We studied the impact of simulated global change on a high alpine meadow plant community. Specifically, we examined whether short-term (5 years) responses are good predictors for medium-term (7 years) changes in the system by applying a factorial warming and nutrient manipulation to 20 plots in Latnjajaure, subarctic Sweden. Seven years of experimental warming and nutrient enhancement caused dramatic shifts in dominance hierarchies in response to the nutrient and the combined warming and nutrient enhancement treatments. Dominance hierarchies in the meadow moved from a community being dominated by cushion plants, deciduous, and evergreen shrubs to a community being dominated by grasses, sedges, and forbs. Short-term responses were shown to be inconsistent in their ability to predict medium-term responses for most functional groups, however, grasses showed a consistent and very substantial increase in response to nutrient addition over the seven years.

The non-linear responses over time point out the importance of longer-term studies with repeated measurements to be able to better predict future changes. Forecasted changes to temperature and nutrient availability have implications for trophic interactions, and may ultimately influence the access to and palatability of the forage for grazers. Depending on what anthropogenic change will be most pronounced in the future (increase in nutrient deposits, warming, or a combination of them both), different shifts in community dominance hierarchies may occur. Generally, this study supports the productivity–diversity relationship found across arctic habitats, with community diversity peaking in mid-productivity systems and degrading as nutrient availability increases further. This is likely due the increasing competition in plant–plant interactions and the shifting dominance structure with grasses taking over the experimental plots, suggesting that global change could have high costs to biodiversity in the Arctic.

About 400,000 premature adult deaths attributable to air pollution occur each year in the European Region. Road transport emissions account for a significant share of this burden. While important technological improvements have been made for reducing particulate matter (PM) emissions from motor exhausts, no actions are currently in place to reduce the non-exhaust part of emissions such as those from brake wear, road wear, tyre wear and road dust resuspension. These "non-exhaust" sources contribute easily as much and often more than the tailpipe exhaust to the ambient air PM concentrations in cities, and their relative contribution to ambient PM is destined to increase in the future, posing obvious research and policy challenges.This review highlights the major and more recent research findings in four complementary fields of research and seeks to identify the current gaps in research and policy with regard to non-exhaust emissions. The objective of this article is to encourage and direct future research towards an improved understanding on the relationship between emissions, concentrations, exposure and health impact and on the effectiveness of potential remediation measures in the urban environment.

To fulfil the global sustainable development goals (SDGs), achieving sustainable development is becoming urgent, not least in the transportation sector. In response to this, the sustainability framework Sustainability National Road Administrations (SUNRA) was developed to contribute to improving the sustainability performance of national road administrations across Europe. In the present study, the framework has been tested, applied and further developed to be applicable for target setting and follow-up at the project level at both the Swedish Transport Administration (STA) and at municipal levels. The aim was a framework relevant for investment, re-investments, maintenance and operation projects and also to make it more user applicable. The study also investigated how the framework can contribute to sustainability, identified drivers and barriers for applying the framework and examined whether the framework can be applied and adapted to projects of different complexities. The adaptations and developments were done in collaboration between researchers and practitioners. The results show that the framework could easily be used and adapted for investment, re-investment, maintenance and operation projects in the planning stage, as well as for small municipal establishments, construction or reconstruction of residential areas and frequent maintenance. The framework contributes to increased awareness on sustainability, and it provides a common structure and transparency on how infrastructure project goals/targets are set and fulfilled. The framework can also be applied to follow the fulfilment of the goals/targets and thereby adapt the project to better fulfil the goals. Identified barriers include the lack of obligations and lack of experience in using sustainability frameworks.

An emission inventory concerning volatile organic compounds (VOC) and their emission profile linked to their sources in Sweden has been undertaken. The inventory has been used in model simulations to predict the ozone formation from different emission source categories in Sweden. The studies have been carried out using the IVL photochemical trajectory model for two types of air masses which describes clean and polluted air. In Sweden mobile sources contribute to 45 % by mass of the total national VOC emissions, 58 % of the NOx emissions and to at least 43 % of the ozone formation from national sources. In general, the ozone formation in Sweden is more dependent and sensitive to emissions of NOx rather than VOC

This literature review concerns microplastics from tyre and road wear caused by road traffic. As there is limited knowledge about microplastics in general, and microplastics from road traffic in particular, the Swedish Government commissioned the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) to, during 2018-2020, develop and disseminate knowledge about microplastics from road traffic. The chapters in this report summarises existing knowledge about microplastics from road traffic with respect to the following aspects: sources, spread and presence; effects on and risk to the environment and human health; characteristics and chemical composition; tyre and road wear; sampling methods; analysis and sample preparation; and measures. The report also includes a chapter with overall conclusions, and a chapter about further research, development and investigation needs.

The purpose of this report is to provide a basis for reducing the generation and spread of microplastics from road traffic. One aim of the report is to collate and disseminate knowledge about microplastics generated by tyre and road wear, and to review the current level of knowledge. A second aim is to identify knowledge gaps and research requirements in relation to microplastics from road traffic. This literature review is based on a review of scientific articles and reports, as well as technical literature and some information from experts and industry.

This literature review concerns microplastics from tyre and road wear caused by road traffic. As there is limited knowledge about microplastics in general, and microplastics from road traffic in particular, the Swedish Government has asked the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) to, during 2018-2020, develop and disseminate knowledge about microplastics from road traffic. The chapters in this report summarises existing knowledge about microplastics from road traffic with respect to the following aspects: sources, spread and occurrence; effects on and risk to the environment and human health; characteristics and chemical composition; tyre and road wear; sampling methods; analysis and sample preparation; measures. The report also includes a chapter with overall conclusions, and a chapter about further research, development and investigation needs.

The purpose of this report is to provide a basis for reducing the generation and spread of microplastics from road traffic. One aim of the report is to collate and disseminate knowledge about microplastics generated by tyre and road wear, and to review the current level of knowledge. A second aim is to identify knowledge gaps and research requirements in relation to microplastics from road traffic. This literature review is based on a review of scientific articles and reports, as well as technical literature and some information from experts and industry.

