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Hydrofluorocarbon phase-down in Europe
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16 Dec 2020
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Based on company-level data reported under Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 (EU F-gas Regulation), the indicator presents an assessment of the progress on EU HFC phase-down made under both EU legislation and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.
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Economic losses from climate-related extremes in Europe
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20 Dec 2020
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This indicator considers the number of fatalities, and the overall and insured economic losses from weather and climate-related events in EEA member countries since 1980. Hazards considered are those classified as meteorological hazards, hydrological hazards and climatological hazards as used by Munich Re and based on the classification by the International Council for Science (ICSU).
Integrated Research on Disaster Risk. (2014). Peril Classification and Hazard Glossary (IRDR DATA Publication No. 1). Beijing: Integrated Research on Disaster Risk.
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Conservation status of habitats under the EU Habitats Directive
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18 Dec 2020
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The indicator illustrates the conservation status and trends of 233 habitats of European interest listed in the Habitats Directive at EU and Member State level. Conservation status is shown as good, poor, bad and unknown. It is based on data collected under the reporting obligations of Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
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Heavy precipitation in Europe
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04 Jan 2017
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Heavy precipitation is defined as the maximum annual 5-day consecutive precipitation. Trends are calculated for the period between 1960 and 2015.
Projected changes in heavy precipitation are defined as changes in the 95th percentile of daily precipitation (only days with precipitation >1 mm/day are considered). Changes between the 1971-2000 and 2071-2100 are calculated using a multi-model ensemble forced by RCP8.5.
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Use of freshwater resources in Europe
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23 Dec 2019
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The WEI+ provides a measure of total water use as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources for a given territory and time scale.
The WEI+ is an advanced geo-referenced implementation of the WEI. It quantifies how much water is abstracted monthly or seasonally and how much water is returned after use to the environment via basins. The difference between water abstraction and return is regarded as water use.
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Capacity of infrastructure networks
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01 Dec 2016
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This indicator covers roads, motorways, railways (including high speed rail lines (HSR)), navigable inland waterway lines (see definitions of the terms below) and pipelines. Additionally, it looks at transport infrastructure density in terms of land area (km per km 2 ) and at transport infrastructure density in terms of population (km per 1000 inhabitants).
Roads
Road : Line of communication (travelled way) using a stabilised base other than rails or air strips open to public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels. Bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings and interchanges are included, as are toll roads. Dedicated cycle paths are excluded.
Road network : All roads in a given area.
Motorway : Road that is specially designed and built for motor traffic, which does not serve properties bordering on it, and which:
is provided, except at special points or temporarily, with separate carriageways for the two directions of traffic, separated from each other, either by a dividing strip not intended for traffic, or exceptionally by other means;
does not cross at level with any road, railway or tramway track, or footpath; and
is specially sign-posted as a motorway and is reserved for specific categories of road motor vehicles.
Entry and exit lanes of motorways are included irrespective of the location of the signposts. Urban motorways are also included.
Railways
Railway : Line of communication made up of rail, exclusively for the use of railway vehicles. The line of communication is part of the space equipped for the execution of transport.
Railway network : All railways in a given area. This does not include stretches of road or water, even if rolling stock should be conveyed over such routes, e.g. by wagon-carrying trailers or ferries. Lines solely used for touristic purposes during the season are excluded as are railways constructed solely to serve mines, forests or other industrial or agricultural undertakings and which are not open to public traffic.
High-speed line : A line specially built to allow traffic at speeds generally equal to or greater than 250 km/h for the main segments. High-speed lines may include connecting lines, in particular junctions with town centre stations located on them, on which speeds may take account of local conditions (adapted from Directive 98/48/EC).
Navigable inland waterways
Waterway : River, canal, lake or other stretch of water, which, as a result of natural or man-made features is suitable for navigation. Waterways of a maritime character (waterways designated by the reporting country as suitable for navigation primarily by sea-going ships) are included. Waterways also include river estuaries, the boundary being that point nearest the sea where the width of the river is both less than 3 km at low water and less than 5 km at high water.
Navigable inland waterway : A stretch of water, not part of the sea, over which vessels of a carrying capacity not less than 50 tonnes can navigate when normally loaded. This term covers both navigable rivers, lakes and canals. The length of rivers and canals is measured mid-channel. The length of lakes and lagoons is measured along the shortest navigable route between the most distant points to and from which transport operations are performed. A waterway forming a common frontier between two countries is reported by both.
Pipelines
Oil pipelines : Pipes for the movement, by pumping, of crude or refined liquid petroleum products. Branch lines are included, as are oil pipelines between land and drilling platforms at sea. Oil pipelines whose total length is less than 50 km, or whose inside diameter is less than 15 cm, and oil pipelines used only for military purposes or located entirely within the site boundaries of an industrial operation, as well as oil pipelines that are entirely off-shore (i.e. located solely out in the open sea) are excluded. International oil pipelines whose total length is 50 km or more are included, even if the section in the reporting country is less than 50 km long. Oil pipelines consisting of two (or more) parallel pipelines are to be counted twice (or more). Only units that actually carried out an activity during the reference period, are considered. "Dormant" units, or those not yet having begun their activity, are excluded.
Oil pipeline network : All oil pipelines in a given area. The territory of the area in question includes that part of the seabed allocated to it under a concession.
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Emissions of air pollutants from large combustion plants
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19 Apr 2017
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This indicator tracks trends since 2004 in emissions of SO 2 , NO x and dust, as well as the environmental performance of LCPs. LCPs comprise combustion plants with a total rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW.
The geographical coverage comprises the EU-28 Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom).
The temporal coverage is 2004-2015 (most recent year with officially reported LCP emissions and fuel use; EEA LCP database v1.0 (see Data sources ))
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Imperviousness and imperviousness change in Europe
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This indicator measures the covering of the soil surface with non-permeable materials, hence indicating imperviousness. The aggregation of imperviousness values to reference units, such as urban areas, floodplains, coastal zones or protected areas is performed using the integrated spatial data platform of the EEA.
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Global and European sea level rise
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11 Dec 2020
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This indicator comprises several metrics to describe past and future sea level rise globally and along European coastlines:
observed change in global mean sea level, based on reconstructions from tide gauge measurements (since 1900) and on satellite altimeter data (since 1993);
projected change in global sea level for three different forcing scenarios;
spatial trends in relative sea level along the European coastline, based on tide gauge stations with long time series (since 1970); and
projected change in relative sea level across European seas
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Growing season for agricultural crops
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20 Dec 2016
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Rate of change in the number of frost-free days per year
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Oxygen consuming substances in European rivers
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25 Feb 2005
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This indicator illustrates current biochemical oxygen demand ( BOD) and concentrations of total ammonium (NH 4 ) in rivers, and examines trends in both. The key indicator for the oxygenation status of water bodies is BOD, which is the demand for oxygen resulting from organisms in water that consume oxidisable organic matter.
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Nutrients in freshwater in Europe
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11 May 2005
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This indicator shows concentrations of phosphate and nitrate in rivers, total phosphorus in lakes and nitrate in groundwater bodies. The indicator can be used to illustrate geographical variations in current nutrient concentrations and temporal trends.
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Urban waste water treatment in Europe
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07 Apr 2005
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The indicator on urban waste water treatment, WAT005, collects data on the percentage of the population connected to sewage collection systems, as well as on the prevalence of primary, secondary and tertiary urban waste water treatment plants.
The amount of urban waste water treated from 'big cities' is expressed as population equivalents (p.e.).
The indicator illustrates:
urban waste water collection and treatment in Europe in 2017;
the development of more stringent (tertiary) urban waste water treatment practice;
the level of urban waste water treatment in 'big cities (agglomerations of > 150 000 p.e.) in the EU.
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Abundance and distribution of selected species
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21 May 2010
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This indicator shows trends in the abundance of common birds and butterflies over time across their European ranges.
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Nationally designated protected areas
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21 May 2010
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The indicator illustrates the rate of growth in the number and total area of nationally protected areas over time. The indicator can be disaggregated by IUCN category, biogeographic region and country.
