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EEA Signals 2022 — Staying on course for a sustainable Europe

Page Last modified 06 Feb 2023
2 min read
EEA Signals 2022 takes a broad look at energy and sustainability in a Europe that recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, faced with a war in Ukraine and committed to ambitious goals on protecting the climate, nature and people’s health.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has not changed the reality of the climate crisis or degradation of nature, but it has added another dimension to Europe’s efforts to make our energy system more sustainable.

Building a sustainable energy system for Europe requires time, and the decisions that we take now will define our options for decades to come. This is especially true for expensive energy infrastructure. Given the current circumstances, Europe needs to react quickly but also in the right direction to avoid lock-ins on solutions that are not compatible with what we want to hand over to future generations. 

Hans Bruyninckx


"The climate and biodiversity crises are also linked in numerous ways. Perhaps most importantly, both are ultimately caused by unsustainable systems of production and consumption, including how much and how we extract and use energy."

 Hans Bruyninckx 
EEA Executive Director

Read editorial

 

Contents


 

Interview — How to ensure a socially just transition

Interview — Investing for sustainability

Interview — A sustainable finance system, what is it for?

Andreas Barkman

   Explore all infographics

 

EEA’s information systems on climate and energy

  • Climate and energy in the EU: Provides direct access to data and analysis on key areas for achieving climate neutrality, based mainly on official information submitted by European countries to the European Environment Agency.
  • ClimateADAPT: Aims to support Europe in adapting to climate change helping users to access and share data and information.


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 nature (2021),  zero pollution (2020),  soil (2019) and water (2018).


Help us improve EEA Signals: 3-minute feedback survey

© Cover image source: Raphael Quin, Well with Nature /EEA

Identifiers

EEA Web report no. 04/2022
Title: EEA Signals 2022: Staying on course for a sustainable Europe
HTML - TH-AP-22-001-EN-Q - ISBN 978-92-9480-513-3 - ISSN 2443-7662 - doi: 10.2800/721928

Related content

News and articles

Article Interview — A sustainable finance system, what is it for? What is sustainable finance and what role can it play in Europe’s shift to carbon neutrality? We asked the EEA’s lead expert on sustainable finance, Andreas Barkman, to explain what the EU has been doing to ensure that the financial sector plays its part in greening our financial system to support sustainable growth.
News
Draft
Moving towards sustainability in times of multiple crises and uncertainty The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessments have shown that Europe and world face unprecedented environment and climate challenges that require ambitious policy responses, such as the European Green Deal. Published today, EEA Signals 2022 looks at Europe’s commitments for sustainability and energy system from the perspective multiple, interconnected crises.
Article A future based on renewable energy Faced with climate change, soaring energy prices and concerns about security of supply, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power seem an obvious way forward. What would it take to transform Europe’s existing energy system into one that is based on renewable sources?
Article High time to shift gear in transport sector Societies depend in many ways on moving people and goods economically and efficiently from one place to another. International trade gives us access to foreign products and markets. People need ways of going to school, work and other activities. Transport is an essential part of our way of life but, in its current state, it is dependent on fossil fuels and puts serious pressure on the environment and climate.
Article Interview — How to ensure a socially just transition The European Green Deal puts emphasis on leaving no one behind, ensuring a just transition, in creating a more modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. What does a socially just transition mean in practice? We spoke to Jorge Cabrita, research manager at Eurofound.
Article Secure, affordable, and clean energy in times of crisis? Europe is meeting a growing share of its energy needs through renewable sources but is also still dependent on oil and gas. With rapidly changing energy prices, concerns over keeping homes warm this winter and the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is a need to save energy, diversify its sources, accelerate the shift to renewables and support those who are most vulnerable.
Article Editorial — Staying on course for a sustainable Europe The droughts, heatwaves and wildfires of summer 2022 were a stark reminder of why mitigating climate change is a defining challenge of the 21st century. The EU’s commitment to become climate neutral by 2050 is the most ambitious climate agenda in the world. Delivering on this goal is a much-needed model for other countries and regions to do the same.
Article Interview — Investing for sustainability The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance in the form of grants, loans and guarantees. We interviewed Eva Mayerhofer, lead biodiversity and environment specialist at the EIB, about the challenges and opportunities of accelerating Europe’s green transition through sustainable financing.
Article State of play: Energy underpins Europe’s climate ambitions Europe is moving towards a future of low-carbon energy. The year 2020 marked an important milestone, as the EU achieved its first three climate and energy targets, namely reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared with 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewable energy used to 20%, and improving energy efficiency by 20%.
Article Editorial — The value of nature The loss of biodiversity and natural ecosystems we are currently witnessing is just as catastrophic as climate change. In fact, the two are closely entwined, as climate change accelerates biodiversity loss and healthy ecosystems are a vital ally in the fight against climate change.

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/signals/eea-signals-2022 or scan the QR code.

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