SUNRA (Sustainability: National Road Administration) SUNRA is a decision support tool developed to be used in road projects by setting the level of ambition for different sustainability aspects and following up the work towards these in a structured way. 

This memo describes how to use SUNRA, followed by a chapter with suggestions on where in the planning process SUNRA can be used, followed by chapters presenting the themes and aspects that are considered within SUNRA and the underlying issues that constitute the result of the updates made in this version. 

In this version, SUNRA has also been sued against the global sustainability goals as well as the Swedish Transport Administration's interpretation of them in Målbild 2030. SUNRQ aims to use it to contribute to sustainable development with a higher level of ambition than just the legal requirements and other criteria that need to be taken into account. Therefore, for the aspects taken into account, minimum requirements for objectives are the legal requirements that exist and the Swedish Transport Administration's own objectives and policies

Sunra (Sustainability: National Road Administration) Sunra is the Swedish Transport Administration’s (STA) decision support tool developed to be used in road projects by setting the level of ambition for different sustainability aspects and following up the work towards these in a structured way. 

This memo describes how to use Sunra, followed by a chapter with suggestions on where in the planning process Sunra can be used, followed by chapters presenting the themes and aspects that are considered within Sunra and the underlying issues that constitute the result of the updates made in this version. 

In this version, Sunra has also been sued against the global sustainability goals as well as the Swedish Transport Administration's interpretation of them in Målbild 2030. SUNRQ aims to use it to contribute to sustainable development with a higher level of ambition than just the legal requirements and other criteria that need to be taken into account. Therefore, for the aspects taken into account, minimum requirements for objectives are the legal requirements that exist and the Swedish Transport Administration's own objectives and policies 

This memo is a compilation of the adaptation and update work made by Sunra version 2018-12-152 within the framework of sub-project 1.12 Sustainable analysis for smart maintenance in the program Mistra Inframaint. The update has been made to enable Sunra to be used both within investment, operation and maintenance projects. Updates have been made with respect to the aspects that are taken into account within the different Themes, within which Themes different aspects are taken into account and to match ongoing working methods within Investment and Operation and Maintenance at the Swedish Transport Administration. In the work on the update, exports from Operation and Maintenance and Investment have been involved.

Sunra (Sustainability: National Road Administration) is a decision support tool developed to be used in road projects by setting the level of ambition for different sustainability aspects and following up the work towards these in a structured way. 

This memo describes the results of continued development of Sunra adapted for local and regional infrastructure. The result is the prototypes Sulri (Sustainability Local and Regional Infrastructure) and Sulri-frequent. Sulri-frequent is intended to be used for more frequent projects, such as paving existing streets, and Sulri is intended for projects that are a little more complex such as rethinking or replanning such as improving for active travel, climate adaptation of an area or adapting a street, a place or an area to other needs, but Sulri can in principle also be used for more frequent or smaller projects. This report describes a first version of Sulri. The report shows how the tool should be used. Chapter 3 then presents the themes and aspects that are considered within Sulri. Appendix 2 gives the corresponding information for Sulri-frequent. Appendix 1 presents relevant documents and links for the different themes and aspects considered in Sulri.

Methodology for controlling circular mass handling in the Swedish Transport Administration is focused on elements that are carried out in the design phase. There is a lack of methodology for how indicators and key performance indicator can be transferred to the contractor. To improve requirements and incentives in contract procurements, requirements that are procurable and which can be followed-up must be developed. 

The purpose of this project is to, in a feasibility study, develop proposals for indicators and key performance indicators for procurement that can be used to set requirements and provide incentives that can be introduced in the Swedish Transport Administration's procurements to improve mass management, both in the planning of projects and in the actual execution. Future requirements and incentives should be able to be used in procurements and thus contribute to entrepreneurs working more circularly, sustainably and innovatively with mass handling than at present. The main purpose is that the procurement procedure should contribute to achieving the Swedish Transport Administration's goal: the infrastructure should be climate neutral by 2045. 

The work consists of an analysis based on international and national literature, mass management reporting and interviews. 

Based on the collected material, it appears that the regulations regarding excavated masses are not clear, and that the masses are classified as waste in most countries. This, in turn, leads to excavated masses not being recycled as much as is theoretically possible, nor as optimally as possible according to the value chain. To improve this, clearer incentives, indicators and key performance indicators are required, as well as accounting tools and guidance material from the Swedish Transport Administration. In this project, proposals for indicators and key performance indicators have been developed. In addition, an Excel based prototype for how several of these indicators can be reported both before a procurement and to be used to follow up and evaluate mass management in a project has been developed. The report also provides suggestions for continued work to develop the prototype for evaluating mass management at the project level and from a socio-economic perspective.

The urban environment is a complex structure with interlinked social, ecological and technical structures. Global warming is expected to have a broad variety of impacts, which will add to the complexity. Climate changes will force adaptation, to reduce climate-related risks. Adaptation measures can address one aspect at the time, or aim for a holistic approach to avoid maladaptation. This paper presents a systematic, integrated approach for assessing alternatives for reducing the risks of heat waves, flooding and air pollution in urban settings, with the aim of reducing the risk of maladaptation.

The study includes strategies covering different spatial scales, and both the current climate situation and the climate predicted under climate change scenarios. The adaptation strategies investigated included increasing vegetation; selecting density, height and colour of buildings; and retreat or resist (defend) against sea-level rise. Their effectiveness was assessed with regard to not only flooding, heat stress and air quality but also with regard to resource use, emissions to air (incl. GHG), soil and water, and people’s perceptions and vulnerability. The effectiveness of the strategies were ranked on a common scale (from −3 to 3) in an integrated assessment. Integrated assessments are recommended, as they help identify the most sustainable solutions, but to reduce the risk of maladaptation they require experts from a variety of disciplines.

