Global Environmental Challenges 2026

Friday 16 Jan 2026, 08:00 → 20:00 Europe/Zurich

seminar room H7 (DHF)

Martin Obst (University of Bayreuth)

Each of the participants of this symposium will present an individual topic of choice within the framework of "global environmental challenges". This could be environmental threats as well as challenges related to resources, agriculture etc. A possible topic, for example, could be "Heavy metal contamination of agricultural used soils caused by the application of P-fertilizers."

Each of the participants will prepare an abstract for this topic (max. 1500 characters). Abstract submission is included in the registration procedure for the symposium. Each participant should register for an oral presentation, but finally present both an oral presentation and a poster at the symposium. Submission can be uploaded and edited until the registration deadline.

These abstracts will then be reviewed by other participants. For the symposium, each of the participants will prepare a poster and a talk that will be presented in the oral session and a poster session of the symposium respectively. A detailed program will be posted on this page. For registration please refer to the link "Online-Registration" at the top of this page.

lecture slides 01_introduction.pdf 02_review_poster_talks.pdf

literature Hites_ES&T2014 How to give a talk-present a poster-write a paper.pdf

08:15 → 08:30 Welcome and Organisation

Speaker: Martin Obst (University of Bayreuth)

08:30 → 10:30 Posters: Poster Session

Convener: Martin Obst (University of Bayreuth)

10:30 → 11:00 coffee break

11:00 → 12:00 Soil, Mining and other topics

11:00 The threat of the deregulation of American Enviromental Law onto Americas long term prosperity

The dismantling of environmental regulations poses a significant and irreversible threat to the health, safety, and economic well-being of the American populace. Since their introduction, environmental safeguards have played a crucial role in mitigating the adverse effects of pollution, preserving natural resources, and ensuring public health. The systematic reduction of these regulations have exacerbated the climate crisis, increased exposure to harmful pollutants, and environmental degradation. The current administration’s aggressive rollbacks of environmental protections, including weakened air and water quality standards, the promotion of fossil fuel development, and the reduction of climate change mitigation efforts, further intensify these dangers. By prioritizing short-term economic interests, such as bolstering the fossil fuel industry, over long-term environmental sustainability, these policies risk undermining public health, economic stability, and future generations’ access to essential natural resources. Moreover, vulnerable communities, particularly low-income and marginalized populations, are disproportionately harmed by the consequences of deregulation, experiencing heightened exposure to environmental hazards and bearing the brunt of climate change impacts. The current administration's stance on environmental deregulation not only deepens social and economic inequalities but also threatens the nation’s future health and well-being.

Speaker: Daniel Holder (Bayreuth Uni)

Environmental Deregulation.pptx

11:30 Persistence of Endosulfan in Kasaragod Soils and Its Health Implications

From 1978 to 2001, endosulfan was aerially sprayed over cashew plantations in Kasaragod, Kerala to control tea mosquito bugs. After people started reporting health issues, spraying stopped and India banned the pesticide in 2011.

Despite the ban, residues are still found in the soil. Understanding how long endosulfan persists, how exposure happened, and what health effects followed helps to explain why this case matters.

Studies have shown endosulfan can remain in soil for one and a half to two years, depending on soil acidity, organic matter, and clay. The breakdown product, endosulfan sulphate, is more persistent and lasts even longer than the parent compound, which is why traces kept showing up years later. Because plantations were on hilltops, rain washed contamination into valleys where people lived. Blood tests in 2001 found around 85% of women and 78% of men in affected villages had endosulfan in their blood, versus about 30% elsewhere. Health surveys showed girls had more congenital abnormalities, boys had delayed sexual development, and learning disabilities were more common overall. Over six thousand people are registered as victims.

Kasaragod shows that banning a pesticide isn't the end. The chemical persisted, kept reaching people, and health effects are still being counted. Long-term monitoring of affected communities is still needed.

Speaker: Shashank Nagabhushan (University of Bayreuth)

Endosulfan Presentation Shashank.pdf

Endosulfan Presentation Shashank.pptx

12:00 → 13:00 lunch break

13:00 → 14:30 Water

13:00 The Agia Zoni II tanker accident: A case of oil spill affecting the marine environment of Saronikos Gulf, Greece

Oil spills pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems and can have severe economic impacts on sea-related countries like Greece. The Gulf of Saronikos in particular is prone to such contaminations, as it lies on one of the main shipping routes of Greece. In this work the extent and ecological impact of its most recent oil spill, caused by the sinking of the Agia Zoni II tanker in 2017, was explored. Rare studies are presented, which were carried out in situ in the poorly investigated oligotrophic marine ecosystem, just days after the oil was released. Water and sediment samples were collected from various sites over several months to analyse changes in oil hydrocarbon concentrations and composition, as well as changes in the microbial community (particularly oil-degrading bacteria). The results revealed an extensive contamination immediately after the accident. Concurrently the populations of oil-degrading bacteria increased. After three months and several clean-up activities the concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons dropped rapidly and reached background levels. Whereas a decrease in the number of oil-degrading bacteria was observed after one month, some species persisted for several months. These results highlight the efficiency of both clean-up operations and natural degradation processes and can be used to improve post oil-spill monitoring.

