The wild boar is known to disturb the forest floor by rooting in the soil as they search for food. Soil is a vital part of the carbon cycle and stores large amounts of carbon. There is limited knowledge on how this feeding behavior may alter the content of organic matter in the soil and consequently the ability of the soil to store carbon. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of rooting on organic matter concentration by (1) comparing soil from rooted and un-rooted plots and (2) investigating whether the density of rooted areas within each plot affects organic matter concentration. Our results showed no effects of rooting on organic matter concentration. The soil in our study area contained very high concentrations of organic matter (83%) which could have been a factor in why no effects were detected. Our overall results indicate that rooting does not, in the short term, affect the ability of the soil to store carbon in a coniferous forest in southern Sweden. However, this does not exclude rooting as a potential factor influencing soil carbon storage, as several other studies have detected significant differences in soil concentration. The complexity of ecosystems and factors influencing their properties leads to contrasting results between studies. It is relevant in a climate change perspective to further investigate the effects rooting may have on carbon storage in the soil.

Modeling of the nitrogen cycling in the sediments of the Baltic Sea is the major objective of thepresent study. A model of the nitrogen cycling in the sediment of the Western Gotland Basinwas developed. The model simulates the sedimentary biogeochemical processes such asdecomposition of the organic detritus and transformation of nitrogen species in the sediment.The development of the model is based on the methods and approaches implemented in themodel of the freshwater Haringvliet Lake, Netherland. The sediments of Haringvliet and the Baltic Sea were examined in terms of the interactions andcontrols of biogeochemistry. Both systems are eutrophied. This results in a high sedimentationrate of organic matter and creates the same chemical and physical conditions to theirsediments. However, the sedimentation rate and decomposition of organic detritus is higherand nitrification and denitrification is lower in Haringvliet lake system compared to the BalticSea. The results of the model tests show that profiles of the chemical compounds and rates of theprocesses are in good agreement with the observations made in different areas of the BalticSea. The model can be used for simulation of the sediment processes when there is a constantinput of organic matter. The model can also reproduce the behavior of the sediment whensome of the process parameters and conditions are changed. A comparison of the rates of the biogeochemical processes predicted by model and thosemeasured in the different basins of the Baltic Sea was performed. The rates of decompositionof organic detritus, denitrification and nitrification were in agreement with the field data. Basedon the results of the model the nitrogen removal in the sediment was calculated and it wasfound that 26-32% of total nitrogen entering the sediment is removed by denitrification. / <p>www.ima.kth.se</p>

“Real Time Grouting Control Method” is a pioneer idea informulating grouting works which provides possibility for monitoring groutingprocess in real time to optimize it to performance and cost. Currently this theoryhas been tested with data from tunnels in Stockholm. In this report the effort istesting the validity of this method in a kind of geology which is situated insouthwest of Iran. Data are taken from the Gotvand dam project which is underconstruction on Karoon River. To achieve this goal, Tests are performed inStockholm by using the cement collected from the dam site to obtain rheologicaland penetrability properties of the grout mix which is in use in Gotvand project.Pressure and flow values are recorded in during grouting and have beenemployed as input data in this report. By developing a proper application, resultshave been analysed and discussed in detail. It has been shown that in studiedcases the theory can provide promising results and this method is applicable inthis project although there is a need for site investigation and testing different kindof grout mixes to precise results and be able to drive a general conclusion. / QC 20101009

