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The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the carbon footprint (CF) of two research projects. These projects were initiated prior to the onset of the pandemic and subsequently concluded afterward, serving as the Base Case (BC) for analysis. Furthermore, the study seeks to explore the potential applicability of measures implemented during the period of lockdown for future mitigation of CF. The applied methodology, which adheres to the guidelines provided by the GHG Protocol and the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) emission factors, is utilized to examine the CF of the projects under two different scenarios. The first scenario assumes that the projects were implemented without the pandemic, while the second scenario considers that the projects were conducted entirely during the pandemic. Among the two projects under review, one emphasizes innovation and entails a collaboration between academia and business. This project is supported by a limited number of employees, exclusively from domestic partners. The other project is more oriented toward policy-making and involves a larger group of partners from Greece and Italy. Its main priority is dissemination. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with project activities mainly stem from electricity use, material consumption, project-hosted events, project participation in events, employees commuting, and equipment. Results show that in the first scenario, the projects exhibit a more than 40% increase in CO2 emissions compared to the BC, while in the second scenario, the implementation of measures such as teleworking, virtual participation in events, and digitization of bureaucratic processes lead to a reduction in emissions by at least 20%. The study suggests that adopting such measures after the COVID-19 pandemic could significantly decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

Aviation is a basic necessity of our world, but its contribution to air pollution is considered significant. In this paper, the contribution of air traffic to air pollution levels in the area of the three larger airports of Greece is examined through the use of EDMS (Emission and Dispersion Modeling System), a regulatory model proposed by the US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). To ensure a better understanding of air traffic contribution to air quality levels, the hourly aircraft movements along with the corresponding meteorological data for a whole year, 2009, were taken into account. During this year, air traffic peaked both in Greece as a total and in each of the three airports of this work. Airport emissions calculated by EDMS are found to be in good agreement with emissions monitored at Athens International Airport as well as with emission results and published data for International Zurich Airport. Concentration results have shown that PM10 and SO2 concentrations are well below the limit values, whereas NO2 concentrations exceeding limit value are expected in small areas under specific circumstances, when heavy air traffic coincides with meteorological conditions favoring air pollutant accumulation. Finally, the comparison of computational results with monitoring air quality data shows a good agreement, if other sources of air pollution are excluded.

It is well established that exposure to heat-stress conditions significantly impacts the physiology, health, welfare, and productivity of both sheep and cattle. The aim of this study was to apply the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) in order to assess the impact of future climate conditions on the thermal stress exposure of sheep and cattle in Greece. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was used as a high-resolution regional climate model to simulate climate conditions for two decades in Greece at a 10 Km spatial resolution and a 1 h temporal resolution. The WRF model was applied to two emission scenarios, namely SSP2-4.5 (intermediate) and SSP5-8.5 (worst-case). Projections were made for the near-future decade (2046–2055), with the decade (2005–2014) serving as the reference period for comparative analysis. The data analysis indicated that under the SSP2-4.5 emission scenario, the mean temperature is projected to increase by 1.2–1.4 °C and 1.4–1.6 °C across 38% and 58% of the country’s territory, respectively. Increases higher than 1.6 °C are projected across 32% of the Greek territory under the SSP5-8.5 emission scenario. The mean THI (sheep) and mean THI (adj) (cattle) are projected to increase by 5–10% and by 4% across 74% and 82% of the Greek territory, respectively, when considering the SSP2-4.5 emission scenario. Slightly more severe mean heat-stress conditions were projected when considering the SSP5-8.5 emission scenario. The analysis of the hourly THI values showed that sheep and cattle are expected to experience heat-stress conditions during extended periods in the future, in which hot weather will prevail. Specifically, the number of severe/danger heat-stress hours is projected to double in the greater part of the country. To mitigate the adverse effects of climate-change-induced thermal stress on animal productivity, health, and welfare, the implementation of adaptation measures and best management practices is strongly recommended for sheep and cattle farmers. These measures encompass improvements in breeding strategies, livestock housing and microclimate management, nutritional interventions, and the adoption of precision livestock farming technologies. Given the outstanding economic, social, and environmental importance of sheep and cattle farming in Greece, effective adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts represent urgent priorities to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of the livestock sector.

The main aim of this study is the identification of the most appropriate measures and policies to combat particulate air pollution in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece through a methodology including the calculation of emissions by sector and the application of an air quality modeling system. The identification of the current air quality situation showed that the exceedances of the mean PM10 daily levels occur during the cold winter months with residential heating being the major contributor representing a 73% share of total PM10 emissions. Moreover, the effect of the biomass consumption for heating purposes on PM10 concentrations has been verified and quantified by implementing a regression model identifying that a PM10 emissions reduction by 45% would result in the elimination of the exceedances of the mean PM10 daily values. Based on the above, a set of cost-effective measures and policies were defined and their impact on PM10 emissions was estimated. Finally, the air quality modeling system was applied for the mitigation scenarios selected, leading to a significant reduction of 67% in the number of exceedances observed and ensuring compliance with the limit of 35 exceedances of the daily value limit per year pursuant to European Legislation.

