Transcript Environmental Indicator Report 2012 Meeting on Environmental Assessments 16-17 April 2013 [2] Our state of environment report (SOER 2010) stresses a familiar message:

Environmental Indicator Report 2012
Meeting on Environmental Assessments
16-17 April 2013
[2] Our state of environment report (SOER 2010) stresses a
familiar message: there has been progress, but not enough
‘Environmental policy has delivered substantial improvements
[…] however, major environmental challenges remain which will
have significant consequences […] if left unaddressed.’
Source: SOER 2010
‘What differs […] is an enhanced understanding
of the links between environmental challenges
and with unprecedented global megatrends.
This has allowed a deeper appreciation of the
human-made systemic risks and […] insight into
the shortcomings of governance.’
Source: SOER 2010
[3] Over time, our understanding of environmental
challenges and their underlying causes has evolved
Characterisation of
Key features
In the spotlight in
key challenges
Punctual
(examples)
linear cause-effect
1970s / 1980s
targeted policies and
large (point) sources
(continuing today)
single-issue
often local
Diffuse
instruments
cumulative causes
1980s / 1990s
policy integration
multiple sources
(continuing today)
and raising public
often regional
Systemic
awareness
systemic causes
1990s / 2000s
policy coherence and
interlinked sources
(continuing today)
systemic approaches
often global
Source: SOER 2010
Policy approaches
(a green economy?)
[4] SOER 2010 offers reflections on future environmental
priorities - four ‘I‘ provide headings for strategic action
Implementation
Integration
Better implementation and
Coherent integration of
further strengthening of
environmental consideration
current environmental
across the many sectoral
priorities
policy domains
Inter-linkages
International dimension
Dedicated management of
Transform to a green
natural capital and ecosystem
economy to manage natural
services (increasing resource
capital sustainably within
efficiency and resilience)
Europe … and beyond
[5] At the core of a green economy is a dual challenge:
improving resource efficiency and ensuring resilience
Ecosystem
(natural capital)
Economy
(produced capital)
goal: ensure
ecological resilience
goal: improve
resource efficiency
GREEN
ECONOMY
Human well-being
(social and human capital)
goal: enhance social equity
and fair burden-sharing
[6] What do we mean by ecosystem resilience?
The capacity of an ecosystem to tolerate
disturbance without collapsing into a
(qualitatively) different state.
Ecosystem
(natural capital)
goal: ensure
ecosystem resilience
The notion of ecosystem resilience builds on
• capacity to resist change,
• ability to retain on structure and function despite change,
• ability to reorganise following disturbance.
Concept of ecosystem resilience can be linked with discussion about
environmental state, global tipping points, planetary boundaries.
[7] What do we mean by resource efficiency?
Simply put, resource efficiency compares
resource inputs to economic outputs.
The EU aims to be a resource efficient
economy that ‘is competitive, inclusive
and provides a high standard of living with
much lower environmental impacts‘.
Concept of improving resource efficiency
is linked to environmental pressures and
‘decoupling‘ of economy growth.
Economy
(produced capital)
goal: improve
resource efficiency
The European Environment Agency (EEA) provides
objective, reliable and comparable information
One of key tasks of the EEA is ‘to publish a
Energy
indicators
(29 / 5 CSI)
report on the state of, trends in and
prospects for the environment every five
Air pollution
indicators
(6+5 / 5 CSI)
EEA core
indicators
(37 CSI)
Water indicators
(7+7 / 7 CSI)
years, supplemented by indicator reports
(Regulation (EC) No 401/2009, Art 2(k))
.
Tourism
indicators
(7 / 0 CSI)
focusing on specific issues’.
EEA hosts more than 200 environmental
indicators across 12 environmental themes.
Based on Monitoring->Data->Indicators->Assessment->Knowledge chain .
[8] Environmental indicator report 2012 shows progress in
meeting dual challenge (resilience & resource efficiency)
Assessment based on existing environmental indicators;
no new ‘green economy‘ indicators have been developed.
Pressure indicators to illustrate resource efficiency;
State indicators to illustrate ecosystem resilience.
Six thematic indicator-based assessments:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nitrogen emissios and threats to biodiversity
Carbon emissions and climate change
Air pollution and air quality
Maritime activties and the marine environment
Water use and water stress
Use of material resources and waste management
D
R
P
I
S
[9] Examples from environmental indicator report 2012
- Chapter 5 (carbon emissions and climate change)
Carbon and climate
Sector: Renewable energy [ENER 29]
State: Average temperature [CSI 012]
Pressure: GHG emissions [CSI 010]


[10] Summing up: environmental ‘pressure‘ indicators to
illustrate progress in improving resource efficiency
Environmental issue
EEA 38
- trend?
EU 27 target / objective
- which?
EU 27
- on track?
Transboundary air pollution
(NOX, NMVOC, SO2, NH3)

To limit emissions of acidifying, and
eutrophying pollutants

Greenhouse gas emissions

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 20 % by 2020

Air pollution

To limit emissions of ozone
precursor pollutants

Maritime transport emissions

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Water use

N.A.
N.A.
Decoupling and recycling
(decouple resource use from
economic growth)

To decouple resource use from
economic growth; to move towards
a recycling society

[11] Summing
environmental
‘state‘ indicators
to
Links
between up:
environmental
challenges
& global context
whether
are ensuring
ecosystem
resilience
-illustrate
indicators
relatedwe
to status
/ ecological
resilience
Environmental issue
EEA 38
- trend?
EU 27 target / objective
- which?
EU 27
- on track?
Conservation status
(safeguard EU’s most important
habitats and species)
Global mean temperature change

To achieve favourable conservation
status, set up Natura 2000 network

()
To limit increases to below 2°C
globally

Air quality in urban areas
(particulate matter and ozone)


Biodiversity loss
(marine species and habitats)
()
To attain levels of air quality that do
not give rise to negative health
impacts
To reverse negative species
abundance trends
Water stress
(water exploitation)

To achieve good quantitative status
of water bodies

Ecological footprint
(footprint versus biocapacity)

N.A.
N.A.

[12] Reflections on progress towards resource efficiency,
ecosystem resilience and a green economy in Europe
By and large, European environmental policies appear
to have had a clearer impact on improving resource
efficiency than on maintaining ecosystem resilience.
Environmental indicators highlight that improving
resource efficiency remains necessary, but in itself is
not sufficient to ensure a sustainable natural environment.
In a green economy policy context, there would be value in considering
objectives and targets that more explicitly recognise the links between
resource efficiency, ecosystem resilience and human well-being.
Ecosystem
(natural capital)
goal: ensure
ecosystem resilience
Economy
(produced capital)
goal: improve
resource efficiency
GREEN
ECONOMY
Human well-being
(social and human capital)
goal: enhance social equity
and fair burden-sharing
Thank you
[email protected]
For further information, please
visit: www.eea.europa.eu