Publication

Cardiovascular disease affects the lives of many European residents. Environmental exposure to ambient and indoor air pollution, noise, extreme temperatures, second-hand smoke and chemicals, among other factors, significantly contribute to the high burden of cardiovascular illnesses in Europe. However, environmental risk factors for cardiovascular disease are largely preventable. This report provides a brief overview of the evidence about the environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease in Europe and corresponding EU policy responses.

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Improving the energy performance of buildings is an important part of reaching the EU’s climate, energy and air pollution targets, but requires an acceleration in renovation rates. This briefing identifies behavioural factors that influence decisions on renovation investment. It also explores how understanding these factors can inform the design of policies that more effectively encourage the renovation of residential buildings, contributing to achieving climate neutrality.

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Europe and the world face unprecedented sustainability challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and pollution. These challenges are largely caused by unsustainable consumption as countries strive for economic growth and people pursue well-being. Household consumption pressures and impacts the environment and drive climate change.

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Unprecedented sustainability challenges from accumulating environmental and climate pressures and impacts - to a large extent caused by unsustainable consumption - require a fundamental shift in our production and consumption systems in Europe and beyond. Such a shift calls for exploring what conditions and pathways are for sustainable and circular consumption in Europe.

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Nature, along with its inherent biodiversity, is key to functioning societies and economies. It provides the food we eat, filters the water we drink, cleans the air we breathe, and is important for our mental and physical health. Yet in the EU, many habitats and species are in a poor or bad state, and only a very small fraction of these has shown any improvement over recent years. The restoration of Europe’s habitats and species is important not only for the inherent value of nature itself: it is also key for improved human health and well-being, and reduced climate change impacts.

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