Air pollutants emissions from traffic are very closely connected to urban air quality, in a local scale, as well as to global problems like climate change, in a large scale. Road transport air pollutants emissions represent, in most cases, a critical parameter for a comprehensive and successful understanding of the mechanisms governing the air pollutants concentrations. Hence, reliable estimations and comprehension of road transport emissions are indispensable in order to set reliable strategies in the direction of air pollution abatement and management of air pollutants and greenhouse gases emissions. In this framework, in the present work, the emissions of air pollutants from road transport in Greece will be presented for the whole period 1990–2009 as it was found that a detailed, accurate and reliable emissions inventory was missing. The whole period emissions variation has clarified the impact of the change in the vehicle fleet, the engine technologies and the fuel quality. The calculated results have revealed that the age of the vehicles and the corresponding engine technology are the critical parameters determining the amount of the pollutants emitted. This was mainly observed in both passenger cars and heavy duty vehicles demonstrating the importance of a renewal programme of the old circulating vehicles in order to set an effective air pollution abatement strategy. Passenger cars were found to be responsible for the major part of most air pollutants emissions except from nitrogen oxides and particulates emissions. Heavy duty vehicles contribute more than 66% to nitrogen oxides and particulates emissions. For the whole time period, all calculated pollutants present a decreasing trend, with the exception of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide which increase constantly, ranging from −96% for sulphur dioxide to −1% for PM10.

This study examined the impact of shipping emissions on the atmospheric composition and oxidation capacity in the Eastern Mediterranean, focusing on Greece and the Piraeus port. The analysis used CAMx air quality modeling (simulations for January and July 2019), Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor modeling, and ship emission inventories from CAMS-REGv6.1 and the “Flexible Emission Inventory for Greece and the Greater Athens Area” (FEI-GREGAA). Zeroing out shipping emissions within Greek maritime waters resulted in substantial reductions in monthly concentrations of pollutants in major Aegean Sea shipping corridors, becoming largest in the Piraeus port. PMF and CAMx estimations for the net shipping contribution to fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) in the Piraeus passenger port area showed good correlations. However, CAMx average estimates were higher compared to PMF (1.1 µg m − ³ (4.9%) by CAMx and 0.6 µg m − ³ (2.7%) by PMF for January 2019; 2.7 µg m − ³ (20.9%) by CAMx and 1.7 µg m − ³ (11.2%) by PMF for July 2019), partly due to higher CAMx-simulated shipping impact on elemental carbon (EC). More refined ship emission inventories and air quality modeling, optimized chemical speciation of ship emissions, and more experimental data are necessary, while considering also the changing regulations on ship fuels and their future climate implications.

Air quality simulations were performed for Athens (Greece) in ~1 km resolution applying the models WRF-CAMx for July and December 2019 with the secondary organic aerosol processor (SOAP) and volatility basis set (VBS) organic aerosol (OA) schemes. CAMx results were evaluated against particulate matter (PM) and OA concentrations from the regulatory monitoring network and research monitoring sites (including PM2.5 low-cost sensors). The repartition of primary OA (POA) and secondary OA (SOA) by CAMx was compared with positive matrix factorization (PMF)-resolved OA components based on aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) measurements. In July, OA concentrations underestimation was decreased by up to 24% with VBS. In December, VBS introduced small negative biases or resulted in more pronounced (but moderate) underestimations of OA with respect to SOAP. CAMx performance for POA was much better than for SOA, while VBS decreased the overestimation of POA and the underestimation of SOA in both study periods. Despite the SOA concentrations increases by VBS, CAMx still considerably underestimated SOA (e.g., by 65% in July). Better representation of simulated OA concentrations in Athens could benefit by accounting for the missing cooking emissions, by improvements in the biomass burning emissions, or by detailed integration of processes related to OA chemical aging.

Production and handling of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) can yield worker exposure to these materials with the potential for unforeseen negative health effects. Biomonitoring enables regular exposure and health assessment and an effective risk management. We aimed to identify factors influencing biomonitoring acceptance according to hierarchical positions of ENM producers. Managers and workers were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Forty-three companies producing or handling ENMs such as titanium dioxide (61%) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (44%) participated. The majority of managers (72%) and all workers responded positively to participating in biomonitoring studies. The main reasons for refusing participation included concerns about data confidentiality and sufficient knowledge about ENM health and safety. Acquisitions of individual study results, improvement of workers’ safety, and help to the development of ENM-specific health and safety practice were among the most valuable reasons for positively considering participation. All workers indicated feeling comfortable with biomonitoring procedures of exhaled air sampling—about half were similarly comfortable with exhaled breath condensate, urine, and buccal cell sampling. The majority of both workers and managers stated that participation in a biomonitoring program should take place during working hours. Although our survey only had limited participation, our results are useful in designing appropriate biomonitoring programs for workers exposed to ENMs.