As EU Green Week 2024 kicks off on Wednesday 29 May, the European Union’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) opened the doors of its laboratories in Ispra (Italy) to us on Thursday 23 May.
Nestling in the heart of Lombardy, the JRC's Ispra site employs 2,000 people and is a veritable independent citadel of science, dedicated to providing research to support European policies and their issues in the fields of climate, energy and the environment. Founded in 1960 for nuclear research, the centre is now one of the European Commission’s research centres, alongside Brussels and Luxembourg.
During our visit, Alessandra Zampieri, head of the Sustainable Resources Department, explained the JRC’s mission in detail. “We don’t just carry out scientific research; we also develop the skills needed to incorporate this knowledge into public policy”, she explained.
Ms Zampieri also spoke of the complexity of the challenges facing our society, such as climate change and related migration, the need to adapt and the importance of reliable data in order to do so. “Our role is to make sense of this knowledge, filter the information and provide solid evidence to policymakers”, she added.
The JRC laboratories
JRC experts and scientists presented the work of several laboratories. These include the European Crisis Management Laboratory (ECML), where researchers monitor and anticipate the risk of disasters, whether these consist of droughts, floods or other climate-related disasters. Their surveillance activities enable a watchful eye to be kept on potentially devastating events that are difficult to predict.
Another laboratory to which we have had access is the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI), which has been developing international standards and assessing the performance of photovoltaic products since the 1970s. Indoor and outdoor installations that simulate and monitor sunlight are used to test and calibrate solar energy innovations.
In addition, the environmental biotechnology laboratory evaluates innovative techniques to tackle emerging issues such as climate change, pathogens in water, algal blooms, the effects of pollutants and antimicrobial resistance. This laboratory is responsible for setting threshold values for European water directives, such as the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Drinking Water Directive.
The Atmospheric Observatory, where our day ended, monitors gas and aerosol concentrations in order to analyse the interactions between the atmosphere, the biosphere and climate change. The data collected serves as a basis for assessing the effectiveness of emission reduction policies and for identifying significant trends or changes in the make-up of the atmosphere.
EU Green Week 2024: towards a water-resilient Europe
The theme of this year’s EU Green Week, which coincides with our visit to Ispra, is ‘Towards a Water-Resilient Europe’. This initiative is part of the #WaterWIseEU campaign, which aims to stimulate an EU-wide conversation about water, now and in the future. The aim is to raise awareness and promote positive, collaborative solutions for sustainable water management.
The JRC water laboratory plays a major role in this process. Using specialist equipment, this laboratory analyses water from a variety of sources, including lakes, treated wastewater and drinking water, to detect the presence of chemicals that are harmful to our health or the environment. The laboratory’s experts explained that wastewater analysis, for example, provides a clear picture of the spread of harmful substances. By studying the residues present in wastewater, scientists can detect pathogens several days before they are identified by clinical tests.
Wastewater monitoring, an essential public health tool
JRC scientists also presented us with information highlighting the major role of wastewater monitoring for public health. “We can think of wastewater treatment plants as sentinels throughout the country, telling us what is actually circulating in the population”, explained one expert. This method enables the early detection of epidemics such as Covid-19, but also cholera, influenza and hepatitis A, as well as monitoring the use of drugs and pharmaceutical products.
The JRC was able to show that Covid-19 was already circulating in northern Italy in November 2019, well before the first clinical cases were detected. In addition, the JRC’s Sentinel system detected the Omicron variant at Madrid and Frankfurt airports before it was identified by clinical tests.
Science supporting policy-makers
The JRC focuses above all on anticipating future challenges. Forward planning reports, developed in collaboration with political decision-makers, are essential for understanding these future issues and responding to them proactively. “We have organised our research to bring together different disciplines and provide policy-makers with integrated information”, explained Alessandra Zampieri.
This integrated approach makes it possible to combine knowledge on different aspects such as floods, droughts and their financial costs, offering a more complete and accurate picture to political decision-makers. Knowledge centres are places where policy and science come together to fill gaps and guide future research. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)