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EEA Signals 2013 - Every breath we take

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Publication Created 26 Mar 2013 Published 15 Apr 2013
1 min read
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Improving air quality in Europe: Signals 2013 focuses on Europe’s air. This year’s edition tries to explain the current state of air quality in Europe, where they come from, how air pollutants form, and how they affect our health and the environment. It also gives an overview of the way we build our knowledge on air, and how we tackle air pollution through a wide range of policies and measures.
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Publication Created 26 Mar 2013 Published 15 Apr 2013
1 min read
Improving air quality in Europe: Signals 2013 focuses on Europe’s air. This year’s edition tries to explain the current state of air quality in Europe, where they come from, how air pollutants form, and how they affect our health and the environment. It also gives an overview of the way we build our knowledge on air, and how we tackle air pollution through a wide range of policies and measures.

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: 978-92-9213-363-4
: TH-AP-13-001-EN-C

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Interview — Growing food or fuel on our land? Only a decade ago, biofuel production from plants was hailed as an ecological alternative to fossil fuels. Recently, it has come to be seen as competing with food production and not always an effective solution in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or air pollutants. We talked to Irini Maltsoglou, Natural Resources Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about biofuel production and agriculture and if and how it can be done sustainably.
Energy and climate change Mitigating and adapting to climate change are key challenges of the 21st century. At the core of these challenges is the question of energy — more precisely, our overall energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels. To succeed in limiting global warming, the world urgently needs to use energy efficiently while embracing clean energy sources to make things move, heat up and cool down. The European Union policies play an important role in facilitating this energy transition.
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Energy in Europe — State of play European countries consume less energy compared with 10 years ago, mainly due to energy efficiency gains. Europe also relies less on fossil fuels due to energy savings and the faster-than-expected uptake of renewable energy. In the decade 2005-2015, the share of renewables in the EU’s energy consumption nearly doubled, from 9 % to almost 17 %. Some sectors and countries are leading the way towards clean energy. Despite their declining share of the market, however, fossil fuels continue to be the dominant energy source in Europe.
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Every breath we take – Signals 2013 focuses on air quality in Europe Poor air quality can have serious impacts on our health and the environment. How is Europe’s air quality? What are the main sources of air pollutants? How do they affect our health and the environment? What does Europe do to improve air quality? The new edition of the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Signals takes a closer look.

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