Do something for our planet, print this page only if needed. Even a small action can make an enormous difference when millions of people do it!
For the public:
Ask your question
Press room
Skip to content. | Skip to navigation
Good news if you're planning a beach holiday in Europe this summer: 92.1 % of bathing waters in the European Union now meet the minimum water quality standards set by the Bathing Water Directive. This includes the Serpentine Lake in London, which will host several Olympics events, including the Open Water Marathon Swim and the swimming section of the triathlon.
Read more
Rates of endocrine diseases and disorders, such as some reproductive and developmental harm in human populations, have changed in line with the growth of the chemical industry, leading to concerns that these factors may be linked. For example, the current status of semen quality in the few European countries where studies have been systematically conducted, is very poor: fertility in approximately 40 % of men is impaired. There is also evidence of reproductive and developmental harm linked to impairments in endocrine function in a number of wildlife species, particularly in environments that are contaminated by cocktails of chemicals that are in everyday use. Based on the human and wildlife evidence, many scientists are concerned about chemical pollutants being able to interfere with the normal functioning of hormones, so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), that could play a causative role in these diseases and disorders. If this holds true, then these 'early warnings' signal a failure in environmental protection that should be addressed.
Chemicals which disrupt the hormone system – also known as 'endocrine disrupting chemicals' (EDCs) – may be a contributing factor behind the significant increases in cancers, diabetes and obesity, falling fertility, and an increased number of neurological development problems in both humans and animals, according to a review of recent scientific literature commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
The Rio+20 conference, to be held in June this year, comes twenty years after the first Earth Summit (the UN Conference on Environment and Development) when Heads of State met in this same city. In order to celebrate this important occasion, and make our own contribution, EEA is holding a Rio+20 satellite event.
Advanced tool for exploring ground level ozone data
The world needs to move away from measuring success in purely economic terms, and should instead consider other criteria, including distribution of resources, sustainability, health, human rights and education. These were the discussions in a landmark meeting of the United Nations (UN), calling for new measurements of wellbeing beyond GDP in the run up to the Rio sustainability summit in June.
Overview of exceedances of EC ozone threshold values for April–September 2011
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.
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.
Twelve Member States exceeded one or more of the emission limits set by the EU National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive, according to recent official data for 2010 reported to the European Environment Agency (EEA). In some instances the limits were exceeded by significant amounts.
International Symposium at Plymouth University, UK The subject of environmental radioactivity is entering an exciting phase given the anticipated increase in global demand for nuclear energy. Many issues need urgent attention such as the future discharge of radionuclides, the logistics of decommissioning reactors, the potential for nuclear accidents in dynamic environments and the important matter of dealing with historic radioactive waste and that which may arise through the new builds. This two day symposium aims to explore our current knowledge in order to progress the science forward. The symposium will be of importance to all those with an interest in Environmental Radioactivity, its uses and, in particular, regulators and the nuclear industry. Those intending to participate are requested to email Jenny Spike to express their intent at their earliest convenience, as this will better enable us to determine numbers.
The Ministry of Health in Greenland has signed an agreement with the European Environment Agency (EEA). The two organisations committed to exchange personnel, and share knowledge, data and other expertise on environment-related health issues.
Modelling studies for urban temperatures over the next 70 years project that in urban areas where the green cover is reduced by 10 %, urban temperatures could increase by 8.2 °C above current levels.
Over one year a mature tree will take up about 22 kilograms of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and in exchange release oxygen. Each year, 1.3 million trees are estimated to remove more than 2500 tonnes of pollutants from the air.
Every 10% increase in green space is associated with a reduction in diseases equivalent to an increase of five years of life expectancy.
Emissions of the main ground-level ozone precursor pollutants have decreased across the EEA-32 region between 1990 and 2009; nitrogen oxides (NO X ) by 41%, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) by 51%, carbon monoxide (CO) by 61%, and methane (CH 4 ) by 27%. This decrease has been achieved mainly as a result of the introduction of catalytic converters for vehicles. These changes have significantly reduced emissions of NO X and CO from the road transport sector, the main source of ozone precursor emissions. The EU-27 is still some way from meeting its 2010 target to reduce emissions of NO X , one of the two ozone precursors (NO X and NMVOC) for which emission limits exist under the EU’s National Emissions Ceiling Directive (NECD). Whilst total NMVOC emissions in the EU-27 were below the NECD limit in 2009, a number of individual Member States anticipate missing their ceilings for one or either of these two pollutants. Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings for 2010 set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), all three countries reported NMVOC emissions in 2009 that were lower than their respective 2010 ceilings. However both Liechtenstein and Norway reported NO X emissions in 2009 that were substantially higher than their respective 2010 ceilings.
