e-alert July 1 2009         EU counters environmental threats with knowledge   Biodiversity, climate conventions, climate-neutral energy, marine acidification, chemicals in the environment … the list of the areas where acute international solutions are essential can be extended. And this is just when Sweden has the presidency of the EU. Under Sweden's leadership, several of these problem areas will be discussed at a high political level. Research, largely financed by Research Council Formas, contributes knowledge that can form the basis for political decisions. Research results have enhanced public awareness of the risks we are facing, and woe betide the politician who does not take these seriously. Some of the most prominent researchers in the field of the environment are contributors to this issue of Sustainability.   Birgitta Bruzelius Editor in chief           Conserve the usefulness and intrinsic value of species It is not enough to protect a certain flower, bird or meadow. Read more »   Climate neutral energy About 20 per cent of the biomass of conifers is in the stump. Up to now, this resource has been practically unused in bioenergy contexts. Read more »       New forms of governance in environmental policy Society today has three dominant forms of governance: legislation, market control and network governance. Read more »   Remote controlled camera and genetic technology reveal the fate of the deep Knowledge of our marine environments is decades behind – but research is now beginning in earnest. Read more »       REACH misses nano! The new chemical legislation of the EU, REACH, is already in need of updating. Its demands for information concerning substance and production volume misses many nanomaterials which are made in small quantities. Read more »   After REACH: What do we do now? Despite the new EU chemical legislation, it may in some cases be difficult to make high quality hazard assessments that are anchored in actual conditions. Read more »       The air, the Baltic Sea and the climate Sustainability has interviewed the new Director General of the Swedish Environment Protection Agency, Maria Ågren. Read more »   Biodiversity in historical landscapes The historical landscape is of great significance for the numbers and types of plants we find today in our meadows and pastures. Read more »       What is the cost of biodiversity? What is the economic value of biodiversity for agriculture and forestry? The brief answer is SEK 2.60 per metre. Read more »   Who is afraid of the wolf? Psychological factors are in many cases more important than objective facts for the attitudes and behaviours of people in relation to a sustainable development. Read more »         © Sustainability journal, Formas P.O. Box 1206, SE-111 82 Stockholm, Sweden E-mail: sustainability.desk@formas.se Unsubscribe   This web journal is published by Formas - the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural sciences and Spatial Planning