Document Actions
Published: 27 Oct 2011
Europe’s mountain regions may suffer some
of the most severe impacts of climate change.
Increasing temperatures can change snow-cover
patterns and lead to water shortages and
other problems such as reduced ski tourism.
Species may also face extinction if unable
to move northward or uphill. To investigate
these current and potential impacts in the
Pyrenees, the European Environment Agency
(EEA) and the Pyrenees Working Community
(CTP) have recently signed an agreement
to work together.
The Pyrenees Climate Change Observatory
(OPCC) has been created under the CTP to
monitor and understand climate change in
the Pyrenees. It also functions as a permanent
platform for exchanging information between
scientists, politicians and other actors
in the Pyrenees mountain range.
"Temperatures are rising faster in
mountainous regions, making them particularly
vulnerable to climate change," Jacqueline
McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said. "Glaciers
in the Pyrenees have shrunk a lot over the
past 150 years. This agreement will improve
our understanding of this region, helping
the local population adapt to continuing
climate change".
The EEA will offer expertise on data collection,
information sharing and structuring and
in assessing climate change impacts, vulnerability
and adaptation. The collaboration aims to
provide an overview of the climate change
impacts in the region which can help local
communities in preparing adaptation strategies
for the most vulnerable socio-economic sectors
and natural areas.
Information on regional and local climate
change impacts and adaptation in the Pyrenees
will also feed in to EEA European assessments,
complementing other regional information
sources provided for example by the Alpine
Convention and the Carpathian Convention.
In 2012, the EEA is planning to publish
an update of its 2008 report on climate
change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation
in Europe with a specific chapter on mountain
regions. The report will provide European,
national and sub-national decision-makers
with evidence that can help them formulate
policies to cope with the impacts of climate
change and adapt to its effects.
The CTP is meeting in Toulouse today for
its annual plenary.
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Common Agricultural
Policy reform – reducing the impact of farming
Document Actions
Published: 12 Oct 2011
Today, the European Commission launched
its proposals for the Common Agricultural
Policy (CAP) after 2013. The key objective
is ‘to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability
and permanence of agriculture throughout
the EU in order to secure for European citizens
a healthy and high-quality source of food,
preserve the environment and develop rural
areas’. The proposals tie financial support
more closely to environmental goals.
“The increased focus
on environmental issues in the proposed
CAP reform is very welcome,” Professor Jacqueline
McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said, “particularly
in view of climate change and increased
pressures on natural resources. The EEA
will continue to provide information to
support better understanding of the many
dimensions and trade-offs involved.”
The CAP is one of the EU’s strongest sectoral
interventions and arguably the one with
the most numerous and substantial implications
for the environment, shaping the European
landscape and influencing agricultural practices.
Intensification and increased reliance on
external inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides
and water have caused major pressures on
air and water quality, as well as on biodiversity.
Agricultural practices also have an impact
on climate change, both emitting greenhouse
gases and affecting carbon storage.
