions have turned towards the concept of circular economy as a way of diminishing their impact on the environment. Based in the idea of closing the resource loop by reducing the need for new resources, increasing efficiency, and reusing resources that are already extracted, many efforts have gone towards transforming our sys tem towards a circular economy. Unfortunately, recycling, identified as a vital part of the move towards circular economy, has been found to be less than optimal in many countries, despite efforts to improve the system. This study examines methods of improving environmental and recycling behaviour in the context of a university setting, the Blåsenhus campus of Uppsala University. Identifying barriers to remove and incentives to apply through a series of focus groups, this study then runs a trial period wher e measures are implemented. These include ads on the campus’ monitors, as well as posters indicating the benefits of recycling, as well as the impacts of failing to do so, information sheets clearly indicating how to recycle the most commonly misplaced ite ms, and the movement of certain bins to make recycling easier to access in relation to the burnables bins. The findings of this study are that the combined use of barrier removal along with the implementation of incentives, can be beneficial to the rates at which waste is recycled.

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Process domains are formed by geomorphological process, these geological formation act as water pathways for river systems and affects hydrochory potential for seeds. Hydrochory acts differently depending on fluvial settings and is an important factor for diversity in the riparian zone along streams and lakes. The aim of this study was to (1) determine if process domains influence plant species abundance and diversity, and (2) if certain environmental factors associated with different process domains affects species abundance and diversity. The sample sites are parts of a dendritic water system located in tributaries for Hjuksån summer 2017 in northern Sweden. Seed samples were collected from three process domains (lake, rapids and slow-flowing) and later identified in lab. A greater species abundances and seed amount were found at lakes compared to rapids and slow-flowing reaches but there were no significant different between the process domains. None of the environmental factors showed to be important but there were indications that number of boulders might influence seed dispersal. Shannon Diversity index showed to be highest along slow-flowing reaches, but again no significant difference. Understanding process domains and their unique compositions in species abundance and diversity is for example an important factor for restoration techniques of anthropogenic modified streams.

The tourism industry has continuously grown in the last fifty years, promoted economic growth and created jobs (UNWTO, 2017). Nevertheless, this industry is impacting and greatly stressing natural environments and societies inciting a transformation towards a more sustainable form of tourism practices (Williams & Ponsford, 2009). The United Nations General Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (UNWTO, 2016). The purpose of the declaration was to position the tourism industry as a tool to address the Universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UNWTO, 2016). A backcasting participatory approach was used to explore the roles of the SDGs in creating future sustainable tourism destinations, using Swedish Lapland as a reference. The study uses backcasting as a method together with a literature review and semi-structured interviews to key stakeholders. The study concludes that SDGs are good parameters to describe current scenarios in order to develop desired ones. It also finds that sustainable future tourism destinations are highly connected with environment and society as part of the core experience, resecting traditions and culture. In order to achieve sustainable future destinations legislation, better practices and alternative methods of transportation need to be implemented alongside creating an experience that is based on responsibility towards nature and societies.

The permaculture concept was coined by Australian scientists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978. In the beginning, permaculture was presented as a framework for designing self-sustaining cultivation systems which mimic natural ecosystems in as much as possible, in order to make the most use of existing natural resources and minimize the harm done to nature by the agricultural processes. Today, the scope of permaculture has widened to also entail the designing of sustainable social systems and permaculture claims to propose holistic and practical solutions to sustainability challenges of different varieties, not only food production but also financial investment and political organisation. This is reflected in the permaculture ethics which serve as important guidelines to permaculture proponents. The ethics are: 1) care for the earth, 2) care for people and 3) a fair share (of resources). The permaculture ethics resemble the three commonly cited sectors of sustainable development: society, environment and economy. The possible similarities between permaculture and sustainable development initiated this research, which examines whether permaculture could be helpful in promoting sustainable development. To assess this, a critical reading of key permaculture literature was conducted. John Dryzek’s interpretation of sustainable development was used as a lens in the reading. Findings from the research material were also subjected to a linguistic analysis built upon selected elements of the critical discourse analysis (CDA) model, to further support and guide the critical reading. Results show that while permaculture and sustainable development do agree on certain aspects, they carry profound differences in terms of worldviews and visions of what a future, sustainable world should ideally look like. It is therefore unlikely that permaculture could be used to promote sustainable development.

Understanding the sources of the dust that forms the extensive loess deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau is crucial for reconstructing atmospheric circulation patterns and dust pathways. Dust sources are however highly debated, mainly due to the low resolution of many records and the often ambiguous nature of geochemical proxies. The widely used concept of elemental ratios as provenance indicators is based on the idea that the relative abundance of immobile elements remains unaffected by chemical weathering, thereby preserving source signals. High-resolution spatial and temporal records of loess composition were determined for two study sites and three lithostratigraphic units using bulk X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, and independently dated using Optically Stimulated (OSL) and post-IR Infrared Stimulated (pIR-IRSL) Luminescence dating. Four elemental ratios were chosen based on element properties of mobility and grain size, linear correlation strength and the existence of lithostratigraphic trends: Ti/Al, Si/Al, K/Al and Fe/Ti. Potential source signals were detected at both sites, at glacial-interglacial transitions as well as within lithostratigraphic units. Source changes detected within lithostratigraphic units show millennial-scale variability, indicating that abrupt shifts in dust provenance are possible. This implies that millennial-scale variability of the East Asian Monsoon may be related to changes in atmospheric dust content.

