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Climate action in Europe: EU ETS emissions see big drop in 2019, latest EEA assessment shows
News 14 Dec 2020Greenhouse gas emissions from stationary installations covered by the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) dropped by 9.1% in 2019 from 2018 levels, the largest drop in a decade, according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing on trends and projections in the EU ETS released today.
National measures to cut air pollution would benefit from stronger links with climate action
News 10 Dec 2020European Union (EU) Member States report on their policies and measures to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions separately. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, published today, reveals that Member States identify links to climate action in about one third of their reported actions planned to reduce air pollution.
Many different human activities on land and at sea cause pressures on Europe’s seas. A European Environment Agency’s (EEA) briefing, published today, shows that these pressures have now reached the outermost sea areas and the deepest seafloor. Human activities affect negatively 93 % of Europe’s sea area.
Demand for and use of climate-warming fluorinated gases continues to drop across the European Union, according to the latest annual update of EU progress in phasing down the use of F-gases, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Industry is substituting these F-gases with more climate-friendly products.
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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.
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.
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?
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.
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The European Union’s energy system is decarbonising rapidly. In 2019, emissions from stationary installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) declined by 9.1 %. Further reductions are expected in 2020, partially because of the Covid-19 crisis. However, significant further cuts in emissions remain necessary to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The auctioning of emission allowances can turn into a significant source of revenues to support climate investments. This briefing provides an overview of past and projected emission trends under the EU ETS.
Europe’s seas are overexploited. Most of Europe’s marine area (93 %) is under multiple pressures from human activities, which have reached the most remote areas. The EU’s maritime economy will not be sustainable unless it is confined to the current ecological limits of marine ecosystems. That means decoupling human activities on land and sea from the degradation and depletion of marine ecosystem capital. This briefing summarises a spatial assessment of the multiple pressures on Europe’s seas (ETC/ICM, 2019a).
Measures to reduce emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases: the potential for synergies
Publication 10 Dec 2020This briefing presents an overview of the latest policies and measures reported by Member States to tackle air pollution, as required under the National Emission reduction Commitments (NEC) Directive. It includes an analysis of synergies with the policies reported under the Regulation on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions (Monitoring Mechanism Regulation), highlighting the importance of coherence between these domains.
Data reported by companies on the production, import, export and destruction of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the European Union, 2007-2019
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COVID-19 virus outbreak
Meetings with external participants continue to be held via online platforms until further notice.
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