Copenhagen, 30 November
2010 - The European Environment Agency (EEA)
released today its fourth Environment State
and Outlook report (SOER2010), a comprehensive
assessment of how and why Europe's environment
is changing, and what we are doing about
it. SOER 2010 concludes that a fully integrated
approach to transforming Europe to a resource-efficient
green economy can not only result in a healthy
environment, but also boost prosperity and
social cohesion.
The EEA's new assessment
shows that global demands for natural resources
to feed, clothe, house and transport people
are accelerating. These mounting demands
on natural capital are exerting increased
pressure to ecosystems, economies and social
cohesion in Europe and elsewhere. However,
SOER2010 confirms that well-designed environmental
policies continue to improve Europe's environment
without undermining Europe's growth potential.
'We are consuming more
natural resources than is ecologically stable.
This is true for both Europe and the planet
as a whole. Climate change is the most visible
sign of instability so far, but a range
of global trends suggest greater systemic
risks to ecosystems in future. The nature
of the current financial crisis should give
us pause for thought. ' said Prof. Jacqueline
McGlade, Executive Director of EEA.
A complete shift to
a resource-efficient Green Economy requires
that all environmental resources - biodiversity,
land, carbon, rivers, the seas and the air
we breathe - are fully considered in production,
consumption and global trade decisions.
'There are no quick
fixes but regulators, businesses and citizens
need to work together and find innovative
ways to use resources more efficiently.
The seeds for future action exist: the task
ahead is to help them take root and flourish,'
concludes McGlade.
SOER2010 also highlights
a greater understanding of the links between
climate change, biodiversity, resource use
and people's health - and how tools like
spatial planning, ecological tax reform,
pollution prevention, precaution and resource
accounting can underpin a natural capital-based
approach to their management.
Key findings and recommendations
Climate change: The
European Union has made progress in cutting
emissions and expanding renewable energy.
The EU-27's 2009 emissions stand 17 per
cent below the 11000 level and therefore
very close to the bloc's target of cutting
emissions 20 per cent by 2020. However,
sectoral trends are not all positive. EU-27
emissions from transport rose by 24 per
cent between 11000 and 2008.
Climate change adaptation:
Even if Europe meets all its emission reduction
targets and world leaders agree on bold
measures during the climate talks currently
taking place in Cancun, Mexico, Europe will
still need to adapt to ongoing and expected
climate change impacts. Dedicated management
of natural capital can help deal with these
challenges.
Biodiversity, ecosystems
and people's health: The Natura 2000 network
of protected areas, which now covers around
18 per cent of EU land, has helped protect
endangered species and preserve green spaces
for leisure. Air and water quality legislation
has reduced pressure on biodiversity and
people. On the other hand, intensification
of land use, loss of habitats and overfishing
prevented the EU from meeting its target
of halting biodiversity loss by 2010.
Integrated solutions
with a global perspective: By showing the
many links between different challenges,
environmental and others, SOER2010 encourages
us to increase integrated actions across
different policy areas dealing with these
challenges, so as to deliver improvements
quicker and maximise co-benefits (e.g. mitigate
climate change and improve air quality at
the same time).
Resource efficiency:
Food, energy and water security are key
drivers of land use as often conflicting
demands increase (e.g. for food, feed and
fuel). Accounting and pricing that takes
full account of resource-use impacts are
essential for steering business and consumers
towards enhanced resource efficiency.
Citizen involvement:
Policy alone cannot halt or reverse environmental
trends. We need to increase the number of
citizens committed to reducing their impact
on the environment by involving them in
collecting data and through social media.
Notes to the editor
SOER is the EEA's flagship
report published every five years and aimed
at providing information on the state of,
trends in and prospects for Europe's environment,
including causes, impacts and potential
responses. SOER2010 consists of four key
elements: (i) thematic assessments on key
environmental issues (climate change, biodiversity,
land use, air pollution, marine environment,
consumption, etc.) each accompanied by relevant
facts and trends, (ii) an assessment of
global megatrends relevant for Europe's
environment, (iii) country assessments,
and (iv) an integrated synthesis report.
All SOER assessments
can be accessed online at www.eea.europa.eu/soer.
About the European Environment
Agency (EEA)
The EEA is based in
Copenhagen. The Agency aims to help achieve
significant and measurable improvement in
Europe's environment by providing timely,
targeted, relevant and reliable information
to policymakers and the public.
EEA member countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
the United Kingdom.
