European Environment Agency's home page
What's new
Filtered by
Despite clear benefits, like cheaper energy and access to new resources, only a few European countries have embarked on cross-border renewable energy projects. Building on the experience of those countries is crucial for the success of future cross-border projects, according to a new European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing released today.
Climate action in Europe: EU ETS emissions see big drop in 2019, latest EEA assessment shows
News 14 Dec 2020Greenhouse gas emissions from stationary installations covered by the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) dropped by 9.1% in 2019 from 2018 levels, the largest drop in a decade, according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing on trends and projections in the EU ETS released today.
National measures to cut air pollution would benefit from stronger links with climate action
News 10 Dec 2020European Union (EU) Member States report on their policies and measures to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions separately. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, reveals that Member States identify links to climate action in about one third of their reported actions planned to reduce air pollution.
Many different human activities on land and at sea cause pressures on Europe’s seas. A European Environment Agency’s (EEA) briefing, published today, shows that these pressures have now reached the outermost sea areas and the deepest seafloor. Human activities affect negatively 93 % of Europe’s sea area.
Filtered by
EEA-Eionet Strategy 2021-2030: delivering data and knowledge to achieve Europe’s climate and environment ambitions
Article 15 Dec 2020Our joint Strategy indicates our direction of travel. It introduces a new way of working together and creating knowledge — more agile, more responsive, more pro-active, more actionable — befitting the challenges we will face and the knowledge we will need in the decade to come.
Health and environment, including air and noise pollution — Putting EEA’s work in the spotlight
Article 15 Dec 2020Air pollution, noise pollution and the impacts of climate change are key risks to the everyday health and well-being of Europeans. We talked with Catherine Ganzleben, head of group, air pollution, environment and health, Alberto González, EEA air quality expert, and Eulalia Peris, EEA noise pollution expert to find out more on what the EEA is doing to improve knowledge in this important field of work.
Industrial pollution in Europe is decreasing, thanks to a blend of regulation, developments in manufacturing and environmental initiatives. However, industry continues to pollute and moving towards zero pollution in this sector is an ambitious challenge.
A simple but powerful idea lies at the heart of environmental laws in the EU: the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This principle has been applied in the form of taxes, fines and other measures, such as quotas for pollutant emissions and the Environmental Liability Directive. We talked to Professor Geert Van Calster about this principle, its benefits and shortcomings.
Filtered by
This briefing looks at the challenges posed by cross-border cooperation on renewable energy. It analyses the barriers holding countries back and makes recommendations to overcome the challenges, based on the experience of three case studies on cooperation between Denmark and Germany, Norway and Sweden, and Ireland and the United Kingdom.
This briefing assesses the health risks due to exposure to environmental noise in Europe using three indicators to measure, monitor and communicate the impacts of noise pollution on health: (1) exposure to noise above recommended levels established by the World Health Organization; (2) number of people suffering health effects from exposure to noise; (3) burden of disease from noise. The indicators are derived from data submitted to the EEA under the EU Environmental Noise Directive and will be used to inform the development of future targets to reduce the health impacts of noise.
The European Union’s energy system is decarbonising rapidly. In 2019, emissions from stationary installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) declined by 9.1 %. Further reductions are expected in 2020, partially because of the Covid-19 crisis. However, significant further cuts in emissions remain necessary to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The auctioning of emission allowances can turn into a significant source of revenues to support climate investments. This briefing provides an overview of past and projected emission trends under the EU ETS.
Europe’s seas are overexploited. Most of Europe’s marine area (93 %) is under multiple pressures from human activities, which have reached the most remote areas. The EU’s maritime economy will not be sustainable unless it is confined to the current ecological limits of marine ecosystems. That means decoupling human activities on land and sea from the degradation and depletion of marine ecosystem capital. This briefing summarises a spatial assessment of the multiple pressures on Europe’s seas (ETC/ICM, 2019a).
Filtered by
Filtered by
Filtered by
COVID-19 virus outbreak
Meetings with external participants continue to be held via online platforms until further notice.
Featured article
Air pollution, noise pollution and the impacts of climate change are key risks to the everyday health and well-being of Europeans. We talked with Catherine Ganzleben, head of group, air pollution, ...
In the spotlight
Our joint Strategy indicates our direction of travel. It introduces a new way of working together and creating knowledge — more agile, more responsive, more pro-active, more actionable — befitting ...
Document Actions
Share with others