The most generally applicable recommendation, derived from the integrated assessment here, taking into account both expertise from different municipal departments, literature surveys, life cycle assessments and publics perceptions, is to increase the urban greenery, as it contributes to several positive aspects such as heat stress mitigation, air quality improvement, effective storm-water and flood-risk management, and it has several positive social impacts. The most favourable alternative was compact, mid-rise, light coloured building design with large parks/green areas and trees near buildings.

Handböckerna om kulturmiljövärdenas för arbetet med miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar (MKB) för vägar börjar bli föråldrade och bör bytas ut. De konsulter som beskriver konsekvenserna för kulturmiljön i MKB är akademiskt skolade landskapsarkitekter och saknar utbildning i flera av de klassiska kulturmiljöämnena. Det är två slutsatser av föreliggande undersökning om kulturmiljö och MKB.

För att stärka kulturmiljövårdens intressen i MKB-arbetet föreslås:

• att Vägverket vid upphandlingen av MKB för vägprojekt ställer krav på kulturmiljöcertifiering avMKB-författaren,
• att kulturmiljövårdens organisationer tar fram bättre underlagsmaterial iform av regionalt anpassade beskrivningar av Sveriges kulturvärden och
• att det ges kurser och anordnas seminarier om kulturmiljöfrågor för konsulter

Syftet med studien var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning och på vilket sätt två handböcker om kulturvärden och MKB används av MKB-konsulter. Detta undersöktes i enkäter och intervjuer bland konsulter inom VV-regionerna Sydöst, Mälardalen, Skåne och Väst. Enkäten besvarades av 29 av de 34 tillskrivna konsultföretagen.

Arbetet avses utgöra ett hjälpmedel till Vägverkets arbete att nå de transportrelaterade miljömålen.

Uppföljning av miljökonsekvenser har blivit allt vanligare sedan 1995. Det ständigt pågående utvecklingsarbetet med uppföljning av miljökonsekvenser, vid Vägverket och Banverket, visar många positiva resultat. Bland annat har flera genomgripande uppföljningsprogram tagits fram för några vägobjekt, även om enstaka uppföljningsformuleringar i miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar (MKB) och arbetsplaner/järnvägsplaner fortfarande dominerar.

Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut (VTI) har studerat ca 70 uppföljningsarbeten, producerade under 1990-talet, huvudsakligen från 1996 och framåt. Materialet har eftersökts vid Vägverkets regionkontor Sydöst, Väst och Mitt samt inom hela Banverket. Det har varit svårt och tidskrävande att få tillgång till relevant material. För att underlätta eftersökningen har dessutom en rad initierade personer vid Vägverkets regionkontor kontaktats.

Några av de viktigare slutsatserna är att:

• det sedan 1995 har blivit vanligare med uppföljningsformuleringar, 
• uppföljning inte självklart omfattar såväl byggskede som tiden efter färdigställande,
• uppgifter om före-data är ovanliga,
• de vanligaste uppföljningsparametrarna är vatten, buller, djur och landskapsbild,
• mätmetoder sällan anges,
• kompetenskrav sällan anges,
• fastställda statistiska krav sällan anges,
• syftet med uppföljningen sällan anges, och att
• kommunikation med olika aktörsgrupper såsom allmänhet är en ovanlighet.

Det material som insamlats, även om det är magert, kommer att kunna användas som en utgångspunkt i såväl upprättande av en handbok för uppföljning i samband med MKB, som vid utvecklandet av ett informationssystem om uppföljning.

Modeling the impact of the use of chemical anti-/deicing on the roadside environment requires knowledge of the roadside exposure to salt, the vulnerability or dose-response relationship of the modeled environmental subjects and, preferably, the “cost” of the following impacts. The results presented in this paper are the first tentative test runs of the environmental sub-model of the Swedish Winter model. The environmental cost will in this case study be the cost for vegetation damage larger than a chosen accepted level of damage, and a cost for groundwater protection installations. The total environmental cost in this small case study will roughly be between 1.5 and 2.5 MSEK.

Microplastics from road traffic, mainly from tyre wear, are globally considered to be one of the largest sources of microplastic contamination in the environment. Plastics can either be deposited in the road vicinity, at the roadside and in ditches or spread via stormwater and air to the environment and receiving water bodies. In cold climates, microplastics, as well as other traffic-related pollutants, can be temporarily stored in snow and ice on and around roads and streets. The location and concentration of these pollutants is influenced by winter operations, where ploughing and skid control contribute to redistribution, and by melting and compaction of ice and snow. This creates reservoirs of microplastics and other pollutants, which are released into stormwater or surrounding soil during thaws, but also provides an opportunity to reduce the spread of microplastics by managing snow and ice appropriately. In the present report, a case study of microplastics in snow has been carried out in the municipality of Karlstad in Sweden, to get an idea of the potential variation, both in terms of concentration and total amounts in relation to traffic and the location of the sampling in the street environment. Microplastics have been analysed by pyrolysis GC/MS to identify tyre-specific polymers in combination with eight commonly occurring plastic types. In addition, six municipalities in different parts of the country responded to a questionnaire on microplastics in snow and urban snowmelt management. The results show that microplastics related to tyre wear (rubber polymers) tend to be present in higher concentrations on and near the carriageway. Other plastics show a less clear link to traffic. Along a salted bicycle lane, an elevated level of polypropylene, from which the brush of the sweep-salting machine is made, could be detected in the surface layer of the snow. In general, knowledge about microplastics in urban snow is low in the municipalities that responded to the survey.

