Bjorn Munro Jenssen
Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology - Trondheim, NorwayTrondheim, Norway
One of the major challenges that scientists face is to participate in scientific meetings and conferences without leaving major carbon footprints. Although careful planning, using other means of transport than flights, or using airlines with low emission flights may help, webinars and video conferences should to a much larger extent replace meetings and conferences.
My research is on the effects of anthropogenic pollutants — such as persistent organic pollutants in wildlife — and how these pollutants interact with the ability of wildlife species to adapt to climate climate change.
Climate change can cause re-emissions of pollutants stored in the cryosphere as well as changes in ecosystem compositions, resulting in increased exposure to pollutants in top predators. Since many anthropogenic pollutants are endocrine disruptors, pollutants may interfere with the physiological ability of individuals to respond adequately to climate change. Ultimately this may cause disruptive effects at the population and ecosystem levels.