Air – it’s all around us. It’s what we breathe, and it’s vital to our health and well-being. Economic activities, such as transport, industry and agriculture, release air pollutants, harmful to the environment and human health. SHOW MORE

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Our quality of life depends, among other things, on a reliable supply of energy at an affordable price. We still burn fossil fuels to obtain most of the energy we use and combustion of fossil fuels affects us all in one way or another. It releases air pollutants into the atmosphere and harms our health. It also releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. We are at a critical decision point in time: the negative impacts of our current energy choices on the one hand, and the opportunities that clean energy sources offer on the other. Signals 2017 looks into Europe’s transition towards clean, smart and renewable energy.

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European air quality information reported by EEA member countries, including all EU Member States, as well as EEA cooperating and other reporting countries. The EEA’s air quality database consists of a multi-annual time series of air quality measurement data and calculated statistics for a number of air pollutants. It also contains meta-information on the monitoring networks involved, their stations and measurements, as well as air quality zones, assessment regimes and compliance attainments reported by the EU Member States and European Economic Area countries.

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Map simply shows areas with / without a CCIV (by colour), and which countries did not respond to the survey (stippled colours).

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The Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 requires Member States to record information for each new passenger car registered in its territory. Every year, each Member State shall submit to the Commission all the information related to their new registrations. In particular, the following details are required for each new passenger car registered: manufacturer name, type approval number, type, variant, version, make and commercial name, specific emissions of CO2, mass of the vehicle, wheel base, track width, engine capacity, fuel type and fuel mode. Additional information, such as engine power, were also submitted. Data for EU-28 are reported in the main database.

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New truck registrations by EU-28 in 2016

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The maps reports the average CO2 emissions (g CO2/km) from new passenger cars registered in 2016 by country.

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Safeguarding healthy commercial fish and shellfish populations is one of the 11 descriptors of the Marine Stretegy Framework Directive (MSFD) for achieving GES. This objective is closely related to the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular the objective of ensuring the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for all stocks by 2015 where possible, and at the latest by 2020. Currently, around 74 % of the assessed fish and shellfish stocks in Europe’s seas are not in GES, whereas only 26 % are in GES when assessing both the level of fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; this assessment does not include the third GES criterion on age and size structure of the populations as this cannot be assessed at present. These percentages vary considerably between MSFD (sub)regions — from at least 67-88 % of the stocks meeting at least one of the GES criteria in the regions in the NE Atlantic and the Baltic Sea to only one out of 27 (4 %) and one out of 8 (13 %) in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea respectively. Important signs of improvement are being observed in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas. Signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of the three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is little likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

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Over the period 1980-2016, t he total reported economic losses caused by weather and climate-related extremes in the EEA member countries amounted to approximately EUR 436 billion (in 2016 Euro values).  Average annual economic losses varied between EUR 7.4 billion over the period 1980-1989, EUR 13.3 billion (1990-1999) and EUR 13.9 billion (2000-2009). Between 2010 and 2016, average annual losses were around EUR 12.8 billion. This high variability makes the analysis of historical trends difficult, since the choice of years heavily influences the trend outcome. The observed variations in reported economic losses over time are difficult to interpret since a large share of the total deflated losses has been caused by a small number of events. Specifically, more than 70 % of economic losses were caused by just 3 % of all unique registered events. Between 1980 and 2016, natural disasters caused by weather and climate-related extremes accounted for some 83 % of the monetary losses in the EU Member States. Throughout these 37 years, weather and climate-related losses accounted for a total of EUR 410 billion (at 2016 values). Reported economic losses mainly reflect monetised direct damages to certain assets. The loss of human life, cultural heritage or ecosystem services is not part of the estimation. In the EU, the most expensive climate extremes in the  period  analysed include the 2002 flood in Central Europe (over EUR 20 billion), the 2003 drought and heat wave (almost EUR 15 billion), and the 1999 winter storm and October 2000 flood in Italy and France (EUR 13 billion), all at 2016 values.

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Classes represent the number of meshes per 1 000 square kilometres. Light colours mean less fragmentation pressure and dark colours mean more fragmentation pressure exerted by urban and transport infrastructure expansion.

