Europe′s environment and climate: knowledge for resilience, prosperity and sustainability
Europeans face turbulent times. Multiple economic, social, geopolitical and environmental crises are converging to pose systemic risks to our way of life. Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, with extreme weather events driven by climate change impacting people′s lives across Europe today. At the same time, political realities across the world have undergone a seismic shift, and Russian′s war of aggression against Ukraine and other armed conflicts have focused minds and investments on defence and security.
The European Union (EU) has responded to this volatile and insecure global context through its strategic policy framework to 2029 the Competitiveness Compass. The three areas for action set out in the compass innovation, decarbonization and security all have strong environment and climate dimensions, with clean industry, energy system transformation, circular economy and reducing import dependencies as key priorities. Indeed, Europe is critically dependent on natural resources for economic security, to which climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat. Protecting our 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 European Preparedness Union Strategy recognizes the potential for risks to cascade between the natural, social and political domains in the context of extreme weather events, human-induced disasters and geopolitical crises. Europe must stay on course with its green ambitions and implement the environment and climate policies agreed under the European Green Deal (EGD) to achieve its long-term vision of ′living well within the limits of our planet′.
In this context, Europe′s environment 2025 provides the most comprehensive picture of the environment, climate and sustainability available in Europe, building on data from across 38 countries. Figure ES.1 summarizes the results of this comprehensive assessment. Overall, important progress is taking place within climate change mitigation, while there is mixed progress around reducing pollution and transitioning towards the circular economy. The greatest challenges exist around reducing biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, as well as adapting to accelerating climate change. However, progress on a range of factors that enable the shift towards sustainability such as innovation, green employment and sustainable finance – gives cause for hope. This executive summary unpacks these key trends and highlights insights from across the three products in Europe′s environment 2025; the 35 thematic briefings; the 38 country profiles; and this report.
Biodiversity is declining across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems in Europe due to persistent pressures driven by unsustainable production and consumption patterns, most notably the food system. Key pressures include changes in land and sea use, the over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive alien species, as well as the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.
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