I samband med Gävle kommuns omvandling av den havsnära stadsdelen Näringen identifieras många naturgeografiska och geotekniska utmaningar. Dessa utmaningar förväntas förvärras av klimatförändringar, men också betyda en större påverkan på låglänta och havsnära områden. Däremot identifieras en ekonomisk vinst av exploatering av centrumnära mark. Den kommande omvandlingen av stadsdelen innefattar att 6 000 nya bostäder och 450 000 kvadratmeter nya verksamheter ska tillkomma, enligt avtal med svenska staten. Ökad ekonomisk belastning för försäkringsbolagen i samband med klimatförändringar och naturfenomen tvingar dock försäkringsbolagen att se över vad som i framtiden bör kunna försäkras. En konflikt kunde identifieras mellan kommunen och statens definition av hållbarhet, i jämförelse med försäkringsbolagens syn på vad som är hållbart och dessutom hållbart på lång sikt. Syftet med studien var att besvara forskningsfrågan Hur kan omvandlingen av Näringen utformas genom riskreducering för att minska exponering och sårbarhet och samtidigt öka stadsdelens resiliens? För att besvara frågan har studien använt metoderna spatial multikriterieanalys med farokartor, och gestaltning utifrån multikriterieanalysens resultat, för att skapa ett gestaltningsförslag som redovisar en ny utformning av stadsdelen som uppfyller avtalets krav kring antal bostäder och kvadratmeter verksamhetsytor, och detta på ett sätt som bidrar till att bebyggelsen i största möjliga mån placeras i områden där exponeringen för diverse risker är lägre.  Studiens resultat syftar att påvisa skillnader i ställningstaganden. Som en del av riskreduceringsstrategin klassificerades högriskområden som blågrön infrastruktur för de områden där konventionell markanvändning, som exploatering för bostäder och verksamheter, inte bedömdes vara lämplig till följd av de höga riskvärdena i dessa områden. Utifrån resultatet av dessa kartor skapades en 3D-modell med syfte att skapa ett pedagogiskt verktyg. 3D- modelleringen bidrar även till en högre förståelse för hur enligt studien olämplig mark, eller strandskydd kan omvandlas till attraktiva gröna områden som erbjuder rekreationsmöjligheter, infiltrering av dagvatten och som ökar den biologiska mångfalden. Studiens resultat erbjuder lättförståeliga tolkningar av de bakomliggande naturgeografiska och geotekniska riskerna, som även gemene man kan ta del av och tolka.  Ett återkommande inslag i studiens resultat är att stora skyddsområden som omfattas av strandskydd, även täcker de områden som har högst riskvärden. / The context of this study came from Gävle municipality's planned transformation of the coastal district of Näringen, where many natural geographical and geotechnical challenges are identified. These challenges are expected to be exacerbated by climate change, but also to have a greater impact on low-lying areas and areas close to the sea. On the other hand, an economic gain is identified from the exploitation of land close to the center. The upcoming transformation of the district includes that 6,000 new homes and 450,000 square meters of new businesses will be added according to an agreement with the Swedish state. Increased financial burden for the insurance companies in connection with climate change and natural phenomena forces the insurance companies to review what can be insured in the future. A conflict was identified between the municipality's and the state's definition of sustainability, in comparison with the insurance companies' view of what is sustainable and sustainable in the long term. The purpose of the study was to answer the research question How can the transformation of Näringen be designed through risk reduction to reduce exposure and vulnerability and at the same time increase the district's resilience? To answer the question, methods have used spatial multi-criteria analysis with hazard maps, and design based on the results of the multi-criteria analysis to create a modelled proposal that presents a new layout of the district, which meets the agreement's requirements for housing and square meters, in addition to that the placement of the settlement is made to the highest degree possible, in areas where the exposure to various risks is lower.  The results of the study aim to show differences in standpoints. As part of the risk reduction strategy, high-risk areas were classified as blue-green infrastructure for those areas where conventional land use, such as development for housing and businesses, was not deemed appropriate due to the high-risk values in these areas. Based on the results of these maps, a 3D- model was created with the aim of creating an educational tool. The 3D- modeling also contributes to a higher understanding of how, according to the study, unsuitable land or beach protection can be transformed into attractive green areas that offer recreation, infiltration of stormwater and that increase biodiversity. The results of the study offer easy-to-understand interpretations of the underlying natural geographical and geotechnical risks, which even the general public can take part in and interpret. A recurring element in the results of the study is that large, protected areas that are covered by beach protection (strandskydd), also cover the areas that have the highest risk values.

Urban green spaces (UGS) can produce health-improving (salutogenic) and equigenic effects that narrow the health gap between disadvantaged and affluent neighbourhoods. Yet, the magnitude of such effects relies on the quality of a UGS. Various studies have found UGS quality to be worse in low-income neighbourhoods. Thus, the equigenic potential is often negated. This thesis examines if these findings can be replicated within the city of Stockholm. For this, two quality domains were identified. (1) The accessibility to a UGS determines the exposure to health benefits, as barriers to entry afford usage only to some individuals. (2) The salutogenic potentiality, determined by various qualities, influences the UGS’s ability to produce health-improving effects. For the assessment of these domains, the UGS Quality Audit Tool (UQAT) was developed, which uses GIS analysis and in-situ audits to assess 64 indicators. The UQAT produces an accessibility score, salutogenic potentiality score, total score, and individual inclusivity scores. In this thesis, the tool was used in a comparative case study of twelve UGS in six Stockholm neighbourhoods. The UGS were sorted into three groups depending on their neighbourhood’s socioeconomic status (SES) and health resilience. The aim was to determine whether the quality of the UGS differed significantly between groups. The results replicate findings from other countries, showing a significantly lower salutogenic potentiality for the UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods. Similarly, UGS gender-inclusivity scores were also significantly lower in low-SES neighbourhoods. While similar tendencies were identified concerning salutogenic potentiality and health resilience, these findings were not conclusive. Lastly, no significant relations to neighbourhood health or SES were found for accessibility or the other inclusivity categories. The findings suggest that investments into the quality of UGS in low-SES neighbourhoods are needed to create a more equitable and inclusive Stockholm.

