Sveriges vägdiken och vägkanter är hem till många blommor och växtarter. Lupin-blomman Lupinus polyphyllus är en invasiv växtart som kom till Sverige under 1800-talet. Lupinblommans egenskaper gör att växten konkurrerar ut andra växtarter och negativt påverkar svensk biologisk mångfald. Naturvårdsverket och Trafikverket övervakar och hanterar lupinspridningen i Sverige. Det finns dock inget uppsatt digitalt system för övervakning utan myndigheterna förlitar sig mycket på inrapportering av lupinblommor. I denna studie utforskades metoder och parametrar för att med hjälp av GIS och klassificering identifiera lupinblommor med hjälp av högupplösta UAV-foton. Huvudmoment var att undersöka hur väl klassificeringsmetoderna random forest (RF) och maximum likelihood (MLC) identifierar lupiner, vilken flyghöjd för UAV och segmentering vid bildhantering som bör väljas. En tidsnotering på hur länge de olika metoderna tog att bearbeta för programmet utfördes även. Endast övervakad klassificering inom programmet ESRI ArcGIS Pro genomfördes. I studien användes rasterdata insamlad via två UAV längstseparata två vägsträckor på 200 m med flyghöjd från 10 till 120 m. Studien utfördes med segmenteringsparametrarna 1, 5, 10, 15 och 20 i spektrala detaljnivå över ett mindre testområde med 20 m flyghöjd. På dessa segmenteringar testades klassificeringsmetoderna MLC och RF. Baserat på resultaten ifrån dessa tester valdes en klassificeringsmetod ut och med denna utfördes tester på flyghöjd för att få fram var optimal flyghöjd låg. De flyghöjder som testades var 20 m, 50 m och 85 m. Vid varje processnoterades även tidsåtgången. Resultaten kontrollerades via Confusion Matrix och överklassificering för att identifiera den mest effektiva och noggranna metoden. Resultaten ifrån segmenteringen visade att metoden MLC generellt gav godast resultat med en överklassificering mellan +1 % och +3 % och noggrannhet på +90 %. RF gav resultat som låg på +1 % till +9 % överklassificering och noggrannhet var även här +90 %.Flyghöjdstesterna visade att 20m hade en noggrannhet på 97% och överklassificering på4,04 %. 50 m visade en noggrannhet 99 % och överklassificering på 8,17 %. 85 m hade noggrannhet på 53 % och överklassificering på 4,19 % Tidkontrollen visade att de objektbaserade metod var runt 33 % snabbare att utföra än pixelbaserad. Inga stora skillnader mellan klassificeringsmetoder hittades. Generellt visade resultaten att en objektbaserad MLC metod på 20 m gav godast resultat och går snabbast att utföra. Det är möjligt att 30 eller 40 m ger lika goda resultat men dessa höjder fanns ej tillgängligt att testa. Skillnaderna mellan klassificeringsnoggrannheter med RF och MLC var marginella. / Roadsides in Sweden are home to several different plant species. The lupine flower Lupinus polyphyllus is an invasive species originally from North America. Naturvårdsverket and Trafikverket are responsible for monitoring and handle lupine spread in Sweden. This study examined the use of GIS and aerial photos in lupine control and more specifically what parameters and classification methods that are suitable in identifying Lupinus polyphyllus. The two main classification methods were random forest (RF) and maximum likelihood classifiers(MLC). Other factors were the altitude of the UAV collecting the photos and what segmentation parameters were optimal for classification. Processing time when performing the different parameters and methods were also collected. The study used raster data from two drones with altitudes from 10 m to 120 m and the program used to perform these tests were ArcGIS Pro. The segmentation spectral detail levels tested were 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20, these were tested on a smaller area with a flight altitude of 20 m and both RF and MLC were tested on all detail levels. Based on these tests a classification method and segmentation parameters were chosen and tested on differing flight altitudes. These altitudes were 20, 50 and 85 m. A confusion matrix and overestimation of classes were used to determine accuracy and overclassification. Results show that supervised object-based MLC on a raster generated from a 20 m flight altitude gave generally the best results. In this case the accuracy was around 90 % and overclassification was around 1-3 %. Object-based classification was around 33 % faster than pixel-based classification but classification method did not alter the time any noticeable amount. However, it should be noted that a flight height of 30 or 40 m might give equally as good results as 20 m but those altitudes were not available for testing. It should also be pointed out that the difference between RF and MLC was not huge but the desired accuracy and over classification might be stringier depending on the needs of the user.