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Forest: growing stock, increment and fellings
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21 May 2010
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Growing stock in forest and other wooded land, classified by forest type and by availability for wood supply, and balance between net annual increment and annual fellings of wood on forest available for wood supply.
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Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) emissions
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15 Oct 2010
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The indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of sulphur dioxide.
The indicator also provides information on emissions by sectors: Energy production and distribution; Energy use in industry; Industrial processes; Road transport; Non-road transport; Commercial, institutional and households; Solvent and product use; Agriculture; Waste; Other.
Geographical coverage: EEA-32. The EEA-32 country grouping includes countries of the EU-27 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) EFTA-4 (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) and Turkey.
Temporal coverage: 1990-2010
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Emissions of air pollutants from transport
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12 Jan 2011
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This indicator is based on the assessment of emissions trends of CO, NO x , NMVOCs, SO x and primary particulates.
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Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions
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15 Oct 2010
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The indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of sulphur dioxide.
The indicator also provides information on emissions by sector: energy production and distribution; energy use in industry;, industrial processes; road transport; non-road transport; commercial, institutional and households; solvent and product use; agriculture; waste; other.
Geographical coverage: EEA-32. The EEA-32 country grouping includes countries of the EU-27 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) EFTA-4 (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) and Turkey.
Temporal coverage: 1990-2010
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Ammonia (NH3) emissions
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15 Oct 2010
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This indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of sulphur dioxide.
The indicator also provides information on emissions by sectors: energy production and distribution; energy use in industry; industrial processes; road transport; non-road transport; commercial, institutional and households; solvent and product use; agriculture; waste; other.
Geographical coverage: EEA-32. The EEA-32 country grouping includes countries of the EU-27 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) EFTA-4 (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway) and Turkey.
Temporal coverage: 1990-2010
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Nutrients in transitional, coastal and marine waters
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09 Apr 2019
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The indicator illustrates the following levels and trends in concentrations in the regional seas of Europe:
winter means of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (nitrate + nitrite + ammonium)
winter means of orthophosphate
annual means of total nitrogen
annual means of total phosphorus
The winter period is defined as follows:
January, February and March for stations east of longitude 15 degrees (Bornholm) in the Baltic Sea
January and February for all other stations.
The following marine (sub)regions are covered, in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (sub)regions:
Regions
Subregions
Baltic Sea
None
North-East Atlantic Ocean
Greater North Sea
Celtic Seas
Bay of Biscay and the Iberian coast
Macaronesian biogeographic region
Mediterranean Sea
Western Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic Sea
Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean
Aegean-Levantine Sea
Black Sea
None
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Ecosystem coverage
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21 Aug 2014
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Proportional and absolute change in extent and turnover of land cover categories aggregated to relate to main ecosystem types in Europe from 2000 to 2006.
The 12 ecosystem types discussed represent (1) urban, (2) cropland, (3) agricultural mosaics, (4) woodland and forest, (5) grassland and tall forb, (6) heathland, shrub and tundra, (7) transitional woodland, (8) sparsely vegetated land, (9) inland wetlands, (10) coastal, (11) rivers and lakes and (12) marine areas. This indicator is based on photo-interpretation of satellite imagery, and gives a 'wall to wall' picture of the changes and dynamics in Europe with respect to ecosystems. Additional indicators can be used to further highlight trends in extent and state of each of the ecosystem types mentioned above using computations from other data sources.
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Industrial pollutant releases to air in Europe
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16 Jun 2021
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This indicator tracks trends of industrial emissions of selected air pollutants. The indicator includes releases of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), the most significant greenhouse gas, acidifying pollutants (sulphur oxides (SO x ), nitrogen oxides (NO x )), and other pollutants that damage human health and the environment, such as particulate matter (PM 10 ), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) and heavy metals (Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg). These trends are presented together with the trend of gross value added (GVA) by industry, as an indicator of the economic contribution of the sector.
The aggregated EU-27 trends feature in Figure 1 while country specific trend changes are offered in Figure 2.
The geographical coverage comprises the 27-EU Member States (EU-27) (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden).
The temporal coverage is 2010-2019. Data were reported to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).
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Waste generation and decoupling in Europe
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23 Jun 2021
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The two figures in this indicator provide information on waste generation. Figure 1 shows indexed values of waste generation, population and GDP, with 2010 being taken as the reference year (2010 = 100%). GDP was chosen as a basic indicator of economic growth, and average population as an important demographic indicator and driver of waste generation. Figure 2 shows waste generation, excluding major mineral wastes, per capita by European country. Data presented in the form of a bar chart are displayed for the reference year (2010) and the last year for which data are available (2018).
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Waste recycling in Europe
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03 Aug 2021
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The two figures in this indicator provide information on waste recycling rates. Figure 1 shows percentage values of waste recycling rates for municipal waste, waste excluding major mineral waste, packaging waste and WEEE. Figure 2 shows municipal waste recycling rates as percentages and by country in the form of a bar chart comparing rates for the reference year (2004) with rates for the latest available year (2019 or, in some cases, 2018).
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River flow
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20 Dec 2016
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Model-based estimate of past change in annual river flows
Projected change in seasonal river flow for 12 rivers
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Soil organic carbon
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20 Nov 2012
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Variations in topsoil organic carbon content across Europe
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Forest: growing stock, increment and fellings
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08 Dec 2017
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This indicator looks at the growing stock in forests and other wooded land. Growing stock is classified by forest type and by availability for wood supply. The indicator considers the balance between net annual increment and annual fellings of wood in forests to be made available for wood supply.
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Total greenhouse gas emissions trends and projections in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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This indicator presents past and projected emissions trends in Europe and assesses the progress of the EU towards its international and internal GHG targets.
The EU’s total GHG emissions are shown in the context of the EU’s overall climate targets and disaggregated trends are shown to illustrate the development of emissions covered by the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and the Effort Sharing Legislation, as well as those from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). Emissions from international aviation are included in total GHG emissions and depicted separately, together with the disaggregated trends.
In accordance with the UNFCCC Reporting Guidelines, total GHG emissions do not cover emissions from international shipping, net LULUCF emissions and/or removals, and CO 2 emissions from the combustion of biomass (including biofuels in transport).
The indicator covers all 27 Member States of the European Union and the UK for historic emissions trends. Future emissions trends (from 2021 onwards) do not include the United Kingdom.
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Land recycling and densification
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27 Jul 2018
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This indicator addresses the use of urban land for further urban development, whether that urban land is currently in use or not. The indicator comprises two concepts of urban development: land recycling and land densification.
Land recycling is defined as the reuse of abandoned, vacant or underused land for redevelopment. It includes ‘grey recycling’ and ‘green recycling’. Grey recycling is when ‘grey’ urban objects, such as buildings or transport infrastructures, are built under redevelopment. Green recycling is when ‘green’ urban objects, such as green urban areas or sport facilities, are built.
Land densification is defined as the land development that takes place within existing communities, making maximum use of the existing infrastructure instead of building on previously undeveloped land.
The indicator examines land recycling relative to total land consumption. Total land consumption is understood as all the land use processes occurring on or ending up in developed land, i.e. urban redevelopment, urban and infrastructure sprawl, and any change in previously developed land.
Land recycling includes both the densification and the recycling phenomena. Therefore, land recycling is understood broadly and includes three components: land densification, grey land recycling and green land recycling.
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Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone
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02 Mar 2015
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This indicator shows the negative impact of air pollution on ecosystems and vegetation in Europe. In particular, it shows:
ecosystem areas with exceedances of the critical loads for acidification and eutrophication; and
exposure of areas covered with vegetation (crops and forests) to ground-level ozone, last year's rural concentrations of ozone, and the annual variation at the European level of rural concentrations of ozone.
In the case of acidification and eutrophication, the area as well as the magnitude of critical load exceedances in ecosystems are shown. A critical load is a quantitative estimate of an exposure to one or more pollutants, below which significant harmful effects on specified sensitive elements of the environment do not occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015). It represents the upper limit of one or more pollutants deposited on the Earth's surface that an ecosystem, such as a lake or a forest, can tolerate without its function (e.g. the nutrient nitrogen cycle) or its structure (e.g. with respect to plant species' richness) being damaged .
