The European environment – state and outlook 2010

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Rio+20 – time to rethink the way we use natural resources: This week the Rio de Janeiro summit on sustainable development will open. Rio+20 is an opportunity to look back at changes in our environment since the first Earth Summit in 1992, and also a time to look to the future, re-evaluating the way our economies and our societies depend on the environment and natural resources.
Located in News
Water: how can we account for our most vital resource?: The world is entering a period of growing water scarcity: by 2030, global demand for fresh water could outstrip supply by more than 40 % if water is used in the same way that it is today. These stark figures are the background to a new report from the International Resource Panel, a group of natural resources experts hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme.
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Rio 2012 is an opportunity to move towards a green economy: In less than two months, world leaders will gather in Rio de Janeiro for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. It is 20 years since the last Rio conference, and Rio 2012 is an opportunity to assess the progress made toward sustainable development since 1992 and begin building a Green Economy.
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Renewed EU strategy for Sustainable Development (2006): full text of the Eu's renewaed strategy for sustainable development 10117/06
Located in Environmental policy document catalogue
Green infrastructure and territorial cohesion: The concept of green infrastructure and its integration into policies using monitoring systems
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The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment assessed the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being. From 2001 to 2005, the MA involved the work of more than 1,360 experts worldwide. Their findings provide a state-of-the-art scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably.
Located in Environmental policy document catalogue
Review of the European Union Strategy for Sustainable Development: In July 2009 the Commission adopted the 2009 Review of EU SDS . It underlines that in recent years the EU has mainstreamed sustainable development into a broad range of its policies. In particular, the EU has taken the lead in the fight against climate change and the promotion of a low-carbon economy. At the same time, unsustainable trends persist in many areas and the efforts need to be intensified. The review takes stock of EU policy measures in the areas covered by the EU SDS and launches a reflection on the future of the EU SDS and its relation to the Lisbon strategy.
Located in Environmental policy document catalogue
Landscape fragmentation in Europe: Joint EEA-FOEN report
Located in Publications
Living in an interconnected world: '…the sheer weight of the combined aspirations and lifestyles of 500 million Europeans is just too great. Never mind the legitimate desires of many other billions on our planet to share those lifestyles.... We will need to change the behaviour of European consumers. To work on people's awareness and to influence their habits.' Janez Potočnik, European Union Commissioner for Environment (March 2010).
Located in Signals — every breath we take › Signals 2011 › Articles
Greening the economy – preparing for a new Earth Summit in Rio: European Environment Agency (EEA) Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade will be in New York this week, working towards a historic environmental summit next year.
Located in News