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Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical that has been used in high volumes for decades and is known to harm human health. People are exposed to BPA mainly through diet due to BPA being present in a range of materials commonly used in packaging for food and beverages. This briefing presents the latest information on human exposure to BPA in Europe. It also highlights potential health risks resulting from people being exposed to unsafe levels of BPA.
The future of Europe is shaped by developments of a societal, technological, economic, environmental and geopolitical nature that interact in complex and unpredictable ways. Horizon scanning - a foresight method to systematically detect early signs of potentially important developments - can support policymakers and other decision-makers in anticipating future developments, managing risks and pursuing opportunities to help build resilience to future shocks and reduce uncertainty. This practical guide aims to foster a culture of anticipation and preparedness by inspiring and equipping practitioners across Europe to explore the future using horizon scanning.
The European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) is a partnership network of the EEA and its member and cooperating countries. This briefing presents the results of data collected in 2022 for 13 Eionet core data flows. It summarises the evaluation of hundreds of data deliveries received from reporting countries. The purpose of the briefing is to show progress against agreed reporting criteria (timeliness and data quality), allowing countries to identify and prioritise the resources they need for regular reporting procedures. The provision of high-quality data by Eionet is fundamental for the EEA to achieve its mission to provide timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy-making agents and the public.
Improving the energy performance of buildings is an important part of reaching the EU’s climate, energy and air pollution targets, but requires an acceleration in renovation rates. This briefing identifies behavioural factors that influence decisions on renovation investment. It also explores how understanding these factors can inform the design of policies that more effectively encourage the renovation of residential buildings, contributing to achieving climate neutrality.
The report looks at air pollutant emissions reported by the EU under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (the Air Convention) and includes a wide range of substances. These include the five main air pollutants (NOX, NMVOCs, SO2, NH3 and PM2.5) but also others such as heavy metals, black carbon or persistent organic pollutants.
This briefing describes the progress made by the EU and its Member States towards reducing emissions of the five main air pollutants regulated under the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive. It presents an assessment of Member State performance against the emission reduction commitments for 2020-2029 as well as their progress towards achieving the more ambitious reduction commitments that will apply from 2030 onward. The briefing also presents the trends for a broader range of air pollutants and the sources of their emissions in Europe. The briefing is based on the latest available data reported by Member States in 2023 for their 2021 emissions.
Cardiovascular disease affects the lives of many European residents. Environmental exposure to ambient and indoor air pollution, noise, extreme temperatures, second-hand smoke and chemicals, among other factors, significantly contribute to the high burden of cardiovascular illnesses in Europe. However, environmental risk factors for cardiovascular disease are largely preventable. This report provides a brief overview of the evidence about the environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease in Europe and corresponding EU policy responses.
Several EEA assessments make the link between environment and well-being very clear. Despite progress over the past decades, pollution and other environmental risks continue to harm people’s health in Europe while improving the state of our environment and mitigating climate change can deliver both direct and indirect benefits for everyone in Europe.
Unprecedented sustainability challenges from accumulating environmental and climate pressures and impacts - to a large extent caused by unsustainable consumption - require a fundamental shift in our production and consumption systems in Europe and beyond. Such a shift calls for exploring what conditions and pathways are for sustainable and circular consumption in Europe.
Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and pollution. These challenges are largely caused by unsustainable consumption as countries strive for economic growth and people pursue well-being. Household consumption pressures and impacts the environment and drive climate change.
Biodiversity is vital for healthy ecosystems and the foundation of our well-being and economy. However, it is under severe threat. At the root of the problem, lies our current unsustainable production and consumption systems. The circular economy is key to transforming these systems. This briefing explores how circular economy can reduce the impacts of production and consumption on biodiversity
Bathing is an extremely popular and important leisure activity in Europe. European citizens need to know if the quality of lakes, rivers, and coastal and transitional waters is poor, sufficient, good or excellent, so they can make informed decisions on where to bathe without health risks. The current assessment covers 21,658 officially designated bathing sites in the 27 EU Member States (EU-27), 119 in Albania and 196 in Switzerland.
Europe aims to become a circular economy. To encourage this, the EU has set targets for the 27 Member States (EU-27) to increase recycling and reduce landfilling. Specifically, by 2025, 55% of municipal waste and 65% of packaging waste must be prepared for re-use or recycled. This briefing assesses Member States’ prospects of meeting these targets and its findings constitute the basis of the European Commission’s 2023 early warning report.
The EU has set ambitious targets to improve municipal waste management. EU Member States need effective strategies and policy instruments to achieve these targets. This briefing provides an overview of some of the main instruments used across the EU and the performance of Member States so far.
The Consolidated annual activity report (CAAR) is the EEA’s annual report, providing detailed information on the year’s activities, performance and achievements, as well as operational, budgetary and management reporting.
The EU economy uses unsustainably large amounts of materials. In 2021, only 11.7% of these materials came from recycled waste. This share of recycled material is known as the circular material use rate (CMUR) and over the last 20 years it has increased only slightly. The EU’s circular economy action plan aims to double that share by 2030. This briefing looks at trends in the EU’s circular material use rate and the environmental impacts of material use. It also analyses the EU’s prospects for reaching its 2030 target.
This report proposes a new set of indicators dedicated to monitoring long-term trends in waste prevention. They focus on the drivers of waste generation, waste prevention policies enablers, and resulting outcomes in reduced waste and emissions.
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our traditional understanding of ‘work’ and pushed us to embrace new ways of working. Instead of the daily commute to the office, many people are choosing to work from home or a 'third place'. This briefing builds on the outcome of a participatory foresight process and desk research to examine how teleworking could affect our daily lives, our health and the environment.
Digitalisation plays an ever-increasing role in our mobility, shaping the way the system and our society evolve. To fully realise the potential that technology could bring, it will be fundamental to let environmental considerations guide this transformation. This way, we will come closer to achieving a sustainable and just transition.
Nature, along with its inherent biodiversity, is key to functioning societies and economies. It provides the food we eat, filters the water we drink, cleans the air we breathe, and is important for our mental and physical health. Yet in the EU, many habitats and species are in a poor or bad state, and only a very small fraction of these has shown any improvement over recent years. The restoration of Europe’s habitats and species is important not only for the inherent value of nature itself: it is also key for improved human health and well-being, and reduced climate change impacts.
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