This report analyses the implementation of EU air quality legislation at the urban level and identifies some of the reasons behind persistent air quality problems in Europe's cities. It is produced in cooperation with 10 cities involved in a 2013 Air Implementation Pilot project: Antwerp (Belgium), Berlin (Germany), Dublin (Ireland), Madrid (Spain), Malmö (Sweden), Milan (Italy), Paris (France), Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Prague (Czechia) and Vienna (Austria).
The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 calls on Member States to carry out a mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services (MAES, Maes et al., 2013). As such, an EU-wide ecosystem assessment was launched to provide harmonised information on the condition of ecosystems and biodiversity, and their capacity to provide ecosystem services. The assessment will provide data for the final evaluation of the EU biodiversity strategy in 2020. This briefing presents recent progress in mapping broad ecosystem types and their associated habitats at European level.
Unequal exposure and unequal impacts: social vulnerability to air pollution, noise and extreme temperatures in Europe
This report’s aim is to improve understanding of which chemicals continue to pose significant risks to the environment, especially when they are present in water. It also looks at how better knowledge and understanding can help to improve controls to minimise harm. The report gives an overview of information about pollutants used in the assessment of water quality under the Water Framework Directive, and describes some of the newer techniques available for the assessment of water quality.
"Expanding the knowledge base for policy implementation and long-term transitions." EEA Single Programming Document 2019-2021, adopted by the Management Board at its 83rd meeting of 4-5 December 2018.
Data reported by companies on the production, import, export and destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the European Union, 2007-2017.
This report introduces several methods the European Environment Agency (EEA) has developed for assessing and communicating early RES growth and the important knock-on effects that RES growth has on the energy sector and related areas. The report provides specific information at EU and country level on estimated RES progress in 2013, estimated gross avoided carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and avoided fossil fuel use due to the additional use of renewable energy since 2005, as well as an assessment of the statistical impacts of growing RES use on primary energy consumption.
This assessment shows that with an ambitious implementation of new requirements under the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, Member States can significantly reduce pollutant emissions and thus minimise their potential harmful effects on the environment and human health.
Europe’s border regions and maritime areas, like its Arctic and the Mediterranean regions, are facing negative impacts due to climate change. Countries responsible for these transnational areas are already taking action to adapt to changes in weather and climate extreme events (e.g. increased heat waves or heavy rainfalls). This briefing gives an up-to-date overview of how European countries are working together to adapt to climate change impacts in these shared regions, some of which are considered climate change ‘hot spots’ because they are most vulnerable to dramatic changes.
This report gives an overview of the EU’s progress towards 29 environmental policy objectives. These are relevant to the achievement of the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) three key priority objectives: natural capital; resource-efficient, low-carbon economy; and people’s health and well-being.
Forests used to constitute the dominant natural vegetation in most of Europe, covering up to 80 % of the land surface. However, the current extent and condition of forest ecosystems are the result of the process of human appropriation (domestication), which started more than 5000 years ago. By the end of the 17th century, more than half of Europe’s original forest had disappeared and covered just a few percent of the total land area in countries such as Denmark or Ireland. In response to forest depletion, stricter forest management practices emerged to replant, protect and maintain forest cover and the multi-functionality of forests in terms of wood production and protection against, for example, soil and wind erosion.
This report is part of the ‘Trends and Projections in Europe: 2018: Tracking progress towards Europe’s climate and energy targets,’ package. It is based on the most recent reported and approximated data from EU Member States on greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy uptake and energy consumption.
Through the Transport and Environment Reporting
Mechanism (TERM) report, the EEA has been
monitoring progress in integrating environmental
objectives in transport since 2000. The TERM report
provides information to the EEA's member countries,
the EU and the public.
The TERM includes several indicators used for tracking
the short- and long-term environmental performance
of the transport sector and for measuring progress
towards meeting key transport-related policy targets.
Since 2017, the indicator-based assessment component
of the TERM report has been published as a separate
briefing.
Emissions from the EU transport sector are not reducing enough to limit its environmental and climate impacts in Europe. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport have increased over the last three years, whilst average CO2 emissions of new passenger cars increased for the first time in 2017. The sector remains a significant source of air pollution, especially of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide, although these emissions have been reduced in the last decade. It also is the main source of environmental noise in Europe.
Rivers are much wider than the channels we associate them with. The areas next to rivers, which are only covered by water during floods, are also part of the river system. Known as floodplains, in their natural condition they are an important ecological part of this system: they filter and store water, secure both natural flood protection and the healthy functioning of river ecosystems, and help sustain the high biological diversity present there.
The current report presents an updated overview and analysis of air quality in Europe from 2000 to 2016. It reviews the progress made towards meeting the air quality standards established in the two EU Ambient Air Quality Directives and towards the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines (AQGs). It also presents the latest findings and estimates on population and ecosystem exposure to the air pollutants with the greatest impacts and effects. The evaluation of the status of air quality is based mainly on reported ambient air measurements, in conjunction with modelling data and data on anthropogenic emissions and their evolution over time.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) produces annual air pollution health risk assessments at the European level. These give an objective and comparable estimate of the impacts of air pollution on the population’s health. This briefing provides an overview of the methodology followed in the assessments.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU)
increased by 0.6 % in 2017, according to preliminary estimates from Member States, mostly because of road transport. Without further robust and ambitious policies and measures, those currently in place at national level will be insufficient to achieve the reduction targets set for 2030.
The annual ‘Trends and projections’ report provides an assessment of the progress of the EU and European countries towards their climate mitigation and energy targets. It is based on national data for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and energy consumption.
This report provides GHG emissions estimates for the EU-28 plus Iceland for 2017. This Executive Summary includes an analysis of the important changes in GHG emissions across the EU, by sector
and by Member State.
Emissions for EU plus Iceland have increased by 24 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (Mt CO2-eq) or 0.6 % (total GHG emissions without LULUCF, including indirect CO2 and not including international aviation emissions).
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