Within the healthcare sector, large quantities of different materials and products are consumed on a daily basis. Recurrently growing awareness about humanity’s negative impacts on the environment have initiated for environmental aspects to be considered on several levels within the healthcare sector. Introducing environmental guidelines within procurement is one example of such an initiative. However, in order to take such aspects into consideration, availability of environmental information concerning the products to be procured is necessary. This thesis was conducted to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts, in a life cycle perspective, of a single-use and a multi-use surgical scrub suit. Accordingly, the main purpose has been to give the County Councils of Örebro and Uppsala decision support and thereby enable them to take environmental impact into account in future procurement of surgical scrub suits. The evaluation is based on certain environmental aspects, assessed to be relevant and of interest for the given case. To ensure a methodical structure and high credibility, this LCA has been conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040-standard. The studied products are two types of surgical scrub suits, one reusable for 100 uses, and one disposable. Besides the lifespan, the material composition of the two products differs. Results showed that that the reusable scrubs have considerably lower environmental impact within the studied categories. The main reason for this is the longer lifespan of the reusable garments, which results in substantially decreased environmental impacts per use within all phases of the lifecycle except usage. Further, the results indicated that farming/production of cotton and usage of fossil fuel-based energy are important contributing factors within a majority of the assessed environmental impact categories. Currently available alternatives exist, which could possibly substitute these factors, and thus decrease the total environmental burden of the garments substantially. / Varje dag konsumeras stora mängder material och produkter inom vårdsektorn. Samtidigt har den ständigt växande medvetenheten om mänsklighetens negativa påverkan på miljön medfört ett ökat hänsynstagande inom olika delar av vårdsektorn. Införande av riktlinjer för miljö-anpassad upphandling är ett exempel på ett sådant initiativ. Men för att kunna använda miljömässiga aspekter i upphandling är tillgången till miljödata för produkterna nödvändig. Denna uppsats utfördes för att ur ett livscykelperspektiv utreda och jämföra miljöpåverkan av två typer operationsarbetskläder, en engångs- och en flergångsmodell. Huvudsyftet med studien var att ge landstingen i Örebro och Uppsala län ett beslutsunderlag, och därmed underlätta för dem att ta hänsyn till miljöaspekter i framtida upphandlingar av operations-arbetskläder. Miljöbedömningen av plaggen är baserad på utvalda miljöpåverkanskategorier som bedömts som relevanta och av intresse för denna undersökning. För att försäkra en god metodologisk struktur och hög trovärdighet, har denna Livscykelanalys (LCA) utförts i enighet med riktlinjerna i ISO 14040-standarden. De studerade produkterna är två typer av operationsarbetskläder, en som kan återanvändas 100 gånger, och en för engångsbruk. Utöver plaggens livslängd skiljer även materialsamman-sättningen dem åt. Resultaten visade att de återanvändningsbara kläderna har betydligt lägre miljöpåverkan inom alla studerade kategorier.Den huvudsakliga orsaken till detta är flergångsplaggens betydligt längre livscykel, vilken resulterar i en avsevärd minskning i miljöpåverkan per användning inom alla dess livscykel-faser förutom användningen. Vidare indikerade resultaten att odling och tillverkning av bomull, samt användningen av energi från fossila bränslen, hör till viktiga bidragande faktorer till miljöpåverkan inom flertalet undersökta miljöpåverkanskategorier. Redan idag finns alternativ som skulle kunna ersätta dessa faktorer och därmed minska plaggens totala miljöbelastning avsevärt.