A positive difference between the deposition loads of acidifying and/or eutrophying airborne pollutants and the critical loads is termed an 'exceedance'.
In the case of ozone, the risk is estimated by reference to the 'critical level' for ozone for each location. This is a concentration of ozone in the atmosphere, above which direct adverse effects on receptors, such as human beings, plants, ecosystems or materials, may occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015).
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Industrial pollutant releases to water in Europe
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21 Jun 2021
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This indicator tracks trends of industrial emissions of selected water pollutants. The indicator includes releases of certain heavy metals (Cadmium, Nickel, Mercury and Lead), nutrients (Nitrogen and Phosphorus) and a global parameter to indicate the load of organic matter (total organic carbon). These trends are overlaid to the trend in gross value added by industry, as an indicator of the economic contribution of the sector.
The aggregated EU-27 trends feature in Figure 1 while country specific trend changes are offered in Figure 2.
The geographical coverage comprises the 27 EU Member States (EU-27) (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden).
The temporal coverage is 2010-2019. Data were reported to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).
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Public awareness of biodiversity in Europe
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In line with its international commitments, the EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 (EC, 2021a) sets out a long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems, and builds on the EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 (EC, 2021b). The EU Birds and Habitats Directives are central to EU biodiversity policy, through the designation and protection of areas of high biodiversity value, known as the Natura 2000 network, with the aim of protecting valuable species and habitats on land and at sea (EEA, 2020).
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Global and European temperatures
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30 Sep 2020
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This indicator shows observed and projected changes in annual average near-surface temperature globally and for Europe. Europe is defined here as the land area in the range 34° to 72° northern latitude and -25° to 45° eastern longitude.
Temperature anomalies are presented relative to a ‘pre-industrial’ period between 1850 and 1899 (the beginning of instrumental temperature records). During this period, greenhouse gases from the industrial revolution are considered to have had a relatively small influence on the global climate compared with natural influences.
Time series of global and European land temperatures in Figure 1 are provided both as annual values (top) and as decadal averages (bottom).
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Arctic and Baltic sea ice
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08 Dec 2020
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This indicator shows trends in the area of Arctic sea ice in March (annual ice maximum) and September (annual ice minimum). Satellite observations cover the period from 1979 until now. Projections until 2100 are based on an ensemble of climate models from the CMIP6 exercise, which informs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report. Note that earlier versions of this indicator have shown the extent rather than the area of Artic sea ice, which is closely related, but can lead to somewhat different numbers.
The indicator also shows observations of maximum annual ice extent in the Baltic sea, reaching back to 1719.
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Changes in fish distribution in European seas
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19 Feb 2019
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This indicator looks at the temporal development of the ratio between the number of Lusitanian and Boreal fish species within ICES Statistical rectangles and ICES divisions.
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Imperviousness and imperviousness change in Europe
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25 Mar 2020
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The imperviousness indicator is defined as the yearly average imperviousness change between two reference years, as measured by imperviousness change products. The change is aggregated for a certain reference unit and expressed relative to the size of that unit (as a percentage). The imperviousness change value for a 100 m raster cell is based on 100 m imperviousness change products. The default reference unit is the country, but the indicator can be aggregated based on different spatial units. For example, for a certain country, a n imperviousness indicator value of 0.2 %, means that on average, an additional 0.2 % of this country's area has been sealed annually during the period between the two reference years in question. If above a certain rate of increase (threshold values) , this value can be used as a warning sign. The aggregation of imperviousness values to reference units is performed using the integrated spatial data platform at EEA.
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Forest fires in Europe
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30 Jun 2021
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This indicator monitors:
the burnt areas in European countries;
the current state of and projected changes in forest fire danger.
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Share of energy consumption from renewable sources in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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This indicator measures the EU’s progress towards achieving its 2020 and 2030 renewable energy targets. Gross final renewable energy consumption is the amount of renewable energy consumed for electricity, heating and cooling, and transport in the 27 EU Member States using actual and normalised hydropower and wind power generation, and is expressed as a share of gross final energy consumption.
The Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) defines gross final energy consumption as the energy commodities delivered for energy purposes to final consumers (industry, transport, households, services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries), including the consumption of electricity and heat by the energy branch for electricity and heat production, and including losses of electricity and heat in transmission and distribution.
Figure 1 shows consumption of energy from renewable sources (including only certified biofuels complying with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) sustainability criteria) as a proportion of gross final energy consumption, the indicative RED trajectory towards the 2020 target, the indicative 2020 target and the 2030 target. It should be noted that the official 2020 targets refer to the EU-27 plus the United Kingdom and to individual Member States. The same target 20% target has been used for the EU-27 in this indicator.
Figure 2 shows the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption by country. It illustrates the progress made by the EU and its Member States with respect to their binding renewable energy targets for 2020 .
For more information, please refer to the EEA's annual T rends and projections in Europe and Renewable energy in Europe reports.
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Designated areas
—
01 Apr 2005
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The indicator shows different trends of surface area (in km2) designated under national legislation, under EU Directives and under international conventions and initiatives: Changes over time in cumulative surface area of sites designated nationally; Changes over time in cumulative surface area of sites designated under EC Birds and Habitats Directives; Changes over time in cumulative surface area of sites designated under international conventions and initiatives. The indicator also shows the current status of implementation of the Habitats Directive by EU-25 Member-States expressed as a: Sufficiency Index (distance to target), which provides a measure of progress in the implementation of the Habitats Directive. The indicator shows the proportion of a country designated total area that is protected under either the EC Birds and/or Habitats Directives, or by national instruments, or by both. Share of surface areas designated only under the EC Birds and Habitats Directives, protected only by national instruments, and covered by both
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Abundance and distribution of selected species in Europe
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12 May 2021
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This indicator shows trends in the abundance of common birds and butterflies across their European ranges over time . It is a composite of many species trend indices. A value of 100 is set for each species in the start year. If a species is added to the composite index after the start year, it is scaled to the index value of the year it was added to the indicator.
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CO2 performance emissions of new vans in Europe
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01 Jun 2021
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Average specific emissions of CO 2 are calculated as a weighted average of the Member State's fleet of new registrations of vans in a particular year.
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CO2 performance of new passenger cars in Europe
—
01 Jun 2021
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Average specific emissions of CO 2 are calculated as a weighted average of new registrations of cars in a particular year.
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Hazardous substances in marine organisms
—
21 Oct 2019
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This indicator describes the levels of and trends in the levels of eight hazardous substances in marine biota in European seas , based on individual assessments of monitoring data for the following substances:
mercury (Hg) and its compounds;
cadmium (Cd) and its compounds;
lead (Pb) and its compounds;
HCB;
PCBs, using chlorinated biphenyls CB28, CB52, CB101, CB118, CB138, CB153 and CB180 as representatives;
the pesticide DDT (using pp’DDE as a representative);
the pesticide Lindane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane);
the polyaromatic hydrocarbon BaP.
The indicator is based on data on the levels of these substances measured in organisms from the regional seas as follows:
Baltic Sea — Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus);
North-East Atlantic Ocean — blue mussel (Mytilus app), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), flounder (Platichtys flesus);
Mediterranean Sea — Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovinicialis);
Black Sea — Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovinicialis).
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Greenhouse gas emissions from land use, land use change and forestry
—
26 Oct 2021
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The indicator comprises historical and projected emissions estimates from the LULUCF sector. Historical emissions are presented by main land use category, whereas projected emissions are presented at aggregate level.
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Crop water demand
—
20 Dec 2016
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Trend in crop water deficit for grain maize during the growing period
Projected change in the crop water deficit for grain maize during the growing period
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Natura 2000 sites designated under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives
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22 Jun 2020
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This indicator shows the current status of implementation of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) by EU Member States. It does this by showing trends in spatial coverage of special protection areas (SPAs) designated under the Birds Directive, sites and proposed sites of Community importance (SCIs) and special areas of conservation (SACs) designated under the Habitats Directive, as well as the net area of the Natura 2000 network.
