Environment and energy in the EU

Environment• The UE has one of the strongest environmental rules.

• Those rules intented to protect endangered species and habitats and to use the resources more responsibly.

• These rules are for example the environmental liability which prevent any damage to the environment

European environment related institutions

• The most important is the European Environment Agency

• But there are others like that have projects or jobs to protect the environment like the European Commission with the Directorate-general for the Environment

Environmental European Agency

• Is an institution created in 1990 but it was not until 1994 that it didn’t started to work completely

• Its aims are:

• Support the information requirements of EU and international environmental legislation

• Make assessments of the European environment

• Improve the coordination and dissemination of European environmental data and information

Principal Environmental topics of the eae

Air Pollution

• In Europe, emissions of many air pollutants have decreased sharply. However, air continues being harm for the health.

• But air pollution also damage our environment:

• Acidification: change in natural chemical balance caused by an increase in acidic elements.

• Eutrophication: enrichment of water with nutrients, and the associated adverse biological effects.

Biodiversity

• The overexplotation of forests, rivers, seas... are the causes of the disminution of biodiversity.

• If there were no such biodiversity as there, our life will not be as good as it is.

• There are new projects to halt the loss of biodiversity like there was in 2010, the year of the biodiversity.

Climate change

• Temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers and snow are melting and the global mean sea level is raising.

• European initiatives:

• Ratifying the Kyoto Protocolo by improving the energy efficiency

• Reducing the production of CO2

• In general to produce less waste and have more efficiency

land use

• Europe is one of the most exploited continents (80% of the land) use for settlements, production centre and infrastructure.

• To create a policy for the land was a conflict because the European economy is based on the natural resources.

• So they create various systems to control and manage it.

Proposal for a new environment action programme in 2020

• This is a new project which hope to create a green Europe.

• Its keys are to protect natural capital, encourage more resource efficiency and accelerate the transition to the low-carbon economy