Achieving a sustainable Europe will require far-reaching societal change, engaging all sectors of the economy and society. This document focuses on the example of the food system.
Sustainability transitions
Sustainability transitions
The environmental challenges ahead of us are global and systemic. Therefore, to achieve the EU’s long-term sustainability goals, the core systems of our societies will have to change dramatically. That is especially true for the systems related to food, energy, mobility and construction.
The European Union and its neighbours have in recent decades achieved remarkable progress in socio-economic well-being and prosperity while taking actions that are cognisant of planet earth’s ecological limits. At the same time, as it is widely acknowledged, Europe and the rest of the world still face fundamental environmental and sustainability challenges of unprecedented scale and urgency.
The European Green Deal has set unprecedented sustainability ambitions for the European Union (EU) and calls for transformational change across society. To realise such far-reaching changes, Europe needs knowledge for action. This means better uptake and use of existing knowledge, new types of knowledge, new ways of creating knowledge, and, in some policy areas, better data and more concrete targets, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today.
Innovation is a political priority across Europe that can deliver many benefits for society but also generate costs that are often unaccounted for. A European Environment Agency briefing, published today, looks at how innovation can respond to sustainability challenges and how Europe needs to look for solutions beyond technological innovation.
A rapid transition to renewable energy is necessary if Europe is to achieve its climate objectives. Developing the infrastructure to enable this change will require substantial resources and generate large volumes of waste as equipment reaches the end of its service life. Applying circular economy principles in this sector provides a win-win approach to address both these issues, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing released today.
Published: 14 Oct 2021
The publication of this report follows a period of extreme weather events around the world, including floods and fires in Europe this summer. The report also comes as the latest UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change assessment, published in July, issued a 'code red for humanity'. Our future depends on urgent climate action.
Published: 01 Oct 2021
Reflecting the EEA’s mandate, the focus of this report is on urban sustainability from an environmental perspective. It presents an urban sustainability conceptual framework based on an extensive knowledge review and has incorporated a broad stakeholder-led process involving both internal (EEA and EIONET), external experts and cross institutional contributions.
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Europe's sustainability agenda needs knowledge for action and more concrete targets to achieve its ambitions
News 14 Oct 2021The European Green Deal has set unprecedented sustainability ambitions for the European Union (EU) and calls for transformational change across society. To realise such far-reaching changes, Europe needs knowledge for action. This means better uptake and use of existing knowledge, new types of knowledge, new ways of creating knowledge, and, in some policy areas, better data and more concrete targets, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report, published today.
Innovation is a political priority across Europe that can deliver many benefits for society but also generate costs that are often unaccounted for. A European Environment Agency briefing, published today, looks at how innovation can respond to sustainability challenges and how Europe needs to look for solutions beyond technological innovation.
Rapid shift to evolving renewable energy technologies poses new waste challenge for Europe
News 24 Aug 2021A rapid transition to renewable energy is necessary if Europe is to achieve its climate objectives. Developing the infrastructure to enable this change will require substantial resources and generate large volumes of waste as equipment reaches the end of its service life. Applying circular economy principles in this sector provides a win-win approach to address both these issues, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing released today.
European cities have the potential to lead the way towards green, sustainable future, according to two assessments on urban environmental change, published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) today.
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From carbon neutrality to circular economy, cleaner air to cleaner transport, Europe has set ambitious environmental and climate objectives. Cities, where the large majority of Europeans live, need to play a decisive role in achieving Europe’s sustainability targets. The question is: how can cities become sustainable?
Achieving sustainability will require fundamental, transformative, and cross-cutting change, entailing major shifts in society’s goals, incentives, technologies, social practices and norms, as well as in knowledge systems and governance approaches.
A year into living with COVID-19 and its impacts, Europe continues to put forth policy packages towards its ambitious goals outlined in the European Green Deal. It is essential that Europe stays on course towards its targets and ensures that the Europe of 2050 is a resilient society built on solidarity, providing a healthy environment for all of us.
How are Europe’s cities adapting to climate change and moving to a sustainable future?
Article 17 Mar 2021Adapting to the impacts of climate change is a top priority in the European Union. What is driving cities to implement important measures to mitigate these impacts and make urban centres more resilient and sustainable? We sat down with Ivone Pereira Martins, EEA expert in urban sustainability on what the Agency is doing to help this vital work.
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The publication of this report follows a period of extreme weather events around the world, including floods and fires in Europe this summer. The report also comes as the latest UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change assessment, published in July, issued a 'code red for humanity'. Our future depends on urgent climate action.
Reflecting the EEA’s mandate, the focus of this report is on urban sustainability from an environmental perspective. It presents an urban sustainability conceptual framework based on an extensive knowledge review and has incorporated a broad stakeholder-led process involving both internal (EEA and EIONET), external experts and cross institutional contributions.
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to influence Europe’s transition towards more environmentally sustainable urbanisation patterns for years to come. European cities have been at the forefront of the crisis from the very beginning, not only bearing the worst impacts but also becoming key actors in advocating for a green and just recovery. This briefing provides an initial overview of how the ongoing pandemic is reshaping urban life and discusses some of the key opportunities for achieving urban environmental sustainability in the aftermath of the crisis.
Urban Sustainability in Europe - What is driving cities' environmental change?
Publication 14 Jun 2021It is becoming increasingly clear that the complex and interrelated challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and rising inequality will not be solved without a fundamental transformation of our societies. Far-reaching changes are needed to our technologies and infrastructures, cultures and lifestyles, as well as adaptations to the corresponding governance and institutional frameworks. Around the world, these important system innovations are converging in cities.
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