The Swedish Transport Administration has stated that there is a need to develop the use of micro simulation models of fuel use and emissions of traffic that are used for transport planning. The aim of the project is to perform an evaluation of PHEM model to investigate conditions, opportunities and barriers to use it in transport planning. The following aspects have been assessed: License agreements, costs, rights, property issues; User friendliness; Content and calculation capabilities; Adjustment and development possibilities; Validation. Furthermore, simulation tests have been performed where fuel consumption and emissions of nitrogen oxide, nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulate mass and particle number has been calculated for roads with different road classes and for additional emissions and fuel use due to a vehicle stop. PHEM model is found to be relatively user-friendly, and with great opportunities to customize calculations. This makes the model complex, therefore it is recommended to start using PHEM with a short introductory course, even for used modellers. A conclusion of the evaluation is a recommendation to use PHEM for transport modelling. The database underlying the engine maps is constantly updated leading to more reliable emission calculations. The possibility to get a greater coherence in the calculations of the exhaust emissions of the different models that the Transport Administration advocate is also improved, which is a positive development. There are, also, some development possibilities that should be considered.

Rolling resistance is an important component for the calculation of vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. This report presents a possible method development for the emissions model PHEM to consider the effect of road surface characteristics on rolling resistance. With this development it is possible to have a more comprehensive application of PHEM. The importance of the road surface influence of fuel consumption has previously been done with the VETO model in which it is possible to specify road surface properties. Therefore, VETO is considered appropriate to analyse how road surface characteristics affect fuel consumption. PHEM does not offer the same possibilities. 

The four alternative methods explored in this report are: (1) change PHEM’s source code to include the same possibilities to consider road surface characteristics as VETO, (2) to externally, with another model, calculate rolling resistance and include it as input variable in PHEM, (3) substitute the rolling resistance model in PHEM with an equivalent model from VETO, and (4) use a reference case from VETO to PHEM and make additional corrections to the results obtained from PHEM by using VETO. The alternatives (1) to (3) change the rolling resistance model yet retain all the other parts from PHEM while alternative (4) requires additional simulations. Alternatives (3) and (4) do not require modifications to PHEM’s source code.

This review of the EU Commission’s “The Impact Assessment to Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system” has been commissioned by the Swedish Energy Agency. The result shows that the Commission’s assessment for the transport sector is defective. The background is that the EU has articulated an ambition to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions with 80 per cent to the year 2050, relative the level of 1990. The transport sector has hereby been given a target to reduce its emissions by 60 percent. The objective for the “Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area” is to propose a policy that attains this target. The review comprises a discussion about (a) the stated emission targets for the whole EU and for the transport sector from a cost-effectiveness perspective, (b) whether the Commission’s analyses are consistent and comprehensive, (c) the scope for designing more cost-effective policy packages, and (d) the need for additional assessments. The Commission’s assessment for the transport sector is defective. It is not sufficiently transparent for the reader to fully understand the results and their drivers. It is not possible to find a clear accounting for the carbon prices that are needed for attaining the 60 percent target level in the “price based” policy scenario. And, the reader is not given a clear presentation of the assumed dose-response relationships between R&D and emissions as well as physical planning and emissions. Furthermore, the assessment does not comprise all relevant cost components, resulting in that the analysis become examples with limited values. Perhaps most grave is the circumstance that the Commission proposes a policy package implying that the transport sector within the EU would meet a carbon price that lies substantially below the price level assumed for the rest of the world. In addition, the Roadmap defines a policy package that seems to contain several large investments/projects that not easily can be associated with the objective of reducing greenhouse-gases in cost-effective way. It is not difficult to construct more cost-effective policy packages. In some instances it is difficult to avoid the thought that the climate problem has been hijacked in order to motivate the implementation of projects or undertaking of investments that have only small effects on the emissions or even increase them. Thus, when it is time for the next evaluation of the EU’s transport policy the risk is substantial that we have to observe that the transport sector once again has developed along other lines than the one outlined in the White Paper for the transport sector.

Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of the major climate-change-related drivers of litter decomposition rates in cold northern biomes worldwide.

Leaf litters collected from the predominant species in 33 global change manipulation experiments in circum-arctic-alpine ecosystems were incubated simultaneously in two contrasting arctic life zones. We demonstrate that longer-term, large-scale changes to leaf litter decomposition will be driven primarily by both direct warming effects and concomitant shifts in plant growth form composition, with a much smaller role for changes in litter quality within species. Specifically, the ongoing warming-induced expansion of shrubs with recalcitrant leaf litter across cold biomes would constitute a negative feedback to global warming. Depending on the strength of other (previously reported) positive feedbacks of shrub expansion on soil carbon turnover, this may partly counteract direct warming enhancement of litter decomposition.

