7th Environment Action Programme

Policy Document
DECISION No 1386/2013/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 November 2013 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’. In November 2013, the European Parliament and the European Council adopted the 7 th EU Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’. This programme is intended to help guide EU action on the environment and climate change up to and beyond 2020 based on the following vision: ‘In 2050, we live well, within the planet’s ecological limits. Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed sustainably, and biodiversity is protected, valued and restored in ways that enhance our society’s resilience. Our low-carbon growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a safe and sustainable global society.’

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Related indicators

Food consumption — animal based protein Food consumption — animal based protein This indicator shows consumption of protein from selected meat, dairy, fish and seafood products in the EU-28.  Figure 1 shows the development of per capita protein consumption from animal-based products, and sub-categories of meat, fish and seafood, eggs, and dairy products (excl. butter). Further sub-categories for meat are added. Data are indexed to the year 2000 (2000=100). Figure 2 shows the change in consumption of protein from selected main categories of meat, dairy, fish and seafood between 2000 and the most recent data point.  The data were extracted from the FAO balance sheets. The indicator is defined as the supply of these products to the final consumer. This provides a figure for 'food', which represents the amount of each product that reaches the consumer. The amount of food actually eaten will be lower than the quantity shown in the food balance sheet because of wastage of edible food in households during storage, preparation and cooking, unused food leftovers and food fed to domestic animals and pets. The indicator shows protein consumption from animal based products instead of consumption of these products in weight because weight-based numbers are dominated by milk due to its high water content. Using protein in the indicator is also recommended in the European Commission Staff Working Document on the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (EC, 2011) for 'making food consumption healthier and more sustainable'.
Global and European sea level Global and European sea level This indicator comprises several metrics to describe past and future sea level rise globally and in European seas. Global sea level rise is reported because it is the second-most important metric of global climate change (after global mean surface temperature), and because it is a proxy of sea level rise in Europe. Past sea level trends across Europe are reported in two different ways: first, absolute sea level change based on satellite altimeter measurements that reflect primarily the contribution of global climate change to sea level rise in Europe; second, relative sea level change based on tide gauges that also include local land movement, which is more relevant for the development of regional adaptation strategies. The indicator also addresses changes in extreme sea level along the European coast. The following aspects of sea level rise are included: Observed change in global mean sea level, based on two reconstructions from tide gauge measurements (since 1880) and on satellite altimeter data (since 1993) Spatial trends in absolute sea level across European seas, based on satellite measurements (since 1993) Spatial trends in relative sea level across European seas, based on European tide gauge stations with long time series (since 1970) Projected change in global sea level for different forcing scenarios, including contributions from different sources Projected change in relative sea level across European seas Projected change in the frequency of flooding events along European coasts
Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone This indicator shows the negative impact of air pollution on ecosystems and vegetation in Europe. In particular, it shows: ecosystem areas with exceedances of the critical loads for acidification and eutrophication; and exposure of areas covered with vegetation (crops and forests) to ground-level ozone, the latest available rural concentrations of ozone and the annual variation of rural concentrations of ozone  at the European level . In the case of acidification and eutrophication, the area as well as the magnitude of critical load exceedances in ecosystems are shown. A critical load is a quantitative estimate of an exposure to one or more pollutants, below which significant harmful effects on specified sensitive elements of the environment do not occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015). It represents the upper limit of one or more pollutants deposited on the Earth's surface that an ecosystem, such as a lake or a forest, can tolerate without its function (e.g. the nutrient nitrogen cycle) or its structure (e.g. with respect to plant species' richness) being damaged. A positive difference between the deposition loads of acidifying and/or eutrophying airborne pollutants and the critical loads is termed an 'exceedance'. In the case of ozone, the risk is estimated by reference to either a target value and a long-term objective, or to the 'critical level' for ozone for each location. The target value and the long-term objective are levels fixed with the aim of avoiding, preventing or reducing harmful effects on the environment. For ozone, the critical level is a concentration in the atmosphere, above which direct adverse effects on receptors, such as human beings, plants, ecosystems or materials, may occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015).   
Hail Hail Hail is commonly classified according to diameter of the hailstones; for example, hail >=2cm diameter. Hailstorm intensity scale classifies hail on a scale from H0, being hard hail with diameter 5 mm causing no damage to H10, being super hailstorms with diameter >100 mm and causing extensive structural damage with risk of severe or fatal injuries to people. Hail is here defined with the potential hail index (PHI), which quantifies the atmospheric potential for hailstorms and can be derived from atmospheric numerical models. 
