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EEA Signals 2020: Towards zero pollution in Europe

Page Last modified 16 Oct 2020
2 min read
What is pollution? Where does it come from? How does pollution affect the environment and how does it affect people’s health? How can Europe move towards zero pollution, in line with the ambition of the European Green Deal? EEA Signals 2020 looks at pollution through different lenses related to the Agency’s work and EU legislation.

The EEA Signals report is an annual, easy-to-read publication, consisting of a series of short articles, that looks at key issues related to the environment and climate. Recent EEA Signals reports have looked at soil (2019), water (2018), energy (2017).


Editorial

Towards zero pollution in Europe


Hans Bruyninckx
EEA Executive Director

The pandemic caught the world by surprise, but, if you had asked

a scientist working
in a field related
to infectious diseases, this was only a matter of time.

Hans Bruyninckx 
EEA Executive Director

What is pollution? Where does it come from? How does pollution affect the environment and how does it affect people’s health? How can Europe move towards zero pollution, in line with the ambition of the European Green Deal? EEA Signals 2020 looks at pollution through different lenses related to the Agency’s work and EU legislation.

Contents


Editorial — Towards zero pollution in Europe

Improving air quality improves people’s health and productivity

Ensuring clean waters for people and nature

Land and soil pollution — widespread, harmful and growing

Living healthily in a chemical world

Interview — Does the polluter pay?

The challenge of reducing industrial pollution

Noise pollution is still widespread across Europe, but there are ways to reduce the volume

Interview — Addressing environmental risks to health

 

The European Commission's zero pollution ambition

The European Commission has recently published the roadmap for the EU Action Plan Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition. The roadmap is open for public feedback until 29 October 2020.

 

Interview —
Does the polluter pay?

 

Professor Geert Van Calster
University of Leuven

Interview — Addressing environmental risks to health

Francesca Racioppi
WHO European Centre for
Environment and Health

 

 

Interact

 

QUIZ - Test your knowledge: Towards Zero Pollution in Europe
Feedback survey - EEA Signals 2020: Towards Zero Pollution in Europe

COVID-19 and air pollution


A decrease in many societal and economic activities during the pandemic led to a decrease in emissions and subsequent levels of certain air pollutants. For example, the use of vehicles declined during lockdowns and this led to lower nitrogen dioxide concentrations in many cities across Europe.

Find out more in EEA post corona planet platform 

Explore

 

What is pollution?

Pollution changes a medium such as air, water or soil in a way that can make it harmful to people or nature. Different types of pollutants include chemicals, dust, noise and radiation. EEA Signals 2020 looks at pollution through different lenses related to the Agency’s work and EU legislation.

 

Explore all infographics 

Related content

News and articles

News Moving towards zero pollution in Europe What is pollution and how does it affect us and the environment? Europe is taking action to reduce pollution and, as part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission put forward a zero-pollution ambition for Europe. A new European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today, looks at the pollution challenge in Europe from different angles as well as opportunities to clean up and prevent pollution.
Article COVID-19 and the environment: explore what we know From air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions to urban life and recovery policies, how the current coronavirus crisis impacts the environment poses many questions. We try to address some of these questions based on the knowledge held by the EEA, Eionet and other partners. This section will be regularly updated with new knowledge shared with us.
Article The challenge of reducing industrial pollution Industrial pollution in Europe is decreasing, thanks to a blend of regulation, developments in manufacturing and environmental initiatives. However, industry continues to pollute and moving towards zero pollution in this sector is an ambitious challenge.
Article Improving air quality improves people’s health and productivity Europe’s air quality has improved significantly over recent decades but pollutants still harm our health and the environment. Measures to limit pollution would improve our quality of life, save money in healthcare, boost workers’ productivity and protect the environment.
Article Living healthily in a chemical world We can categorise pollution by where we find it — in soil, water or air — or we can look at different pollution types, such as chemicals. Synthetic chemicals are all around us. Some of them, however, can also be very harmful to our health and the environment. How can we limit the negative effects of chemicals that have become a part of our current way of life?
Article Noise pollution is still widespread across Europe, but there are ways to reduce the volume Many of us are increasingly confronted by noise in our daily lives. Loud cars on the street, a low-flying plane overhead or a nearby train often bring with them annoyance and frustration. However, their impact on our health and environment could be a lot worse than you think.
Article Interview — Addressing environmental risks to health According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pollution accounts for 1.4 million preventable deaths per year in Europe but the situation is improving and the European Green Deal might be the opportunity to leapfrog towards sustainability. We talked about pollution and health with Francesca Racioppi, Head of the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health.
Article Land and soil pollution — widespread, harmful and growing What do many vineyards scattered across idyllic landscapes, industrial sites and landfills have in common? The presence of chemicals might be the answer. From heavy metals to organic pollutants and microplastics, the soil in which we grow our food and the land on which we build our homes might be contaminated with different pollutants. Contaminants are widespread and are accumulating in Europe’s land and soils. How can we tackle this problem?
Article Towards zero pollution in Europe Last spring, a coronavirus reshaped the world in a matter of weeks. Many of the things that we had taken for granted were suddenly not available to us anymore. The pandemic caught the world by surprise, but, if you had asked a scientist working in a field related to infectious diseases, this was only a matter of time.
Article Interview — Does the polluter pay? A simple but powerful idea lies at the heart of environmental laws in the EU: the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This principle has been applied in the form of taxes, fines and other measures, such as quotas for pollutant emissions and the Environmental Liability Directive. We talked to Professor Geert Van Calster about this principle, its benefits and shortcomings.
Article Ensuring clean waters for people and nature Water covers more than 70 % of the Earth’s surface and is essential to all life on our planet. Of all the Earth’s water, 96.5 % is contained within the oceans as salt water, whereas the remaining 3.5 % is freshwater — lakes, rivers, groundwater and ice. Good management of this limited and precious resource is indispensable for the well-being of people and nature.