In a road simulator study, a significant source of sub-micrometer fine particles produced by the road-tire interface was observed. Since the particle size distribution and source strength is dependent on the type of tire used, it is likely that these particles largely originate from the tires, and not the road pavement. The particles consisted most likely of mineral oils from the softening filler and fragments of the carbon-reinforcing filler material (soot agglomerates). This identification was based on transmission electron microscopy studies of collected ultrafine wear particles and on-line thermal treatment using a thermodesorber. The mean particle number diameters were between 15-50 nm, similar to those found in light duty vehicle (LDV) tail-pipe exhaust. A simple box model approach was used to estimate emission factors in the size interval 15-700 nm. The emission factors increased with increasing vehicle speed, and varied between 3.7 x 10(11) and 3.2 x 10(12) particles vehicle(-1) km(-1) at speeds of 50 and 70 km h(-1). This corresponds to between 0.1-1% of tail-pipe emissions in real-world emission studies at similar speeds from a fleet of LDV with 95% gasoline and 5% diesel-fueled cars. The emission factors for particles originating from the road-tire interface were, however, similar in magnitude to particle number emission factors from liquefied petroleum gas-powered vehicles derived in test bench studies in Australia 2005. Thus the road-tire interface may be a significant contributor to particle emissions from ultraclean vehicles. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Urban environments are challenged with a plethora of wicked problems in the face of rapid urbanization and land use change, not least natural capital degradation and widespread land and water contamination. Brownfields, under-used sites with real or perceived contamination, are significant urban and peri-urban land resources which, with well-designed remediation and management strategies can address these concerns. Gentle remediation options (GRO) are scalable nature-based techniques which provide significant opportunities for multi-functionality: managing risks posed by contaminants and at the same time enhance ecosystem services (ES) by improving the soil ecosystem in a low-impact, cost-effective manner. GRO align with an increasing interest in taking a holistic view on soil and land management to protect and improve the soil ecosystem for direct human benefit in the form of ES as well as for its indirect, intrinsic value as a haven for biodiversity. This short review aims to present a synthesis of ideas to raise awareness for urban planners about GRO techniques as nature-based solutions which can promote green infrastructure in the urban environment. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Gentle Remediation Options (GRO) are remediation measures involving plants, fungi, bacteria, and soil amendments that can be applied to manage risks at contaminated sites. Several studies and decision-support tools promote the wider range of benefits provided by GRO, but there is still skepticism regarding GRO implementation. Key issues that need to be better communicated are the various risk mitigation mechanisms, the required risk reduction for an envisioned land use, and the time perspective associated with the risk mitigation mechanisms. To increase the viability and acceptance of GRO, the phytomanagement approach implies the combination of GRO with beneficial green land use, gradually reducing risks and restoring ecosystem services. To strengthen the decision basis for GRO implementation in practice, this paper proposes a framework for risk management and communication of GRO applications to support phytomanagement strategies at contaminated sites. The mapping of the risk mitigation mechanisms is done by an extensive literature review and the Swedish national soil guideline value model is used to derive the most relevant human health exposure pathways and ecological risks for generic green land use scenarios. Results indicate that most of the expected risk mitigation mechanisms are supported by literature, but that knowledge gaps still exist. The framework is demonstrated to support the identification of GRO options for the case study site given two envisioned land uses: biofuel park and allotment garden. A more easily understandable risk management framework, as proposed here, is expected to act as a communication tool to educate decision-makers, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders for better understanding of risk mitigation mechanisms and preliminary timeframes of various GRO, particularly in the early stages of a brownfield redevelopment project. © 2021 The Authors

This project included three different studies with a view to providing an in-depth understanding of user needs and attitudes to alternative fuels and vehicles, such as: battery electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles and cars using biogas. In addition the studies also examine attitudes to cars in general and climate change as well as exploring likely prospects for such cars in the future. The studies used three different methods; focus group, survey and interviews. The focus groups included six people, the survey 487 randomly selected road users and the interview study nine different stakeholders from government agencies, industry, branch organizations and the media. The results show that when purchasing a car safety and reliability are more important than the emission of CO2. The perception of cars powered by alternative fuels (electric, fuel cell, biogas), does not differ markedly. The price people are willing to pay for such a car is significantly lower than what these cars cost at present. In general, it could be argued that consumers want a car powered by alternative fuels to be similar or better than, a conventional car. The interview study also shows that politicians have an important role to play in the development of alternative fuels and the related infrastructure. According to the interviewees, the biggest challenge is not the technology, but rather how to provide an infrastructure for these vehicles. The industry is an important player who is willing to invest if the business can be profitable. Long-term is a keyword and is mentioned both in terms of policy instruments and information dissemination. In the latter case, since studies show that there are large gaps in the overall knowledge and understanding by the general public as well as considerable distrust of information presently available. Finally, the results also shows the need for a holistic approach where the focus is not only on fuel, but also on the development of attractive and accessible cities which reduce transport demand and provide for increased transport efficiency.

Byggtransporter står för en betydande andel av CO2-utsläppen i byggprojekt (ca 10%) och en bättre logistik leder till lägre utsläpp, mindre trängseleffekter och lägre kostnader. Projektet Fossilfri Bygglogistik, finansierat av Trafikverket genom Triple F, har 2019-2021 studerat potentialen i att minska utsläppen från byggtransporter med förbättrad logistik baserat på ett systemsynsätt. Projektet har utgått från tre frågeställningar: (i) Vad är potentialerna med samordnad bygglogistik och vad krävs för att hämta hem dessa? (ii) Vilka metoder/lösningar är användbara för att nå målet om fossilfrihet? (iii) Vad är rollfördelningen mellan aktörer. som är delaktiga i ett bygglogistiksystem, och behöver den förändras för att uppnå fossilfrihet; Transportation accounts for about 10% CO2-emissions caused by construction projects and improved logistics leads to lower emissions, less congestion and lower costs. The project Fossil Free Construction Logistics, financed by the Swedish Traffic Administration through Triple F, has between 2019 and 2021 studied the potential of reducing the emissions from construction transports, through improved logistics, based on a systems view. The project has worked with three main questions: (i) What are the potentials of coordinated construction logistics? (ii) What methods and solutions are suitable to reach the goal of fossil free construction logistics? (iii) What actors are part of the construction logistics system and what can these do to decrease the emissons from construction logistics?

Implementation of regulatory standards has reduced exhaust emissionsof particulate matter from road traffic substantially in the developed world. However,nonexhaust particle emissions arising from the wear of brakes, tires, and the roadsurface, together with the resuspension of road dust, are unregulated and exceedexhaust emissions in many jurisdictions. While knowledge of the sources ofnonexhaust particles is fairly good, source-specific measurements of airborneconcentrations are few, and studies of the toxicology and epidemiology do not givea clear picture of the health risk posed. This paper reviews the current state ofknowledge, with a strong focus on health-related research, highlighting areas wherefurther research is an essential prerequisite for developing focused policy responses tononexhaust particles.

Sources of airborne particulate matter and their seasonal variation in urban areas in Sub-Saharan Africa are poorly understood due to lack of long-term measurement data. In view of this, filter samples of airborne particulate matter (particle diameter ≤2.5 μm, PM_2.5) were collected between May 2008 and April 2010 at two sites (urban background site and suburban site) within the Nairobi metropolitan area. A total of 780 samples were collected and analyzed for particulate mass, black carbon (BC) and 13 trace elements.

