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Polycrisis. This rather disturbing term has come to be used to describe the current context in which our societies and politics operate. Broadly speaking, polycrisis describes a convergence of economic, social, geopolitical and environmental crises which together create systemic risks to the world as we know it. Regardless of the term itself, the EU's efforts to transition to sustainability now exist within such a context, putting environmental policy implementation under strain and calling for a balance between short-term responses and long-term sustainability goals.
The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution is just one of many interconnected crises currently challenging European and global governance, as traditional problem-solving tools are proving inadequate. This report introduces 'governance in complexity', an approach designed to respond to sustainability challenges by appreciating their uncertain and complex nature. Key principles underlined in this approach include experimentation, systems thinking, participation, precaution, anticipation, and care.
The EU's long-term transition to environmental, social and economic sustainability runs alongside several large-scale crises. Amidst the 'triple crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss and the impact of environmental pollution on human health (UNEP, 2020), we also face crises in the political, economic and social spheres, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the 'slowbalisation' of the global economy and trade (European Parliament, 2020) and growing societal fragmentation over values and identities.
The EEA′s annual environmental statement report for 2022 conforms to requirements stipulated in the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Regulation and takes into account the sectoral reference document for the public administration sector. The report contains information on the EEA′s environmental management system (EMS), its environmental performance in the year 2022, and the updated environmental targets and an action plan for 2023.
The future of Europe is shaped by developments of a societal, technological, economic, environmental and geopolitical nature that interact in complex and unpredictable ways. Horizon scanning - a foresight method to systematically detect early signs of potentially important developments - can support policymakers and other decision-makers in anticipating future developments, managing risks and pursuing opportunities to help build resilience to future shocks and reduce uncertainty. This practical guide aims to foster a culture of anticipation and preparedness by inspiring and equipping practitioners across Europe to explore the future using horizon scanning.
This report proposes a new set of indicators dedicated to monitoring long-term trends in waste prevention. They focus on the drivers of waste generation, waste prevention policies enablers, and resulting outcomes in reduced waste and emissions.
Submission under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Advancing towards climate resilience in Europe: status of reported national adaptation actions in 2021
It is becoming increasingly clear that the complex and interrelated challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and rising inequality will not be solved without a fundamental transformation of our societies. Many systemic environmental and social challenges are felt acutely in cities, and the COVID-19 pandemic showed the vulnerability of cities and the need for urban resilience.
Waste prevention is the best waste management policy option, according to the waste hierarchy, the EU's main rule for the environmental ranking of waste management policies. Its main objective is to reduce waste generation, the environmental impacts of waste management and the hazardousness of the waste generated. It is mainly expressed as the aspiration to break the link between waste generation and economic growth (decoupling). To support this objective, the EU and all is Member States have put in place legislation that promotes activities in products' life cycles aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated. At the national level, these policies are described in national or regional waste prevention programmes, which have been in place in most of the countries examined since at least 2013.
This report presents the detailed analysis of eight urban environmental sustainability nexus. These constitute examples to help understand the complexity of urban systems and explore how, in practice, using nexus analysis can help identifying existing challenges, potential trade-offs and co-benefits on actions to achieve urban sustainability objectives and opportunities to move towards better coordinated and integrated policy and action. Findings have been summarized in the main Urban Sustainability in Europe – Avenues for change report.
For the EEA urban environment sustainability means encouraging revitalization and transitions of urban areas and cities to improve livability, promote innovation and reduce environmental impacts while maximizing economical and social co-benefits. This report is based on the EEA conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability and brings together results of a combined analytical approach based on literature review (a top-down assessment based on nexus analysis) together with results from a survey and interviews with selected cities (a bottom-up approach) on drivers of urban transitions.
For climate change mitigation policies to be successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions their potential social implications need to be considered and addressed. Together with multiple-level governance coordination and societal participation, these are the key success factors to achieve win-win social-climate policies, minimise the unfair impacts of carbon and energy taxes, and maximise environmental and health benefits.
Addressing Europe’s unprecedented environmental challenges will require policies, investments and knowledge to be brought together to transform the systems driving unsustainability while maximising the environmental, social and economic co benefits. This raises the question of whether it is sufficient to address the existing knowledge gaps — or do we need a new knowledge system for systemic transformation?
Reflecting the EEA’s mandate, the focus of this report is on urban sustainability from an environmental perspective. It presents an urban sustainability conceptual framework based on an extensive knowledge review and has incorporated a broad stakeholder-led process involving both internal (EEA and EIONET), external experts and cross institutional contributions.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the complex and interrelated challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and rising inequality will not be solved without a fundamental transformation of our societies. Far-reaching changes are needed to our technologies and infrastructures, cultures and lifestyles, as well as adaptations to the corresponding governance and institutional frameworks. Around the world, these important system innovations are converging in cities.
Submission under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol
Working with nature can help prevent the worst impacts of climate change, and biodiversity and ecosystem loss. Nature-based solutions offer ways to do this. Science and policy have begun to recognise their potential. The knowledge base is expanding rapidly, with gaps identified and plans to fill them. However, challenges for implementation remain at the local level, as demonstrated by the case studies in this report.
Economic growth is closely linked to increases in production, consumption and resource use and has detrimental effects on the natural environment and human health. It is unlikely that a long-lasting, absolute decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures and impacts can be achieved at the global scale; therefore, societies need to rethink what is meant by growth and progress and their meaning for global sustainability.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/sustainability-transitions/publications/publications or scan the QR code.
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