Highlight Published
20 Nov 2013
Meeting European demands for food, water,
energy and housing exerts major pressures
on the environment, indirectly affecting
human health and well-being. To reduce the
impact of Europe's resource use, a new assessment
from the European Environment Agency (EEA)
reflects on integrating different policy
areas and improved spatial planning.
We can see that the
European environment is currently under
pressure in many areas, and incremental
improvements will not be enough to put Europe
on the path to a green economy.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director
The EEA's Environmental
indicator report 2013 explores the implications
of a transition to a 'green economy', defined
as an economic system which uses resources
more efficiently, enhances human well-being
and maintains natural systems.
The report aims to support
implementation of the European Union's 7th
Environmental Action Programme (7th EAP),
due to be officially signed by policymakers
today, which sets the long-term objectives
of environmental policymaking in the EU.
Entitled 'Living well, within the limits
of our planet', it puts a particular focus
on ensuring a healthy environment for human
well-being.
Europeans depend on
the environment to provide for many aspects
of their material well-being, according
to the report. Environmental pressures associated
with our lifestyles seem to be decreasing,
at least within Europe's borders. However,
seen through the lens of resource use and
well-being, European consumption is still
unsustainable, particularly in the context
of growing resource demands globally. Policies
should be closer integrated to reconcile
competing demands on nature and to maximise
benefits to society.
“To maintain a high
standard of living in Europe, we will need
to make a more fundamental transition to
an economic model which meets our needs
at much lower environmental cost,” Hans
Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said.
“We can see that the European environment
is currently under pressure in many areas,
and incremental improvements will not be
enough to put Europe on the path to a green
economy.”
Selected findings
Within Europe, environmental
pressures from resource use appear to be
declining, most notably for water and energy.
However, large regional differences exist.
Urban sprawl, bioenergy and food production
all compete for finite land resources and
put pressure on biodiversity and water systems.
Human exposure to these combined pressures
is very unevenly distributed, with some
areas and societal groups being much more
affected than others. Spatial planning plays
a key role in addressing these pressures
in an integrated manner, the report says.
Regarding food, EU farmland
area declined by 13 % between 1961 and 2011.
This was more than offset by a 259 % increase
in productivity, achieved by rationalising
production methods and increasing fertiliser
and pesticide use. While this intensive
production enables the EU to be largely
self-sufficient for main commodities and
products such as meat, dairy, cereals and
beverages, it has resulted in a range of
environmental problems, including eutrophication,
greenhouse gas emissions, and air and water
pollution.
Reducing these pressures
would require reduced external chemical
inputs, water and energy use, land take
and waste generation. Common Agricultural
Policy subsidies and other measures could
better incentivise more ecologically sustainable
farming methods.
Water abstraction has
declined since 11000, indicating increased
water efficiency. However, many parts of
Europe are still water stressed, with Cyprus,
Belgium, Italy, Malta and Spain particularly
affected. Pollution is another pressure
on water resources. Despite the reduction
of some pollutants, less than half of Europe's
surface waters are reported to have good
ecological status.
'Emerging contaminants'
in water are also a growing area of concern
for human wellbeing, the report says. These
pollutants come from chemicals found in
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other products,
and their harmful nature is only now starting
to become apparent.
EU energy consumption has remained stable
in the last two decades despite a 50 % increase
in economic output, according to the report.
Fossil fuels dominate the EU energy mix,
accounting for between 96 % (Cyprus) and
37 % (Sweden) of national energy consumption.
Air pollution and climate change associated
with the use of fossil fuels mean that they
are the energy source with the highest indirect
health and well-being impacts.
Burning biomass for home heating increased
56 % between 11000 and 2011, raising serious
concerns for health. The lack of filters
on domestic burners means that households
are now the main source of fine particulate
matter emissions in the EU.
Regarding housing, diffuse
urban sprawl and decreasing average household
size mean that the efficiency of housing
is declining in Europe, in terms of both
land and energy use. Between 11000 and 2006,
residential areas grew almost four times
as fast as the European population, contributing
to the fragmentation of natural habitats.
The report points to
serious failings in European efforts to
meet resource needs. For example, approximately
14 % of the EU population cannot afford
to keep their homes warm. This rate is up
to 40 % in some countries.
The report draws on some of the EEA's 146
environmental indicators, which evaluate
a huge range of different environmental
issues. In early 2015, the EEA will publish
its State of the Environment Report (SOER),
a comprehensive Europe-wide environmental
assessment published every five years. The
SOER is also based on a broad range of environmental
indicators.
+ More
EU satellite data to
be freely available
Highlight Published
18 Nov 2013
Satellite observations have become vital
to our understanding of the environment.
From next month, the European Commission
will provide free, full and open access
to a wealth of data gathered by Copernicus,
Europe’s Earth observation system.
Copernicus already gathers
and processes data from satellites. In the
future it will expand to include six dedicated
satellite missions, called Sentinels, to
be launched from 2014 onwards. It is hoped
that the freely available data will help
further environmental understanding, allowing
businesses, researchers, citizens and policy
makers to integrate greater environmental
knowledge into everything they do.
The European Environment
Agency (EEA) plays a key role in Copernicus,
coordinating in-situ observations and contributing
to the development of services, with a particular
focus on the technical coordination of the
Land Monitoring Service.
The data is useful for
many different users. For example, on 8
November the Copernicus Emergency Management
service produced the first damage assessment
maps for the Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines,
helping relief efforts. Other environment-related
services from Copernicus monitor Europe’s
land, its oceans, its atmosphere and climate
change.
Satellites: a vital
tool in modern environmental management
Satellite measurements
have improved environmental monitoring,
allowing more evidence based policy and
ultimately better environmental management.
In the past, most observations were made
at ground level and interpolated to build
up an overview . Often, this overview was
inconsistent and showed different things
depending on how and when each country carried
out its monitoring.
In contrast, satellites
give a broad view of a subject at a particular
time, providing a comparable and instantaneous
view of large areas, even the whole globe.
They are also systematic – the Sentinels
will pass over the same points on a regular
basis, allowing for monitoring of developments
over time. As such, they provide data across
Europe and beyond as part of a global monitoring
framework.
Satellite observations
allow policy makers to see how cities are
growing – for example, the Urban Atlas has
been used to map access to public transport.
Other important uses include monitoring
air pollution and the extent of important
ecosystems, while current scientific understanding
of the melting Arctic ice cap has only been
possible with satellite observations.