Increasing demand for water combined with the effects of climate change makes water scarcity a growing concern amplifying vulnerabilities for populations worldwide. One way to cope with the exacerbated vulnerabilities is to migrate. In fact, water scarcity is linked with a rise in internal migration rates in recent decades. However, water scarcity does not by itself lead to migration. Variations in migration as a response to water scarcity can exist, where some people migrate, and others stay. For instance, migration costs are often expensive. Thus, poorer individuals may be trapped in water-scarce areas, unable to migrate. This thesis explores the water-migration nexus in the most water-scarce region in the world, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, by examining what causes migration due to water scarcity. The thesis probes the hypothesis that migration due to water scarcity is more likely to occur in wealthier countries than in poorer countries. Therefore, the upper-middle-income country Iraq is compared to the lower-middle-income country Egypt to examine explanations for the variation in migration due to water scarcity in the MENA region. The two countries experience drastic declines in water availability per capita as a result of population growth, effects of climate change, and dependency on transboundary waters. Despite being similarly affected by water scarcity, variations of migration as a response exist within and between the countries. The findings from the comparative case study confirm the hypothesis to some extent, as water scarcity-induced migration is more prominent in the wealthier country Iraq than in the poorer country Egypt. The findings suggest that economic factors partly can explain the variation of migration (e.g., if moving costs are affordable and if migrating is the least costly option). However, alternative explanations for the difference may exist. For instance, overall migration dynamics within the countries, water governance, perception of welfare in the new location, and reliance on social networks or other coping strategies can amplify or mitigate migration. Most importantly, the thesis concludes that in order to achieve sustainable societies for all, growing attention and urgent action must be taken to improve the situation for rural populations in water-scarce areas to mitigate its adverse impacts on populations' livelihoods. / زيادة الحاجة على المياه بالإضافة الى أثار تغيير المناخ تجعل نقص المياه مصدر قلق متزايد مما يؤدي الى زيادة نقاط الضعف لدى السكان في جميع أنحاء العالم. إحدى طرق التعامل مع نقاط الضعف المتفاقمة هي الهجرة. في الواقع يرتبط نقص المياه بارتفاع معدلات الهجرة الداخلية في العقود الأخيرة. مع ذلك, هناك اختلافات في كيفية استجابة السكان لنقص المياه, حيث يهاجر بعض الناس بسبب نقص المياه, والبعض الآخر محاصر في مناطق نقص المياه. على سبيل المثال, غالبًا ما تكون تكاليف الهجرة باهظة الثمن. وبالتالي, قد يكون الأفراد الأكثر فقراً محاصرين في مناطق شحيحة المياه وغير قادرين على الهجرة. تستكشف هذه الرسالة العلاقة بين الهجرة ونقص المياه في أكثر المناطق تأثراً من نقص المياه في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا. تبحث الأطروحة عن الفرضية القائلة بأن الهجرة بسبب نقص المياه من المرجح أن تحدث في البلدان الأكثر ثراءً من البلدان الأكثر فقراٌ. لذلك, تتم مقارنة الدولة ذات الدخل المتوسط الأعلى وهي العراق مع الدولة ذات الدخل المتوسط الأدنى وهي مصر لفحص تفسيرات الهجرة الداخلية و مشكلة السكان المحاصرين حيث تكون المياه شحيحة. تعاني البلدين من انخفاض حاد في توافر المياه للفرد بسبب النمو السكاني, وآثار تغير المناخ، والاعتماد على المياه العابرة للحدود. يتأثر كلا البلدين بالمثل في نقص المياه, ولكن تختلف أستراتيجية الهجرة بسبب نقص المياه داخل البلدين وفيما بينها. تؤكد نتائج دراسة الحالة المقارنة الفرضية إلى حدٍ ما, حيث أن الهجرة الناجمة عن نقص المياه هي الأكثر بروزًا في البلد الأغنى وهي العراق و البلد الأفقر وهي مصر. تشير النتائج إلى أن العوامل الاقتصادية يمكن أن تفسر جزئيًا تباين الهجرة (على سبيل المثال إذا كانت تكاليف النقل مستطاعة أو إذا كانت الهجرة هو الخيار الأقل تكلفة). ومع ذلك, قد توجد تفسيرات بديلة معقولة للاختلاف. على سبيل المثال, يمكن أن تؤدي ديناميكيات الهجرة الإجمالية داخل البلدين, وإدارة المياه, وتصور الرفاهية في الموقع الجديد, والإعتماد على الشبكات الاجتماعية أو استراتيجيات المواجهة الأخرى إلى تضخيم الهجرة أو تخفيفها. والأهم من ذلك, لخصت الأطروحة إلى أنه من أجل تحقيق مجتمعات مستدامة للجميع, يجب إتخاذ المزيد من الإهتمام و ردة فعل عاجلة على تحسين حالة سكان الريف في المناطق التي تعاني من شح المياه للتخفيف من آثارها السلبية على سبل العيش للسكان