The net percentage of Natura 2000 areas helps to evaluate progress in reaching Aichi Target 11.
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Global and European temperature
—
11 Sep 2017
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This indicator shows absolute changes and rates of change in average near-surface temperature for the globe and for a region covering Europe. Near-surface air temperature gives one of the clearest and most consistent signals of global and regional climate change, especially in recent decades. It has been measured for many decades — even centuries at some locations — and a dense network of stations across the globe, especially in Europe, provides regular monitoring of temperature, using standardised measurements, quality control and homogeneity procedures.
Global average annual temperature deviations (anomalies) are discussed relative to a ‘pre-industrial’ period between 1850 and 1899 (the beginning of instrumental temperature records). During this time, anthropogenic greenhouse gases from the industrial revolution (between 1750 and 1850) are considered to have had a relatively small influence on the climate compared with natural influences. However, it should be noted that owing to earlier changes in the climate due to internal and forced natural variability, there was not one single pre-industrial climate and it is not clear that there is a rigorous scientific definition of the term ‘pre-industrial climate’.
Temperature changes also influence other aspects of the climate system that can have an impact on human activities, including sea level, intensity and frequency of floods and droughts, biota and food productivity, and infectious diseases. In addition to the global average target, seasonal variations and spatial distributions of temperature change are important, for example, to understand the risks that current climate poses to human and natural systems and to assess how these may be impacted by future climate change.
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Public awareness of biodiversity in Europe
—
19 Dec 2019
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This indicator is based on the Eurobarometer survey on biodiversity, a quantitative questionnaire-based survey, which also captures qualitative information, involving focus groups.
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Meteorological and hydrological droughts in Europe
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23 Mar 2020
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Observed trend in the frequency of meteorological droughts
Observed trend in runoff during the driest month
Projected change in the frequency of meteorological droughts
Projected change in 10-year river water deficit due to climate change
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Diversion of waste from landfill in Europe
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21 Jun 2021
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The two figures in this indicator provide information about the landfilling of waste. Figure 1 shows the amounts and percentage values of waste, excluding major mineral waste, deposited in landfill (the waste landfill rate) together with quantities sent to landfill for selected waste types. Figure 2 shows waste landfill rates, as percentages, by country. Data presented in the form of a bar chart are displayed for the reference year (2010, or 2011 in some cases) and the last year for which data are available (2019, or 2018 in some cases).
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Production, sales and emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases)
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28 Feb 2013
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The indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of the following fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases), differentiated by HFCs, PFCs and SF 6 .
HFCs
PFCs
SF6
HFC-23
CF4
HFC-32
C2F6
HFC-41
C3F8
HFC-43-10mee
C4F10
HFC-125
c-C4F8
HFC-134
C5F12
HFC-134a
C6F14
HFC-152a
HFC-143
HFC-143a
HFC-227ea
HFC-236fa
HFC-245ca
The indicator also tracks trends since 2007 in the aggregated production, bulk imports, bulk exports and consumption of F-gases, differentiated, where available by HFCs, PFCs and SF 6 ; additional F-gases compared to the emissions list are marked in bold.
HFCs
PFCs
SF6
HFC-23
CF4
HFC-32
C2F6
HFC-41
C3F8
HFC-43-10mee
C4F10
HFC-125
c-C4F8
HFC-134
C5F12
HFC-134a
C6F14
HFC-152a
HFC-143
HFC-143a
HFC-227ea
HFC-236cb
HFC-236ea
HFC-236fa
HFC-245ca
HFC-245fa
HFC-365mfc
‘Net supply’ is a parameter derived from company reporting under the F-Gas Regulation that provides information on the actual use of (bulk) F-gases by EU industries. Net supply is calculated by firstly adding reported amounts for:
production
imports (bulk imports only, imports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
stocks held on 1 January of the reporting year
‘other amounts collected for reclamation or destruction from within the EU’,
and then subtracting the following reported amounts:
exports (bulk exports only, exports contained in products or equipment are not considered in the reporting under the F-Gas Regulation)
destruction (on-site by reporting companies and off-site within the EU on reporting companies’ behalf)
amounts used as feedstock by reporting companies
stocks held on 31 December of the reporting year.
Furthermore, the shares of intended applications of F-gas net supply in the latest available reporting year are given, differentiating between
refrigeration and air-conditioning
fire protection
aerosols
foams
electrical equipment
other, unknown or no information reported.
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Chlorophyll in transitional, coastal and marine waters
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11 Apr 2019
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The indicator illustrates the geographical distribution and trends in mean summer surface concentrations of chlorophyll-a (micrograms per litre) in the regional seas of Europe.
The summer period is defined as:
June to September for stations north of latitude 59 degrees in the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland)
May to September for all other stations
The following marine regions and subregions are covered, in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (sub)regions:
Regions
Subregions
Baltic Sea
None
North-East Atlantic Ocean
Greater North Sea
Celtic Seas
Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast
Macaronesian biogeographic region
Mediterranean Sea
Western Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic Sea
Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean
Aegean-Levantine Sea
Black Sea
None
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Emissions and energy use in large combustion plants in Europe
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01 Jun 2021
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This indicator tracks trends for the so-called Large Combustion Plants' (LCPs) emissions of SO 2 , NO x and dust, as well as the evolution of the energy mix used in these plants since 2004. LCPs comprise industrial combustion plants with a total rated thermal input equal to or greater than 50 MW.
The geographical coverage comprises the 27 EU Member States (EU-27) (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden).
The temporal coverage is 2004-2019. Data for the period 2004-2015 were reported under Directive 2001/80/EC on large combustion plants, while for 2016 onwards they were reported under Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions. The requirements are not identical, and it is expected for data from 2016 onwards to have a slightly broader scope in terms of plants included.
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Progress towards national greenhouse gas emissions targets in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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This indicator presents the sectoral trends and projections for GHG emissions under the scope of the Effort Sharing legislation in the EU-27 and assesses the annual progress of the EU member States throughout the entire compliance period of the Effort Sharing Decision (2013-2020).
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Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas
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12 Jul 2021
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The indicators track the status of commercial fish stocks in European regional seas and the pressure exerted by fisheries on those stocks, as well as the quality of the information available. To that end, the following is reported:
the status of marine fish and shellfish stocks based on the current level of exploitation and reproductive capacity;
the importance of the (sub-)region, reflected by the total landings (as a proxy of catch) of fish from commercial fisheries in European seas per MSFD (sub-)region;
the availability of appropriate information for the status assessment, as reflected by the proportion of those landings covered by quantitative stock assessments (i.e. the proportion providing the required indicators and their reference levels).
State of marine fish and shellfish stocks
The MSFD requires 'Good Environmental Status' to be achieved by 2020 (EC, 2008). According to the MSFD (Descriptor 3), three criteria are relevant to determining if a fish or shellfish stock has achieved GES. Stocks should be: (1) exploited sustainably consistent with high long-term yields, (2) have full reproductive capacity in order to maintain stock biomass, and (3) the proportion of older and larger fish/shellfish should be maintained (or increased) being an indicator of a healthy stock.
Sustainable exploitation: sustainably exploited stocks are stocks for which F is at or below levels that deliver MSY, i.e. F ≤ F MSY . If values for F and F MSY are available from a stock assessment, the stock is considered to have met the GES criterion if F ≤ F MSY . For some ICES stocks without stock assessments, proxy methods exist to estimate the status of F in relation to F MSY by using catch length and other available biological information.
Reproductive capacity: in areas assessed by the ICES, the criterion for sustainable reproductive capacity (SSB > SSB MSY ) has been modified, for pragmatic reasons, to SSB > MSY B trigger . Spawning stock biomass (SSB) is consistently provided as part of ICES stock assessments, i.e. of the North-East Atlantic and Baltic Sea, but not, for the most part, by STECF assessments, i.e. of the Mediterranean and Black Sea stocks. Similarly to the above, a stock is considered to have been assessed against this criterion if values of SSB and a good proxy for SSB MSY (i.e. MSY B trigger ) are available from a stock assessment, and the stock is considered to have met the GES criterion if SSB > SSB MSY (or appropriate proxy).