The average PM_2.5 concentration at the urban background site was 21±9.5 μg m⁻³, whereas the concentration at the suburban site was 13±7.3 μg m⁻³. The daily PM_2.5 concentrations exceeded 25 μg m⁻³ (the World Health Organization 24 h guideline value) on 29% of the days at the urban background site and 7% of the days at the suburban site. At both sites, BC, Fe, S and Cl accounted for approximately 80% of all detected elements. Positive matrix factorization analysis identified five source factors that contribute to PM_2.5 in Nairobi, namely traffic, mineral dust, industry, combustion and a mixed factor (composed of biomass burning, secondary aerosol and aged sea salt).

Mineral dust and traffic factors were related to approximately 74% of PM_2.5. The identified source factors exhibited seasonal variation, apart from the traffic factor, which was prominently consistent throughout the sampling period. Weekly variations were observed in all factors, with weekdays having higher concentrations than weekends. The results provide information that can be exploited for policy formulation and mitigation strategies to control air pollution in Sub-Saharan African cities.

High levels of air pollution are a common problem in both road and railroad tunnels. Sources and emission processes however differ significantly, as reflected by aerosols physical and chemical properties. As particle concentrations and properties affect exposure of and health effects for people on platforms and in vehicles, effective ways to reduce emissions and exposure are important. This study aims to improve the knowledge of the differences between PM10 in the rail and road tunnel environments, their sources and the possibilities to address problems with high particulate levels. Measurement campaigns were carried out at Arlanda Central, a railroad tunnel station below Arlanda airport and in Söderleden road tunnel, a road tunnel in central Stockholm.

The results show large differences in concentration levels, size distributions and in composition of the particles. The railroad tunnel aerosol consisted of coarse particles with high iron content, while the properties of the coarse particles in the road tunnel were strongly influenced by whether the road surface was wet or dry. In wet conditions, concentrations were relatively low and iron and sulfur dominating elements, while silicon, potassium, calcium and iron from suspension and road wear dominated during dry conditions. The content of elemental carbon, most likely from the pantograph, were unexpectedly high in the railroad tunnel. An older type of train with a large proportion of mechanical brakes were suggested to be responsible to the main particle emissions in the railway tunnel. The report concludes with a discussion and proposals for action against particle sources in the various underground environments.

Under slutet på 90-talet genomfördes mätningar av luften partikelhalter i sex svenska städer där syftet var att studera vilka halter som förekommer i gatu-, respektive taknivå och studera partiklarnas ursprung (Areskoug m. fl. 2001). Något förvånande visade det sig att den tydligt dominerande källan till partiklar i gatunivå under vinterhalvåret då halterna är som högst, inte är avgasrelaterade partiklar utan härrör från slitage av vägbana, däck och bromsar. Slitage av vägbanan orsakad av dubbdäcksanvändning bidrar mycket starkt till partikelhalterna, men även vintersandningen är en bidragande orsak. Den nyvunna kunskapen om slitagepartiklarnas betydelse för partikelhalterna kräver ökad kunskap om vilka faktorer som styr bildningen, om partiklarnas egenskaper, om deras eventuella betydelse för hälsoeffekter och om vilka åtgärder som kan bidra till att sänka bidraget.

Projektet WearTox är ett av de första som Vägverket initierade för att fylla dessa kunskapsluckor. Projektet har utförts av VTI i samarbete med Lunds universitet och Linköpings universitet.

Syftet med projektet har varit att studera den toxiska potentialen hos slitagepartiklar från beläggning och däck hos exponerade mänskliga luftvägsceller. slitagepartiklarnas fysikaliska, kemiska och morfologiska egenskaper. Under arbetets gång tillkom önskemål om karaktärisering av ytterligare kombinationer av däck vägbana och även från försök med sandad vägbana. Dessa tilläggsbeställningar inkluderade dock inte toxikologiska studier utan begränsade sig till karaktäriseringen av partiklarna.

Since 2011, Stockholm City has been working to reduce the impact of road dust through improved and specific street operations to reduce particulate levels in the air. Since its inception, effects on dust load and air quality have been investigated by VTI and SLB-analys at the Environmental Management in Stockholm. Specific measures have mainly included dust binding with calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) and vacuum cleaning with a Disa-Clean sweeper. The air quality measurements show that the environmental quality standard for PM10 is maintained for the fourth year in a row in Stockholm, which is partly due to operational measures. Additional daytime dust binding could be shown to lower the daily average PM10 concentration by 6%, while blockwise CMA treatment could not be shown to have any clear effect. Road dust load, measured as DL180 (road dust less than 180 μm), tend to have increased slightly compared to the previous season, especially in between the wheel tracks. The repaving of Folkungagatan has resulted in heavily increased dust load levels, but also lower PM10 levels than previous seasons. Evaluation of the possibilities for optimizing dust binding shows that several days with exceedances in autumn are missed, while several days in January are treated with CMA without an actual need to reach the limit value. Higher precision with forecast-based measures is needed to further optimize the efforts.

Föroreningar i järnvägsmiljön är dels förknippade med trafikens mer eller mindre diffusa utsläpp, dels mer påtagliga föroreningar, förknippade med behandling av banvallar för att till exempel förhindra att syllar ruttnar och att banvallen växer igen. Under senare år har partikelbildningen från tågtrafik särskilt uppmärksammats, främst då i tunnelmiljöer där halten av inandningsbara partiklar (PM10) visat sig kunna vara mycket höga.

Föreliggande rapport är en internationell litteraturstudie med syftet att sammanställa och syntetisera befintlig kunskap om källor till, spridning av och åtgärder mot järnvägens föroreningar, samt att utifrån denna diskutera åtgärders effektivitet. Studien tar inte upp punktutsläpp i samband med olyckor och fokuserar generellt på eldriven järnvägstrafik.