Ett av Sveriges 16 miljömål är ”Giftfri miljö”, vars målsättning är att förhindra att den biologiska mångfalden och människors hälsa hotas eller skadas genom utsläpp av kemiska ämnen i miljön. En aspekt som gör det svårt att uppnå detta miljömål är att utsläpp av potentiellt giftiga kemiska ämnen sker kontinuerligt. Lantbrukssektorn använder potentiellt giftiga ämnen för att skydda grödor och det har påvisats att flera växtskyddsmedel orsakar skador hos vattenorganismer. En källa till utsläpp inom lantbruket som inte fått stor uppmärksamhet är användning växtskyddsmedel, och sedermera hanteringen av det organiska avfallet, i växthusproduktion. Idag läggs avfallet i högar utomhus i direkt anslutning till växthusen där växtskyddsmedel riskerar att lakas ut vid regn. Mätningar gjorda i dessa högar visade att nedbrytning av de aktiva substanserna var mycket långsam, eller obefintlig.Olika behandlingsystem för bättre hantering av dessa restströmmar utvärderas och ett möjligt hanteringssystem är fluglarvskompostering. Fluglarvskompostering som avfallshanterings-system för växtrester från växthus har ännu inte utvärderats. Syftet med denna studie var att följa tio växtskyddsmedels öden vid fluglarverkompostering av växtrester från gurkproduktion, för att utröna om de aktiva substanserna återfanns i behandlingsresten (frasset), i fluglarverna eller om de bröts ned, samt om något av dessa ämnen bioackumulerades i fluglarverna. En behandling och två kontrollbehandlingar utvärderades: 1) med larver, enzymer och frass; 2) med enzymer och frass; 3) utan larver, enzymer och frass. I samtliga behandlingar analyserades koncentrationen av de aktiva substanserna innan och efter behandlingarna, samt i fluglarverna.För två växtskyddsmedel, Admiral 10 EC och Topas 100 EC, var nivåerna av de aktiva substanserna under detektionsnivån i de obehandlade växtresterna, medan den aktiva substansen i Diabolo inte bröts ner i någon av behandlingarna.De aktiva substanserna i sex växtskyddsmedel (Flexity, Floramite 240 SC, Nissorun SC, Prokinazid, Conserve och SWITCH 62,5 WG) bröts ner snabbare i fluglarvskomposteringen än i de två kontrollerna, där ingen nedbrytning skedde. De aktiva substanserna i Previcur Energy och Teppeki bröts ner i samtliga behandlingar, men nedbrytningen var något snabbare i fluglarvskomposteringen och kontroll 2, jämfört med kontroll 3.Ingen bioackumulation skedde i larverna, dock var koncentrationen av vissa aktiva substanser något högre i larvbiomassan än satt gränsvärde för nötkött, vilket skulle kunna försvåra användning av larver i djurfoder.Då de aktiva substanserna i de utvärderade växtskyddsmedlen bröts ner i högre utsträckning i fluglarvskompostering än i kontrollerna kan fluglarvskompostering anses vara en bättre hanteringsstrategi än nuvarande. Dock finns det andra försvårande omständigheter med fluglarvsbehandling av växtrester (låg effektivitet, svårt att sköra larver) som påvisar att detta inte är den mest lämpade behandlingen för denna restström. / One of Sweden's 16 environmental goals is a "Non-toxic environment” which aims at preventing biodiversity and human health from being threatened or harmed by chemical substances released into the environment. One aspect that makes it difficult to achieve this goal is that these potentially toxic substances are continuously released into the environment. Potentially toxic substances are used in agriculture to protect crops and various plant protection agents has been shown to cause damage to aquatic organisms if released into the water bodies. The use of plant protection agents in greenhouse production, as well as their handling the organic waste, has reached limited attention. Today, the waste is placed in piles outside the greenhouses, risking leaching of the plant protection agents during rainfall. Measurements in the piles showed that the degradation of plant protection agents in the piles