The research focuses on sustainable development at the community level in Sweden. Following the trend of sustainable development, the concept of distributed energy has emerged in the European Union. Authorities at all levels in Sweden have also actively promoted the deployment of distributed energy projects. Thereby the sustainable development of community-level has begun to flourish. The study selects five relatively mature sustainability cases to explore sustainable development at the community level in Sweden. Three cases are from Sweden, and the remaining two comparative cases are from Germany and Denmark. Based on qualitative research and case study, the thesis studies the implementation of relevant cases. It analyzes the differences and related challenges between the three Swedish communities and the German/Danish case regarding sustainable development. The study shows that all community cases have set the energy transition in the transportation sector as a priority in the plan. While paying attention to the energy transition, the three Swedish communities also pay more attention to the improvement of social equality and welfare in sustainability. Therefore, compared to the cases in the other two countries, the sustainable development of the three Swedish communities seems to be more balanced. However, whether for the three Swedish communities or the German/Danish case, there are still many challenges to realize the integration of sustainability strategies into community development.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate remedial alternatives for the Badö area in Uddevalla. Large parts of the area consist of heterogeneous filling and the contamination situation consists of, inter alia; arsenic, chromium, PAH, and petroleum. These contaminations are consistent with previous activities on the area. The evaluation of remedial alternatives was made using Swedish geotechnical institute’s (SGI) multicriteria tool SAMLA in which 5 remedial alternatives were examined. These were either solidification/stabilization or excavation, with various forms of land use possible after completed action. The purpose of this work was also to examine how well SAMLA is suited to be used in risk assessments. SAMLA evaluates remedial alternatives using three sustainability dimensions; environment, social and economy. The remedial alternatives are scored in relation to each other and the option of leaving the area without any measure taken. The results of the evaluation in SAMLA are presented as tables and charts and indicates that an option using excavation and resulting in the area being able to use for housing is rated the highest. In this stage there are more uncertainties using solidification/stabilization, and more investigations in the field are needed to examine the method further. The result concludes that SAMLA is considered user-friendly and relevant to use to shed light on several uncertainties and factors in different time perspectives, but preferably together with different actors involved in the process.

There have been moves towards greater localization in our approaches to the economy and services we consume, especially within the sphere of food. In particular, self-sufficiency approaches have increased in interest to utilize and create a resilient local food system, as this shields an area from the uncertainty and fluctuation of global trades while securing local development. This qualitative study aims to develop an understanding of how two municipally owned food productions, promoting locally produced food, local development and self-sufficiency, can be seen and understood when balanced with national and regional strategic goals concerning food, procurement and regional development within a multi-level governance framework. A multiple combination of methods is used to triangulate understandings of the projects: interviews with municipal, regional and national governmental level was conducted as well as content analysis of strategic documents. The regional and national level could be seen to agree on the processes and several effects the municipally owned food productions entail. However, disagreements were raised concerning the economic aspects that the municipally owned food productions result in, such as costinefficiency and lost ability to use procurement to create societal change and development. It could be seen that the municipalities run these food productions because it secures food supply from a certain favorable production, while also generating several other benefits due to its production promoting local sustainable development through resilience.