Speaker: Theodoros Schönhoff

Presentation_Schönhoff.pdf

Presentation_Schönhoff.pptx

13:30 Release of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) from melting alpine glaciers to downstream ecosystems in a warming climate

Alpine glaciers have served as cold traps and long-term reservoirs for Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and can act as secondary source as they melt. PCBs were widely used since the 1940s and, due to their persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties were banned internationally in 2004.
Recent climate warming accelerates glacier melting, releasing these stored PCBs into downstream ecosystems. Understanding the magnitude and processes of storage, redistribution, and release of PCBs is crucial for assessing risks to high-mountain ecosystems, water quality, and human health.
Ice core segments of the Fiescherhorn glacier and sediment of the lake Oberaar were analysed by GC/EI-HRMS. PCB concentrations in ice layers peaked in the 1970s and returned to 1940s levels by 2002. Seasonal variations reflected temperature-dependent air mass transport and relocation of PCBs due to surface melting and refreezing processes. Although environmental emissions have decreased, input fluxes to Lake Oberaar remained nearly constant from the 1970s to the mid-1990s, suggesting substantial pollutant release from glacial reservoirs. High-mountain lakes can be vulnerable to PCB accumulation and biomagnification along food chains, particularly in fish.
Melting glaciers as a secondary source of PCBs represent an important and ongoing environmental concern. Further studies and continuous monitoring are needed to evaluate the ecological impacts of these pollutants on sensitive high-mountain ecosystems.

Speaker: Carina Freudling

Presentation_Carina.pptx

14:00 Heavy Metal Contamination of La Paz’s Water Supply Due to Mining Activities

The Milluni Dams, located in La Paz, supply two of Bolivia’s biggest cities with fresh water. However, their water quality is affected by legal and illegal mining activities, posing a threat to human health and nature. For this reason, it is important to monitor different points in this area and analyze what kind of species can be found there. This study locates four points for monitoring and sampling, with the aim to see the quality of the water and find out if it meets the current standards norms. The parameters measured were pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, and temperature, also a Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer was used to see if the water contains metal ions. With this analysis it has been found that Milluni presents concentrations higher than the permissible limits of heavy metals detected as As, Cr, Pb, Hg, Cd, and Zn in all the monitored points. Other light toxic elements, such as Be, and elements that evolve to taste and smell, such as Fe, Mn, and Mg, were also detected. Moreover, the water presented acid pH. It is important to note that the water receives treatment before going into the water supply of the cities, but this process mostly concentrates on adding calcium carbonate to increase the pH and it can not guarantee that all the metals mentioned are removed. It is necessary to pay attention to this problem to avoid ecological and public health disasters.

Speaker: Valeria Astete Dalence (University of Bayreuth)

14:30 → 14:50 coffee break

14:50 → 15:50 Water

14:50 Pharmaceutical residues in German surface waters

Pharmaceutical residues represent an emerging class of micropollutants in German aquatic systems. With an aging population in Germany, pharmaceutical consumption has also risen in the last few decades. Furthermore, veterinary pharmaceuticals are widely used in agriculture. While human pharmaceuticals, their transformation products, and their metabolites are often not completely removed by wastewater treatment plants, veterinary pharmaceuticals can enter environmental compartments directly.
Therefore, a diverse mixture of pharmaceutical residues can be found in German surface waters, including antibiotics, analgesics, antiepileptics, and endocrine-active compounds. Although these substances typically occur at concentrations below thresholds relevant for human health, studies have shown that many pharmaceuticals are persistent and can lead to adverse effects in non-target aquatic organisms. Moreover, transformation products and metabolites have also been shown to exhibit bioactive properties.
Understanding the environmental fate and transformation pathways of pharmaceuticals is therefore essential for accurate risk assessment and the development of improved mitigation and water treatment strategies in Germany.

Speaker: Anna Lena Vienken

15:20 Contribution of Seaweed farming to mitigating current marine environmental issues

Oceans and marine ecosystems serve as critical components for the global carbon cycle, yet their sequestration capacity is increasingly threatened by multiple, interlinked anthropogenic stressors. Microplastic pollution for instance is now pervasive across blue-carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass systems, influencing sediment characteristics, biological activity and reducing carbon-storage efficiency. Such disruptions act alongside climate-driven stressors, particularly ocean acidification and warming, further diminishing ecosystem productivity and resilience. At the same time, nature-based and engineered approaches using seaweed cultivation (e.g. in Indonesia) are gaining attention for their potential to enhance oceanic carbon uptake. Seaweeds exhibit rapid CO₂ assimilation, nutrient removal capacity, and high-value biomass production. Life-cycle assessments stress the need for robust monitoring and verification frameworks to ensure that seaweed-based systems deliver genuine net carbon benefits. Integrating insights across these strands of research, this review underscores the need for ecosystem-based management linking blue-carbon conservation, microplastic reduction with respect to the chances responsible seaweed cultivation poses in sustaining ocean carbon-sequestration capacity under accelerating climate change.

Speaker: Nele Heiland

15:50 → 16:10 Feedback and Closing Remarks

16:10 → 20:00 Conference Dinner