Swedish researchers have launched a scathing attack on the scientific credentials of an international advisory body on biodiversity, warning that its effectiveness is being undermined by the increasing dominance of politicians and professional negotiators. Their concerns about the work of the scientific body that advises the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are widely shared, the convention's own executive secretary, Ahmed Djoghlaf, has told Nature.

Renewable Energy Credits/Green Certificates (RECs) is a policy instrument which provides evidence that an electricity generator has produced a certain quantum of power from a renewable energy source.

Hart Energy Publishing's International Fuel Quality Center recently released a ranking of the top 100 countries based on sulfur limits on on-road diesel. Sweden was found to be at the top of the ranking, followed by Germany and Japan, being sole position-holders of second and third place, respectively.

The capacity of countries to take advantage of the patent system bears a relationship with their stage of development. This paper explores the relationship between economic development and domestic and foreign patenting behaviour. The study uses a unique data set covering 55 countries and 24 years. It determines the association of domestic patenting with gross domestic product per capita and openness to trade, and the association of foreign patenting with these variables and with foreign direct investment as a proportion of gdp.

Exposure to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) through fish consumption is a large problem worldwide, and it has led to governmental recommendations of reduced fish consumption and blacklisting of mercury-contaminated fish. The elimination kinetics of MeHg varies greatly among individuals. Knowledge about the reasons for such variation is of importance for improving the risk assessment for MeHg. One possible explanation is hereditary differences in MeHg metabolism. MeHg is eliminated from the body as a glutathione (GSH) conjugate.

Exposure to fine particulate air pollution is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The researchers conducted a study to determine whether exposure to ambient particulate matter causes vascular dysfunction.