At the 2007 meeting of the environment ministers of the G8+5 in Potsdam, Germany, the European Commission launched The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study. Its aim is to assess the economic repercussions of global biodiversity loss. TEEB has reinforced the need for the...

Developments in land use patterns across Europe are generating considerable concern, particularly in relation to achievement of environmental goals. Land use trends — such as urban sprawl and land abandonment — are jeopardising the future for sustainable land use. Moreover, these trends...

Europe's freshwaters are affected by water scarcity, droughts, floods and physical modifications. Many water bodies are at risk of failing to meet the aim of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) to achieve good status by 2015. Future policies should encourage demand management through actions...

This assessment of global megatrends focuses on the impact of global pressures on Europe. A global-to-European perspective is relevant for European environmental policy making because Europe’s environmental challenges and management options are being reshaped by global drivers such as...

The main purpose of this document is to present current knowledge about the health effects of noise. The emphasis is first of all to provide end users with practical and validated tools to calculate health impacts of noise in all kinds of strategic noise studies such as the action plans required...

This report looks at the forces shaping the future of the environment in the Western Balkans, in particular at the role of consumption and production patterns. It begins with a review of key recent environmental trends in the region, then analyses the global, European, regional and national...

Chemicals are an essential part of our daily lives and are used to produce consumer goods, to protect or restore our health and to boost food production, to name but a few examples. Some chemicals, however, are hazardous, raising concerns for the environment and human health. Hazardous...

For the first time ever the European Commissions is proposing a greenhouse gas emissions target for transport. But how is transport going to provide the services that our society needs while minimising its environmental impacts? This is the theme for the Transport White Paper launched in 2011....

This technical reference guide provides a general overview of the use of models with regard to the consolidated Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (the AQ Directive). This report is an output of the Forum for Air Quality Modelling in Europe (Fairmode)...

This document is the European Union emission inventory report under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). It includes information on the formal institutional arrangements that underpin the European Union's emission...