Knowledge
Knowledge
This space brings together Second Life’s policy briefs and publications — concise, evidence-based documents designed to inform decision-making, support public discourse, and translate environmental action into structured insight. All documents are available for download and free reuse in policy, education, and research contexts.
- Policy Brief2026
Impact of pollution on Marine Biodiversity in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is home to more than 17,000 marine species, and around 30% of these are endemic, representing the highest rate of endemism globally (UNEP, 2021).
- Policy Brief2026
Enhancing Circular Economy
The European Union is steadily moving toward a circular economy, yet transparency and traceability across product life cycles remain a major obstacle. Critical information regarding materials, repairability, and recyclability often gets lost between producers, consumers, and recyclers, leading to inefficiencies, waste accumulation, and limited reuse.
- Policy Brief2026
Carbon Tax Credits
As climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a current one impacting communities, ecosystems, and economies worldwide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is urgent. Governments and societies are now exploring different strategies to accelerate the shift to a cleaner, low-carbon future.
- Policy Brief2025
Climate Induced Migration and the Right to Health
Climate change is pushing more people from their homes than ever before. Rising sea levels, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather are disrupting livelihoods and forcing communities to move.
- Publication2025
Global Plastics & High Sea's Treaty
In 2025, global environmental governance saw very different outcomes: the Global Plastics Treaty stalled, while the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) successfully came into force. The failure of the plastics treaty reflects the international community’s ongoing inability to globally govern the widespread impacts of plastics from micro- and nanoplastic pollution to their effects on food security, human health, and environmental fairness particularly in developing countries.
- Publication2025
European Green Deal
This paper analyzes how Second Life's Al-driven coastal monitoring aligns with the environmental and waste management goals of the European Union's Green Deal.
- Publication2025
COP 30 Impact Analysis
This publication offers a critical policy impact analysis of COP30, by examining how its outcomes may shape global climate action going forward. Through careful review of negotiated versions, high level announcements, and thematic dialogues, the analysis explores key areas of progress and persistent challenges, especially in climate finance, adaptation, and implementation.
- Policy Brief2025
U-Space as an Automated Drone Air Traffic Control Space
The Czech Republic is pioneering U-Space — an EU initiative to automate drone traffic control. This system enables drones to operate safely alongside planes using real-time data and automation. But challenges remain: infrastructure gaps, public skepticism, and coordination barriers could slow progress. Learn how the Czech approach could shape the future of urban airspace in Europe.
- Policy Brief2025
Waste Management in Türkiye
Türkiye's growing population and economy have driven a sharp rise in municipal waste generation further compounded by waste imports from the EU since 2018 and persistent gaps in local waste management systems.
- Policy Brief2025
The NECOR Climate Conference
Between the 28th and the 30th of October 2025, Second Life’s partner, NECOR (Netlink Environmental Conservation Organisation), organised the 8th World Environmental Conservation Conference (WECC) in Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), in southwestern Nigeria.
- Policy Brief2025
The risk and benefits of having the fossil fuel industry represented at COP30
The participation of the fossil fuel industry at COP30 presents both strategic opportunities and significant governance risks. Recent findings highlight that more than 1,600 lobbyists linked to coal, oil, and gas corporations attended COP30, making them one of the largest single constituencies present (Kick Big Polluters Out, 2025).
- Policy Brief2025
Human Health Implications of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution has become a critical global health issue, with microplastics and associated chemicals increasingly detected in food, water, and even the human bloodstream.
- Policy Brief2025
Global energy transition forum established by Von Der Lyon and Brazil
In early 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Government of Brazil launched the Global Energy Transition Forum (GETF), a global platform designed to speed up clean-energy investments and cooperation between governments, industries, and financiers.
- Policy Brief2025
Impact of Plastics on Aquaculture
The aquaculture sector is expanding rapidly and contributes significantly to meeting the global demand for fish and other aquatic foods. It is an essential source of important nutrients and financial gains.
- Policy Brief2025
The role of waste pickers in cities’ effective waste management systems
Informal waste pickers are some of the people doing most of the world’s recycling work and have a significant role in diminishing the quantity of plastic entering the oceans.
- Policy Brief2025
The Role of Women in Nigeria’s Waste Management
In Nigeria, women actively play a role fighting against plastic pollution. Whether it be through waste picking and sorting or small-scale recycling businesses, their work prevents tonnes of waste from ending up in landfills, streets, and rivers.
- Policy Brief2025
The Weak Recycling Waste Regime
Lily Pollans introduces the concept of wasteway as a critical lens to examine how societies organize waste disposal beyond the visible spaces of consumption.
- Publication2025
Utilizing Drones to Fight Plastic Pollution
Drones are increasingly used by environmental groups such as Second Life NGO to track and reduce marine plastic pollution along coastlines.
- Policy Brief2025
EU management of micro plastics
Microplastics have emerged as one of the most persistent and widespread forms of pollution, with the EU estimated to have released between 0.7 and 1.8 million tonnes in 2019 (European Commission, 2023).