European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
environmental protection
Coronavirus and the trade in wildlife
Nearly three quarters of emerging infectious diseases in humans are caused by zoonotic pathogens. The majority of them originate in wildlife. Human activities, such as trade in wildlife, increase opportunities for animal–human interactions and facilitate zoonotic disease transmission. Continue reading
Farming without plant protection products
Food security and healthy food for 11 billion people by 2100 is one of the biggest challenges of this century. It is one of the most important, if not the most important, human rights, and any agricultural system has to fulfil this requirement within the planetary sustainability boundaries. Continue reading
Climate change [What Think Tanks are thinking]
World leaders are preparing for the ‘COP 24’ summit on tackling climate change in Katowice, Poland, in December, which is meant to debate how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. Continue reading
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Environmental protection [Policy Podcast]
Through its environmental policy, the European Union (EU) has been improving Europeans’ well-being since 1972. Today, the aim of EU environmental policy is to ensure that by 2050 we are living well, within the limits of the planet. Continue reading
Outcome of European Council meeting of 22-23 June 2017
Written by Ralf Drachenberg and Suzana Anghel, The main results of the European Council meeting of 22-23 June 2017 include the ‘historic step’ of agreeing to set up ‘permanent structured cooperation’ in European defence, the commitment to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in all its aspects, and the extension of sanctions against Russia. … Continue reading
Post-2020 reform of the EU Emissions Trading System [EU Legislation in Progress]
In July 2015, the European Commission proposed a reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for the period 2021-2030, following the guidance set by the October 2014 European Council. Continue reading
Microplastic pollution
Written by Dessislava Yougova, Microplastics, items smaller than 5mm in diameter, are widespread in the marine environment. They enter directly as fragments from a variety of sources (cosmetics, clothing, industrial processes) or indirectly as a result of the disintegration of larger plastic pieces. Microplastics are of environmental concern because their size renders them accessible to a wide range of … Continue reading
Wildlife trafficking in Africa: Endangered security
Written by Eric Pichon. [last update 5 April 2016] Illegal exploitation of natural resources, hunting of protected wild animals and trade of the proceeds of these crimes are a serious threat for Africa. As an environmental problem, it hinders the survival of endangered species, and the balance of flora and fauna in the concerned areas. … Continue reading
EU Biodiversity strategy to 2020: mid-term assessment
Written by Dessislava Yougova In 2011, the EU adopted a Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 aiming ‘to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and to restore them as far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss’ . The strategy has … Continue reading
EU Emissions Trading System: cost-effective emission reductions and low-carbon investments: Initial Appraisal of a European Commission Impact Assessment
Written by Samuele Dossi This note provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission’s Impact Assessment (IA) accompanying the above proposal which was adopted on 15 July 2015 and has been referred to the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is … Continue reading
Understanding waste streams: Treatment of specific waste
Written by Didier Bourguignon Waste streams are flows of specific waste, from its source through to recovery, recycling or disposal. Together they make up the overall waste treated in the European Union (4.6 tonnes per capita in 2012). Waste streams can be divided into two broad types: streams made of materials (such as metals or … Continue reading
Exploiting resources from the deep sea
Written by Nera Kuljanic Exploration and exploitation of the deep sea in search of marine minerals and genetic resources have received increased attention over the past 15 years. Developments in biotechnology and sub-marine technologies, together with the scarcity and rising prices of new materials, are changing the business case for extending activities in the marine … Continue reading
Ecosystem services : Valuing our natural capital
Written by Didier Bourguignon The concept of ecosystem services providing direct and indirect contributions to human wellbeing has been developed since the 1990s as a way to improve the effectiveness of biodiversity-protection policies. Ecosystem services can be categorised in four broad types: provisioning, regulating, cultural and habitat services. The status of most ecosystem services across the EU is either … Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: LIFE, EU budget for addressing environmental and climate issues
Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso LIFE, the EU’s only funding programme entirely devoted to environmental objectives, is meant to act as a catalyst for developments in this policy area. Responsibility for environmental issues is shared between the European Union (EU) and its Member States. At EU level, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council agree on … Continue reading
Cutting sulphur emissions from ships
Written by Marketa Pape To improve human health and protect the environment, the EU focuses on different aspects of air pollution from maritime transport. Tighter rules on sulphur emissions from ships came into effect on 1 January 2015. Under these rules, all ships operating in northern EU waters must comply with strict new sulphur emissions … Continue reading
ETS market stability reserve
Written by Dessislava Yougova Policy makers and stakeholders agreed that the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) needs to be reformed. After more than a year of discussions, the European Commission published in January 2014 its legislative proposal for a market stability reserve (MSR) in the EU ETS. The measure, to be introduced as … Continue reading
EU biofuels policy: Dealing with indirect land use change
Written by Didier Bourguignon In 2003, the European Union established a biofuels support policy, primarily with the aim of lowering CO2 emissions in the transport sector. Critics have accused this policy of inducing indirect land use change (ILUC), which triggers an increase in global food prices and in food insecurity for the poor, promotes the … Continue reading
Turning waste into a resource – Moving towards a ‘circular economy’
Written by Didier Bourguignon In a circular economy, unlike in a linear economy based on a ‘take-make-consumethrow away’ pattern, the materials contained within products are reused, turning waste into a valuable resource. Although businesses have started to use this model on specific products in various sectors, it has not yet been implemented on a large scale. In its … Continue reading
Convention on international trade in endangered species
Written by Didier Bourguignon 6 language versions available in PDF format Übereinkommen über den internationalen Handel mit gefährdeten Arten freilebender Tiere und Pflanzen Convención sobre el comercio internacional de especies amenazadas Convention sur le commerce international des espèces de faune et de flore sauvages menacées d’extinction Convenzione sul commercio internazionale delle specie minacciate di estinzione … Continue reading
The EU Strategy for the Danube Region: three years on
Written by Sorina Silvia Ionescu Introduction Two years after the launching of EU Strategy for the Danube Region, the European Commission has released the first progress report. The report provides information on the achievements so far for the 4 pillars and the 11 priority areas: Connecting the Danube Region, Protecting the Environment, Building Prosperity and … Continue reading
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