ICTA - Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals

The Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) is a multidisciplinary centre that promotes academic research and postgraduate education on environmental sciences. It aims to improve our understanding of global environmental change, and the nature and causes of environmental problems. In addition, it studies policies, strategies and technologies to foster a transition to a sustainable economic and societal model.

The ICTA-UAB addresses major global environmental and sustainability challenges related to anthropogenic climate and global change. Researchers at ICTA-UAB undertake advanced research in specific areas of environmental science, divided into three general areas, namely “Earth and life sciences”, “Social environmental sciences” and “Technology, environment and society”.

About the Unit of Excellence María de Maeztu ICTA-UAB is the only research centre in environmental sciences to be identified as a Unit of Excellence by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), the highest institutional recognition of scientific research in Spain.

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Latest additions:
2026-02-24
09:08
9 p, 4.0 MB El robatori de bicicletes a Barcelona 2024 / Suraud Kiffer, Clementine ; Honey-Rosés, Jordi
L'any 2024 s'han registrat 921 robatoris de bicicletes a la ciutat de Barcelona, xifra que suposa una disminució respecte als anys 2022 (1042) i 2023 (1167), tot i que continua sent superior a la de 2021 (870). [...]
In 2024, 921 bicycle thefts were recorded in the city of Barcelona, ​​​​a figure that represents a decrease compared to 2022 (1042) and 2023 (1167), although it remains higher than 2021 (870). [...]

