28 Sep 2007 - World governments
meeting in Montreal last week agreed to
freeze production of the ozone depleting
substances hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
in 2013 and bring forward the final phase-out
date of these chemicals by ten years. Industrialised
countries also pledged to provide 'stable
and sufficient' funds to help developing
countries meet the accelerated phase-out
deadline.
Themes Ozone depletion
The accelerated phase out is expected to
restore the ozone layer, which filters out
damaging levels of ultra violet light, a
few years earlier than originally estimated.
'Governments from all countries, developed
and developing, have achieved a major step
forwards in protecting the ozone layer and
at the same time combating climate change
in an effective way', says Jacqueline McGlade,
Executive Director at the European Environment
Agency in Copenhagen.
HCFCs are chemicals replacing more ozone-damaging
chemicals such as CFCs (chloroflurocarbons)
in air conditioning and some forms of refrigeration
equipment and foams. CFCs are already being
phased out under earlier decisions. There
is mounting evidence that HCFCs contribute
to global warming. These gases are not covered
by the Kyoto Protocol which does address
all other main greenhouse gases from human
activities. Thus apart from helping restoring
the ozone layer the phasing out of HCFCs
also reduces global greenhouse gas emissions
and helps tackling climate change.
The agreement to accelerate the phase out
happened under the 20 year-old UN Montreal
Protocol, a treaty to protect the Earths
ozone layer.
Developed countries agreed to reduce production
and consumption by 2010 by 75 per cent and
by 90 per cent by 2015 with final phase
out in 2020. Developing countries have agreed
to cut production and consumption by 10
per cent in 2015; by 35 per cent by 2020
and by 67.5 per cent by 2025 with a final
phase-out in 2030. Governments also agreed
an initial 2009 quota for critical use exemptions
of the banned ozone-depleting pesticide
methyl bromide.
For more information see the UNEP ozone
secretariat web site: http://www.unep.ch/ozone/index.shtml
See also the EEA web site on climate change:
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate
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Radiation risk from everyday devices assessed
Document Actions Published: 17 Sep 2007
- A new report raising concerns about the
effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF)
on human health calls for tougher safety
standards to regulate radiation from mobile
phones, power lines and many other sources
of exposure in daily life. The report, 'Bioinitiative:
A Rationale for a Biologically-Based Public
Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields'
was compiled by the BioInitiative Working
Group, an international group of scientists,
researchers and public health policy professionals.
The EEA has contributed to this new report
with a chapter drawn from the EEA study
'Late lessons from early warnings: the precautionary
principle 18962000' published in 2001.
Themes Environment and health
More on environment and health Find out
the level of ozone pollution in Europe The
EEA study reviews the histories of a selection
of public and environmental hazards, such
as asbestos, benzene and PCBs, from the
first scientifically based early warnings
about potential harm, to subsequent precautionary
and preventive measures. Cases on tobacco
smoking and lead in petrol are forthcoming.
Although the EEA does not have specific
expertise in EMF, the case studies of public
hazards analysed in the 'Late lessons' publication
show that harmful exposures can be widespread
before there is both 'convincing' evidence
of harm from long-term exposures, and biological
understanding of how that harm is caused.
'There are many examples of the failure
to use the precautionary principle in the
past, which have resulted in serious and
often irreversible damage to health and
environments. Appropriate, precautionary
and proportionate actions taken now to avoid
plausible and potentially serious threats
to health from EMF are likely to be seen
as prudent and wise from future perspectives.
We must remember that precaution is one
of the principles of EU environmental policy,'
says Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive
Director of the EEA.
Current evidence, although limited, is
strong enough to question the scientific
basis for the present EMF exposure limits,
according to the BioInitiative Working Group.
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Counting down to Belgrade
25 Sep 2007 - The countdown to the Sixth
'Environment for Europe' Ministerial Conference
has started. The conference, taking place
from 1012 October 2007 in Belgrade, Serbia,
is organised by the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE). The launch
of the EEA report 'Europe's environment
The fourth assessment' will be a key event
on the first day. The report assesses environmental
progress in 53 countries an area with
a total population of more than 870 million
people.
More on environmental reporting EEA member
countries delivering more environmental
data The road from Dobrí to Belgrade
More on specific regions European Topic
Centre for Land Use and Spatial Information
opens in Barcelona 'The fourth assessment'
is the latest in a series of assessments
of the pan-European environment published
by the EEA over the past 15 years. The area
covers: Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and
Central Asia (EECCA), South Eastern Europe
(SEE), as well as Western and Central Europe
(WCE).
The EEA report is the result of a unique
cooperation in sharing information, in which
53 countries, various international organisations
and a broad range of stakeholders participated.
Watch our videos to learn more about the
people behind the report and their experiences
in the several years it took to produce.
The EEA's fourth assessment report will
be launched together with two complementary
reports:
'Policies for a better environment Progress
in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central
Asia' by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), and 'Environmental
policy in South East Europe' by the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Jointly the reports give an in-depth view
on the pan-European environment, its policies,
and progress made over the past four years.
Read the conference programme and view the
calendar of the launch and other EEA events
at the conference.