Healthy age and size structure: in this case, the assumption is that a stock with sufficient numbers of old and large fish is healthy. However, this criterion is not sufficiently developed and no threshold for GES is known for this criterion. Therefore, it is not included.
This has resulted in four assessment categories:
Not assessed: no sufficient information available to assess status;
F: status assessed based only on F in relation to F MSY;
SSB: status assessed based only on SSB in relation to SSB MSY (or some proxy, i.e. MSY B trigger );
F & SSB: status assessed based on both F and SSB.
Due to the ongoing discussions of the criteria integration rules for Descriptor 3, the stocks are classified as:
Stocks meeting both the available GES criteria for F and SSB
Stocks meeting only one of the available GES criteria, i.e. either F or SSB criteria are met
Stocks not meeting any of the available GES criteria, i.e. neither F nor SSB criteria are met
For those stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (SSB) a second distinction is made between: (1) stocks in good status based on both fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; (2) stocks in good status based on only one criteria (either because one of the two criteria are not in good status or data is only available for one criteria and it is in good status); and (3) stocks not in good status (either because one of the two criteria are not in good status or data is only available for one criteria and it is not in good status).
Total landing
Landings information for the North-East Atlantic and the Baltic Sea is based on the Stock Assessment Graphs landings data for the assessed stocks, and in the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Official Nominal Catches, 2006-201 8 dataset in the case of unassessed stocks/landings. Fisheries nominal catch statistics are reported annually by the national offices. In cooperation with Eurostat and FAO, ICES prepares and publishes the Official Nominal Catch statistics dataset for the Northeast Atlantic (FAO major fishing area 27). SAG catches are used whenever available, as these take discards and potential area reporting issues into account, neither of which are reflected in the nominal catches. Landings information for the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea is based on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) capture production dataset For the Mediterranean and Black Sea, the figure is based on 2018 landings data. In this case, it was not possible to use landings data from the assessments as these refer to GSAs which are not specified in the FAO capture production dataset, divided in larger aggregation areas.
Only some of the species/taxa in the landings data can be considered 'commercial fish', which, for assessment purposes, may consist of several stocks. Only some of these stocks are covered by quantitative stock assessments such that their status can be assessed based on the above criteria.
Stock
In the North-East Atlantic area, stocks are generally defined based on biological criteria and knowledge of population migration, mixing and spawning areas. For example, cod in the northeast Atlantic is currently considered to form sixteen different stocks, between which mixing is generally negligible. These stocks are found over multiple MSFD ecoregions, and some individual stock distributions cover more than one ecoregion. However, in this analysis each stock has been assigned to a single ecoregion (see Methodology).
In the Mediterranean and Black Sea, on the other hand, stocks are mostly defined by management area because of a lack of biological knowledge. Because these stocks are based on a specific geographical area, most can be attributed to a specific MSFD (sub-)region. In the Mediterranean, assessments can refer to several stocks of the same species, but these stocks remain separate management and functional units.
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Ecosystem coverage
—
05 Dec 2018
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Proportional and absolute change in extent and turnover of land cover categories aggregated to relate to MAES ecosystem types in Europe from 2006 to 2012. MAES ecosystem types are: (1) urban; (2) cropland; (3) grassland; (4) woodland and forest; (5) heathland and shrub; (6) sparsely vegetated land; (7) inland wetlands; (8) rivers and lakes; (9) marine inlets and transitional waters; and (10) marine.
This indicator is based on photo-interpretation of satellite imagery and gives a 'wall-to-wall' picture of the changes and dynamics in Europe with respect to ecosystems. Additional indicators can be used to further highlight trends in extent and state of each of the ecosystem types mentioned above using computations from other data sources.
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Use of renewable energy for transport in Europe
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08 Dec 2020
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This indicator shows the percentage of energy consumed in the transport sector that comes from renewable energy sources. Values are tracked at the EU and country levels.
The indicator is based on Eurostat data and approximated values calculated by the EEA for the latest year.
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Water temperature
—
20 Dec 2016
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Observed trends in water temperature of large European rivers and lakes
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Atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations
—
01 Jun 2016
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This indicator shows the observed trends in greenhouse gas concentrations. Greenhouse gases differ in the way they affect the climate system. In order to sum the effects of the individual greenhouse gasses and other forcing agents in the atmosphere, the so-called ‘greenhouse gas equivalent concentration’ has been defined. This is the concentration of CO 2 that would cause the same amount of radiative forcing as a mixture of CO 2 and other forcing agents (greenhouse gases and aerosols). The forcing is expressed here in CO 2- equivalent concentrations, rather than watts per square meter (W/m 2 ), because they are more easily understood by the general public. For a more detailed assessment of radiative forcing expressed in W/m 2 , the reader is referred to IPCC (2013).
Global average annual concentrations are presented here. Although greenhouse gases are mainly emitted in the northern hemisphere, the use of global average values is considered justified, because the atmospheric lifetime of most greenhouse gases is long compared to the timescales of global atmospheric mixing. This leads to a rather uniform mixture around the globe. The exceptions are ozone and aerosols. However, as described earlier, these gases are less relevant, over the long term.
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European sea surface temperature
—
30 Jun 2021
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This indicator monitors trends in average SST anomalies in Europe’s regional seas and in the global ocean. Care must be taken when comparing the results reported here with previous versions of the indicator, as differences can arise from the choice of underlying data sets.
SST is an important physical characteristic of the oceans. It varies naturally with latitude, being warmest at the equator and coldest in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. As the oceans absorb more heat, SST will increase (and heat will be redistributed to deeper water layers). Increases in the mean SST are also accompanied by increases in the frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (that is, when the daily SST exceeds a locally and seasonally defined threshold).
Increases in SST can lead to an increase in atmospheric water vapour over the oceans, influencing entire weather systems. The North Atlantic Ocean plays a key role in the regulation of climate over the European continent by transporting heat northwards and redistributing energy from the atmosphere to the deep parts of the ocean. The Gulf Stream and its extensions, the North Atlantic Current and Drift, partly determine weather patterns over the European continent, including precipitation and wind regimes. One of the most visible physical ramifications of increased temperature in the oceans is a reduction in the area of sea ice coverage in the Arctic polar region.
Temperature is a determining factor for the metabolism of species, and thus for their distribution and phenology, such as the timing of seasonal migrations, spawning events and peak abundances (e.g. plankton bloom events). There is an accumulating body of evidence suggesting that many marine species and habitats, such as cetaceans in the North Atlantic Ocean, are highly sensitive to changes in SST. Increased temperature may also increase stratification of the water column. Such changes can significantly reduce vertical nutrient fluxes in the water column, thereby negatively influencing primary production and phytoplankton community structure. Further changes in SST could have widespread effects on marine species and cause the reconfiguration of marine ecosystems (Gilbert et al., 2014; Baker-Austin et al., 2016; Collins et al., 2019).
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Heavy metal emissions in Europe
—
13 Oct 2021
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This indicator tracks trends in anthropogenic emissions of heavy metals over time, since 2005. Heavy metals (such as Cd, Hg and Pb) are known to be directly toxic to biota. All heavy metals are progressively accumulated relatively high up the food chain, such that chronic exposure of lower organisms to relatively low concentrations of heavy metals can lead to the exposure of predatory organisms, including humans, to potentially harmful concentrations. They are of concern for human health because of their toxicity, their potential to cause cancer and their ability to cause harmful effects even at low concentrations. Their toxic/carcinogenic potencies are metal/compound specific.
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Heating and cooling degree days
—
11 Jun 2019
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This indicator looks at the following:
Time series of population-weighted heating and cooling degree days averaged over Europe;
Observed trends in heating and cooling degree days;
Projected trends in heating and cooling degree days.
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Floods and health
—
20 Dec 2016
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Deaths related to flooding
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Ocean acidification
—
09 Aug 2021
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This indicator illustrates the global mean average rate of ocean acidification, quantified by decreases in pH, which is a measure of acidity, defined as the hydrogen ion concentration. A decrease in pH value corresponds to an increase in acidity.
