Research

The consumption of fruit and vegetables causes environmental impacts that vary depending on which crops are consumed in which season. In order to reduce the environmental impact and in particular greenhouse gas emissions caused by consumption, it is essential to understand the cultivation methods and value chains. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method, standardized according to ISO 14040/44, and the product environmental footprint (PEF) are suitable methods for this. There are currently hardly any LCAs for the production of fruit and vegetables in Austria. This project aims to fill this gap. Based on primary data from Austrian farms, detailed LCAs will be prepared for at least 5 fruit and vegetable crops. The aim of this work is to find out what influence the origin of selected fruit and vegetables has on the environmental impact associated with the product. In detail, the carbon and water footprint will be considered. The following research questions are to be answered as part of the project: - What is the environmental impact of selected fruit and vegetable crops - Are there differences due to different transportation routes and types of cultivation - What savings could result from a change in consumer behavior from foreign to domestic products

Following the environmental disaster on the River Oder, an Oder data platform is being set up at IGB, which will contain biological data as well as chemical and other environmentally relevant data. The sub-project "oderDATA" will update the data portal of the Freshwater Information Platform (FIP) to the latest technical standard in order to publish the collected biological data of the Oder in compliance with the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and thus enable, for example, the direct analysis of spatio-temporal patterns, investigations of time series and trends or appealing visualizations of biological and environmental data.

The planned work is to contribute significantly to structuring the area of synthetic biology, which is still unclear with regard to its dual use potential (in particular in interaction with the associated converging technologies) with the aid of a future-oriented risk analysis and assessment. Based on this, a scientifically sound prognosis of the corresponding biosafety risks is to be drawn up. In addition, this work is intended to lay the foundation for a continuation of such an analysis by operationalizing the procedure for analysis and assessment in the sense of a tool.