Wind storms Wind storms Projected changes in extreme wind speed (98th percentile of daily maximum wind speed) based on GCM and RCM ensemble
Heavy precipitation Heavy precipitation Heavy precipitation is defined as the maximum annual five-day consecutive precipitation. Trends are calculated for the period between 1960 and 2015. Projected changes in heavy precipitation are defined as changes in the 95th percentile of daily precipitation (only days with precipitation >1 mm/day are considered). Changes between two periods 1971-2000 and 2071-2100 are calculated by using a multi-model ensemble forced by RCP8.5.
Mean precipitation Mean precipitation Observed trends in annual and summer precipitation across Europe 1960-2015 Projected changes in mean annual and summer precipitation (%) in the period 2071–2100 compared with the baseline period 1971–2000 for the forcing scenario RCP8.5. Model simulations are based on the multi-model ensemble average of many different RCM simulations from the EURO-CORDEX initiative.
Heating and cooling degree days Heating and cooling degree days Time series of population-weighted heating and cooling degree days averaged over Europe Trend in heating and cooling degree days
Meteorological and hydrological droughts Meteorological and hydrological droughts Observed trends in frequency and severity of meteorological droughts Model-based estimate of past change in summer low flows Projected change in the frequency of meteorological droughts for different periods and scenarios Projected change in 20-year return level minimum flow and deficit volumes due to climate change and changes in water use
Crop water demand Crop water demand Trend in crop water deficit for grain maize during the growing period Projected change in the crop water deficit for grain maize during the growing period
Water-limited crop yield Water-limited crop yield Projected changes in water-limited yield of winter wheat Projected changes in water-limited crop yield Probability of the occurrence of adverse agroclimatic conditions for wheat under baseline and projected climate
Agrophenology Agrophenology Trend in flowering date for winter wheat
Growing season for agricultural crops Growing season for agricultural crops Rate of change in the number of frost-free days per year
Vector-borne diseases Vector-borne diseases Current distribution of Ixodes ricinus ticks Current distribution of Aedes albopictus Climatic suitability for the mosquitos Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Current distribution of West Nile virus infections Projected change in the climatic suitability for chikungunya transmission Projected distribution of West Nile Virus infections
Extreme temperatures and health Extreme temperatures and health Associations between temperature and mortality in four European cities
Floods and health Floods and health Deaths related to flooding
Forest fires Forest fires Burnt area in five southern European countries Current state of forest fire danger Projected state of forest fire danger Past trend of forest fire danger Projected changes in forest fire danger
Forest composition and distribution Forest composition and distribution Projected change in climatic suitability for broadleaf and needleleaf trees
Distribution shifts of plant and animal species Distribution shifts of plant and animal species Trend in thermophilic species in bird and butterfly communities Projected change in climatically suitable areas for bumblebees
Phenology of plant and animal species Phenology of plant and animal species Trends in spring phenology
Soil moisture Soil moisture Past trends: modelled trend in soil moisture over a depth of one metre Projections: change in the Palmer Drought Severity Index
Water temperature Water temperature Observed trends in water temperature of large European rivers and lakes
River floods River floods Number of flood phenomena with 'very high' severity Projected change in river floods with a return period of 100 years
River flow River flow Model-based estimate of past change in annual river flows Projected change in seasonal river flow for 12 rivers
Ocean acidification Ocean acidification Decline in ocean acidity measured at the Aloha station Projected change in global ocean surface acidity
Distribution shifts of marine species Distribution shifts of marine species Ratio of Calanus species in the Greater North Sea Observed change in the distribution of demersal fish in response to the observed rise in sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature Trend in average sea surface temperature anomaly in the global ocean and in Europe’s regional seas
Ocean heat content Ocean heat content Observed change in global ocean heat content at different depths
Snow cover Snow cover Trend in spring snow cover extent over the Northern Hemisphere and in Europe Trend in March snow mass in Europe (excluding mountain areas) Projected change in Northern hemisphere spring snow cover extent
Glaciers Glaciers Cumulative specific net mass balance of European glaciers Projected changes in the volume of all mountain glaciers and ice caps in the European glaciated regions
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets Cumulative ice mass loss and sea-level equivalent from Greenland
Arctic and Baltic sea ice Arctic and Baltic sea ice Trend in Arctic sea ice extent in March and September Maximum extent of ice cover in the Baltic Sea Projected changes in Northern Hemisphere September sea ice extent
