EEA Nwwsletter
Issue no. 2015/1, 16 March 2015
pict Your quarterly update on Europe's environment
pict Editorial | Interview | Indicators & data | EEA news | In the spotlight | Upcoming events
 

Editorial

 
 

Europe shouldn't be afraid of leading the world on environmental regulation

Over the past 40 years Europe has developed the most comprehensive, ambitious and binding environmental legislation existing anywhere today. And with good reason: these standards should be seen as a unique economic advantage. 

Well-designed and well-implemented environmental legislation has improved the environment and quality of life, as well as driving innovation, job creation and growth in Europe. This is one of the main messages to come out of the latest edition of ‘The European environment – state and outlook’ report we published this month.

By Hans BRUYNINCKX, Executive Director
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  Interview  

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When plastics fill our oceans

'Recent studies bring more clarity on the magnitude of the problem. According to one estimate, 2 to 5% of the plastic generated in the world entered the world’s oceans in 2010. This corresponds to approximately five plastic bags completely filled with plastics for every 30 cm of coastline around the world. According to another estimate, more than 5 trillion pieces are floating in the world’s oceans,' says Constança Belchior.

Interview with Constança Belchior on marine litter and its impacts on the marine environment.

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  Indicators & data updates  

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Air quality & pollution: EEA indicators on heavy metal emissions, and ecosystems' exposure to acidification, eutrophication and ozone; data set on certain pollutants emitted by large combustion plants (opted out under Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/80/EC); and data set on plant-by-plant emissions of SO2, NOx and dust and energy input.

 

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Biodiversity: EEA indicators on public awareness; forest deadwood and growing stock, increment and fellings; nationally designated protected areas; ecosystem coverage; abundance and distribution of selected species; agricultural areas supporting biodiversity; and data set on conservation status of habitat types and species.

 

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Climate change: EEA indicators on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations; floods and health; and data set on national emissions reported to the UNFCCC and to the EU Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism.

 

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Consumption: EEA indicator on household expenditure on consumption categories

 

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Energy: EEA indicators on final energy consumption intensityprimary energy consumption by fuel; final energy consumption by fuel and sector; efficiency of conventional thermal electricity and heat production; progress on energy efficiency; overview of the European energy system; and electricity production and use in Europe.

 

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Marine environment: EEA indicators on pathways of introduction of and trends in marine non-indigeneous species; aquaculture production; fishing fleet pressure; status of marine fish stocks; chlorophyll and nutrients in transitional, coastal and marine waters; and hazardous substances in marine organisms.

 

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Transport: EEA indicator on passenger transport demand.

 

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Water: EEA indicators on emission intensity of manufacturing industries in Europe; freshwater qualityoxygen consuming substances in rivers; and Waterbase data reported under Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

 

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Waste: EEA indicator on waste generation.

 
 
  EEA news  

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Europe's environment 2015: Future prosperity depends on bolder steps in policy, knowledge, investments and innovation

Europe's environment and climate policies have delivered substantial benefits, improving the environment and quality of life, while driving innovation, job creation and growth. Despite these gains, Europe still faces a range of persistent and growing environmental challenges. Addressing them will require fundamental changes in the systems of production and consumption that are the root cause of environmental problems.
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Renewables successfully driving down carbon emissions in Europe

Wind, solar, biomass and other renewable energy technologies continued to grow in 2013. New data shows they have been an important driving force in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
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A quarter of Europe’s population exposed to harmful traffic noise

More than 125 million Europeans could be exposed to levels of road traffic noise above legal guidelines. This causes a range of health problems, according to a new assessment from the European Environment Agency (EEA).
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Waste prevention: decoupling waste generation from economic growth

Preventing waste is a top priority of waste policy in the European Union with potential economic and environmental benefits. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) report reviews the state of play in the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
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Environment & Me: photo competition winners announced

Five stunning images of Europe’s environment have been selected as winners of a photography competition organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
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  In the spotlight  

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The European environment — state and outlook 2015 (SOER 2015) report is out

SOER 2015 presents the most comprehensive picture of Europe’s environment ever published and is made up of two reports and 87 online briefings. These comprise the ‘Synthesis’ report and the ‘Assessment of global megatrends’ report, complemented by 11 global megatrends briefings, 25 European briefings, nine cross-country comparison briefings, 39 country briefings (based on national state of environment reports), and three regional briefings.

Explore SOER 2015

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  Upcoming events  

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23-24 March 2015 - 4th European Water Conference, Brussels, Belgium

The Conference, organised by the European Commission, is aimed primarily at those working directly or indirectly on the implementation of the Water Framework and Floods Directives at national, regional or local level. The EEA Executive Director and other staff will take part. 
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3-5 June 2015 - Green Week, Brussels, Belgium

The 2015 edition of Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy, will focus on nature and biodiversity. The EEA will be present with a stand and expert staff. 
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8-11 June 2015 - Resilient Cities Conference & Open European Day, Bonn, Germany

The conference aims to connect local government leaders and climate change adaptation experts to discuss adaptation challenges facing urban environments around the globe and forging partnerships that could have lasting impacts for cities. It will be followed by the Open European Day on 11 June, co-organised by the EEA.
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SOER 2015 events across Europe

A series of events will be held in coming months in EEA countries to present the findings of SOER 2015. For more information on these events, read more.

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