The observed decrease in ocean pH resulting from increasing concentrations of CO 2 is an important indicator of change in the global ocean and the impacts of climate change.
This indicator provides information on:
trends in ocean acidity measured at the Aloha station;
yearly mean surface seawater pH levels reported on a global scale is computed from monthly pH values by CMEMS.
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Trends in marine non-indigenous species
—
10 Dec 2019
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This indicator shows the cumulative number and trends in the introduction and recording of marine NIS in the regional seas of Europe since 1949.
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Oxygen concentrations in European coastal and marine waters
—
15 Nov 2019
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The indicator illustrates the geographical distribution and trends in summer/autumn concentrations of oxygen in the near-bottom waters of the regional seas of Europe. It uses oxygen concentrations in the near-bottom layer during the period July-October.
The following marine regions and subregions are covered, in line with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (sub)regions: Baltic Sea, North-East Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea (see 'Regional seas surrounding Europe' map: Regional Seas ).
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Vegetation productivity
—
28 Feb 2020
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The indicator addresses trends in land surface productivity derived from remote sensing observed time series of vegetation indices. The vegetation index used in the indicator is the Plant Phenology Index (PPI, Jin and Eklundh, 2014). PPI is based on the MODIS Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance product (MODIS MCD43 NBAR. The product provides reflectance data for the MODIS “land” bands (1 - 7) adjusted using a bi-directional reflectance distribution function. This function models values as if they were collected from a nadir-view to remove so called cross-track illumination effects. The Plant Phenology Index (PPI) is a new vegetation index optimized for efficient monitoring of vegetation phenology. It is derived from radiative transfer solution using reflectance in visible-red (RED) and near-infrared (NIR) spectral domains. PPI is defined to have a linear relationship to the canopy green leaf area index (LAI) and its temporal pattern is strongly similar to the temporal pattern of gross primary productivity (GPP) estimated by flux towers at ground reference stations. PPI is less affected by presence of snow compared to commonly used vegetation indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI).
The product is distributed with 500 m pixel size (MODIS Sinusoidal Grid) with 8-days compositing period.
References:
Jönsson P., Eklundh L., 2004. TIMESAT—a program for analyzing time-series of satellite sensor data. Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 833–845.
Eklundh L., Jönsson P., 2015. TIMESAT: A Software Package for Time-Series Processing and Assessment of Vegetation Dynamics. In: Kuenzer C., Dech S., Wagner W. (eds) Remote Sensing Time Series. Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing, vol 22. Springer, Cham
Jin, H., Eklundh, L. 2014. A physically based vegetation index for improved monitoring of plant phenology, Remote Sensing of Environment, 152, 512 – 525.
Karkauskaite, P., Tagesson, T., Fensholt, R., 2017. Evaluation of the Plant Phenology Index (PPI), NDVI and EVI for Start-of-Season Trend Analysis of the Northern Hemisphere Boreal Zone, Remote Sensing, 9 (485), 21 pp.
Jin, H.X.; Jönsson, A.M.; Bolmgren, K.; Langvall, O.; Eklundh, L., 2017. Disentangling remotely-sensed plant phenology and snow seasonality at northern Europe using MODIS and the plant phenology index. Remote Sensing of Environment 2017,198, 203-212.
Abdi, A. M., N. Boke-Olén, H. Jin, L. Eklundh, T. Tagesson, V. Lehsten and J. Ardö (2019). First assessment of the plant phenology index (PPI) for estimating gross primary productivity in African semi-arid ecosystems. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 78: 249-260.
Jin, H., A. M. Jönsson, C. Olsson, J. Lindström, P. Jönsson and L. Eklundh (2019). New satellite-based estimates show significant trends in spring phenology and complex sensitivities to temperature and precipitation at northern European latitudes. International Journal of Biometeorology 63(6): 763-775.
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Air pollution due to ozone: health impacts and effects of climate change
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21 Dec 2015
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The indicator presents an overview of ozone concentrations over Europe in recent years, their effects on human health, and an estimate of the changes in these concentrations due to the effect of climate change. It presents the following:
The annual mean of the maximum daily eight hour mean ozone concentrations by station type.
The modelled projected change, due to climate change, in summertime surface ozone concentrations over Europe in the middle and at the end of the 21 st century.
The relative effect of climate change on ozone concentrations in the middle of the 21 st century, compared to other contributions.
A selection of meteorological parameters that might increase under future climate change and their impact on ozone levels.
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Nationally designated terrestrial protected areas in Europe
—
18 Dec 2020
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The indicator illustrates the rate of growth in the number and cumulative area of nationally designated terrestrial protected areas over time. It also shows the overlap between the international protected areas networks such as Natura 2000 or the Emerald Network and national designations.
A 'nationally designated protected area' is an area protected by a national legislation. If a country has included sites designated under international agreements, such as the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, or the Bern or Ramsar Convention in its legislation, the corresponding protected sites, such as the Natura 2000, Emerald or Ramsar sites, of this country are included in the indicator.
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Waste generation
—
02 Mar 2015
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This indicator consists of three figures aimed entirely on waste generation excluding major mineral wastes, although in Figure 1 is also generation of total waste shown. Total waste consists about 65 % of mineral wastes, which represent a separate waste management sector with a large potential for material use. To take into account also other significant sources of waste production, in this indicator we focus only on waste excluding major mineral wastes. This exclusion enhances the quality of the indicator as the uncertainty over major mineral waste data and associated statistics (in particular construction and mining) is rather high. Major mineral wastes excluded from the indicator are according to Eurostat and European Waste Classification for statistical purposes (EWC-Stat, version 4): mineral construction and demolition waste (EWC-Stat 12.1), other mineral waste (12.2, 12.3, 12.5), soils (12.6) and dredging spoils (12.7). However, the indicator includes combustion wastes (EWC-Stat 12.4) and mineral wastes from waste treatment and stabilized wastes (EWC-Stat 13).
Figure 1 shows indexed values of waste production, population and gross domestic product (GDP) with year 2010 as a reference year (2010=100 %). Production phase shows generation of total waste and waste excluding major mineral wastes in absolute terms. GDP was chosen as a basic indicator of the economic growth as it expresses the total value of goods and services produced in the country (the components of GDP include personal consumption expenditures plus business investment plus government spending plus (exports minus imports)). Population expressed as average population is important demographic indicator which enables to gain perception about development in number of possible consumers and waste producers.
Figure 2 shows waste generation, excluding major mineral wastes, by specific NACE activities including a separate category for waste generation in households and their share to total waste generation. Data presented in form of ring diagram are displayed as a comparison of the reference (2010) and last available year.
Figure 3 shows waste generation, excluding major mineral wastes, per capita by European countries. Data presented in form of bar chart are displayed as a comparison of the reference (2010) and last available year.
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Exposure of Europe's ecosystems to ozone
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13 Nov 2020
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This indicator shows the negative impact of ground-level ozone on ecosystems and vegetation in Europe. In particular, it shows exposure of areas covered with vegetation (crops and forests) to ground-level ozone.
Ground level ozone is one of the most prominent air pollution problems in Europe, mainly due to its effects on human health, crops and natural ecosystems. When absorbed by plants, it damages plant cells, impairing their ability to grow and reproduce, and leading to reduced agricultural crop yields, decreased forest growth and reduced biodiversity.
The risk is estimated by reference to either a target value and a long-term objective, or to the 'critical level' for ozone for each location. The target value and the long-term objective are levels fixed with the aim of avoiding, preventing or reducing harmful effects on the environment. For ozone, the critical level is a concentration in the atmosphere, above which direct adverse effects on receptors, such as human beings, plants, ecosystems or materials, may occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2004).
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Conservation status of species under the EU Habitats Directive
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31 Mar 2021
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The indicator illustrates the conservation status and trends of 1 389 species of Community interest listed in the Habitats Directive at EU and Member State level. Conservation status is shown as good, poor, bad or unknown. It is based on data collected under the reporting obligations of Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC).