Background: Use of pharmaceuticals can lead to unchanged or metabolite residues in surface water that may result in negative environmental effects. Sweden has adopted the Generational goal defining direction and changes needed to become a sustainable nation, these align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sweden collects and analyzes samples for pharmaceuticals and other contaminants in surface water. Aim: To estimate risks connected to pharmaceuticals in complex mixtures, exemplified by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and discuss how this can be used to influence the actions needed to reach the Generational goal and the SDGs of Agenda 2030. Methods: Here, measured environmental concentrations (MECs) of the NSAIDs diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen in Swedish surface waters and in Uppsala’s Fyris River were accessed from a database and used in conjunction with predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs) from the literature to derive risk quotients(RQ=MEC/PNEC). For all drugs a standardized PNEC derived from OECD guideline base-set tests were found, and for diclofenac and ibuprofen also non-traditional guideline PNECs were identified. Risk cups applied by summation of MEC/PNEC-risk quotients are considered safe if the sum of RQ <1, and as proposed inSOU 2019:45, if one chemical adds more risk than 0.1 to the risk cup it would be better to substitute it for another, if possible. Results and Discussion: Standardized PNECs derived from OECD guideline base-set tests were more than 60-fold greater than non-traditional PNECs for diclofenac and ibuprofen, affecting their individual RQ contribution and total sum of RQ. Based on the non-traditional PNECs, the sum of RQ were more than or near 1 in some cases in Fyris River and elsewhere, thus indicating risk to biota especially in 2010. Diclofenac and ibuprofen typically contributed more to Risk cups than did ketoprofen and naproxen. Especially diclofenac should be considered for substitution, if possible. Swedish sales data indicate at least one more NSAID compound suitable for analysis. In addition, more than 70 pharmaceuticals were identified in Fyris River, adding to pressure on environment from NSAIDs. Risk cups are conservative and require sparse data relative to other methods, and thus can be used to prioritize further efforts. A difficulty is to find relevant ecotoxicological data for pharmaceuticals and therefore an open access database would be of value, preferably complemented with sales data for APIs. However, since a default RQ-value of 0.1 was suggested in SOU 2019:45, a lack of data would not hinder action. Use of risk cups makes it possible to work toward e.g., sustainable production practices benefiting SDG 12. Inaction after identifying a problem conflicts with SDGs 6 and 12, since it would lead to less clean water and more sanitation issues and non-sustainable consumption and production. Conclusion: Risk cups as applied here are suitable as a first tier of pharmaceutical mixture risk estimation since they are quick to perform and demand less data than other methods. Because of their dependence on PNECs, it is important to use a relevant effect test, with results preferably published in an open access database. Diclofenac’s non-traditional risk quotient indicate that the ecological status of the Fyris River is at risk, supporting the official moderate ecological status classification. This thesis suggests an additional NSAID, etoricoxib, as a possible candidate for future studies, based on the number of other NSAIDs on the market and sales numbers, pointing at the usefulness of sales data for a better understanding of risk. In addition to the NSAID group, other pharmaceuticals, active metabolites, and non-pharmaceutical chemicals add to the pressure on the environment. Data on the risk cups and risk quotients can be used as a basis for improvements at sewage treatment plants and factories as well as for launching informative campaigns to physicians and the general public, actions which all may lead to a more sustainable future.

As climate change is progressing, it is important to find mitigation strategies to reach the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal. The objective is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. One approach to climate change mitigation is to decrease people’s carbon footprint. This complex problem can be approached with top-down programs and bottom-up methods. One such a bottom-up approach is the app Deedster. This app is designed to educate its users about sustainable behavior choices and encourage the users to try out these new behaviors in so-called deeds to reduce their personal carbon footprint. In this research, an exploratory qualitative approach was taken to gather insights into the suitability of the Deedster app as a tool to change individual behavior towards a more sustainable lifestyle as well as investigating obstacles to acting sustainably. App users were interviewed in the beginning and at the end of a four-week Deedster challenge. The findings suggest that the Deedster app is a suitable tool to encourage behavior change and to educate its users about sustainability topics. Based on the results, the app may be stronger in changing low-cost (less difficult) behavior changes than effortful behavior changes. However, in some cases, also effortful behavior changes were reported.  In addition, the users reported more knowledge about sustainable lifestyle alternatives and opened conversations about the app and their behavior changes with others. This study makes valuable contributions to the field of sustainable behavior changes and proposes the Deedster app as a useful method to engage more people in sustainable lifestyles.

Analysis of soil-derived DNA has been shown to minimize problems seen during traditional vegetation surveys, e.g. by matching the eDNA to a reference database for taxonomic identification rather than relying solely on taxonomic expertise. However, it has been debated to what extent and how accurately eDNA acts as a proxy for biodiversity. The reliability on eDNA and the awareness on influencing factors is also important for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions where above-ground vegetation cannot be used. This study aimed to investigate how well modern soil-derived eDNA reflects the contemporary vascular vegetation communities in a subarctic environment, and if the efficiency of the taxonomic identification differed between spatial scales. Near-surface soil samples at altitudinal gradients along numerous transects were collected in combination with vegetation surveys. The eDNA was amplified through metabarcoding using the P6 loop region of the chloroplast trnL intron, followed by a high-throughput sequencing. No difference in the number of identified taxa between eDNA and vegetation survey was seen at landscape scale. In contrast, the number of identified taxa was consistently higher in the vegetation survey at smaller spatial scales. The efficiency of identified taxa per scale remained stable for the vegetation survey, whereas for eDNA, a decreasing trend was seen. This study highlights the variations on taxa identification between both methods and which factors might cause it. Combining the methods allows for a more precise modern biodiversity estimation, as well as to minimize wrongful conclusions. This allows for a more accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, which in turn can improve future species conservation decisions.