was very slow or non-existing.To find a better solution to this problem, alternative management systems for this organic waste are being investigated. A management system being investigated is fly larvae composting, but the implementation of this treatment on plant residue from greenhouse production has to date not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the fate of the active substances of ten plant protection agents during fly larvae composting, by verifying whether they would be found in the treatment residues (frass), in the fly larvae or if they would degrade. In addition, bioaccumulation of the plant protection agents in the fly larvae was investigated. One treatment and two control treatments were explored: 1) with larvae, enzymes, and frass; 2) with enzymes and frass; 3) without larvae, enzymes, and frass. The active substances in the plant protection agents were analysed before and after the treatments and in the fly larvae.For two plant protection agents, Admiral 10 EC and Topas 100 EC, the levels of the active substances were below the detection limit in the untreated plant residues, while the active substance in Diabolo was not broken down in any of the treatments.The active substances in six plant protection products (Flexity, Floramite 240 SC, Nissorun SC, Prokinazid, Conserve, and SWITCH 62.5 WG) were degraded faster in fly larva composting than in the two controls, where no degradation occurred. The active substances in Previcur Energy and Teppeki were degraded in all treatments, but the degradation was somewhat greater in the fly larvae composting and control 2, compared to control 3.No bioaccumulation occurred in the larvae, although the concentration in the larval biomass for some plant protection agents was slightly higher than the limits set for beef, which could hinder the use of larvae in animal feed.Since many plant protection agents were degraded to a greater extent in fly larva composting than in the controls, fly larva composting can be considered a better management strategy than the current one. However, other compromising factors are associated with the treatment of plant residues using fly larvae (low efficiency, difficulty in harvesting larvae) that indicate that this is not the most suitable treatment for these waste streams.

Arctic soils contain a large fraction of our planets terrestrial carbon (C) pool. When tundra soils become warmer and permafrost thaws, non-native geoengineering earthworms can enter these soils and ingest organic matter accumulated over long timescales. Previous studies have found that earthworms increase mineralization rates of soil organic matter into carbon dioxide (CO2) when introduced. Yet, this initial mineralization boost seems transient with time and it has been hypothesized that earthworms stimulate the formation of persistent C forms. In this study, I investigated how non-native, geoengineering earthworms affected the relative proportions of seven carbon forms in the O and A1 horizon of tundra soil and if their effect induced a change in pH. I used Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to understand what happens to soil carbon compounds in two different tundra vegetation types (heath and meadow), that had been subjected to earthworm treatment for three summers. I found that O-aromatic C increased from 7.22% ± 0.24 (mean ± stderr) in the meadow soil lacking earthworms to 8.98% ± 0.30 in the meadow exposed to earthworms, and that aromatic C increased from 8.71% ± 0.23 to 9.93% ± 0.25. In similar, the result suggested that alkyl C decreased in this vegetation type from 20.43% ± 0.38 to 18.70% ± 0.25 due to earthworm activities. I found no effect on the chemical properties in the heath. I conclude that geoengineering earthworms affect the two vegetation types differently and that earthworms seem to enhance the accumulation of recalcitrant aromatic C forms.