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Soil moisture deficit
—
22 Mar 2021
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This indicator shows the annual deviation in soil moisture content of each 500-m grid cell from the long-term (1995-2019) average. Negative soil moisture anomalies indicate that the annual average availability of soil moisture to plants drops to such a level that it has the potential to affect terrestrial vegetation and, hence, cause persistent changes in ecosystem condition. Negative long-term averages and negative trends in the annual data indicate increasing pressures on vegetation and ecosystems, and thus represent a climatic driver that should be considered in EU nature restoration plans. Therefore, the indicator can inform policy action on ecosystem restoration in the EU but also on adaptation to climate change.
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Landscape fragmentation pressure from urban and transport infrastructure expansion
—
26 Apr 2018
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This indicator is based on the Effective Mesh Size (Jaeger 2000) method . For some species, the effective mesh size (meff) can be interpreted as the area that is accessible when beginning to move from a randomly chosen point inside a landscape without encountering man-made barriers such as transport routes or built-up areas. However, it should be stressed that for many species that can fly, or are effective dispersers in others ways, man-made structures may not act as barriers. The combination of all barriers in a landscape is called Fragmentation Geometry (FG) hereafter.
The meff value expresses the probability that any two points chosen randomly in an area are connected. Hence, meff is a measure of landscape connectivity, i.e. the degree to which movements between different parts of the landscape are possible. The larger the meff, the more connected the landscape. The indicator addresses structural connectivity of the landscape and does not tackle functional, species specific connectivity.
The Effective Mesh Density (seff) is a measure of landscape fragmentation, i.e. the degree to which movement between different parts of the landscape is interrupted by Fragmentation Geometry. It gives the effective number of meshes (or landscape patches) per 1 000 km 2 , in other words, the density of the meshes. The seff value is calculated as 1 000 km 2 /meff, hence, the number of meshes per 1 000 km 2 . The more barriers fragmenting the landscape, the higher the effective mesh density.
meff and seff are reported within the cells of a 1 km 2 regular grid.
meff is area-proportionally additive, hence it characterises the fragmentation of any region considered, independently of its size, and thus can be calculated for a combination of two or more regions. The meff has several advantages over other metrics:
It addresses the entire landscape matrix instead of addressing individual patches.
It is independent of the size of the reporting unit and its values can be compared among reporting units of differing sizes.
It is suitable for comparing the fragmentation of regions with differing total areas and with differing proportions occupied by housing, industry and transportation structures.
It's reliability has been confirmed on the basis of suitability criteria through a systematic comparison with other quantitative measures. The suitability of other metrics was limited as they only partially met the following criteria:
Intuitive interpretation;
Mathematical simplicity;
Modest data requirements;
Low sensitivity to small patches;
Detection of structural differences;
Mathematical homogeneity (i.e., intensive or extensive).
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Ecological footprint of European countries
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20 Apr 2020
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The ecological footprint of Europe is a proxy measure of the amount of biologically productive land and water areas that Europe requires to produce all the biological resources it consumes and to absorb the emissions it generates, using prevailing technology and management strategies. These areas could be located anywhere in the world. This can be compared with the biocapacity of the planet or the biocapacity available within a given region.
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Persistent organic pollutant emissions
—
15 Oct 2010
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This indicator tracks trends in anthropogenic emissions of POPs since 1990. At the moment, emissions of PAHs are described, but emissions of other POP compounds will be added in the future.
The indicator also provides information on emissions by sector: Energy production and distribution; Energy use in industry; Industrial processes; Road transport; Non-road transport; Commercial, institutional and households; Solvent and product use; Agriculture; Waste; and Other.
Geographically, the indicator covers the EEA-33. The EEA-33 country grouping includes countries of the EU-28 (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Turkey.
Temporally, the indicator covers the same time coverage of the last version of the LRTAP Report.
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River floods
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16 Dec 2019
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This indicator monitors:
observed regional trends in river flood discharges;
projected changes in river floods with a return period of 100 years.
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Greenhouse gas emission intensity of fuels and biofuels for road transport in Europe
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25 Oct 2021
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EU Member States report annually on the volumes, energy content and life cycle GHG emissions of fuels used in road transport and non-road mobile machinery, in line with their obligations under the Fuel Quality Directive 98/70/EC (FQD) Article 7a . Standards relevant to this reporting requirement are inter alia:
EN 228:2012
EN-ISO 5164:2014
ISO 5163:2014
EN 13016-1:2018
This indicator summarises the information reported by the EU Member States — and subsequently collected, checked and compiled by the European Environment Agency together with the European Topic Centre on Climate Change Mitigation and Energy (ETC/CME) — on the volume, energy consumption and GHG intensity of fossil fuels and biofuels.
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Greenhouse gas emission intensity of electricity generation in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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The CO 2 emission intensity is calculated as the ratio of CO 2 emissions from electricity generation and gross electricity generation.
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New registrations of electric vehicles in Europe
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This indicator provides information on electric vehicle numbers, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the total vehicle fleet. Two types of electric vehicle are included in the indicator: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). BEVs are powered solely by an electric motor, using electricity stored in an on-board battery. The battery must be charged at a charging point connected to the local electricity grid. PHEVs are powered by an electric motor and an internal combustion engine designed to work either together or separately. The on-board battery can be charged from the grid and the combustion engine can support the electric motor when higher operating power is required or when battery charge is low.
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Emissions of the main air pollutants in Europe
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12 Oct 2021
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This indicator tracks trends since 2005 in anthropogenic emissions of the five main air pollutants — NO X , NH 3 , SO X , NMVOCs and PM 2.5 . All of these pollutants, directly or indirectly, have negative effects on human health, vegetation or ecosystems.
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Storm surges
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19 Nov 2012
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Surge height
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Water intensity of crop production in Europe
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20 Dec 2019
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The water intensity of crop production is defined as the total volume of water input (irrigation and soil moisture; measured in cubic meters (m 3) ) for one unit of gross value added generated from the production of all crop types, excluding relevant subsidies on crops (GVA adjusted for subsidies; measured in Purchasing Power Standard (PPS)).
The lower the indicator value, the less water intensive the crop production.
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Exceedance of air quality standards in Europe
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27 Oct 2021
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This indicator shows the fraction of the EU-28 urban population that is potentially exposed to ambient air concentrations of six key pollutants (PM 2.5 , PM 10 , O 3 , NO 2 , SO 2 and BaP) that are in excess of the EU limit or target values (EU, 2004, 2008) set for the protection of human health, and to concentrations of these pollutants in excess of the 2005 WHO Guidelines (WHO, 2000, 2006).
The indicator is based on measurements of air pollutants as reported under the Air Quality Directives (EU, 2004, 2008) and the Decisions on the exchange of information (EU, 1997, 2011).
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Ecological status of surface waters in Europe
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31 Aug 2021
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Countries report data on the ecological status of their water bodies to the European Commission and these data are stored in the WFD database.
Much work has been done in relation to implementing the WFD and producing RBMPs. The ecological status of water bodies is based on comprehensive work carried out in the RBDs and is by far the best estimate of the status of surface waters.
The ecological status is comparable between countries and RBDs to a certain extent; however, the interpretation of differences in status should take into account differences in the use of quality elements in determining overall status.
Overall, the second RBMPs (published after December 2015) show limited change in status since the first RBMPs were published in 2009, with the same status being reported for most water bodies in both cycles (EEA, 2018b). The proportion of water bodies with unknown status has decreased, however, and confidence in status assessments has grown. Improvements are visible at the level of individual quality elements or pollutants, but often do not translate into improved overall status.
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Greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Europe
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18 Dec 2020
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This indicator shows historical greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector, as well as emissions projected up to 2035 under scenarios in which policies currently in place (‘with existing measures’) and planned (‘with additional measures’) in the EU Member States (EU-27) are implemented. The disaggregated level assessment illustrates trends and projections in key transport sub-sectors.
It covers IPCC source categories 1.A.3, 1.D.1.a and 1.D.1.b (as used in GHG emission inventories ).
