Published : Jul 01,
2013
As Croatia joins the European Union, it
also becomes a full member of the European
Environment Agency (EEA) on July 1, 2013.
On this landmark day, the EEA takes a look
at the country’s environment.
We look forward to even
closer cooperation with Croatia as a full
EEA member country. I expect the country’s
unique natural environment will enrich environmental
debates in the EU.
Many Europeans know
Croatia for its crystal clear seas and white
beaches, but the country’s biodiversity
is also an important part of Europe’s environment.
The country is rich in wildlife due to its
geographical position at the crossroads
of several bio-geographical regions and
its unique ecological, climatic and physical
conditions.
Habitats in Croatia
include mountains, forests and a coastline
with over a thousand islands and islets
in the Adriatic. The country is a migratory
route for sea turtles and many kinds of
birds. It also has one of the highest diversity
of plants of all European countries, and
is home to many endangered species.
Two thirds of Croatia’s
area is land and one third is sea. Almost
half of the land area is covered by forest,
of which 95 % is largely natural in structure,
providing habitats for many types of wildlife.
Environmental pressures
Croatia has a population
of 4.3 million, according to 2011 statistics.
Almost two thirds of the population live
in urban areas, with approximately 800 000
people in Zagreb, the capital.
As with most European
countries, environmental pressures come
from many different areas. Tourism is particularly
important for Croatia, but it also puts
pressure on the environment - for example,
sailing boats, cruise ships and cargo ships
sometimes pollute the sea. Nonetheless,
the Croatian coast is one of the best-preserved
parts of the Mediterranean, with relatively
low pollution loads.
Bathing sites in Croatia
were ranked above those of most other EU
Member States – 95 % of swimming beaches,
lakes and rivers were rated as excellent
in 2012, a proportion which was only surpassed
by three other countries. Only three of
Croatia’s 919 bathing water sites had poor
quality water.
Waste management is
one area which requires more work. Despite
many improvements in the last decade, further
efforts are needed to meet the objectives
of EU legislation and waste management strategies.
Croatia’s greenhouse
gas emissions are below the country’s target
under the Kyoto Protocol, according to the
most recent data. Average emissions between
2008 and 2011 were currently 6.5% below
the base year, so it seems the country will
significantly exceed the agreed 5% reduction
objective for the years 2008-2012. In addition,
Croatia has been participating in the EU
Emissions Trading System since 1 January
2013.
Croatia and the EEA
“In common with several
other countries before it, Croatia has cooperated
with the EEA for many years before joining
the EU,” EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx
said. “We look forward to even closer cooperation
with Croatia as a full EEA member country.
I expect the country’s unique natural environment
will enrich environmental debates in the
EU.”
Since 2003, Croatia
has participated in Eionet (European Environment
Information and Observation Network) and
EEA programmes and activities as a cooperating
country, providing data and information
to the EEA. For example, data on air quality
is sent to EEA, including near-real time
data which is sent every hour from some
monitoring stations. Croatian authorities
provided information for a recent environmental
indicator report covering the West Balkans.
At the same time, Croatia
has been part of a regional EEA/West Balkans
Programme, sharing experience between countries.
As part of efforts to improve environmental
policy, the Mediterranean country has established
an operational Environment Information System,
organised according to SEIS principles.
Croatia is now the 28th EU Member State,
and the 33rd EEA member country.
+ More
Europe’s environment
now healthier – but new risks emerging
Published : Jul 02,
2013
Europeans live longer and healthier lives
than in the past, partly due to successful
environmental policies that have reduced
the exposure to harmful environmental contaminants
in air, water and food, according to a new
report. However, these contaminants are
still a problem, and several new health
risks are emerging, for example, from new
chemicals, new products and changing lifestyle
patterns.
This report really reinforces
some of the key links between health and
the environment. People are now exposed
to many different harmful factors, which
together are reducing both lifespans and
wellbeing.
Jacqueline McGlade,
EEA Executive Director
The environment affects
human health in multiple ways, according
to the report ‘Environment and human health’
published by the European Environment Agency
(EEA) and the European Commission's in-house
science service, the Joint Research Centre.
While pollutants, noise and other forms
of environmental degradation can be harmful,
the report underlines the large benefits
of access to natural environments for physical
and mental wellbeing.
Europe’s ‘health gap’
There is large disparity
in the environmental conditions across Europe,
which is often reflected in different levels
of health and life expectancy, according
to the report. People with low social status
often live in degraded or harmful environments,
with potential negative effects on health.
Their condition may be further influenced
by other factors, including socio-economic
status, life style habits and general health
status.
New risks and new understanding
As people live longer,
the main causes of premature death and disability
have become non-communicable, ’lifestyle’-related
conditions, such as obesity, cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, and cancer. In so far
as these problems may be linked to environmental
conditions, it has become increasingly important
to address all these issues together, the
report says.
People are usually exposed
to multiple environmental factors throughout
their lives, and more research is needed
to understand the impacts, the report says,
especially for the most vulnerable in society
– including children, the poor and the elderly.
Science needs to move
away from focusing on individual hazards
and look instead at the complex, combined
effects environmental and lifestyle factors
are having on our health, the report says.
Jacqueline McGlade,
EEA Executive Director, said: “This report
really reinforces some of the key links
between health and the environment. People
are now exposed to many different harmful
factors, which together are reducing both
lifespans and wellbeing.”
Key findings
Global sales of products
from the chemicals sector doubled between
2000 and 2009, and there is an increasing
range of chemicals on the market, including
substances affecting human health.
There is growing concern about ‘endocrine
disrupting chemicals’, which affect the
hormone system, found in a wide range of
common products including pharmaceuticals,
pesticides and cosmetics. Effects are not
yet fully understood, but the chemicals
may contribute to declining sperm count,
genital malformation, impaired neural development,
obesity and cancer.
The report highlights evidence showing the
contribution of air pollution to cancer,
heart disease, bronchitis and asthma and
estimates that air pollution reduces each
EU citizen's life expectancy by an average
of 8.5 months. Recent studies of air pollution
suggest that exposure in early life can
significantly affect adult health, and the
effect of air pollution on pregnancy may
be comparable to that of passive smoking.
Up to 95% of city dwellers are still exposed
to levels of fine particulate matter (PM)
above World Health Organisation guidelines,
the report says.
In Europe, an increasing health concern
in relation to water quality is pharmaceutical
residues and endocrine-disrupting substances,
which are not always fully removed by water
treatment. Water shortages and water quality
issues may be further exacerbated by climate
change, the report says.
Noise can seriously harm health, affecting
cognitive development, cardiovascular disease
and sleep. Noisy areas are often those with
high levels of air pollution, and each factor
seems to augment the effect of the other.
Devices emitting electro-magnetic fields
(EMF) such as mobile phones are sometimes
considered a possible cancer risk, but there
is no conclusive scientific evidence supporting
this link. Available data are reviewed regularly
by the Commission's scientific committees.
The next review will be published in the
second half of 2013.
Nanotechnology applications might be an
emerging risk, as little is known about
the effects of nanomaterials in the human
body. This will require an adequate assessment
of potential risks, to guarantee the safe
production of nanomaterials and their safe
use in consumer products.
Green spaces seem to have multiple physical
and mental health benefits. There are significant
differences in access to these areas across
Europe – all cities in Sweden and Finland
have more than 40 % green space within their
boundaries, while at the other end of the
scale all Hungarian and Greek cities have
less than 30 % green space.