Sustainability

Heleen de Coninck researches international climate policy, deep emission reductions in energy-intensive industry and international technology cooperation, especially with developing countries. She was a coordinating lead author of the 2018 IPCC report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C.

Marc Davidson researches the ethics of sustainability and climate change. He focuses on how we should behave towards future generations and the environment. He also examines how the costs of environmental policy can be equitably distributed at both the national and international level.

Martin Drenthen specialises in the relationship between human and nature and has written several books and articles on this topic. He focuses on ethical questions about nature management and rewilding and the return of large mammals to the Netherlands.

Johan Mentink is an expert in the field of magnetism. He researches new magnetic effects so that future technologies will be able to store and process information much more quickly and economically while requiring considerably less processing capacity.

Aafke Schipper studies responses of biodiversity and ecosystems to human changes in the environment. She develops models to determine how human activities influence plants and animals from local to global scales.

Mark Huijbregts assesses the global environmental impact of chemicals, products, services and technologies to provide recommendations to decrease the environmental
footprint of our human behaviour.

Hans de Kroon wants to understand how changes occur in the biodiversity of plant, bird and insect species. The global insect decline is an important issue for him. In collaboration with a variety of partners, he also develops programmes that aim to restore our biodiversity.

Sarian Kosten has a broad interest in the impact of climate change on freshwater ecosystems. How does global warming and drought affect water quality and how can negative effects be minimised? How does climate change affect aquatic greenhouse gas emissions?

Boris van Meurs conducts philosophical research into the impact of humans on the earth. Examining this on a geological timescale puts the effects of our actions in another perspective. He wants to know how philosophy can help understand humanity as an important geological force.

Ralph Frins specialises in administrative law and environmental law. He researches the adverse effects of spatial developments on their surroundings and the environment. This primarily concerns the question of which legal instruments can be used to prevent and eliminate such effects.

Elisabeth Hense researches food production and the role of nature in solidarity with vulnerable groups from a Christian spiritual perspective. She is also researching greening initiatives in Dutch parishes and monasteries. She is currently working on an English edition of Titus Brandsma’s works.