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Industrial pollution in Europe
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22 Feb 2018
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This indicator provides an overview of industrial pollution in Europe. This includes the contribution of industry to air and water emissions, soil contamination and waste generation. Trends in industrial pollutant releases to air and water, and industrial transfers of waste are also highlighted.
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Exposure of Europe's population to environmental noise
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22 Feb 2017
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This indicator presents the estimated number of people exposed to harmful levels of environmental noise from industry, roads with more than 3 million vehicles per year, railways with more than 30 000 railway movements per year, airports with more than 50 000 air traffic movements per year and in urban areas with more than 100 000 inhabitants.
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Forest: deadwood
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19 Feb 2015
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This indicator shows the volume of standing and lying deadwood in forest and other wooded land, classified by forest type (Forest Europe - Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)). In national forest inventories, countries generally classify according to type (standing, snags, lying, species and state of decay).
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New registrations of electric vehicles in Europe
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03 Dec 2020
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This indicator provides information on electric vehicle numbers, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the total vehicle fleet. Two types of electric vehicle are included in the indicator: battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). BEVs are powered solely by an electric motor, using electricity stored in an on-board battery. The battery must be charged at a charging point connected to the local electricity grid. PHEVs are powered by an electric motor and an internal combustion engine designed to work either together or separately. The on-board battery can be charged from the grid and the combustion engine can support the electric motor when higher operating power is required or when battery charge is low.
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Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
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16 Dec 2020
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Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are long-lived chemicals that contain chlorine and/or bromine and can deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. This indicator quantifies the current state of the ozone layer and the progress being made towards meeting the EU’s Montreal Protocol commitments.
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Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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The indicator comprises historical and projected emissions estimates from the agriculture sector (CRF category 3), as well as historical emissions estimates from energy consumption in agriculture, forestry and fishing, expressed in million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO 2 e). Historical emissions are presented at subcategory level with some aggregation (see Methodology for details), whereas projected emissions with existing measures and with additional measures are presented at aggregate level for the agriculture sector (CRF sector 3 only; excludes energy consumption).
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Greenhouse gas emissions from energy use in buildings in Europe
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26 Oct 2021
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This indicator presents past and latest year estimates and projected emissions trends for energy used in the residential and commercial sector in the European Union. Historical data include emissions from the use of fossil fuel in buildings (also called direct emissions) and emissions from the use of electricity (also called indirect emissions); the latter come from the emissions resulting from the production of electricity subsequently used in buildings. Emissions from the construction, renovation or demolition of buildings are not covered by this indicator.
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Marine protected areas in Europe's seas
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17 Dec 2015
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This indicator measures the percentage of the marine protected area network coverage obtained by combining the distribution of marine sites established by EC Member States as reported under Natura 2000 (N2K), the Common Database on Designated Areas (CDDA) and Regional Sea Convention databases in order to indicate the overall network distance to the 10 % coverage target.
The combined percentage covered is calculated with respect to the MPA assessment area of Europe's regional seas as reported by each EU Member State in the MSFD reporting process. The distance from the network coverage to the coverage target is also reported with respect to three different distance buffer zones: 0-1 NM, 1-12 NM and 12 NM - END of national waters (NM = nautical miles, END = outer limit of MPA assessment area).
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Mean precipitation
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04 Jan 2017
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Observed trends in annual and summer precipitation across Europe 1960-2015
Projected changes in mean annual and summer precipitation (%) in the period 2071–2100 compared with the baseline period 1971–2000 for the forcing scenario RCP8.5. Model simulations are based on the multi-model ensemble average of many different RCM simulations from the EURO-CORDEX initiative.
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Landscape fragmentation pressure and trends in Europe
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11 Dec 2019
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This indicator measures landscape fragmentation due to transport infrastructure and sealed areas. Unlike the previous indicator on fragmentation status, this updated version uses the TeleAtlas® Multinet data set to ensure the statistical comparability of the time series. While the Open Street Map data set is a valuable source of the street network available for the general public, there are still inconsistencies in this data set for some regions of Europe, which render it secondary to the TeleAtlas data set.
As in the previous version, this indicator is based on the effective mesh size method (Jaeger, 2000) . For some species, the effective mesh size (meff) can be interpreted as the area that is accessible when beginning to move from a randomly chosen point inside a landscape without encountering anthropogenic barriers such as transport routes or built-up areas. However, it should be stressed that for many species that can fly, or are effective dispersers in others ways, man-made structures may not act as barriers. The combination of all barriers in a landscape is referred to as the fragmentation geometry (FG) hereafter.
The meff value expresses the probability that any two points chosen randomly in an area are connected. Hence, meff is a measure of landscape connectivity, i.e. the degree to which movements between different parts of the landscape are possible. The larger the meff, the more connected the landscape. The indicator addresses the structural connectivity of the landscape and does not tackle functional, species-specific connectivity.
The effective mesh density (seff) is a measure of landscape fragmentation, i.e. the degree to which movement between different parts of the landscape is interrupted by fragmentation geometry. It gives the effective number of meshes (or landscape patches) per 1 000 km 2 , in other words the density of the meshes. The seff value is 1 000 km 2 /meff, hence the number of meshes per 1 000 km 2 . The more barriers fragmenting the landscape, the higher the effective mesh density.
The values of meff and seff are reported within the cells of a 1 km 2 regular grid.
The value of meff is area-proportionally additive, hence it characterises the fragmentation of any region considered, independently of its size, and thus can be calculated for a combination of two or more regions. It has several advantages over other metrics:
It addresses the entire landscape matrix instead of addressing individual patches.
It is independent of the size of the reporting unit and its values can be compared among reporting units of differing sizes.
It is suitable for comparing the fragmentation of regions with differing total areas and with differing proportions occupied by housing, industry and transportation structures.
Its reliability has been confirmed on the basis of suitability criteria through a systematic comparison with other quantitative measures. The suitability of other metrics is limited, as they only partially meet the following criteria:
intuitive interpretation;
mathematical simplicity;
modest data requirements;
low sensitivity to small patches;
detection of structural differences;
mathematical homogeneity (i.e. intensive or extensive).
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Snow cover
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20 Dec 2016
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Trend in spring snow cover extent over the Northern Hemisphere and in Europe
Trend in March snow mass in Europe (excluding mountain areas)
Projected change in Northern hemisphere spring snow cover extent
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Atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations
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10 Dec 2020
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The indicator shows the observed trends in greenhouse gas concentration levels. Greenhouse gases differ in the way they affect the climate system. In order to sum the effects of the individual greenhouse gases and other forcing agents in the atmosphere, the so-called ‘greenhouse gas equivalent concentration’ has been defined. This is the concentration of CO 2 that would cause the same amount of radiative forcing as a mixture of CO 2 and other forcing agents (greenhouse gases and aerosols).
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Progress in management of contaminated sites
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02 May 2014
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The term 'contaminated site' (CS) refers to a well-defined area where the presence of soil contamination has been confirmed and this presents a potential risk to humans, water, ecosystems or other receptors. Risk management measures, e.g. remediation, may be needed depending on the severity of the risk of adverse impacts to receptors under the current or planned use of the site.
The term 'potentially contaminated site' (PCS) refers to sites where unacceptable soil contamination is suspected but not verified, and where detailed investigations need to be carried out to verify whether there is an unacceptable risk of adverse impacts on receptors.
Both of these parameters were introduced for the first time in the 2011 data request. The scale of soil contamination was also assessed in previous data requests but results were derived from other parameters (in particular the four key management steps); an approach that was abandoned in the 2011 data request.
Management of contaminated sites aims to assess and, where necessary, reduce the risk of adverse impacts on receptors to an acceptable level. This management process starts with a basic desk study or historical investigation, which may lead to more detailed site investigations and, depending on the outcome of these, remediation measures.
The indicator shows progress in four key management steps: preliminary study/site identification, preliminary investigation, main site investigation, and implementation of risk reduction measures.
Under each management step, two stages can be distinguished: estimation of the number of sites in need of this specific step, and actual counting or completion of this specific management step.
In addition, the indicator reports the costs to society of site management, the main activities responsible for soil contamination and the outcomes of managing contaminated sites.
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