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Key facts: Located in Press room › News › Industrial air pollution cost Europe up to €169 billion in 2009, EEA reveals
Forests, health and climate change: Forests are essential to our survival and well-being. Forests clean our air, our water, our soil and they regulate our climate, amongst many other things. Trees and forests are not always associated with urban landscapes. However, there too they provide invaluable, often invisible, services. Simply by acting as 'green oasis' in our concrete jungles, they offer recreation and health services for many European citizens.
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More effort needed to reduce summer ozone: Ground level ozone causes health problems, decreases crop yields and damages the environment. Ozone levels exceeding certain targets in Europe were less frequent in summer 2011 than in any year since monitoring started in 1997. However, the long-term objective was exceeded in all EU Member States and it is likely many of them will not meet the target value, applicable as of 2010.
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Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2012: Overview of exceedances of EC ozone threshold values for April - September 2012
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Fewer summer ozone peaks in 2012, but levels still harmful: Ozone pollution still exceeded target levels in Europe during summer 2012, but the number of exceedances of the alert threshold was lower than in any year since monitoring started in 1997. However, almost all EU Member States failed to keep levels of the pollutant within targets set to protect human health.
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Every breath we take – Signals 2013 focuses on air quality in Europe: Poor air quality can have serious impacts on our health and the environment. How is Europe’s air quality? What are the main sources of air pollutants? How do they affect our health and the environment? What does Europe do to improve air quality? The new edition of the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals takes a closer look.
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Consumption and the environment — 2012 update: Update to the European Environment State and Outlook 2010 (SOER 2010) thematic assessment
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Estimated trend in AOT40 for crops (May-July) at rural stations operational during the period 1996-2008: Estimated trend in AOT40 for crops values (May-July) at stations operational during the period 1996-2008. Only rural background stations are included. Note that at more than 90 % of the stations no significant up- or downward trend has been estimated.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone (CSI 005) - Assessment published May 2012: Eutrophication The magnitude of the risk of ecosystem eutrophication and its geographical coverage has diminished only slightly over the years. The predictions for 2010 and 2020 indicate that the risk is still widespread over Europe. This is in conflict with the EU's long-term objective of not exceeding critical loads of airborne acidifying and eutrophying substances in sensitive ecosystem areas (National Emission Ceilings Directive, 6th Environmental Action Programme, Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution). Acidification The situation has considerably improved and it is predicted to improve further. The interim environmental objective for 2010 (National Emission Ceilings Directive) will most likely not be met completely. However, the European ecosystem areas where the critical load will be exceeded is predicted to have declined by more than 80 % in 2010 with 1990 as a base year. By 2020, it is expected that the risk of ecosystem acidification will only be an issue at some hot spots, in particular at the border area between the Netherlands and Germany. Ozone (O 3 ) Most vegetation and agricultural crops are exposed to ozone levels exceeding the long-term objective given in the EU Air Quality Directive. A significant fraction is also exposed to levels above the 2010 target value defined in the Directive. Concentrations in 2008 were on the average higher than in 2007. The effect-related accumulated concentrations, addressing exposure of crops to ozone over several summer months, shows large year-to-year variations, there is a non-significance tendency to increase.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone
EEA Signals 2009 - Key environmental issues facing Europe: Signals is published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) at the start of each year and provides snapshot stories on issues of interest both to the environmental policy debate and the wider public for the upcoming year. The eight stories addressed are not exhaustive but have been selected on the basis of their relevance to the current environmental policy debate in Europe. They address priority issues of climate change, nature and biodiversity, the use of natural resources and health.
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