ExIt - ImpactAnt research is on global change.
We study the impact of human activities and Extractive Industries on the natural environment and Planetary Health.
The approach we adopt is highly interdisciplinary, combining tools from envirionmental forensics, environmental epidemiology, ecology, veterinary science, remote sensing, and citizen science. We bridge the natural and social sciences to study the Global Change from an integrated perspective.
To achieve this, we have 2 complementary strategies:
We target different spatial and temporal scales to have access to areas and time periods with different levels of anthropogenic impacts (e.g. remote areas, past climate changes).
The Environmental monitoRIng through Civic engAgement (ERICA) is an Erasmus+ project that started in Novembre 2023. ERICA's main objective is to improve citizens’ environmental awareness and civic engagement through the development of a new educational methodology on citizen science for environmental monitoring. Citizens will gain the capacity to initiate and manage citizen science initiatives, collect and assess environmental information, and convert such data into "actionable knowledge" that is perceived as useful and immediately applicable by citizens, local authorities, academic institutions, and NGOs.
To limit the increase in global mean temperature to 1.5 °C, CO2 emissions must be drastically reduced. Accordingly, approximately 97%, 81%, and 71% of existing coal and conventional gas and oil resources, respectively, need to remain unburned. The UNBURNED project will develop the first global geospatial platform integrating policy-relevant information on fossil fuel reserves, state-level political indicators, biodiversity indicators, and social and economic indicators associated with fossil fuel divestment plans, impacts and activities. The platform will be presented in the COP29 next November and will propose sensitive areas that should remain entirely off-limits to fossil fuel extraction. Link to the Atlas of Unburnable Fossil Fuels: https://atlasofunburnablefossilfuels.ub.edu
Subsistence hunting is a crucial source of protein for rural and indigenous communities in tropical rainforests worldwide. However, previous studies suggest that lead-based ammunition may pose serious health risks to these populations. The INDILEAD project will investigate this issue by analyzing blood lead levels in indigenous communities from the tropical forests of Cameroon (Baka people), Peru, and Indonesia (Punan-Tubu people). Additionally, the study will identify key exposure pathways to better understand the risks associated with lead contamination.