The aim of this project is to explore the state of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Kosovo, from a student's perspective. The education system in Kosovo has for some years undergone reform. The principles of Education for Sustainable Development have been incorporated in ministerial policy and the curriculum. Throughout the past years, numerous research papers and reports have assessed the practice of ESD in Kosovo. An assessment of the voice of youth regarding this topic seems to be lacking. This project contributes towards filling this gap. The results of this study show that official policy in Kosovo makes reference to ESD, yet educational practice remains far from living up to what is desirable and doable in terms of ESD. By and large, this study suggests there is a large gap between the rhetoric of ESD in the education system in Kosovo and the actual practice in schools. Further research is hence needed to provide a more in-depth and representative analysis of ESD in the Kosovo education practice. Moreover, this study concludes that it is increasingly important to recognize the opinion of young people, they are marginalized and have been left out of the decision making about the future of the country. More importantly, youth will determine what Kosovo will be in 10-20 years and therefore they should be heard more strongly and more often.

With the global population expected to reach more than 10 billion by the year 2050, one of the global challenges will be in meeting the growing food demand. Coupled with the effects of climate change on the environment, the world will need plant varieties that can adapt to changing environmental conditions to meet the food production challenge. A viable option to aid food production is using genetic modification for more specific plant breeding and crop optimization. The usage of genetic modification has been highly debated since the course of its first developed commercialized crop. The consumer concerns, stringent regulations and rigorous testing genetically modified crops face, may be circumvented with the legally undefined development of new biotechnological advancements such as CRISPR. This study aims to investigate whether arguments used against GMOs from different stakeholders and antiGM NGOs in Sweden are applicable to the CRISPR technique. Through content analysis of policy documents of influential stakeholders and a literature review of the scientific literature, major concerns with GMOs are identified and their applicability to the CRISPR technique analyzed. This study finds that the most prevalent reservations against GMOs do not apply to the new biotechnology, although the applicability and in effect acceptance of CRISPR among Swedish stakeholders depends on its legal classification, which the European Commission has yet to determine. The findings in this study also indicate that the reservations against GMOs are based on misconceptions and that if CRISPR falls into the same legal category, it will be subject to the same obstacles in its implementation. The implications of its categorical classification may in addition affect a possible utilization of CRISPR among Swedish crop producers in taking part in the global food production challenge. This study concludes that while the prevalent reservations against GMOs do not apply to CRISPR, its acceptance may solely rely on its legal classification and as such there is a need for a closer look on the regulations around the various biotechnologies, as well as a need for better biotechnological communication between researchers, decision makers and consumers.

Akviferlager är en form av geoenergi där solenergi lagrad i grundvattnet används för att värma och kyla byggnader. Inför anläggandet av ett akviferlager är det viktigt med grundläggande geologiska och hydrogeologiska utredningar för att säkerställa funktion och kapacitet hos akviferlagret, samt minimera eventuell miljöpåverkan. I denna studie utvecklas en tredimensionell geologisk modell för att öka kunskapen om rullstensåsens geologiska uppbyggnad samt bedöma hur geologin kan komma att påverka det planerade akviferlagret. För att undersöka vilken påverkan manuella justeringar och tolkningar av geologin har, togs två geologiska modeller fram för jämförelse. Utifrån de geologiska modellerna uppskattades effektiv hydraulisk konduktivitet för åsen, d.v.s. sammanlagd konduktivitet för hela akviferens mäktighet, samt transporttid mellan akviferlagrets brunnspoler. Studien visar att akviferen består av sammanhängande jordlager med hög hydraulisk konduktivitet. Beroende på tolkningar och justeringar i modelleringsprocessen visar de två olika modellerna på skillnader vad gäller jordlagrens utbredning och mäktighet. Detta medför skillnader i effektiv hydraulisk konduktivitet mellan modellerna, vilket resulterar i relativt stora skillnader vad gäller transporttider mellan brunnspolerna. Tredimensionella geologiska modeller bedöms bidra till förbättrade hydrogeologiska utredningar då det är ett enkelt och effektivt sätt att bygga upp ett områdes geologi för översikt, tolkning och vidare studier i form av exempelvis grundvattenmodellering.

Aligned ikaite porphyroblasts have been replaced by calcite with a maximum volume decrease of ~88% in Neoproterozoic Dalradian metalimestone exposed near Ballygrant on Islay, Scotland. Microscopic and structural analyses reveal that the ikaite minerals formed before deformation, at a time when Scotland was located at the lower latitudes, thus indicating a cold climate at the time of formation. The Ballygrant metalimestone underlies a ~900 meter thick glacial deposit that has previously been linked to the ‘Snowball Earth’ hypothesis. The discovery of these ikaite pseudomorphs below the glacial deposit points toward a relatively slow cooling of the climate near the equator reflecting a transition toward a ‘normal’ glacial period and thus refutes a suggested ‘Snowball Earth’ event, which is reported to reflect a more abrupt switch over from warm to cold climate in the sediment record.