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Biodiversity in Europe: policy scope must be widened for effective conservation

Europe is still far from meeting its 2010 target and we risk missing future targets unless we change the way we are managing our environment. The European Environment Agency’s new biodiversity report based on SEBI 2010 indicators assesses the state of biodiversity in Europe and makes recommendations for improving policy effectiveness.

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Putting a value on nature

The natural world provides many services that are essential for human existence and prosperity but because they’re free, we often don’t do enough to preserve them. The European Environment Agency today presents 35 initiatives compiled as part of the TEEB study, which are incorporating the economic value of ecosystem services.

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How will the Western Balkans shape its environmental future?

Economic development in the Western Balkan countries is putting additional strains on the environment, affecting primarily resource use, waste and biodiversity. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) provides a detailed analysis of the environmental pressures and forces at play and urges policy-makers to take action towards sustainable development.

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How can waste policy contribute to a resource-efficient economy?

Some countries are frontrunners on waste recycling and prevention; others could be inspired by these experiences. The European Environment Agency (EEA) and its European Topic Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ETC/SCP) have compiled a set of fact sheets presenting information on national strategies, targets and instruments for prevention and better management of waste.

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Pollution: new European register gives public access to information on emissions from European industrial facilities

The European Commission and the European Environment Agency today launched a comprehensive new European pollutant release and transfer register – E-PRTR. The register contains information about the quantity and location of pollutants released to air, water and land by industrial facilities throughout Europe. It includes annual data for 91 substances and covers more than 24 000 facilities in 65 economic activities. It also provides additional information, such as the amount and types of waste transferred from facilities to waste handlers both inside and outside each country.

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Forest fires in Southern Europe destroy much more than trees

Forest fires in Spain, France, Italy and Greece burned more than 50 000 hectares in the last four days. The economic and environmental damage caused by such fires extends well beyond the affected areas. Damage to biodiversity and livelihoods may take decades to reverse.

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A greener music festival in Roskilde

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is teaming up with Roskilde Festival to give thousands of music fans visiting Denmark this week relevant, up-to-date information about Europe's environment.The Roskilde Festival is northern Europe's biggest music event, drawing 100 000 visitors from around the world and bringing together some of the world's leading rock, pop, soul, R&B, electronic and hip hop artists.

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Landfilling down as Europe shifts to better waste management

The EEA report 'Diverting waste from landfill' finds that the EU Landfill Directive has been a positive force in altering management of biodegradable municipal waste in the EU. The study explains how setting medium- and long-term targets for reducing landfilling has helped countries to define waste strategies and target investments.

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World Environment Day – Friday 5 June: your planet needs you!

On Friday 5 June, millions of people around the world will unite for the planet with a strong call for environmental action just six months before the crucial United Nations climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Cherishing the variety of life on our planet

Today, 22 May, is the International Day for Biological Diversity. To help policy-makers, civil society and the public tackle biodiversity loss, the European Environment Agency has placed biodiversity and ecosystems at the heart of its strategy and work programme for 2009–2013.

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The waste trade – legal and illegal

A new EEA report 'Waste without borders in the EU' examines the increase in cross-border waste shipments and the drivers behind them. It also reveals that the number of reported illegal shipments of waste is increasing. But while the European Union can do better in tracking electronic waste as well as other hazardous and problematic "waste streams", almost all waste generated in the EU that needs to be disposed is in fact disposed within EU borders.

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Killer slugs and other aliens — EEA Signals 2009: Eight environmental stories for Europe

Is gardening one of your interests? If so and you live in central or northern Europe the 'killer slug' is probably one of your personal enemies. The slug, which attacks your herbs and vegetables relentlessly, seems immune to control measures.

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Sustainable water management: better information for better choices

Clear information and citizen involvement are crucial if we are to bring about improvements in Europe's environment, particularly in the field of water, says Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EEA.

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Taming Goliath — tackling consumption patterns

'Europe's citizens represent only 7 % of Earth's total population, but consume 15 % of the world's energy, 15 % of the meat production and 24 % of the paper produced in the planet', said Professor Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency (EEA), speaking at the opening of Green Week in Brussels this afternoon.

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Improved waste management delivering climate benefits

Improved waste management is already contributing to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a new EEA study launched today at the international conference on waste and climate change in London.

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No 'one size fits all' solution for European municipal waste management

Waste management strategies must be customised to individual national conditions if they are to prove effective, according to a new EEA brochure released today. The brochure, 'The road from landfilling to recycling: common destination, different routes' is accompanied by a set of online national factsheets on waste management covering the EU-25.

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Legacies of the past – opportunities for a sustainable future

Breaking the link between economic growth and its environmental impacts is one of the key challenges facing economies in South East Europe (SEE), Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), says a new report.

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Challenges ahead for South-East Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia

A joint UNEP-EEA study of environmental issues in the countries of South-East Europe (SEE), Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia (EECCA) — now also available in Russian — shows that the region is facing many challenges in the wake of economic growth. The report identifies several opportunities to 'leapfrog' and avoid some of the environmental problems experienced in western Europe.

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Time to step up efforts towards sustainable consumption and production, says a new report

Housing, food and drink, and mobility have the greatest environmental impact over their lifecycle, the EEA and the European Commission have shown. This concern brought together European governments, researchers, NGOs and business under the same roof during a conference held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in September last year.

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Beyond GDP — Brussels Conference

'Gross domestic product, regularly used as an indicator of the size of a country's economy, does not factor in the benefits from nor the costs to the ecosystem,' said EEA Executive Director Prof. Jacqueline McGlade in her presentation at the expert workshop preceding the 'Beyond GDP' conference in Brussels this week.

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