A common driving mechanism of metamorphic processes, from which secondary mineralizations and structures develop in a protolith, is known to be a change of the immediate P-T environment that a rock resides in. A factor in this process, which is poorly understood, however, is how the presence of metamorphic fluids in a system, influences the alteration of primary igneous rocks. How these volatile solutions interact with the solid mediums of the crust is thereby a topic which requires further research to unravel.    Incidentally, an opportunity to study the result of these interactions, has presented itself in the southern part (59o80’92”N, 17o59’91”E) of Hågadalen-Nåsten nature reserve in Uppsala, Sweden. In this area, a green mineral assemblage, believed to belong to the epidote group, has been observed. This mineral is theorized to have formed as a result of fluid-rock interactions that have occurred in the region and is therefore a subject of interest. A detailed study of the origin of this mineral assemblage could possibly shed light on the finer aspects of the fluid-rocks interactions that have occurred, and also provide and account of the transport of fluids throughout the local bedrock. The aim of this project was to identify the minerology and formation process of this green mineral, which occupies the joints in a cliff of granitic composition. The determination of how and when this mineral assemblage formed is believed to grant a more in depth understanding of the metamorphic and metasomatic processes that have transpired at this location, in addition to providing an account of the fluid transport and fluid-rock interactions in the area.   Through fieldwork and sampling, combined with descriptions of the regional bedrock provided by SGU, the local lithology was determined. With this information, in addition to data collected from optic microscopy and an EMP analysis, the mineral was identified to be an iron rich epidote, showing signs of weak zoning. The formation of this secondary mineralization can be determined to be the result of the alteration of anorthite to saussurite (saussuritization of plagioclase) in addition to the direct precipitation of epidote from the liquid medium onto joint surfaces. Through the use of BSEM, it could also be determined that a majority of the fluids migrated through open fracture systems in the bedrock. / Förändringar av de tryck och temperaturregimer som bergarter befinner sig inom, har sedan länge varit en känd orsak bakom de metamorfa processer, ur vilket sekundära mineraliseringar och strukturer uppstår i protoliten. Något som inte är lika väl studerat är dock rollen som fluider spelar i dessa förändringsprocesser, samt hur dessa volatila lösningar interagerar med skorpans solida faser.   I södra delen av Hågadalen-Nåstens naturreservat (59o80’92”N, 17o59’91”E2) har dock möjligheten till att studera resultatet av dessa interaktioner uppstått. Detta då en grön mineralsammansättning troligen tillhörande epidot gruppen, har upptäckts, vars ursprung tros komma ur fluid- och bergarts interaktioner i området. En studie av detta mineral är därav av intresse, eftersom det skulle ge en inblick i hur dessa fluider har transporterats genom den lokala berggrunden, samt vilken påverkan dessa fluid-interaktioner har haft på områdets bergarter.   Detta projekt syftade mot att identifiera mineralogin samt bildningsprocessen av detta gröna mineral som fyller ut sprickor i en vertikal klippvägg, av överhängande granitisk karaktär. En utredning kring hur och när detta mineral har bildats tros kunna ge en fördjupad förståelse kring de metamorfa och metasomatiska processer som har ägt rum i närområdet, samt antyda hur dessa fluider har migrerat genom den tidigorogena berggrunden och vilken påverkan detta har haft på bergsmassivet.      Genom observationer och provtagning i fällt, samt en studie av SGU:s beskrivning av berggrunden i området 11I Uppsala NV, har de den lokala litologin samt de geologiska processerna som påverkat närområdet utretts. Denna information, i kombination med optisk mikroskopi och en EMP analys, användes för att fastställa mineralets kemiska karaktär och kristallsystemstillhörighet. Resultaten från dessa analysmetoder lade grunden för att identifiera mineralet som en järn-rik, svagt zonerad, epidot.       Troliga processer som har legat bakom bildandet av denna sekundära mineralisering bedöms vara omvandlingen av anortit till saussurit (saussuritisering av plagioklas) samt kristallisering av epidot direkt ur fluider som cirkulerat i området. Genom observationer av BSE bilder från tunnslip, fastställdes även att majoriteten av dessa fluider har transporterats genom redan befintliga spricksystem i berggrunden.

The maritime industry must deal with several challenges and difficulties to tackle climate change. Organisations and companies are pursuing strategies to decarbonize the operations and provide an efficient and sustainable model for the shipping sector that would not damage the natural environment. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the European Union have implemented a set of regulations to tackle the rapid increase of Greenhouse Gas emissions, researching and developing new marine fuel technologies. Decision-making processes have been usually used with the participation of several stakeholders, concluding on an eventual ranking of several alternatives. However, this master thesis assesses with the aid of a Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology, and the Distance To Target weighting scheme four marine fuels technologies. It takes into consideration science-based targets, especially the Planetary Boundaries framework and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with the overall goal to assess the robustness of the results and compare them with other conducted analyses. The final results shows that hydrogen is defined as the most sustainable fuel, based on 5 selected criteria, followed by ammonia, LBG and LNG. However, there are differences between conventional MCDA and current research’s results when it comes to the weighting of the sustainability criteria, which is based on assumptions that have been made during the analysis. More accurate data on marine fuel technologies, and specific science-based targets for the maritime industry would assist decision-making methodologies, leading to objective outcomes.

