Document Actions
Published: 09 Sep
2009
As the ‘water towers of Europe’, the Alps
play a crucial role in sustaining the social
and economic wellbeing of millions of people
living in vast lowland areas. A complex
and vulnerable ecosystem, they represent
Europe’s central landmark.
Troublingly, a report
released today by the European Environment
Agency concludes that global climate change
poses a grave threat to the alpine hydrological
system, altering precipitation, snow-cover
patterns and glaciers, with further effects
downstream. Hosting most of the headwaters
of the rivers Danube, Rhine, Po and Rhone,
the Alps are also exposed to increasing
demand for water to satisfy the needs of
agriculture and the tourism sector.
The EEA report calls
on public and private actors at the regional
and local levels to better coordinate water
and land use and to share water resources
more efficiently across sectors. Success
factors for implementing adaptation include
technological measures (such as improved
irrigation techniques or wastewater and
greywater re-use), initiatives to manage
water demand (such as awareness raising
and reducing water use by households) and
ensuring full participation and empowerment
of regional and local actors.
To supplement the broad
projections of more frequent droughts in
summer, floods and landslides in winter
and higher inter-annual variability of precipitation,
the report presents six case studies that
illustrate experiences of regional adaptation
to key water resource issues related to
climate change in Austria, France, Italy,
Slovenia and Switzerland. Together, they
provide valuable insights into the forces
that promote or obstruct adaptation and
the types of measures that have proven successful.
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Best way to get around:
bicycle, car or on foot?
Document Actions
Published: 16 Sep 2009
Every day, millions of Europeans make short
trips to work, school or the shops. Their
choice of how to reach their destination
has a significant impact on the environment.
During European Mobility Week from 16 to
22 September 2009, Europe will focus on
sustainable mobility in urban areas. The
European Environment Agency has tips to
help you make your daily trips more environmentally
friendly.
Clean air for all
Multimedia
Cycling the city
Themes
Transport
Urban environment
Environment and health Latest addition
Transport
Europe needs to steer transport policy in
the right direction
Policy makers must address transport demand
in Europe
Are you an eco traveller?
More
Urban environment
Landfilling down as Europe shifts to better
waste management
Consumption patterns need to change to cope
with growing cities
European Green Capital Award: how green
is your town?
More
Environment and health
Emissions of air pollutants down in EU-27
Ozone pollution is declining — but not everywhere
How clean is Europe's air?
More Get in shape and be friendly to the
environment all at once!
Journeys of less than
3 km may take less time if you walk, use
a bike or take the bus. If taking your kids
along, try using a skateboard, skipping
rope or rollerblades!
Car pool!
If you live far away
from school, instead of driving your kids
to and from school each day, start a car
pooling initiative with the other parents
and share the responsibility. It will save
you time, petrol and help the environment.
Keep your tyres properly
inflated.
This will reduce wear
and tear on them and increase their longevity,
thereby saving money. It also saves precious
raw material: it takes 27 litres of crude
oil to produce a new tire. Under-inflated
tyres also increase fuel consumption by
up to 10 %. Check your tyres at least once
a month.
Slow down!
When driving your car,
drive steadily and anticipate what is coming
up. Avoid rapid accelerations and breaking
as much as possible. This will decrease
your fuel consumption.
+ More
Effectiveness of EU
cohesion spending on the environment
Document Actions
Published: 03 Sep 2009
Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are
the European Union's main financial instruments
to reduce the gap between poor and rich
regions. In its new report, the European
Environment Agency evaluates the effectiveness
of these funds in achieving environmental
goals by focusing on investments in wastewater
treatment, biodiversity, and energy efficiency
and renewable energy in three pilot countries:
Austria, Italy and Spain.
The new EEA technical
report 'Territorial cohesion — analysis
of environmental aspects of the EU Cohesion
Policy in selected countries' supports the
European Network of Environmental Authorities'
evaluation of the environmental impact of
cohesion spending. In addition to specific
analyses and recommendations linked to the
three case studies, the report includes
overall recommendations for more effective
management of cohesion spending.
Most effective cohesion
spending occurs when clear environmental
policies and strategies are developed outside
the Structural Fund programming and then
fully integrated into the programmes. Some
regions have encountered difficulties in
spending all the resources allocated to
them, in particular for innovative environmental
projects such as those linking biodiversity
protection and rural development. Fewer
problems were seen for 'traditional' projects,
such as wastewater treatment plants. To
address such issues, EU-wide initiatives
could be established to promote 'best spending'
practices.
The report recommends
that the funds be used to promote new and
more sustainable mobility patterns, as well
as minimising the negative impacts of transport
and infrastructure projects supported. Moreover,
guidelines on green public procurement should
be developed to ensure that cohesion spending
helps achieve the objectives of the EU Sustainable
Development Strategy.
Current and future challenges
related to adaptation and vulnerability
to climate change will also need additional
attention. Here, the report highlights a
shift in spending priorities. Policy goals
for climate change, for example, were given
a much higher priority in the spending cycle
for 2007–2013 than previously.
But the report also
notes that the link between spending and
results has not always been easy to evaluate:
for some regions, the right data were not
available. The EU needs to do more to ensure
and demonstrate that funds are spent effectively.