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The map reflects the most recent available information at the EU-level on implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) in EU 28 plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland based on data reported by the Member States (for reference years 2013 or 2014) in 2015.

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Information reported by EU Member States under the European mechanism for monitoring and reporting information relevant to climate change (EU, 2013b) and additional information provided on a voluntary basis to EEA up to September 2017 and the draft country fiches of the European Commission Adaptation Scoreboard (EC, 2017) for other EEA member countries information provided on a voluntary basis to the EEA up to September 2017.

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Table

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Food system actors represent the largest group of natural resource managers in the world. They are critical in both creating the problems and implementing the solutions. Identifying actors along the food chain as well as where and how power is located enables policy makers to develop management approaches targeted towards those actors with influence. In addition to those directly involved in food chain activities, governments and civil society are also important as they set the wider policy and societal context.

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In a global food system, Europe’s imports and their consumption have an environmental, social and economic impact beyond European borders. In 2013, Europe had net imports of around 27 million tonnes of soybeans and soybean products for oil production and animal feed. This means Europe is dependent on overseas land for its own livestock production most of which is in South America.

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European air quality information reported by EEA member countries, including all EU Member States, as well as EEA cooperating and other reporting countries. The EEA’s air quality database consists of a multi-annual time series of air quality measurement data and calculated statistics for a number of air pollutants. It also contains meta-information on the monitoring networks involved, their stations and measurements, as well as air quality zones, assessment regimes and compliance attainments reported by the EU Member States and European Economic Area countries.

Read more

Map simply shows areas with / without a CCIV (by colour), and which countries did not respond to the survey (stippled colours).

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Almost all European countries have conducted national climate change vulnerability and risk assessments as part of their adaptation plans to better deal with the impacts of climate-related hazards, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today.

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This report provides the first systematic review of national climate change impact, vulnerability and risk assessments across Europe. It is based on information about relevant multi-sectoral assessments reported from EEA member countries. The purpose of the report is to share experiences and knowledge and to highlight approaches and practical solutions that countries have used to produce and present their assessments.

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The Regulation (EC) No 443/2009 requires Member States to record information for each new passenger car registered in its territory. Every year, each Member State shall submit to the Commission all the information related to their new registrations. In particular, the following details are required for each new passenger car registered: manufacturer name, type approval number, type, variant, version, make and commercial name, specific emissions of CO2, mass of the vehicle, wheel base, track width, engine capacity, fuel type and fuel mode. Additional information, such as engine power, were also submitted. Data for EU-28 are reported in the main database.

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Efforts to improve the fuel efficiency of new cars sold in the European Union (EU) stalled in 2017 compared to 2016, according to provisional data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). While past years have seen steady declines, new passenger cars registered in 2017 emitted on average 0.4 grammes (g) of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre more than in 2016.

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Financial incentives set by Member States, such as taxes, can drive reductions in average CO2 emissions from new passenger cars in Europe. This briefing describes how these measures affect the sales of vehicles with lower CO2 emissions and examines the extent to which differences in average CO2 emissions between countries may be attributable to differences in the taxation and incentives systems in place.

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The maps reports the average CO2 emissions (g CO2/km) from new passenger cars registered in 2016 by country.

Read more

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New truck registrations by EU-28 in 2016

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Safeguarding healthy commercial fish and shellfish populations is one of the 11 descriptors of the Marine Stretegy Framework Directive (MSFD) for achieving GES. This objective is closely related to the objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), in particular the objective of ensuring the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) for all stocks by 2015 where possible, and at the latest by 2020. Currently, around 74 % of the assessed fish and shellfish stocks in Europe’s seas are not in GES, whereas only 26 % are in GES when assessing both the level of fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; this assessment does not include the third GES criterion on age and size structure of the populations as this cannot be assessed at present. These percentages vary considerably between MSFD (sub)regions — from at least 67-88 % of the stocks meeting at least one of the GES criteria in the regions in the NE Atlantic and the Baltic Sea to only one out of 27 (4 %) and one out of 8 (13 %) in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea respectively. Important signs of improvement are being observed in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas. Signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the NE Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of the three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is little likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

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The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently published its annual Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) report, which this year focused on aviation and shipping. The two sectors are growing rapidly, which also has an impact on the environment, notably emissions. We asked Anke Lükewille, EEA expert on air pollution, to explain the key points of this year’s TERM report.

