Our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, libraries, and other buildings are, collectively, the single largest consumer of energy. They’re also one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide, responsible for 36% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In other words, the path to climate neutrality starts with energy efficient buildings. Here, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service […]
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How the EU is preparing for the 2023 wildfire season
2022 was the second worst wildfire season in Europe and the first months of this year are following the same trajectory. We have already seen many winter and spring fires across the continent – from southern Ireland to the Balkan region. In response to this situation, the EU is scaling up its firefighting efforts with a […]
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EU doubles rescEU firefighting fleet for summer 2023
Following up on President von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech in September last year, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced today the doubling of the rescEU aerial firefighting fleet for this year’s wildfire season while speaking at the 10th anniversary of the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre. rescEU firefighting fleet for 2023 […]
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EU-funded project harnesses potential of data to improve water management
An EU-funded project builds stronger links between the physical and digital worlds to improve water management. Europe’s waterways are under immense pressures, ranging from agricultural and industrial activities to the challenges of increased urbanisation. Digital technologies are acknowledged for their ability to help improve water management. However, a lack of business cases and tangible evidence […]
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Energy: key to the EU’s climate ambitions
Europe is moving towards a low-carbon energy future. 2020 was an important milestone, with the EU reaching its first three climate and energy targets, namely reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 1990 levels, increasing the share of renewable energy used to 20% and improving energy efficiency by 20%. With the exception of the […]
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EU-funded project develops robotic system to save bees
A new temperature-modulating robotic system reveals previously unknown collective honeybee behaviour, opening the door to new possibilities for helping bees survive in a changing climate. The EU-funded HIVEOPOLIS project has developed a robotic system that can interact with a honeybee colony. Built into the frame of a standard hive, the unobtrusive system measures and influences […]
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European Union prepares stricter rules for waste shipments
The Council adopted its negotiating mandate to start talks with the European Parliament on a proposal to update EU legislation on cross-border waste shipments. The aim is to ensure that international shipments of waste don’t pose a threat to human health and the environment, and to promote the use of waste as a resource in […]
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Eurostat report shows EU’s progress on Sustainable Development Goals
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published the ‘Sustainable development in the European Union — monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context, 2023 edition‘, which provides a statistical overview of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the EU. The report is published together with the European Semester […]
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EU-funded project shows unprecedented rise in ocean plastic
Researchers are equipping policymakers with valuable data to help shape future ocean plastic pollution policy interventions. Their global analysis shows an unprecedented rise in ocean plastic since 2005. Have you ever wondered exactly how much plastic pollution has accumulated on the surface of our oceans around the world? A new study partly supported by the […]
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