The thesis analyses the trend of value-added distribution over a span of 10 years, from 2011 to 2021, in the international supply chain of fast fashion products between manufacturers in Bangladesh and multinational fast fashion retailers in Sweden. Bangladesh has grown economically thanks to its ready-made garment sector and favorable policies for businesses and foreign investments. Meanwhile, fast fashion global brands profit by providing affordable clothing to consumers in Europe while allocating garment production to low-wage countries and imposing tight production timeframes. The purpose of the thesis is to analyze the value-added distribution in the international supply chain of fast fashion products between manufacturers in Bangladesh, multinational fast fashion retailers in Sweden and their workers as key stakeholders. Through this thesis, it is possible to notice the inequality between the wealth generated and the remuneration of the parties involved in the supply chain. The methodology involves multiple case studies and value-added analysis. The thesis has three case studies. In each one of them is included a Swedish retail company and a Bangladeshi garment manufacturer. The value-added analysis is carried out on the selected case study companies’ financial reports from 2011 to 2021. Analyzing the distribution of value-added is key from a social sustainability perspective as it directly impacts poverty levels, countries’ growth, health aspects and living conditions of a large part of the population. The results of the thesis are based on the value-added statement elaborations which entail data processing of the profit and loss statement of the annual reports of the companies selected over a span of ten years. The data collected includes an analysis of a total of 60 annual reports. The findings point to the stark inequality between the average monthly salary costs per worker between Swedish and Bangladeshi workers. The value-added distributed to workers in Bangladesh is slowly increasing however it might take a decade to significantly reduce the difference in remuneration between Swedish and Bangladeshi workers. The core point of the findings has proved that multinational companies’ margins are not significantly impacted if they were to factor in higher salary costs of supply chain workers in Bangladesh to ensure a higher living standard than the current one which is not sufficient for a decent standard of living. To conclude the thesis argues about the current lack of disclosure that fast fashion retailers provide to members of society in their sustainability reports and companies’ sustainability strategies. This is because there is an underlying lack of relevant, faithful, verifiable, understandable, and comparable information provided by companies.

Two prominent factors posing a major threat to biodiversity in marine ecosystems are climate change and the establishment of invasive species, and the interaction between these two. Because of the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water, the coast of Portugal is a thermal refuge and distribution edge for cold-adapted species, making it a particularly important study area from a biodiversity point of view. In this study I investigated the physiological tolerance to heat stress of six different native and co-occurring non-native marine species, red algae; C. crispus and G. turuturu, brown algae; S.polyschides  and U. pinnatifida,  and mussels ; X.securis and M.galloprovincialis,  in the intertidal  rocky coast of Portugal. Dynamic ramping assays with four different durations and intensity of thermal stress was conducted for each specie to determine a so-called thermal death time (TDT) curve and the thermal tolerance parameters CTmax (the temperature that will cause death within one min) and z (the decrease in thermal decay over time) for each specie. To compare the thermal tolerance between the native vs non-native species a linear mixed effects model was applied. This study found a significantly higher thermal tolerance to extreme temperatures expressed as the upper critical temperature CTmax in the invasive red algae G. turuturu and mussel X.securis compared to its native counterparts C.crispus and M.galloprovincialis. The study found no significant difference in the thermal tolerance expressed for the kelp species S. polyschides and U.pinnatifida which had a similar response to the heat challenge. The implication from these the findings for the coast of Portugal, could be that the invasive algae and mussel might better survive an extreme event such as a heatwave then the co-occurring native, while the invasive kelp species would respond in a similar way to the heat challenge. Hence the invasive capacity might depend more on the invasion window after a stressful event and on how well the native species recover from a heat stress. The findings from this study call for further conservation, restoration and monitoring efforts in this area given the biodiversity supported by the important intertidal marine native species. Furthermore, management to avoid spread of the invasive mussel into the Portuguese. coast and limit further increase in abundance of the invasive algae species. These results are highly relevant for projections on how further climate changes might affect the invasive and native species at the coast of Portugal.