De viktigaste järnvägsrelaterade föroreningarna identifieras som inandningsbara partiklar, bekämpningsmedel, PAH:er och metaller. Förutom en genomgång av kunskapsläget kring dessa föroreningar har ett antal kunskapsluckor inom området identifierats. Mer övergripande studier av järnvägens föroreningar och hur deras spridningsmönster ter sig i luft, mark och vatten saknas helt i litteraturen. För vattenrecipienter och andra känsliga miljöer som kan påverkas av järnvägens föroreningar eller för järnvägssträckor där emissionerna kan förväntas vara betydande är sådana studier befogade. Studierna skulle kunna ge en bild av hur emission, spridning och exponering i olika medier hänger samman. En viktig kunskapslucka är bildning, egenskaper och eventuella hälsoeffekter av partiklar från järnvägstrafik. Inandningsbara partiklar i vår omgivningsluft bedöms idag som ett av våra viktigaste hälsorelaterade miljöproblem. Ökad kunskap om järnvägens bidrag till halter och hälsoeffekter i olika miljöer samt vilka åtgärder som kan vidtas för att minska bidraget är därför central.

Measurements of air quality (PM10 and NOx (NO and NO2)) were made during the period 2013-03-16 to 2014-03-26 at TestSite E18, situated along the E18 highway between Västerås and Enköping. At TestSite E18 continuous measurements of traffic (eastbound direction) and meteorology are made. On the site, optical equipment for measuring road wetness was used during the campaign. The main purpose of the surveys is to create a data base for a highway traffic environment, which can be used for modeling air quality and calculation of exposure and health effects at a later stage. The results show that the concentrations do not exceed the relevant EQS. PM10 and NO2 are highest during the spring and autumn and lower in the summer period. The correlations between PM10 and nitrogen oxides are high in spring, low in summer and moderate in autumn and winter, suggesting that the summertime sources for PM10 at TestSite E18 are essentially others than traffic. Road surface moisture reduces PM10 levels strongly during spring when road dust is a major particle source. On a daily basis nitrogen dioxide and PM10 concentrations follow traffic variation, but with a clear secondary minimum at midday for nitrogen oxides. TestSite E18 generates large amounts of traffic and meteorology data, which can be used to analyze the correlation between these factors and air pollution at the site, and provide appropriate data for input to as well as validation of emission models.

Since 2011, Stockholm has made special efforts to reduce PM10 levels in the city. The efforts mainly include dust binding with CMA (calcium magnesium acetate) and vacuum suction with a powerful dry vacuum suction machine. This report summarizes effects on particulate matter and road dust storage, as the actions taken by Stockholm City during the 2015–2016 season and discusses how measures can be further improved. The limit value for the environmental quality standard was not exceeded for the 2015–2016 season for the third consecutive year, but the number of days with PM10 levels over the environmental quality standard was higher than in the previous season, which had a record low number of exceedances. The evaluation of daytime dust binding was complicated by the fact that the CMA was also used on the reference street, which caused to much uncertainties to provide quantitative analysis of its effect this season. Block-wise dust binding and vacuuming could not be evaluated due to dust contamination from a construction site. The dust load on the streets varies from a few g/m2 to about 250 g/m2 depending on the street and season and is highest during the winter (Dec–Jan). A trend towards lower dust loads is broken this season on several streets, which may be due to the damper streets in spring. Analyses made on the connection between dust load, PM10 and impacting factors, as well as a condition-based calculation method suggests that dust binding in spring is important for keeping the levels down, while dust binding in autumn and winter is more often “unnecessary” (the levels would probably not have exceeded the limit value also without dust binding).

Sweden is exceeding the limit values in the EU air quality directives and an important cause is the high concentrations of inhalable particles (PM10) that occurs during winter and spring. Wear of road pavements and winter operation like sanding are important sources for these high concentrations. The city of Stockholm has the largest air quality problems due to many badly ventilated street canyons with high traffic flows. Since 2011 an intensified mitigation work is intended to reduce PM10 concentrations. In this work, some streets are used as test streets for different measures and the resulting PM10 concentrations are compared to concentrations on un-treated reference streets. The results of the season 2011–2012 showed that dust binding with CMA (calcium magnesium acetate) was the most effective measure, while cleaning with an advanced sweeper with vacuum, could not be proven to give any reducing effects on PM10. The trials have been extended with two more test sites during the season 2012–2013, presented in this report. The reason for this was to be able to evaluate a new kind of vacuum sweeper, which does not use water and therefore can be used also during sub-zero conditions. The results show that dust binding with CMA is still the most effective method to reduce high PM10 concentrations resulting from road dust suspension and that the effect can be seen also the day after treatment. Cleaning the streets with the new vacuum cleaner could not be shown to give a significant reduction of PM10 concentrations, even though samples showed that the machine actually picked up fine particles. As during the previous season, the amount of road dust has been sampled and analyzed. The road dust depot increases during winter and reaches a maximum in early spring but is very low in the beginning and at the end of the winter season. This shows the importance of pavement wear and winter operation measures for the road dust depot. The dust binding effect is reflected in higher dust amounts with finer particle size distributions on the treated streets. As CMA might give reduce friction, friction measurements were performed, but no friction problems could be detected. Road surface texture was detected and this indicate that texture is an important parameter for the size of the road dust depot and therefore also for the dust suspension potential.

Several Swedish cities have problems with complying with the environmental quality standard for inhalable particulate matter in air (PM10). Stockholm has a number of problematic traffic environments with narrow street canyons and high traffic flows, where the limit values are exceeded practically every year. An important source for PM10 is road dust forming from wear of road pavements and use of winter sanding. Different measures have been tested to mitigate the particle concentrations but to reach the limit values, no single measure is enough, but needs to be combined. During the winter 2011–2012, the city of Stockholm has tested a combination of measures, including dust binding with CMA, powerful street sweeping and street flushing with water to, if possible, reach the PM10 limit values. During the season, 31 applications of CMA, 25 road sweepings and 42 road flushes, were conducted. The results show that the number of PM10 directive exceedances on both streets were considerably fewer than on the reference streets. The single measure having a significant effect, though, was dust binding with CMA, while sweeping and flushing did not reduce PM10 concentrations. The road dust depot increased during the winter months on the test streets and reached a maximum in March, during the most intense dust binding efforts. An obvious relationship between road surface texture and road dust depot could be identified. The ion content on the street surfaces reflected the use of road salt (NaCl) and CMA

