Editorial

"Europe needs to invest substantially in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The finance sector can and will play an instrumental role in supporting Europe’s transition towards a low- carbon, climate-resilient society. Public sector investments will not be enough for financing the transition but can help mobilise and leverage private capital, which is indispensable for redirecting investment at the scale needed."

By Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director

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"Concentrations of air pollution across Europe continue to slowly improve. However, we still see significant effects on health. Air pollution continues to result in a lower quality of life due to illnesses. Our report provides a new estimate of the health impacts of the most harmful air pollutants like PM2.5 which was responsible for estimated 467,000 premature deaths per year in 2013 across 41 European countries," says Alberto González Ortiz, air quality expert at the EEA.

Interview with Alberto González Ortiz on air quality in Europe and the EEA's work in this area.

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What changes are needed in order to move towards a more sustainable mobility system in Europe? A European Environment Agency report assesses the latest environmental trends in transport and presents examples of the different transitions needed in terms of technology, urban planning and societal behaviour to make transport more sustainable.

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Substantial progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, air and other pollutants, and improving energy and material efficiency, needs to be complemented by more actions by EU Member States to fully apply agreed-to policies to better protect biodiversity, natural resources, and people’s health. 

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Land degradation and taking land for urban development threaten critical ecosystem services, including provision of food and water, climate regulation and recreation. Land recycling, such as reusing neglected sites and turning roads or parking lots to green spaces or residential areas, can have positive impacts on the environment and support Europe’s transition towards a circular and green economy.

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Achieving the European Union’s long-term objective of shifting to a sustainable, low-carbon future will be a massive undertaking. It will require fundamental changes in how we live, produce goods and consume. A new joint report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) explores the innovations and new knowledge that can catalyse and guide transitions.

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Air pollution has significant impacts on the health of Europeans, particularly in urban areas. While air quality is slowly improving, air pollution remains the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe, resulting in a lower quality of life due to illnesses and an estimated 467 000 premature deaths per year.

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European countries are improving their methods to prevent household trash and other municipal waste from ending up in landfill sites. Recycling rates, in particular, have increased considerably across Europe over the past decade, due in part to European environmental policies.

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ecuring our need for food has become a major threat to the environment, driving increased emissions and over-exploitation of natural resources such as water, soil and fish. Our health and well-being have also been affected. Ensuring nutritious food for all in a fair and environmentally sound way has become a societal, economic and policy challenge across the world. 

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Significant changes will be needed in the Member States’ energy-generating mix if the European Union is to meet its 2050 climate goal. While the European Union has made considerable progress in improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources, a well-planned transition out of carbon-intensive power generation is needed.

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A large scale roll-out of electric cars on European roads would result in significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower levels of certain air pollutants. However, widespread use of such vehicles would pose challenges for Europe’s power grid in meeting increased electricity demand.

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Preliminary estimates show that emissions across the European Union in 2015 were 22 % lower than 1990 levels, despite a slight increase compared to 2014, according to new reports from the European Environment Agency published today. 

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The EU Member States have lowered their energy consumption in recent years, despite a slight increase in 2015. At the same time, they use more and more renewable energy. Overall, the 28 Member States are collectively well on their way to meeting their 2020 targets on renewables, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. However, continuing current trends will fall short of longer term objectives. 

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The surplus of CO2 emission allowances in the European Union’s Emissions Trading System started declining in 2015. This is the first significant decrease since unused allowances started accumulating in 2008. However, the surplus remains substantial.

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The European Commission is organising a high-level policy summit on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. EEA Executive Director will participate. Read more

The WCEF 2017 will bring together key experts and decision makers in the field and present the world’s best circular economy solutions. The EEA will present its work on circular economy. Read more

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