Inom Rååns avrinningsområde, som är beläget i kommunerna Helsingborg, Landskrona, Svalöv och Bjuv, har anläggning av våtmarker pågått sedan 1990-talet. De anlagda våtmarkerna syftar till att minska näringsförlusterna från omkringliggande jordbruksmarker till vattendrag och gynna den biologiska mångfalden. I denna studie har 28 anlagda våtmarker inom Rååns avrinningsområde studerats. Studien hade två övergripande syften varav det ena var att undersöka sambandet mellan sedimentackumulering och våtmarkernas utformning samt placering i landskapet. Det andra syftet var att undersöka våtmarkernas renoveringsbehov. Renoveringsbehov syftar på åtgärder som behöver utföras för att upprätthålla våtmarkernas ursprungliga funktion och utformning såsom flödesvägar, vegetation, djupprofil samt in- och utlopp. Studien baserades på observationer och mätningar som utfördes i oktober år 2020. Resultatet visade att sedimentackumuleringen varierade mellan 0,2–2,3 cm per år och att både utformnings- och placeringsfaktorer påverkade sedimentackumuleringen. Det uppskattade ursprungliga vattendjupet hade en positiv korrelation med sedimentackumulationen och sedimentdjupet blev högre med våtmarkens ålder. Uppgrundningen var högre närmare inloppet i fyra av sju långsmala våtmarker (Längd-breddförhållande, 𝐿 ∶ 𝐵 > 3). I de långsmala våtmarkerna fanns även en positiv korrelation mellan hydraulisk belastning (HL) och sedimentackumulering. I våtmarker med 𝐿: 𝐵 < 3 fanns en övre gräns där höga värden på HL istället hade en negativ påverkan på sedimentackumuleringen. Våtmarkens storlek i relation till avrinningsområdet hade ett negativt samband med sedimentackumuleringen. Att många faktorer påverkade sedimentackumulationen gjorde att uppgrundningen skedde olika snabbt i våtmarkerna. Därmed kunde inte ett exakt åldersintervall för urgrävning fastställas. Däremot kan urgrävning potentiellt begränsas till början av våtmarker i de fall våtmarken är långsmal med djuphåla vid inloppet. De undersökta våtmarkerna hade varierande grad av renoveringsbehov. Urgrävning bedöms vara den mest resurskrävande åtgärden. Det är dock en nödvändig åtgärd om våtmarkerna ska fortsätta fungera som näringsfällor. Andra renoveringsbehov innefattade exempelvis enklare skötsel av vegetation, reparation av teknisk utrustning såsom rör och brunnar samt uppföljning av avtal med markägare för att se till att våtmarkerna förvaltas på sådant sätt att deras miljönytta gynnas. / Wetlands have been constructed within the catchment area of Råån since the 1990s. Råån is a river flowing through the municipalities Helsingborg, Landskrona, Svalöv, and Bjuv. The constructed wetlands aim to reduce nutrient leakage from surrounding agricultural land and increase biodiversity. In this study 28 constructed wetlands were studied with two aims: (i) to investigate the relationship between sediment accumulation in wetlands and wetland design and location in the landscape and (ii) investigate maintenance needs of the wetlands. Maintenance needs involve taking efforts to restore flow paths, depth profile, vegetation, and inlet and outlet to return the original function and design of the wetland. The study is based on observations and measurements carried out in October 2020. The results showed that sediment accumulation varied between 0.2–2.3 cm per year and that both wetland design and location affected sediment accumulation. Estimated original water depth had a positive correlation with sediment accumulation and sediment depth had a positive correlation with wetland age. The level of shoaling was higher closer to the inlet in four of seven long narrow wetlands (length- width ratio, L: W, > 3). In the long narrow wetlands, there was also a positive correlation between HL and sediment accumulation. However, in shorter and wider wetlands (L: W <3), there was an upper limit where high values of HL instead had a negative effect on sediment accumulation. Wetland area in relation to catchment area had a negative correlation with sediment accumulation. Shoaling rate is different in the wetlands since sediment accumulation is affected by many parameters. Thus, an exact time interval for excavation could not be determined. However, excavation can potentially be limited to the inlet of the wetlands if the wetland is long and narrow with a deep area near the inlet. The result showed that the wetlands had varying degrees of maintenance needs. Excavation is considered to be the most resource-intensive measure. However, excavation is necessary to maintain the function of the wetlands. Other maintenance needs include maintenance of vegetation, repair of technical equipment, and extension and enforcement of contracts with landowners to ensure that the wetlands are managed in such a way that the environmental function of the wetlands are favored.