Water- and food-borne diseases Water- and food-borne diseases Time series of vibriosis infections in the Baltic Sea region Current and projected risk of vibriosis infections in the Baltic Sea region
Ocean oxygen content Ocean oxygen content Distribution of oxygen-depleted ‘dead zones’ in European seas Development of oxygen depletion in the Baltic Sea over time
Global and European sea level Global and European sea level This indicator comprises several metrics to describe past and future sea level rise globally and in European seas. Global sea-level rise is reported because it is the second-most important metric of global climate change (after global mean surface temperature), and because it is a proxy of sea level rise in Europe. Past sea-level trends across Europe are reported in two different ways: first, absolute sea level change based on satellite altimeter measurements that reflect primarily the contribution of global climate change to sea level rise in Europe; second, relative sea level change based on tide gauges that also include local land movement, which is more relevant for the development of regional adaptation strategies. The following components on observed sea-level rise are included: Change in global mean sea level (time series starting in 1880, in mm), based on a reconstruction from various data sources (since 1880) and on satellite altimeter data (since 1993) Trend in absolute sea level across Europe (map, in mm/year), based on satellite measurements (since 1992) Trend in relative sea level across Europe (map, in mm/year), based on selected European tide gauge stations (since 1970) Furthermore, this indicator presents projections for sea level rise in the 21st century, both globally and for the European seas. The indicator also presents the contributions to past and future global sea level rise from different sources. Finally, the indicator presents information on observed and projected changes in extreme sea level along European coasts. However, due to insufficient data availability this information cannot be presented by means of figures or maps.
Consumption of meat, dairy, fish and seafood Consumption of meat, dairy, fish and seafood This indicator shows consumption of selected meat, dairy, fish and seafood products by weight in the EU-28. Consumption is shown in both kg/capita/year (Figure 1) and as an index of the per capita amount consumed (Figure 2). Figure 1 shows the change in consumption of meat, dairy, fish and seafood between 1995 and the most recent data point. Meat is disaggregated into bovine meat, pig meat, poultry, mutton and goat meat, and other meat. Dairy is divided into whole milk, cream, cheese and butter. Fish and seafood consumption is disaggregated into demersal fish, pelagic fish, freshwater fish, and other fish and seafood. A separate tab shows the consumption  by protein content. Figure 2 shows the development of per capita consumption of bovine meat, pig and poultry meat, total meat, and aggregated fish and seafood, together with a single value for milk that represents all dairy products excluding butter. Figure 2 presents the development of the consumption of these products as an index to the reference year (1995). Food consumption is drawn from the FAO statistics database. This provides a figure for 'food', which represents the amount of each product that reaches the consumer. The amount of food actually eaten will be lower than the quantity shown in the food balance sheet due to wastage of edible food in households during storage, preparation and cooking, unused food leftovers and food fed to domestic animals and pets. 
Waste recycling Waste recycling This indicator shows trends in recycling rates for two waste types: municipal solid waste (referred to in the text as municipal waste), and packaging waste, both on an aggregated European level and at country level. Recycling rates refer to waste recycled as a share of the waste generated. Higher recycling rates indicate a positive development towards using waste as a resource and moving towards a more circular economy.
Use of freshwater resources Use of freshwater resources The WEI+ provides a measure of the total water use as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources for a given territory and time scale. The WEI+ is an advanced and geo-referenced implementation of the WEI. It quantifies how much water is monthly or seasonally abstracted and how much water is returned after use to the environment via basins. The difference between water abstraction and return is regarded as water use.
Air pollution due to ozone: health impacts and effects of climate change Air pollution due to ozone: health impacts and effects of climate change The indicator presents an overview of ozone concentrations over Europe in recent years, their effects on human health, and an estimate of the changes in these concentrations due to the effect of climate change. It presents the following: The annual mean of the maximum daily eight hour mean ozone concentrations by station type. The modelled projected change, due to climate change, in summertime surface ozone concentrations over Europe in the middle and at the end of the 21 st century. The relative effect of climate change on ozone concentrations in the middle of the 21 st century, compared to other contributions. A selection of meteorological parameters that might increase under future climate change and their impact on ozone levels.
