Sustainable living environment
Our living environment has a profound impact on our health. From clean air and green cities to sustainable agriculture: a healthy living environment contributes to a healthy life.
UG researchers explore how climate change, environmental pollution, and urban design affect our health.
Climate change harms health in Europe
Climate change is claiming an increasing number of victims in Europe. This is evident from the latest Lancet Countdown Europe, in which 64 researchers from 42 different countries map out the consequences of climate change for European public health.
The results of this third edition are published today in the journal Lancet Public Health.
Strategies to mitigate climate change also improve quality of life
Strategies aimed at mitigating climate change - such as using renewable energy or improving energy efficiency - not only reduce harmful emissions but can also enhance quality of life through benefits such as better health and lower energy costs. This is the conclusion of a recent study by environmental psychologist Linda Steg and her colleagues.
The researchers analysed data collected in eighteen countries and interviewed residents of Brazil, China, and the Netherlands.
Microplastic research - media hype or real danger?
Are microplastics really as harmful to our health as reports in recent years would have us believe? How many microplastics are actually present in the human body? In an article published by The Guardian on 13 January, scientists express their concerns about unfounded claims and conclusions about microplastics.
We asked Barbro Melgert, a microplastics expert at the UG, to interpret this message for us.
Microplastics are like boomerangs
As part of the measurement campaign Kleding Onder de Loep (Clothing Under the Microscope), Barbro Melgert assessed how much microplastic the inhabitants of Groningen disperse from their own clothes. By making people aware of their own role in the dispersion of microplastics, she is hoping to promote a healthier living environment.
Barbro Melgert is a Professor of Respiratory Immunology at the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy.
'We willen graag dat leerlingen milieubewuster worden'
As the effects of climate change become increasingly clear, it also becomes more and more evident that the younger generations will have to live with the consequences and make the right decisions to improve our climate.
And yet, while climate education is increasingly getting more attention nowadays, the effective tools and guidelines for this type of education are still largely non-existent. In a new M20 study, an interdisciplinary team of researchers will try to solve this problem by providing schools with a practical example of climate education.
Tim Huijgen, assistant professor of Social Studies Education initiated the new project together with Mohammad Gharesifard, assistant professor of Citizen Science, Joana Duarte professor of Educational Sciences, and Lucy Avraamidou, professor of Science Education.