Detta examensarbete tar sin utgångspunkt i de beslut som beviljades för föryngringsavverkning med områden av fossil åkermark av Länsstyrelsen Skåne under 2018. En föryngringsavverkning får inte göras utan att man tar hänsyn till natur, forn- och kulturlämningar samt friluftsliv. I 1 kap 1§ KML (SFS 1988:950) beskrivs att det är en nationell angelägenhet att vårda och bevara kulturmiljöer. Utifrån 2 kap 1§ 2st. KML (SFS 1988:950) är en fornlämning alla lämningar efter människans verksamhet i landskapet under forna tider, en fornlämning ska även vara varaktigt övergiven och tillkommit efter äldre tiders bruk. Studiens syfte har varit att i fält kontrollera om hänsyn har tagits till fossil åkermark utifrån Länsstyrelsen Skånes beslut för föryngringsavverkning i Kristianstad kommun. För denna studie besöktes 27 av de 31 inkomna ärenden under 2018. Vid inventeringen observerades det skada på 30% vilket återspeglar det nationella resultatet för 2018 som redovisas av Skogsstyrelsen där 35% av fornlämningarna var skadade. Detta är oroväckande för bevarandet av den fossila åkermarken. Samt att tillsynsmyndigheten, Länsstyrelsen Skåne län, inte följt upp dessa och därmed inte bevakar att lagstiftningen följs vid föryngringsavverkningar.

The purpose of the paper is to examine how water scarcity affects women in Gakuto and strategies they use to adapt to water scarcity. Water is a basic necessity and a requirement for all according to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Botswana is one of the countries faced with water scarcity. The key geographical features of low rainfalls and semi-arid conditions contribute to the scarcity of water resources in the country. The paper highlights challenges faced by women in Gakuto village and strategies they use to cope with water scarcity. A conceptual framework has been used to discuss the relevant concepts that underpin the research. These are water scarcity, adaptation and coping, vulnerability. Data was collected during a site visit through semi structured interviews, field observations and secondary data sources from the government reports and publications. Using semi structured interviews, 23 women from 12 households were interviewed to outline challenges they face in accessing water and sanitation in the village. A traditional leader was also involved to outline the situation of water access in the village. Results show that over 80% of participants travel more than 1km from their households to access water. According to World Health Organisation, in Africa, women walk an average of 10 km per day collecting water. Data was coded and analysed to outline an overview of the various coping and adaptation strategies that participants employ at household level. Majority of them use rainwater, change water routine, access water through social networking and reuse at household level.