Renewable energy development is breaking global records each year. European and national Swedish legislation target substantial portions of wind energy production by 2040. Sweden has ambitious objectives for wind energy, with plans to nearly triple its wind energy proportion in the next 17 years. However, expanding wind energy also requires using forest lands, which raises concerns for biodiversity and landscape fragmentation. The objective of this study is to determine the values impacted by wind energy development in the Swedish boreal forest to identify appropriate low-impact locations for the construction of Wind Turbine Generators (WTG). The study employs an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) to categorise potential areas for WTG deployment. Twenty-four input constraints are distributed into six categories and analysed in three stages, resulting in a suitability map and a numerical data output. The analysis conducted across six northern boreal counties indicates that significant parts of northern Sweden are unsuitable for wind energy development due to insufficient wind speeds and numerous water bodies. Cultural and botanical value areas further limit some areas' potential for wind energy development. The findings indicate that 25.85% of the northernmost six counties are viable for constructing wind energy facilities, surpassing the national target area for renewable energy by a considerable margin. The research indicates that forested boreal counties in Sweden provide significant potential for the sustainable development of wind energy, whilst preserving biodiversity and avoiding interference with faunal, societal, and cultural values.

In 2022 the Russian invasion in Ukraine marked a turning point for global politics. To loosen dependency on Russian gas, the German government came to an agreement with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the energy company RWE. They decided to extend the lifespan of two lignite-powered plants while simultaneously accelerating the phasing out of coal from 2038 to 2030. However, this decision required the destruction of Lützerath, a village located in the planned lignite mining area. It is therefore referred to as the Lützerath decision. It drew massive criticism from climate movements, scientists and thousands of individuals, who claimed that this decision marks the end of the Paris Agreement, is a reinvestment in coal and a betrayal of future generations. The responsible politicians justified their decision and countered the protestors claims, arguing for a success for climate protection. The decision went ahead and Lützerath was evicted and destroyed in January 2023. This study has performed a Critical Discourse Analysis of speeches, interviews and press statements by key German political decision makers involved in order to investigate how the Lützerath decision was argued for, and in what ways the Lützerath discourse contributed to a hegemonic position of the fossil fuel sector in Germany. The results identified two main narratives: (1) the narrative of an unambiguous necessity of the coal underneath Lützerath as an instrument to withstand the energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion; and (2) the narrative of the Lützerath decision as a big success for climate protection. Overall, I argue that the Lützerath decision has reinforced the hegemonic position of the fossil fuel industry and that the Lützerath decision has perpetuated carbon lock-ins in multiple ways. I concluded that the political discourse surrounding the Lützerath decision marks a instance for contemporary fossil fuel hegemony in Germany and stands in contrast to the urgent need for climate protection.

Freshwater scarcity leads to serious effects on the socioeconomic and commercial development of a country. The management of freshwater resources will be one of the most pressing issues of this millennium making it a catalyst for war and peace. Some of the most water-scarce countries in the world are small island developing states that are mainly supplied by freshwater through groundwater and rainwater due to their natural conditions. Small islands in the Eastern Caribbean are geographically prone to suffer from water scarcity due to their natural circumstances. Due to systematic failures, the small island developing state of Anguilla has few renewable freshwater resources. To meet the Sustainable Development Goals and respect Human Rights, Anguilla needs to invest in finding new ways of securing freshwater for its inhabitants. Leading technologies in the insurance of freshwater security are desalination, wastewater clearing and the import of freshwater. Three case studies of Kuwait, Cyprus and Singapore have been analysed as best practices as these countries are experienced and have sophisticated water strategies for dealing with water scarcity. The three technologies and the knowledge and practices from the case studies have then been applied to Anguilla. Due to the economic situation, Anguilla will most likely keep relying on freshwater imports but also on treating wastewater for irrigation and flushing uses to release stress on freshwater. The option of implementing a water conservation tax or fiscal subsidies would be an additional incentive for inhabitants and tourists to reduce water consumption and release stress on freshwater scarcity in Anguilla.