According to a new study, the world’s plant communities are changing at least as fast today as they did when the planet was coming out of the last ice age about 11 000 years ago. Climate changes and human activities have transformed our planet’s ecosystems over the last 18 000 years. While scientists know a […]
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Major drop in EU’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, official data confirms
Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) decreased by almost 4 % in 2019, according to latest official data, published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). These data confirm the EEA’s preliminary estimates, published in October 2020. The large decline in emissions, achieved before the COVID-19 crisis, was mainly due to reduced coal […]
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European Commission and European Committee of the Regions launch Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform
The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions have launched a Stakeholder Platform to help implement the EU Action Plan: “Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil”. The Action Plan – a key deliverable of the European Green Deal and the main topic of this year’s EU Green Week – was adopted on 12 May 2021. […]
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The curious incident of Swarm and sprites in the night-time
We are all familiar with the bolts of lightning that accompany heavy storms. While these flashes originate in storm clouds and strike downwards, a much more elusive type forms higher up in the atmosphere and shoots up towards space. So, what are the chances of somebody taking photographs of these rarely seen, brief ‘transient luminous […]
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Spain wins the Environment category of the LIFE Awards
The three winners of the LIFE 2021 awards, which recognise the most innovative, inspiring and effective projects funded by the European Commission’s LIFE programme, were announced on 2 June. This year, a project from the Balearic Islands was the winner in the Environment category. Slovakia won in the Nature category and France in the Climate […]
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EEA’s latest annual environmental performance report shows lower impacts on environment due to the pandemic
The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) latest environmental performance evaluation, published today, shows that the Agency’s work and operations in 2020 led to considerably lower impacts on the environment due mostly to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation showed substantially lower consumption of electricity, paper and lower CO2 emissions from business travel and meetings, keeping the […]
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World’s glaciers melting faster this century
Scientists used 20 years’ worth of satellite data to estimate the rate at which glaciers across the globe are shrinking. The result is the most accurate and comprehensive assessment of the world’s glaciers to date. The Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets may be the largest bodies of ice in the world, but they aren’t the […]
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Independent national advisory bodies can reinforce the role of science in climate policy
Efforts in tackling climate change at national level across Europe can be made more effective by robust governance frameworks as well as well-functioning, well-resourced advisory bodies. A European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing published today analyses the institutional settings for climate policy making at the national level in Europe, the role played by advisory bodies in […]
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How many electric cars are sold in Europe?
In 2020, the European Union (EU) exported close to 5.2 million cars (petrol, diesel, electric and hybrid electric cars), while 3.0 million cars were imported. Petrol cars accounted for the majority of exported cars (64% of extra-EU car exports), followed by diesel cars (22%) and electric & hybrid electric cars (14%). In terms of imports, petrol cars […]
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