Related infographics

Infographic State of water in Europe Waste water treatment and reductions in nutrient losses from agriculture have led to significant improvements in water quality in Europe. However, many of Europe’s freshwater bodies are still not doing well and the condition of Europe’s seas is generally poor, partly because of pollution.
Infographic Plastic pollution Plastics have brought many benefits to our daily lives but the problem is that these products never truly disappear. Therefore, we should perhaps think about plastics as a type of pollutant from the point of their production and prevent plastic products and waste from leaking into the environment.
Infographic Pollution and other impacts of agriculture on the environment Agriculture has multiple impacts on the environment, climate and human health. Unsustainable farming practices lead to pollution of soil, water, air and food and over-exploitation of natural resources.
Infographic What is pollution? Pollution changes a medium such as air, water or soil in a way that can make it harmful to people or nature. Different types of pollutants include chemicals, dust, noise and radiation. EEA Signals 2020 looks at pollution through different lenses related to the Agency’s work and EU legislation.
Infographic Noise pollution Noise pollution is a growing environmental concern. Noise disturbs sleep and makes it harder to learn in school. It can also cause or aggravate many health problems. The most important source of environmental noise in Europe is road traffic.
Infographic The unknown territory of chemical risks There are many chemicals on the market and only a small fraction of these have been extensively studied for their risks. Designing safe products with a smaller number of different chemicals is one way of reducing potential risks.
Infographic Effects of PFAS on human health Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of extremely persistent chemicals that are used in many consumer products. PFAS are used in products because they can, for example, increase oil and water repellence or resist high temperatures. Currently, there are more than 4 700 different PFAS that accumulate in people and the environment.
Infographic The future of monitoring pollution? New technology and tools are opening up new possibilities for environmental monitoring and analysis. For example, citizen science, satellite observations, big data and artificial intelligence present opportunities for improving the timeliness, comparability, granularity and integration of data.
Infographic Air quality problems in Europe’s cities Almost all Europeans who live in cities are exposed to air pollution that exceeds the levels set in the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) guidelines for clean air. Air pollution is the greatest environmental health hazard in Europe and globally.

Related publications

Publication EEA Signals 2020 — Towards zero pollution in Europe What is pollution? Where does it come from? How does pollution affect the environment and how does it affect people’s health? How can Europe move towards zero pollution, in line with the ambition of the European Green Deal? EEA Signals 2020 looks at pollution through different lenses related to the Agency’s work and EU legislation.
Publication EEA SIGNALS 2019 - Land and soil in Europe We cannot live without healthy land and soil. It is on land that we produce most of our food and we build our homes. For all species — animals and plants living on land or water — land is vital. Soil — one of the essential components of land — is a very complex and often undervalued element, teeming with life. Unfortunately, the way we currently use land and soil in Europe and in the world is not sustainable. This has significant impacts on life on land.
Publication EEA SIGNALS 2018 Water is life Europe's rivers, lakes and seas are under pressure from pollution, over-exploitation and climate change. How can we ensure a sustainable use of this vital resource?
Publication Signals 2017 - Shaping the future of energy in Europe: Clean, smart and renewable The European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes Signals annually, providing a snapshot of issues of interest to the environmental debate and the wider public. Signals 2017 focuses on energy.
Publication SIGNALS 2016 - Towards clean and smart mobility Transport and environment in Europe
Publication EEA Signals 2015 - Living in a changing climate Signals 2015 focuses on climate change: Our climate is changing. Global average temperatures are increasing, sea levels are rising, precipitation patterns are changing, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. In a series of short articles and interviews, Signals 2015 presents an overview of what causes climate change and what climate change means for human health, the environment, and the economy.

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/signals-2020-towards-zero-pollution or scan the QR code.

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