Publications

Air Implementation Pilot - Lessons learnt from the implementation of air quality legislation at urban level

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 23:45:00 +0200

Almost three quarters of Europeans live in cities. The air quality in our cities is therefore of significant importance to the health of Europeans. Considerable progress has been made in the past twenty years in improving urban air quality, but issues remain. A number of different air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and ozone remain above regulated levels, posing a threat to human health. This report describes a European pilot project to help identify and address the reasons underlying this 'gap' in implementation of air quality policy in 12 European cities, and thereby draw lessons of wider relevance.

Understanding pollutant emissions from Europe's cities

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:30:00 +0200

Highlights from the EU Air Implementation Pilot project: This brochure, produced by the EEA, summarises findings on local scale emission inventories from the EU Air Implementation Pilot project. It also highlights sources of information and guidance for those compiling city inventories.

Air quality in Europe — 2012 report

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:00:00 +0200

This report presents an overview and analysis of the status and trends of air quality in Europe based on concentration measurements in ambient air and data on anthropogenic emissions and trends from 2001 — when mandatory monitoring of ambient air concentrations of selected pollutants first produced reliable air quality information — to 2010.

Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:00 +0200

Challenges and opportunities for cities together with supportive national and European policies

Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2011

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:50:00 +0100

Overview of exceedances of EC ozone threshold values for April–September 2011

Green infrastructure and territorial cohesion

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:00:00 +0100

The concept of green infrastructure and its integration into policies using monitoring systems

Laying the foundations for greener transport — TERM 2011: transport indicators tracking progress towards environmental targets in Europe

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0100

For the first time ever the European Commissions is proposing a greenhouse gas emissions target for transport. But how is transport going to provide the services that our society needs while minimising its environmental impacts? This is the theme for the Transport White Paper launched in 2011. TERM 2011 and future reports aim to deliver an annual assessment on progress towards these targets by introducing the Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism Core Set of Indicators (TERM-CSI). TERM 2011 provides also the baseline to which progress will be checked against, covering most of the environmental areas, including energy consumption, emissions, noise and transport demand. In addition, this report shows latest data and discuss on the different aspects that can contribute the most to minimise transport impacts. TERM 2011 applies the avoid-shift-improve (ASI) approach, introduced in the previous TERM report, analysing ways to optimise transport demand, obtain a more sustainable modal split or use the best technology available.

Landscape fragmentation in Europe

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:39:39 +0200

Joint EEA-FOEN report

Land use — SOER 2010 thematic assessment

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Land use shapes our environment in positive and negative ways. Productive land is a critical resource for food and biomass production and land use strongly influences soil erosion and soil functions such as carbon storage. Land management largely determines the beauty of Europe's landscapes. It is important therefore to monitor land cover and land-use change through tools such as Corine land cover. Data on land-cover change in Europe from 2000–2006 show that growth in built-up areas and forest land leads to a continued loss of agricultural land. In turn, global economic and environmental change will increasingly influence the way Europeans use land (e.g. as communities work to mitigate and adapt to climate change). Policy responses are needed to help resolve conflicting land-use demands and to guide land-use intensity to support environmental land management.

Urban environment - SOER 2010 thematic assessment

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:40:00 +0100

The global population is congregating in our cities. Eighty per cent of the world’s estimated nine billion people in 2050 are expected to live in urban areas. Our cities and urban areas face many challenges from social to health to environmental. The impacts of cities and urban areas are felt in other regions which supply cities with food, water and energy and absorb pollution and waste. However, the proximity of people, businesses and services associated with the very word ‘city’ means that there are also huge opportunities. Indeed, well designed, well managed urban settings offer a key opportunity for sustainable living.

10 messages for 2010 - Urban ecosystems

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:00:00 +0200

In Europe, where the overwhelming majority of people live in urban areas, tackling the interlinked challenges between biodiversity and its network of towns and cities is crucial to help halting biodiversity loss.

Assessment of ground-level ozone in EEA member countries, with a focus on long-term trends

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0200

European countries have significantly reduced anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursor gases since 1990. In general, however, ambient air measurements in urban and rural areas of Europe do not show any downward trends in ground-level ozone. The main purpose of this report is to shed light on possible reasons.

Ensuring quality of life in Europe's cities and towns

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:41:54 +0200

In May 2008, the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities captured the concerns and desires of urban policy‑makers and citizens in the title of its new European Urban Charter: Manifesto for a new urbanity. Like numerous other international and European charters, conventions and declarations, the manifesto describes with some apprehension the 'unprecedented environmental, democratic, cultural, social and economic challenges' facing urban centres and their inhabitants. Our report on quality of life in Europe's cities and towns reiterates these concerns but also unravels the many apparent paradoxes of urban development and the sometimes perplexing realities of urban Europe today. The report defines a vision for progress towards a more sustainable, well‑designed urban future.

Spatial assessment of PM10 and ozone concentrations in Europe (2005)

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:34:42 +0100

This report presents particulate matter (PM10) and ground‑level ozone concentration maps covering the whole of Europe. The interpolated maps are based on a combination of measurement and regional modelling results. Using measured concentrations as a primary source of information, the report summarizes the methodologies and the methodological choices taken in order to derive such maps.

Air pollution by ozone across Europe during summer 2008

EEA (European Environment Agency) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:25:41 +0100

Overview of exceedances of EC ozone threshold values for April–September 2008