Published:
19 Mar 2008 - Europe's road transport has
made a clear contribution to economic growth,
but its environmental performance is still
unacceptable. Traffic congestion, poorer
air quality, noise and in particular greenhouse
gas emissions are some of the key challenges
effectively addressed by six initiatives
identified by the European Environment Agency
as success stories. Such measures should
also be implemented elsewhere, but to reach
intermediate and long-term climate change
targets, transport demand has to be addressed
as well.
The report 'Success
stories within the road transport sector
on reducing greenhouse gas emission and
producing ancillary benefits' released today
by the EEA, explores six projects — implemented
in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and
the United Kingdom — that have helped to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and therefore
contribute to the EU's medium and long-term
targets on climate change. These projects
have also helped improve air quality and
reduce noise.
Measures include replacing business travel
with teleconferencing, limiting speed and
promoting behavioural change with 'eco-driving',
introducing congestion charges, and improving
energy efficiency by means of freight consolidation
centres.
The EEA study seeks
to identify local and regional efforts to
boost the transition towards low carbon
transport in Europe, encouraging alternatives
to existing options for both private passengers
and freight operators. The report also discusses
some factors that are essential for the
projects to be successful such as cost effectiveness,
the important role of local authorities,
public relations and the media. 'By presenting
such projects, other countries and cities
might be encouraged to implement similar
measures', says project manager Jan Karlsson
from the European Environment Agency.
The local actions analysed
in this new report have slightly contributed
to lower greenhouse gas emissions from road
transport. 'Similar measures should and
could be implemented elsewhere. However,
additional measures, including demand management,
must be implemented to face the challenges
of the medium and long-term climate change
targets and develop an environmentally sustainable
transport system', says Jan Karlsson.
The same message was
also emphasised in the EEA's recently published
TERM 2007 report 'Climate for a transport
change', which provides a wide assessment
of the environmental performance of the
transport sector in Europe.
+ More
Discover Europe's landscape
through satellite and ground-level pictures
Published: 18 Mar 2008
- The LUCAS viewer, a new mapping tool managed
by the European Environment Agency, now
allows users to see land-cover information
based on satellite images as well as thumbnail-size
photographs taken in sampled locations across
Europe.
Adding such in situ
observations to satellite data leads to
a more accurate and detailed presentation
of Europe's landscape. This is particularly
useful in understanding how Europe uses
its land and helps improve environmental
assessments.
The photographs were
collected by Eurostat as part of the LUCAS
field surveys (land use/cover area frame
statistical survey). LUCAS provides harmonised
information on Europe's agricultural environment
and has been recording in situ observations
of land use and land cover, including photographs
in four directions (north, east, south and
west) and of the sample spot itself. The
LUCAS viewer plots these photographs against
the Corine land cover 2000 data.
A new GMES (Global Monitoring
for Environment and Security) working group
on in situ observations meets for the first
time in London today (18 March 2008) to
discuss how ground-based monitoring could
be better integrated with earth observation
data.