EEA-32 emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO X ) have decreased by 41% between 1990 and 2009. In 2009, the most significant sources of NO X emissions were the ‘Road transport’ sector (38%), ‘Energy production and distribution’ sector (22%), ‘Commercial, institutional and households’ sector (15%) and the ‘Energy use in industry’ sector (13%). The largest reduction of emissions in absolute terms since 1990 has occurred in the road transport sector. These reductions have been achieved despite the general increase in activity within this sector since the early 1990s and have primarily been achieved as a result of fitting three-way catalysts to petrol fuelled vehicles. However, ambient urban concentrations of NO 2 in EU-27 countries in recent years have not fallen by as much as reported emissions. Since 2002, NO 2 average annual mean concentrations at urban background sites have fallen by just 9 %, as indicated in CSI 004, during which time the reported NO X emissions for the EU-27 decreased by 23%. This discrepancy may be a result of a general under-estimation of the effect of catalytic degradation in newer cars, in which case a number of member states’ NO X emissions could be significantly higher than currently calculated. In the electricity/energy production sector reductions have also occurred, in these instances as a result of measures such as the introduction of combustion modification technologies (such as use of low NO X burners), implementation of flue-gas abatement techniques (e.g NO X scrubbers and selective (SCR) and non-selective (SNCR) catalytic reduction techniques) and fuel-switching from coal to gas. The National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD) specifies NO X emission ceilings for Member States that must be met by 2010. In general, the newer EU Member States have made substantially better progress towards meeting their respective NO X ceilings than the older Member States of the EU-15. Ten of the twelve post-2004 Member States had already reduced their 2009 emissions beyond what is required under the NECD, with the remaining two reporting NO X emissions less than 2% above the NECD target . In contrast, only four of the EU-15 Member States reported emissions for 2009 within their respective national ceilings. Thus many Member States required a significant reduction of NO X emissions to have been made in 2010 if they are to meet their obligations under the NECD. Of the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) only for Switzerland were emissions in 2009 below the level of their 2010 ceiling. Environmental context: NO X contributes to acid deposition and eutrophication. The subsequent impacts of acid deposition can be significant, including adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems in rivers and lakes and damage to forests, crops and other vegetation. Eutrophication can lead to severe reductions in water quality with subsequent impacts including decreased biodiversity, changes in species composition and dominance, and toxicity effects. It is NO 2 that is associated with adverse affects on human health, as at high concentrations it can cause inflammation of the airways. NO 2 also contributes to the formation of secondary particulate aerosols and tropospheric ozone in the atmosphere - both are important air pollutants due to their adverse impacts on human health.
EEA-32 emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) have decreased by 51% since 1990. In 2009, the most significant sources of NMVOC emissions were ‘Solvent and product use’ (36%) (comprising activities such as paint application, dry-cleaning and other use of solvents), followed by ‘Commercial, institutional and households’ (15%). The decline in emissions since 1990 has primarily been due to reductions achieved in the road transport sector due to the introduction of vehicle catalytic converters and carbon canisters on petrol cars, for evaporative emission control driven by tighter vehicle emission standards, combined with limits on the maximum volatility of petrol that can be sold in EU Member States, as specified in fuel quality directives. The reductions in NMVOC emissions have been enhanced by the switching from petrol to diesel cars in some EU countries, and changes in the ‘Solvents and product use' sector (a result of the introduction of legislative measures limiting for example the use and emissions of solvents). The EU-27 Member States have, in general, made good progress towards reducing emissions in line with their obligations under the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD). Twenty four Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom) have already reduced their national NMVOC emissions below the level of the emission ceilings set in the NECD. However, two Member States (Denmark and Germany) reported 2009 emissions significantly above their respective emission ceilings and therefore require significant reductions to have been made in 2010 in order to comply with the NECD. Emissions in 2009 for the three non-EU countries having emission ceilings set under the UNECE/CLRTAP Gothenburg protocol (Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) were all well below their respective ceilings. Environmental context: Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) are a collection of organic compounds that differ widely in their chemical composition but display similar behaviour in the atmosphere. NMVOCs are emitted into the atmosphere from a large number of sources including combustion activities, solvent use and production processes. NMVOCs contribute to the formation of ground level (tropospheric) ozone, and certain NMVOC species such as benzene and 1,3 butadiene are hazardous to human health. Quantifying the emissions of total NMVOCs provides an indicator of the emissions of the most hazardous NMVOCs.
Total emissions of primary PM 10 particulate matter have reduced by 27% across the EEA-32 region between 1990 and 2009, driven by a 34% reduction in emissions of the fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) fraction; emissions of particulates between 2.5 and 10 µm have risen slightly (10%) over the same period. Of this reduction in PM 10 emissions, 37% has taken place in the 'Energy Production and Distribution' sector due reasons including the fuel-switching from coal to natural gas for electricity generation and improvements in the performance of pollution abatement equipment installed at industrial facilities.
engineered byEEA Web Team
CMS login Software updates history Code for developers Refresh this page
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube channel
RSS Feeds
Write to us
Call us
Upcoming environmental events around the world
Green tips
Document Actions
Share with others