Finnish Environment Institute

An empirically grounded modelling architecture for rapid ex ante policy evaluation

Circular economy (CE) transitions emerge from the interplay of heterogeneous consumer and firm behaviours, infrastructure dynamics, and policy interventions. However, the tools widely used to assess CE policy, e.g. LCA, MFA, and EEIO models, are static and cannot represent how ma...

Introducing citizen energy resilience: Evidence from Finland

This study examines citizen energy resilience (CER) as a sociotechnical construct. Responding to increasing disruptions driven by climate change, market volatility and geopolitical instability, this research conceptualizes CER as emerging from the dynamic interplay of technical s...

Persistence of Cyanobacterial Blooms Under Low-power Ultrasonication in a Deep, Mesotrophic, Stratifying Lake

Cyanobacteria are a natural component of aquatic ecosystems. However, when proliferating excessively, they can degrade water quality and restrict recreational use by forming harmful algal blooms (HABs). Consequently, there is growing interest in developing rapid HAB management te...

Distributional implications of selection into heating-system retrofit subsidies

As the shift away from fossil fuel-based heating systems has become a political priority in many countries, subsidies for energy renovation measures have emerged as popular policy tools to support an equitable energy transition. In this paper, we use high-quality administrative d...

A global framework to estimate urban spatial cycling patterns based on crowdsourced data

Cycling is a cornerstone of a sustainable mobility transition in cities. Cycling research depends on the data available, but it has been difficult to produce or access these data in comparable ways. Sports tracking platforms like Strava have been transformative in mass-tracking c...

MSP4BIO Deliverable 3.4: Ecological toolkit (ESE1) for MPAs prioritization and networking

The Ecological Toolkit (ESE1) was developed to support the design, establishment and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by improving decision-making processes, focusing on prioritisation of areas, integration of connectivity processes and assessment of human impacts on m...

MSP4BIO Deliverable 3.4: Ecological toolkit (ESE1) for MPAs prioritization and networking

The Ecological Toolkit (ESE1) was developed to support the design, establishment and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) by improving decision-making processes, focusing on prioritisation of areas, integration of connectivity processes and assessment of human impacts on m...

From frameworks to futures: health adaptation pathways across the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Abstract Effectively managing the rising health risks of climate change requires consideration of plausible adaptation pathways under a range of scenarios of changes in greenhouse gas emissions and socioeconomic development to systematically explore the solution space for climate...

Marine protected areas and maritime spatial planning integration dynamics across Europe

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) has emerged as a central governance tool to balance ecological, social, and economic uses of marine space, while Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) remain essential for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience. Effective integration of MPAs in...

Availability and representativeness of freshwater macroinvertebrate data to enable Europe-wide assessment of biodiversity trends

Freshwater ecosystems, though covering less than 1% of Earth's surface, harbor around 10% of all species. Pressures like pollution, water extraction, and habitat loss can exhibit complex interactions in their effects on freshwater biodiversity. Understanding the effects of these...

Marine pharmaceutical monitoring with POCIS: sampling rate uncertainty, and implications for regulation

Abstract POCIS passive samplers were deployed at differently polluted marine sites in the cities of Helsinki and Tallinn and in an open part of the Gulf of Finland. The aim was to determine baseline concentration levels for pharmaceuticals in water monitored with passive sampling...

Bridging foresight and transition theory: policy mixes for transforming Europe’s food systems

Abstract European food systems are central drivers of environmental degradation and diet-related health issues, while remaining highly vulnerable to climate, geopolitical, and economic shocks. Against this backdrop of polycrisis and governance complexity, this article develops an...