Highlights

Highest recycling rates in Austria and Germany – but UK and Ireland show fastest increase

Arthur Girling — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0100

Austria, Germany and Belgium recycled the largest proportion of municipal waste in Europe in 2010. Although some countries have rapidly increased recycling rates, Europe is still wasting vast quantities of valuable resources by sending them to landfill, and many countries risk falling short of legally binding recycling targets.

How to measure environmental pressures from production and consumption?

Arthur Girling — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:30:00 +0100

The consumption and production of goods and services is currently unsustainable in Europe, with ‘decoupling’ of environmental pressures from economic growth insufficient to date. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) describes methods for quantifying environmental pressures caused by European consumption patterns and economic production sectors. These methods can help target decoupling actions.

EU exporting more waste, including hazardous waste

Arthur Girling — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:55:00 +0100

Waste is increasingly moving across EU borders, for recovery or disposal. This is true for waste shipments between EU countries, and also transfers of waste outside the EU, according to a new assessment from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Rio+20 – time to rethink the way we use natural resources

Arthur Girling — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0200

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.

European consumption still highly unsustainable, despite efficiency gains

Arthur Girling — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 14:30:00 +0200

Humanity’s growing appetite for bigger houses, overseas travel, food and consumer goods is the main cause of our most pressing environmental problems, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) which considers the links between the environment and consumption.

Europe's demand for resources reaching far beyond its borders

Arthur Girling — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0200

Demand for materials is so intense that between 20 and 30 % of the resources we use in Europe are now imported. With the boom in international trade, EU consumption and production damage ecosystems and human health far beyond Europe’s borders, according to a report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Recycling industry can boost the European economy

Arthur Girling — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:15:00 +0100

Recycling has multiple benefits for many areas of the economy – providing raw materials, creating jobs and encouraging business opportunities and innovation. These economic benefits of recycling are examined in a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report considers the recycling industry in the context of building a 'green economy', a major European policy objective.

New film on waste management in Greenland

Arthur Girling — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:00:00 +0200

Dealing with large quantities of unwanted (and sometimes toxic) waste is often difficult – but it becomes even more complicated when people live in isolated communities, in extreme environments hundreds of kilometres from the nearest treatment plant. This is the subject of a new film considering waste management in Greenland, entitled ‘Mission Greenland – for a cleaner future’.

Big potential of cutting greenhouse gases from waste

Iben Stanhardt — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0200

There is a big potential to cut greenhouse gases (GHGs) from municipal solid waste management, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, 'Waste opportunities – Past and future climate benefits from better municipal waste management in Europe', covers the EU-27 (excluding Cyprus), Norway and Switzerland. It estimates that these countries could make GHG savings of up to 78 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) by 2020, or 1.53 % of Europe's emissions in 2008.

Water quality and wastewater treatment — WISE interactive maps updated

Arthur Girling — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:00:00 +0200

A series of maps on water quality, updated with the latest information reported by countries, has been published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The maps display water quality parameters in various receiving waters across Europe, alongside information on urban wastewater treatment and receiving areas sensitive to eutrophication.

Globalisation, environment and you

Iben Stanhardt — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0200

New EEA report highlights connectivity between global issues

Greenland is stepping up its efforts to improve waste management

Iben Stanhardt — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:38:04 +0200

Reduce, reuse, recycle – the common mantra of waste management makes the process sound simple. But while these three ingredients may be the same, the recipe for sustainable waste management can be very different – and Greenland’s unique environment presents some considerable challenges.

Taking stock of our resource use on World Environment Day – 5 June 2011

Arthur Girling — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 09:00:00 +0200

Humans are consuming the world’s limited resources at increasingly rapid rate, and Europe is particularly reliant on imported goods to sustain its high levels of consumption. On World Environment Day, the European Environment Agency (EEA) draws attention to Europe’s resource use and offers tips to reduce it.

New maps give Europeans close-up picture of air pollution from diffuse sources

Arthur Girling — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:00:00 +0200

New online maps published today by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, in close cooperation with the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) of the Joint Research Centre, allow citizens to pinpoint the main diffuse sources of air pollution, such as transport and aviation. The new set of 32 maps shows where certain pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are released. It complements existing data on emissions from individual industrial plants from the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). The Europe-wide register aims to help Europeans actively engage in decisions affecting the environment.

Using resources more efficiently: Green Week 2011

Arthur Girling — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:00:00 +0200

Rethinking the way we use and manage resources is the subject of this year's Green Week, the European Commission's annual conference on environmental policy from 24-27 May, 2011.