Emissions of the main air pollutants in Europe Emissions of the main air pollutants in Europe This indicator tracks trends since 1990 in anthropogenic emissions of the main air pollutants — NO x , NH 3 , SO x  and NMVOCs. The indicator further tracks trends since 2000 in anthropogenic emissions of PM with a diameter of up to 2.5 μm (i.e. PM 2.5 ) emitted directly into the air (primary PM). All named pollutants have direct or indirect negative effects on human health, vegetation or ecosystems. The indicator also provides information on emissions by sector, addressing the following source aggregations: 'Energy production and distribution' 'Energy use in industry' 'Industrial processes' 'Road transport' 'Non-road transport' 'Commercial, institutional and households' 'Solvent and product use' 'Agriculture' 'Waste' 'Other'. Geographically, the indicator covers the EU-28 and EEA-33 countries. The EEA-33 countries include the EU-28 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom) plus European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Turkey. Temporally, the indicator covers the 1990–2016 period (2016 is the most recent year for which there are officially reported emission inventories; EEA, 2015b ).
Household expenditure on consumption categories with differing environmental pressure intensities Household expenditure on consumption categories with differing environmental pressure intensities This indicator shows trends in total household consumption expenditure of Europeans as characterised by the Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (CIOCOP). COICOP is a nomenclature developed by the United Nations Statistics Division and subsequently adopted by Eurostat to classify and analyse individual consumption expenditures incurred by households, non-profit institutions serving households and general government according to their purpose. Trends at the single digit disaggregation level demonstrate how patterns of consumption across 12 expenditure categories in Europe are changing. Figure 1, which compares the share of expenditure across the COICOP categories in two years, uses current prices, while figure 2, which shows the trends in expenditure in the 12 expenditure categories, is presented in chain linked volumes. Figures 3-6 show environmental pressures per Euro of spending for each of the 12 household consumption categories for four environmental pressure categories. This enables expenditure trends in the first two figures to be interpreted with respect to potential changes in environmental pressures caused by household consumption.
Waste generation Waste generation This indicator shows the generation of waste in two different phases: during the production phase, and during the consumption phase. The production phase shows the generation of waste in absolute terms from manufacturing and services sectors (excluding major mineral waste) and their economic output expressed as GVA. The consumption phase shows the generation of municipal solid waste (further in the text referred as municipal waste) and corresponding household consumption expenditure.
Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone Exposure of ecosystems to acidification, eutrophication and ozone This indicator shows the negative impact of air pollution on ecosystems and vegetation in Europe. In particular, it shows: ecosystem areas with exceedances of the critical loads for acidification and eutrophication; and exposure of areas covered with vegetation (crops and forests) to ground-level ozone, last year's rural concentrations of ozone, and the annual variation at the European level of rural concentrations of ozone.   In the case of acidification and eutrophication, the area as well as the magnitude of critical load exceedances in ecosystems are shown. A critical load is a quantitative estimate of an exposure to one or more pollutants, below which significant harmful effects on specified sensitive elements of the environment do not occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015). It represents the upper limit of one or more pollutants deposited on the Earth's surface that an ecosystem, such as a lake or a forest, can tolerate without its function (e.g. the nutrient nitrogen cycle) or its structure (e.g. with respect to plant species' richness) being damaged . A positive difference between the deposition loads of acidifying and/or eutrophying airborne pollutants and the critical loads is termed an 'exceedance'. In the case of ozone, the risk is estimated by reference to the 'critical level' for ozone for each location. This is a concentration of ozone in the atmosphere, above which direct adverse effects on receptors, such as human beings, plants, ecosystems or materials, may occur according to present knowledge (ICP on Modelling and Mapping, 2015; UNECE, 2015). 
Electricity consumption, energy efficiency and ownership of household appliances Electricity consumption, energy efficiency and ownership of household appliances This indicator presents  trends in consumption of electricity in households, and in the efficiency and stock of three key appliances in the EU-28. The use of electricity in households for different types of end uses is shown in figure 1, while figure 2 shows energy consumption, average specific energy consumption (efficiency) and total stock of key household appliances, and trends in total electricity consumption for all appliances in the EU28. 

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