The diagnosis is clear. Planet Earth faces pressures from human development that are unprecedented in scale and urgency. The planetary boundaries framework confronts us with limits to the amount of such pressures, beyond which we risk potentially irreversible consequences for human development. ...
All cities face the challenge of developing and providing efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly mobility. City dwellers are more often exposed to air pollution, noise and heavy traffic than people living outside urban areas. Cities are also a prime source of greenhouse gas emissions, w...
Climate change has an impact on European agriculture in a number of ways. Climate change has already negatively affected the agriculture sector in Europe, and this will continue in the future. Future climate change might also have some positive effects on the sector due to longer growing seasons...
This report presents an updated overview and analysis of air quality in Europe from 2000 to 2017. It reviews the progress made towards meeting the air quality standards established in the two EU Ambient Air Quality Directives and towards the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines...
The EEA started a series of consistent activities around the circular economy in 2014. The work, supported by the European Topic Centre on Waste and Materials in a Green Economy (ETC/WMGE), has involved conceptual framing and dedicated studies on selected aspects of the circular economy. Outputs...
During the last two decades, the concepts of 'sustainability transitions' and 'transformations' have emerged with steadily growing prominence in academic literature. Since 2010, this trend has been matched by increasing uptake of the language and logic of sustainability transitions in European p...
This EEA report identifies the challenges of, and opportunities for, climate change adaptation and climate resilience in the context of a decarbonising energy system in Europe. It intends to support the efforts of the European Commission, national governments and non‑state actors involved in pla...
Maintaining 'natural capital', i.e. ecosystems and the services they provide, is fundamental to human economic activity and well-being. The need to conserve and enhance natural capital is therefore an explicit policy target in the EU's Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 and its Seventh Environment Ac...
Europe's environmental quality has been steadily improving over recent decades. Nonetheless, air pollution and noise continue to contribute to serious illnesses and premature deaths, especially in urban areas. In addition, recent years in Europe have been marked by extreme temperatures with seve...
The current report presents an updated overview and analysis of air quality in Europe from 2000 to 2016. It reviews the progress made towards meeting the air quality standards established in the two EU Ambient Air Quality Directives and towards the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality gui...