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Press Release
There are no quick fixes but regulators, businesses and citizens need to work together and find innovative ways to use resources more efficiently. The seeds for future action exist: the task ahead is to help them take root and flourish.
Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of EEA
The EEA's new assessment shows that global demands for natural resources to feed, clothe, house and transport people are accelerating. These mounting demands on natural capital are exerting increased pressure to ecosystems, economies and social cohesion in Europe and elsewhere. However, SOER 2010 confirms that well-designed environmental policies continue to improve Europe's environment without undermining Europe's growth potential.
'We are consuming more natural resources than is ecologically stable. This is true for both Europe and the planet as a whole. Climate change is the most visible sign of instability so far, but a range of global trends suggest greater systemic risks to ecosystems in future. The nature of the current financial crisis should give us pause for thought.' said Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of EEA.
A complete shift to a resource-efficient green economy requires that all environmental resources – biodiversity, land, carbon, rivers, the seas and the air we breathe – are fully considered in production, consumption and global trade decisions.
'There are no quick fixes but regulators, businesses and citizens need to work together and find innovative ways to use resources more efficiently. The seeds for future action exist: the task ahead is to help them take root and flourish,' concludes McGlade.
SOER 2010 also highlights a greater understanding of the links between climate change, biodiversity, resource use and people’s health — and how tools like spatial planning, ecological tax reform, pollution prevention, precaution and resource accounting can underpin a natural capital-based approach to their management.
SOER is the EEA's flagship report published every five years, aimed at providing information on the state of, trends in and prospects for Europe’s environment, including causes, impacts and potential responses. SOER 2010 consists of four key elements: (i) thematic assessments on key environmental issues (climate change, biodiversity, land use, air pollution, marine environment, consumption, etc.) each accompanied by relevant facts and trends, (ii) an assessment of global megatrends relevant for Europe’s environment, (iii) country assessments, and (iv) an integrated synthesis report.
All SOER assessments can be accessed online at www.eea.europa.eu/soer.
About the European Environment Agency (EEA)
The EEA is based in Copenhagen. The Agency aims to help achieve significant and measurable improvement in Europe’s environment by providing timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policymakers and the public.
EEA member countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom. The six West Balkan countries are cooperating countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.
For mediainquiries:
Ms Gülçin Karadeniz, Press officer Phone: +45 3336 7172 Mobile: +45 2368 3653 |
Ms Iben Stanhardt Press officer Phone: +45 3336 7168 |
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/butterflies-or-business-europe-can or scan the QR code.
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