Water represents a natural resource that is essential for humanity and the environment. Therefore, the framework of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) seeks to combine social equity, ecological sustainability and economic efficiency for effective management of this critical resource. As the private sector is a major water user it represents an important stakeholder in sustainable water resources management. However, a quarter of countries reported a low level of private sector engagement in IWRM in the last SDG indicator 6.5.1 survey. Therefore, this thesis identifies obstacles to private sector engagement in IWRM and proposes interventions to improve the involvement of the private sector in water resources management. For this, it applies models for participatory approaches to the topic of private sector engagement. As water stewardship represents another approach for the private sector to get involved in sustainable water resources management, this concept is analysed as a possible alternative or complement to private sector engagement in IWRM. The first six expert interviews provided insight into general perspectives of the topic and then two case studies in Kenya (three interviews) and Viet Nam (five interviews) were used to understand private sector engagement in a country context. These case studies are further supported by secondary data from the SDG indicator 6.5.1 survey which analysed the degree of private sector engagement in IWRM across 171 countries. The research results suggest that topics of financing, innovation, the private sector’s convening power, its role as a major water user and its influence across the whole value chain represent opportunities of private sector engagement in IWRM, similar to the general benefits of participatory approaches. Furthermore, this research identifies several obstacles of which a lack of capacity, the complexity of the concept of IWRM, the complexity of government structures, data and information sharing, and a missing business case were considered the most important. For these topics, the thesis suggests several enabling factors that would improve private sector engagement. In the discussion, the relationship between IWRM and water stewardship is further explored as these two concepts can complement each other to provide new opportunities for private sector engagement. The research concludes that there is a need to redefine the concept of IWRM or to consider new approaches for sustainable water resources management to engage the private sector successfully.

Sustainability study in the ever-growing Information technology (IT) sector is an emerging interdisciplinary research field. As one essential element in this sector, the development and implementation of cloud-based autonomous vehicles have the great potential to bring convenience to society and are defined as the climate change mitigation strategy. For instance, autonomous vehicles are able to fully utilize the eco-driving systems to reduce carbon emissions and reach high energy efficiency. Previous studies have shown that cloud IT service, one of the critical technologies for autonomous vehicles, is likely to yield novelties and advantages to the IT industry and reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from other sectors. However, cloud services and their data center infrastructures consume plenty of electricity globally and cause GHG emission impacts. Robust methodologies to assess the environmental impacts related to cloud IT solutions are still lacking in academia and industry. In sum, there are knowledge gaps between empirical studies and general interest in software- supported and data-driven autonomous vehicles and their cloud service.  The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibilities and challenges connected to the assessment of the GHG impact related to cloud IT solutions in an autonomous vehicle set up. This study also aims to explore possible recommendations to reduce the GHG emission of cloud IT services. A qualitative in-depth case study is performed. The primary data is collected by semi-structured interview method, while the secondary data is collected by the scoping literature review method. The interviews are conducted with employees with different roles related to cloud services and/or sustainability at the case company.  The findings show the lack of transparent methodologies and calculation guidelines to assess cloud GHG emissions, both in the research community and industry. It shows the great opportunity and market demand for sound assessment methodologies and tools. Besides, six challenges to assessing cloud GHG emissions on the autonomous vehicle set up are identified: i) assessing system boundaries, ii) data quality and collection methods, iii) measurement methodologies, iv) calculation process, v) validation process, and vi) some other challenges. Additionally, five possible recommendations are developed to reduce the cloud GHG emissions: i) cloud GHG emission visualization and measurement tool, ii) better promotional schemes for user’s awareness and engagement, iii) investigations on both top-down and bottom-up approaches, iv) optimization through usage demand shaping, and v) optimization of the infrastructure services.

This paper examines current and suggested iterations of the climate finance architecture and potential risks in capital generation and delivery. Which is achieved via the construction of a literature review which aims to capture the main actors involved in the climate finance architecture. This is then contrasted to a post-keynesian and development economics synthesized framework focusing on liquidity preference, asymmetrical relationships and Minskyan financial instability. Utilizing data on current accounts, private capital flow instability and reserve asset accumulation we are able to show the explanatory power of our synthesized framework in explaining global capital imbalances and its impact on global financial flows and the impact on middle and low income countries. Using the insights gathered from our synthesized framework we then contrast it to the literature review, examining it for observable limitations in capital generation and delivery. In doing so a couple of things are noted, there are significant points of contention relating to capital generation and delivery in the climate finance architecture, potentially resulting in volatile asset prices and a negative impact on effective climate finance. Simultaneously it’s observed that climate finance is not catalytical for financial instability but a growing dependency and intertwining with conventional private financial flows may result in bouts of greater financial instability of climate finance assets. Lastly the paper affirms that there is a need to further examine the role and function of blended finance mechanisms.