A better understanding of links between natural resources can help the EU’s sustainability drive

Europe’s drive towards sustainability would benefit from a wider and joint approach to the use of the vital resources that underpin the functioning of core production and consumption systems according to the EEA briefing ‘Resource nexus and the European Green Deal’.

The EEA briefing puts forward the concept of the ‘resource nexus’ which specifically looks at the interlinkages between resources. It looks at the role the nexus can play in supporting policy coherence and integration in the context of the European Green Deal.

Natural resources have been under increased and unprecedented pressure for decades amid growing populations, economic development and changing lifestyles. This in turn has put pressure on the earth’s life-support systems through climate change, biodiversity loss, and changes in the chemical composition of the atmosphere. Wise use and management of our natural resources along with conservation strategies are central to Europe’s environmental sustainability policy framework, notably through the European Green Deal.