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Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been conventionally regarded as a global problem, due to the well-known effects of fossil fuel combustion to the climate of our planet. However, this paper aims at highlighting the role of CO2 from another perspective, i.e. by considering the effects of CO2 on the health and well-being of the occupants of indoor spaces. The exposure to CO2 air concentrations > 1,000 ppm causes symptoms like headache, dizziness, sleepiness and loss of attention, which may negatively influence the learning capability and the productivity of students and workers. In this sense, schools and universities are particularly vulnerable, due to the high density of occupants in classrooms and to the importance of the role of education in training the future members of the society. In the light of this issue, the present paper will provide examples of the incorrect design of indoor environments and, meanwhile, will propose simple solutions to monitor the problem of indoor CO2 concentration and improve the indoor environmental quality of public places. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2019. ; The work was partly supported by Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation, contract No 02.A03.21.0006.

The development of renewable energy is one of the strategic directions of eco-modernization of the Russian energy sector, which will not only reduce the negative impact of the industry on the environment, but also provide remote territories with the stable access to electricity. Despite the fact that the Russian regions have a great potential for the development of renewable energy, the full transition of the energy sector to the "green" vector of its development is currently impossible. Moreover, most of current studies consider the development of renewable energy without reference to the regions, which, according to the authors, does not provide an objective assessment of the potential for the use of renewable energy in Russia. The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the potential for the introduction of various renewable energy sources (RES) in the energy sector of the Sverdlovsk region — one of the largest industrial regions of Russia. The full-scale assessment of their potential use at the regional level helps to accelerate the process of their introduction into the energy sector, since during the assessment, scientists analyze not only the possibilities of use, but also the barriers to development. Authors applied various research methods among which analysis of state programs, analysis of the official statistical reports, analysis of natural conditions on the territory of the region, etc. As a result, authors developed a map of potential use of renewables in the territory of Sverdlovsk region, evaluated prospects of their development and revealed key barriers. The proposed algorithm of assessment might be applicable for other Russian regions. © 2021 The Authors. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

This paper presents an overview of various situations that may lead to critical levels of human exposure to different air pollutants and that are often underestimated by the people and the environmental legislation. After an overview on indoor activities that contribute to generate high levels of exposure to particulate matter, inorganic and organic pollutants (including carcinogenic compounds), the paper focuses on outdoor critical contexts that are not adequately considered by the legislation and by the environmental agencies, such as petrol filling stations, urban street canyons, arterial roads, road tunnel portals and remote areas characterised by high ozone concentrations. The paper presents specific activities that require additional control by the legislation, due to the associated high potential impacts on the resident population. Such activities are steel production, mechanical-biological treatments of waste, wood burning, poultry breeding, cement production and waste incineration. Finally, the paper presents proposals for a more sustainable management of air quality and human exposure, e.g. improvements in the conventional monitoring approach, stricter or new emission limit values for some activities and precise information to the people on the risks for health and on good practices in indoor environments. © 2018 WIT Press. ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The authors wish to thank the Health Authority of Verona (USSL 20) for the financial support to a part of this research.

Sustainable development is a key principle of national and international policies, which has been strongly promoted by the European Union since 2015. Communication, education, the awareness of the importance of accelerating the transition from a linear economy to a circular one and of raising environmental awareness play a key role in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). To achieve the goals on a large scale, it is necessary to start from a local scale. In this sense, universities must experiment best practices and make them available to the society. In the last years, many universities have adopted environmental sustainability plans in order to implement green policies and develop a roadmap towards the achievement of the SDGs, while sharing best practices with university communities and society. This paper presents the case of two Italian universities and a Russian one. Specifically, the paper presents the contents of the current environmental sustainability plans of the Italian universities, discussing the reasons for the choice of the environmental sustainability goals and the expected results following the implementation of the related actions. A comparison between the approaches adopted in the sustainability plans of the two Italian universities will be presented in details. In addition, the paper analyses the potential implementation of a sustainability plan in the Russian university. The paper will discuss also potential criticalities in the achievement of the goals. © 2021 WITPress. All rights reserved. ; This research was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006.

This work is funded by grants from Barts Charity to A.R. and S.M., the Muscular Dystrophy UK and the Medical Research Council UK to S.M. and L.G.R. F.S.T. is funded by the European Union's 7th Framework project PluriMes (grant no. 602423), Muscular Dystrophy UK, Fundació La Marató de TV3 and the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) .