Cerdanyola del Vallès Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals 2025  
2026-02-19
08:10
14 p, 704.1 KB Indigenous Peoples and local communities report a consistent decline in the body mass of birds across three continents / Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia) ; Alvarez-Fernandez, Santiago (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Fraixedas Núñez, Sara (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) ; Calvet Mir, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut Metròpoli) ; García-del-Amo, David (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Junqueira, André B. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Li, Xiaoyue (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Porcher, Vincent (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Porcuna Ferrer, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Schlingmann, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Soleymani Fard, Ramin (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Burgas, Daniel (University of Jyväskylä. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences) ; Cabeza, Mar (University of Helsinki. Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science) ; Campos-Silva, João V. (Instituto Juruá) ; Carmona, Rosario (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) ; Caviedes, Julián (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Conde, Esther (Centro Boliviano de Desarrollo Socio Integral (Bolívia)) ; Guillerminet, Théo (Centre of International Cooperation in Agronomy Research for Development) ; Huanca, Tomás (Centro Boliviano de Desarrollo Socio Integral (Bolívia)) ; Ibarra, José Tomás (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) ; López-Maldonado, Yolanda (Indigenous Science) ; Mariel, Juliette (Centre of International Cooperation in Agronomy Research for Development) ; Attoh, Emmanuel M.N.A.N. (International Water Management Institute) ; Torrents-Ticó, Miquel (University of Helsinki) ; Ulambayar, Tungalag (Zoological Society Luujin (Mongòlia)) ; Wu, Rihan (Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research) ; Reyes-García, Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Increasing evidence shows that genuine collaboration between scientists and Indigenous Peoples and local communities can deepen global understanding of species' ecological distribution ranges, baselines and trends. [...]
2026 - 10.1017/S0030605325102615
Oryx, February 2026, p. 1-14  
2026-02-16
15:12
22 p, 1.0 MB WEFE nexus unveiled : a comprehensive review of monitoring and modelling methods in the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus / Vrachioli, Maria (Technical University of Munich (TUM)) ; Mellios, Nikos (University of Thessaly) ; Alp, Emre (Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turquia)) ; Borchard, Nils (Universidade de Lisboa) ; Calheiros, Cristina Sousa Coutinho (University of Porto) ; Castelli, Giulio (Università degli Studi di Firenze) ; Coletta, Virginia Rosa (Water Research Institute (IRSA/CNR)) ; Carvalho, Pedro N. (Environmental Science (Aarhus, Denmark)) ; Domínguez-Soberanes, Julieta (Universidad Panamericana (Mèxic)) ; Fader, Marianela (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)) ; Giordano, Raffaele (Water Research Institute (IRSA/CNR)) ; Madrid, Cristina (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Oral, Hasan Volkan (Istanbul Aydin University) ; Papadopoulou, Chrysaida Aliki (National Technical University of Athens) ; Papadopoulou, Maria (National Technical University of Athens) ; Pereira, Sofia I.A. (Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Lisbon, Portugal)) ; Pineda-Martos, Rocío (Universidad de Sevilla) ; StepisnikPerdih, Tadej (National Technical University of Athens) ; Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia, Lydia (KWR Water Research Institute) ; Ziliaskopoulos, Konstantinos (University of Thessaly) ; Adamos, Giannis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) ; Brouwer, Floor (United Nations University - Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources - UNU-FLORES) ; Laspidou, Chrysi (University of Thessaly)
Sustainable resource management in the face of climate change is a pressing challenge for our society. This paper delves into the water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus, a scientific framework that supports the integrated assessment and management of the interconnected resources. [...]
2025 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ae0da3
Environmental research letters, Vol. 20, Num. 11 (October 2025) , art. 113005  
2026-02-11
14:10
27 p, 5.0 MB Tropicalization and biodiversity restructuring of calcifying plankton in a rapidly warming Mediterranean Sea / Lucas, Arturo (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Pallacks, Sven (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Incarbona, Alessandro (Università degli Studi di Palermo. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare) ; Mortyn, P. Graham (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geografia) ; Ziveri, Patrizia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Climate-driven shifts in species diversity, community composition and phenology can disrupt ecosystem functioning and compromise marine ecosystem stability. The Mediterranean Sea, a global biodiversity hotspot, is particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic climate change and is experiencing a growing biodiversity crisis especially driven by warming, habitat degradation, pollution and the introduction of new species. [...]
2026 - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105314
Global and planetary change, Vol. 259 (April 2026) , art. 105314  
2026-02-11
12:18
12 p, 616.3 KB Comparing two court rulings on Shell's carbon emissions with climate-policy science / Van den Bergh, Jeroen C. J. M. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Van Soest, Jan Paul (De Gemeynt)
In November 2024, a ruling by a Dutch Court of Appeal overturned a 2021 District Court verdict concerning the obligations of the oil and gas company Shell to reduce its carbon emissions. This perspective article examines the scientific basis of the differing arguments in the two court rulings, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of emissions-reduction strategies. [...]
2026 - 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104568
Energy research & social science, Vol. 132 (February 2026) , art. 104568  
2026-02-10
18:14
10 p, 5.1 MB Social movements are transformative agents for biodiversity conservation / Walter, Mariana (Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals) ; Scheidel, Arnim (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Vadez, Clara (University of Cambridge) ; Del Bene, Daniela (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia) ; Temper, Leah (Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment) ; Fanari, Eleonora (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Reyes-García, Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)
Civil society has long been a catalyst for social change by reshaping structures, influencing values, and challenging power dynamics; however, its role in driving transformative change for biodiversity remains underexplored. [...]
2026 - 10.1073/pnas.2513327123
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 123, Num. 4 (2026) , art. e2513327123  
2026-02-10
11:11
24 p, 319.7 KB Encountering degrowth / Gilbert, David Edward (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Gasparro, Donatella (Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Itàlia). Classe di Scienze politico-sociali) ; Kallis, Giorgos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Muñoz Sueiro, Lucia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Grosinger, Julia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Tsagkari, Marula (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Khan, Feroz Mohamed (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Wright, Grace (University of Oxford) ; Varvarousis, Angelos (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Degrowth theory and movements aim to find ways of living well while downscaling the economy, heal the many metabolic rifts that threaten global ecologies with capitalist exploitation of the earth, and end injustice and violence. [...]
2026 - 10.1177/25148486251414424
Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 2026  
2026-02-02
12:29
27 p, 6.3 MB Quieter except on weekend evenings : changes in street-level noise following pedestrianisation / Nello-Deakin, Samuel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals) ; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geografia ; Delclòs, Xavier (Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Departament de Geografia)
Using open data from seven permanent noise monitoring stations, our study assesses changes in street-level noise following the pedestrianisation of Barcelona's new 'green axes' in 2023. We find that noise levels have diminished consistently for all study locations following pedestrianisation, with an average 24-hour reduction of -3. [...]
2026 - 10.1080/23748834.2026.2616563
Cities & health, 2026  
2026-02-03
11:10
41 p, 2.0 MB A simple guide to soil analysis / Arcas Pilz, Verónica (Università di Bologna) ; Gabarrell Durany, Xavier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; Leblanc, Maylis (Université de Liège) ; Mullerat Calçada, Sira (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; Sylla, Marta (Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Polònia)) ; Toboso-Chavero, Susana (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
This guide includes several simple soil analysis tests, including those for texture, water infiltration, compaction, structure, root development, biological activity, odor, pH, hydrogen peroxide content, color and aggregate stability. [...]
Barcelona : Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, 2026
5 documents
2026-01-27
17:10
24 p, 4.1 MB Proximidad y Funciones Urbanas en las Ciudades Mediterráneas Españolas : perspectivas desde la Ciudad de 15 Minutos / Mombelli, Serena (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; Mojica, Laia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; Miralles-Guasch, Carme 1961- (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) ; Marquet Sardà, Oriol (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Este artículo analiza la distribución espacial de los entornos de proximidad en Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca y Granada desde la perspectiva de la ciudad de 15 minutos. La ciudad de 15 minutos es un concepto de planificación urbana que postula poder alcanzar las necesidades diarias en 15 minutos a pie o en bicicleta (Moreno et al. [...]
This article analyses the spatial distribution of proximity environments in Barcelona, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, and Granada from the perspective of the 15-minute city. The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that posits being able to reach daily needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride (Moreno et al. [...]

2025 - 10.37230/CyTET.2025.226.10
Ciudad y territorio, estudios territoriales, Vol. 57, Num. 226 (diciembre 2025) , p. 740-763  
Focus on:
The Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (56)
Environmental and Climate Economics (ECE) (89)
Integrated Assessment: Sociology, Technology and the Environment (IASTE) (65)
Integrated Earth System Dynamics Laboratory (IESD) (27)
Observatori de la Tordera (15)
Sustainability and Environmental Protection (Sostenipra) (150)