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Europe collects increasingly more data, enhancing our understanding of the environment. Earth observation data obtained through the European Union’s Copernicus programme presents new challenges and opportunities to improve our environmental knowledge. Combining up-to-date Copernicus data with our existing knowledge base, the European Environment Agency (EEA) aims to empower policy makers and citizens across Europe in taking measures to address local, national and global challenges.

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Over the period 1980-2016, t he total reported economic losses caused by weather and climate-related extremes in the EEA member countries amounted to approximately EUR 436 billion (in 2016 Euro values).  Average annual economic losses varied between EUR 7.4 billion over the period 1980-1989, EUR 13.3 billion (1990-1999) and EUR 13.9 billion (2000-2009). Between 2010 and 2016, average annual losses were around EUR 12.8 billion. This high variability makes the analysis of historical trends difficult, since the choice of years heavily influences the trend outcome. The observed variations in reported economic losses over time are difficult to interpret since a large share of the total deflated losses has been caused by a small number of events. Specifically, more than 70 % of economic losses were caused by just 3 % of all unique registered events. Between 1980 and 2016, natural disasters caused by weather and climate-related extremes accounted for some 83 % of the monetary losses in the EU Member States. Throughout these 37 years, weather and climate-related losses accounted for a total of EUR 410 billion (at 2016 values). Reported economic losses mainly reflect monetised direct damages to certain assets. The loss of human life, cultural heritage or ecosystem services is not part of the estimation. In the EU, the most expensive climate extremes in the  period  analysed include the 2002 flood in Central Europe (over EUR 20 billion), the 2003 drought and heat wave (almost EUR 15 billion), and the 1999 winter storm and October 2000 flood in Italy and France (EUR 13 billion), all at 2016 values.

Read more

Classes represent the number of meshes per 1 000 square kilometres. Light colours mean less fragmentation pressure and dark colours mean more fragmentation pressure exerted by urban and transport infrastructure expansion.

Read more

The map reflects the most recent available information at the EU-level on implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) in EU 28 plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland based on data reported by the Member States (for reference years 2013 or 2014) in 2015.

Read more

Information reported by EU Member States under the European mechanism for monitoring and reporting information relevant to climate change (EU, 2013b) and additional information provided on a voluntary basis to EEA up to September 2017 and the draft country fiches of the European Commission Adaptation Scoreboard (EC, 2017) for other EEA member countries information provided on a voluntary basis to the EEA up to September 2017.

Read more

Table

Read more

Air – it’s all around us. It’s what we breathe, and it’s vital to our health and well-being. Economic activities, such as transport, industry and agriculture, release air pollutants, harmful to the environment and human health. SHOW MORE

Read more

Our quality of life depends, among other things, on a reliable supply of energy at an affordable price. We still burn fossil fuels to obtain most of the energy we use and combustion of fossil fuels affects us all in one way or another. It releases air pollutants into the atmosphere and harms our health. It also releases greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. We are at a critical decision point in time: the negative impacts of our current energy choices on the one hand, and the opportunities that clean energy sources offer on the other. Signals 2017 looks into Europe’s transition towards clean, smart and renewable energy.

Read more

Food system actors represent the largest group of natural resource managers in the world. They are critical in both creating the problems and implementing the solutions. Identifying actors along the food chain as well as where and how power is located enables policy makers to develop management approaches targeted towards those actors with influence. In addition to those directly involved in food chain activities, governments and civil society are also important as they set the wider policy and societal context.

Read more

In a global food system, Europe’s imports and their consumption have an environmental, social and economic impact beyond European borders. In 2013, Europe had net imports of around 27 million tonnes of soybeans and soybean products for oil production and animal feed. This means Europe is dependent on overseas land for its own livestock production most of which is in South America.

Read more