När naturlig mark bebyggs kan regn- och smältvatten inte infiltrera ned i marken och kommer istället rinna av längs ytan. Detta vatten kallas dagvatten och kan leda till problem i samhället om det inte omhändertas. Dels kan större ansamlingar dagvatten skada bland annat fastigheter och infrastruktur, dels kan dagvattnet innehålla farliga ämnen som sköljts med från exempelvis trafik. Tas dagvatten omhand på ett bra sätt kan det dessutom ses som en resurs, exempelvis genom att skapa trevliga utemiljöer. För att alla personer ska kunna ta del av miljön är det viktigt att den utformas på ett tillgängligt sätt.   I takt med att städer växer ökar andelen hårdgjord mark, vilket leder till utmaningar för dagvattenhanteringen. Dessutom leder ett varmare klimat till en ökning av skyfall, där det på kort tid kan genereras stora mängder dagvatten. Det finns ingen aktör i samhället som är ensamt ansvarig för att dagvatten tas omhand på ett bra sätt. När ett nytt område ska etableras kan därför intressekonflikter ske vid val av dagvattenhantering. Multikriterieanalys (MKA) är ett verktyg som bland annat kan användas för att jämföra olika alternativ för dagvattenhantering utifrån samma kriterier, samt hantera eventuella intressekonflikter. De inkluderade alternativen poängsätts efter hur de presterar i kriterierna. Om kriterierna prioriteras olika kan de viktas, detta görs ofta av olika aktörer som är berörda av frågeställningen. Ett slutbetyg kan sedan tilldelas alternativen. Syftet med den här studien var att utveckla ett MKA-verktyg för hållbar dagvattenhantering som inkluderar både tillgänglighets- och skyfallsaspekter. MKAn byggdes upp för att kunna appliceras på ett område i Vellinge kommun där ett nytt verksamhetsområde skulle etableras. Olika kombinationer av tekniklösningar för dagvattenhantering för verksamhetsområdet jämfördes i MKAn. Viktningen av kriterierna skedde under en workshop med representanter från olika förvaltningar på Vellinge kommun. Enligt poängsättningen och viktningen fick en kombination av tekniklösningar för dagvattenhantering som skulle gynna både tillgängligheten och skyfallshantering i området högst slutbetyg. Denna kombination inkluderade ett dike, två torra dammar, en damm med permanent vattenspegel och ett dagvattenstråk. För tillgänglighetsaspekterna var utformningen av tekniklösningarna viktig. Dagvattenstråket inkluderades i kombinationen för att kunna skyfallssäkra området. Det viktigaste med att genomföra MKAn var att skapa en diskussion och samsyn hos de berörda aktörerna kring val av dagvattenhantering. Att inkludera tillgänglighets- och skyfallsaspekter i MKAn ledde till att dessa frågor lyftes under workshopen, vilket gav en givande diskussion. / When natural land is built up, rain and melt water cannot infiltrate into the soil and will instead run off along the surface. This water is called stormwater and can lead to problems in the society if it isn’t managed in an appropriate way. Accumulations of stormwater can for example damage properties and infrastructure. Stormwater can also contain dangerous substances that have been rinsed off the surface. Furthermore, if the stormwater is handled in a good way it can be seen as a resource, for example by creating pleasant outdoor environments. In order for all people to be able to take part of the environment and its benefits, it is important that it is designed in an accessible way. As cities grow, the proportion of hardened land is increasing, leading to challenges for stormwater management. In addition, a warmer climate leads to an increase in cloudbursts, where large amounts of stormwater can be generated in a short time. There is no actor in the society who is solely responsible for stormwater being handled in a proper way. Consequently, when a new area is to be established, conflicts of interest can occur when choosing stormwater management. Multicriteria analysis (MCA) is a tool that can be used to compare different alternatives based on the same criteria, and deal with conflicts of interest. The included alternatives are scored according to how they perform in the various criteria. If the criteria are prioritized differently they can be weighted, this is often done by different actors involved in the issue. A final grade can then be assigned to the alternatives.  The aim of this study was to develop an MCA for sustainable stormwater management that includes both accessibility and cloudburst aspects. The MCA was built up to be applicable to an area in Vellinge municipality where a new business area was to be established. Different combinations of technical solutions for stormwater management for the business area were compared in the MCA. The criteria were weighted during a workshop with representatives from various administrations from Vellinge municipality. According to the score and the weighting, a combination of technical solutions for stormwater management including both accessibility and cloudburst aspects received the highest final grade. This combination included a ditch, two dry ponds, a pond with permanent water level and a stormwater patch. For the accessibility aspects, the design of the technical solutions was important. The stormwater patch was included in the combination to be able to manage cloudburst in the business area. The most important thing about implementing the MCA was to create a discussion and consensus among the stakeholders on the choice of stormwater management. Including accessibility and cloudburst aspects in the MCA led to these issues being raised during the workshop and this gave a rewarding discussion.