Although significant progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, the overall state of the EU’s environment is not good, especially its nature which continues to face degradation, overexploitation and biodiversity loss.

The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) assessment, in its most comprehensive, ‘state of environment’ report, leaves the outlook for the environment concerning and risking the EU’s economic prosperity, security and quality of life.

The report stresses that climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat to competitiveness, which depends on natural resources. It adds that achieving climate neutrality by 2050 also hinges on better and responsible management of land, water and other resources. Protecting natural resources, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and reducing pollution will build the resilience of vital societal functions that depend on nature, such as food security, drinking water and flood defences.

The report urges stepping up implementation of policies and longer-term sustainability-enabling actions already agreed to under the European Green Deal.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet. Biodiversity is declining across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems due to persistent pressures driven by unsustainable production and consumption patterns, and Europe’s water resources are under severe pressure, with water stress affecting one third of Europe’s population and territory, the report says.

The EEA publishes a state of environment report every five years, and this is the seventh such report published since 1995.

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