During the last years it has become evident that wear particles from road pavements, tires, brakes, and road maintenance strongly contribute to episodes with very high concentration of inhalable particles (PM10) in outdoor air. These episodes normally occur during dry periods in winter and spring when accelerated wear and particle production occurs due to the use of studded tires and winter gritting. A lot of new knowledge about wear particles is needed in order to develop cost-efficient measures to deal with them. A great advantage is the possibility to study aerosols from each source both separately and in different combination in a controlled environment. At VTI (Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute) a road simulator, previously used for pavement and tire wear studies, is used as a wear particle generator. Measurements of PM10 in the road simulator hall have been used to study the influence of pavement properties, tire type, and vehicle speed on pavement wear. In several cities in Sweden, different winter maintenance chemicals (e.g., calcium magnesium acetate and magnesium chloride) have recently started to be used as dustbinders in springtime in order to abate the dust problem. Also other measures aiming at abating road dust concentrations are under way, including reduced studded tire use and speed reductions. In this paper compilations of results from several recent research projects and field case studies will be presented. Different pavements, tires, winter maintenance abrasive material, as well as measures like reduced studded tire wear and chemical dustbinding are discussed.

Operating methods against high particle concentrations caused by road dust in street and road environments have for a long time been evaluated in ordinary street environments. However, the results are often relatively difficult to interpret due to the impact of meteorology and extensive interference from other particle sources than the particular street being studied. To move forward with more detailed studies of methodology and strategy and to get more easily interpreted results, the studies can be moved into road tunnels. These have a more controlled environment with small meteorological variations and a clear and completely dominant particle source - the traffic. The project “Evaluation of techniques and strategies for dust-minimized road and street operations in tunnel environments” was intended to evaluate different variants of dust-minimizing measures in the Södra länken tunnel in Stockholm, Sweden, with a focus on dust binding strategies and cleaning. Due to safety reasons, test of different dust binding strategies could be performed, why the project focused only on cleaning. In the present report, the results from two evaluations are presented; one carried out in January, when the particle sources are strong and the dust load large, and one in June, when the sources are weak and the dust load small. In January, first, the so-called super vacuum cleaner and then Disa-Clean cleaned, and in June the machines cleaned in reverse order. To evaluate the effects, VTI’s road dust sampler WDS II and air quality data from the measuring station in the tunnel where the tests were performed were used. The results show that the dust supply is reduced more in the combination in January, i.e. by high-pressure washing followed by vacuum suction, than vice versa, as in June. Although PM10 data are more difficult to interpret, there are indications that the levels in January decreased somewhat, while the levels in June rather increased after the cleaning effort. The result that high-pressure washing followed by vacuum suction works well for cleaning away road dust is confirmed by similar studies conducted in Norway with the same evaluation techniques.

Microplastics from road traffic are mainly caused by tyre wear, which is globally considered to be one of the largest sources of microplastics. Tyre wear particles have been shown to occur in all media (road surface, air, soil, stormwater, lakes and rivers and coastal sediments) and are dispersed both by runoff and by atmospheric transport. To reduce the dispersion and possible effects of road traffic microplastics emissions, measures can be taken to prevent the formation of particles and to prevent their dispersion through treatment measures. This study focuses on street cleaning as a method to reduce emissions, but as many street cleaning methods are based on the use of plastic brushes, cleaning as a source of microplastics has also been considered. The study was carried out in collaboration with the municipality of Karlstad and included a review of how street cleaning is carried out in Karlstad in relation to uptake and dispersion of microplastics. 

Furthermore, a comparison between two cleaning machines (elevator and vacuum) has been made and a monitoring of microplastic amounts on the road surface during different phases of spring sweeping has been carried out. In order to estimate the amount of plastic torn from the brushes, weighing of the brushes has been carried out. In order to gain knowledge about the work of more municipalities on street sweeping from a microplastic perspective, a questionnaire study was sent out to six municipalities in different parts of the country. The results show that both cleaning machines have the capacity to reduce the amount of microplastics on the road surface. However, during spring sweeping, the amount of polypropylene (the most common plastic in the brushes) on the road surface increases. The distribution of analysed plastics differs significantly between the road surface and the material collected by the machines. This is thought to be due to the fact that the machines mainly collect coarser fractions, while finer fractions remain on the road surface. Knowledge of, and thus consideration of, microplastics in relation to operational measures such as street cleaning is currently low among the municipalities surveyed, but awareness exists, as does the need for support in implementing possible measures. 

The present study shows a complex problem picture and represents a first step in understanding how street cleaning can be used as a measure, but also indicates that the wear of plastic brushes leads to a net emission of microplastics.

Som en del i projektet ”Effektsamband för vägtransportsystemet – kartläggning av användning samt uppdatering av effekter för tätort” har en enkätstudie genomförts. Syftet med enkäten var att kartlägga användning och behov av effektsamband i tätorter med ett speciellt fokus är på Trafikverkets publikationsserie Effektsamband för vägtransportsystemet.

Enkätens målgrupp var personer som arbetar med trafikåtgärder i tätort i kommuner, kommunala bolag, statliga verk eller myndigheter, privata företag och på högskola/universitet. Den omfattande enkäten besvarades av drygt 500 personer, varav vardera ca 40 procent hade sin arbetsgivare i någon kommun eller i privat företag.

Sustainability discourse offers a plethora of perspectives on the type of change needed to ensure a just development within planetary boundaries, and how that change could come about. Calls for radical transformations nonetheless under-line the need to examine prevalent discursive structures in society, including challenging the ‘ideology of growth’, in order to formulate new and trans-formative policy approaches. Based on empirical insights as to how different actors – including grassroots, planners, officials and politicians – in Sweden perceive the transformations needed to reach sustainability goals, this paper explores how narratives of change reproduce, make use of or show cracks in the eco-modern sustainability paradigm. © 2021, White Horse Press. All rights reserved.