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Towards better tools for decision-making – EEA indicators and accounts

Effective environmental policy should be based on robust information on trends. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published two reports today which demonstrate how indicators and environmental accounting support policy and decision making.

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Reducing pollution in the southern Mediterranean

Countries bordering the south and east of the Mediterranean need to continually improve many aspects of environmental management to reduce pollution in the sea, according to a new assessment.

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Let's clean up Europe!

Volunteers across Europe will pick up litter on Saturday 10 May, as part of a coordinated EU Clean Up Day. The event is particularly timely, as there are growing concerns that rubbish polluting Europe's land and sea harms wildlife and may ultimately affect human health.

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Improving transparency in water services

The average European directly uses approximately 130 litres of water per day. Better access to data on water supply and treatment may help Europe use this precious resource more efficiently, according to a new report on water utilities.

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Soil contamination widespread in Europe

There are an estimated 340 000 contaminated pieces of land in Europe, most of which are yet to be identified, according to a new Europe-wide assessment.

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Environmental innovation award - winners announced

Winners of this year's European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Awards have been announced by the European Commission. The six winning organisations were selected by an independent jury for innovating to improve their environmental performance.

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New mobile phone app will help track marine litter

People will soon be able to report the litter they find on the beach, thanks to a new mobile phone app developed by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

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New Year, new focus: EEA priorities in 2014

The start of the year is often a time for new projects and change. At the European Environment Agency, 2014 marks the start of a new 5-year work programme and a new set of environmental policy priorities.

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CO2 emissions calculations: explaining concepts and methodologies

There are several methods for accounting for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The European Environment Agency (EEA) explains the key characteristics of different emissions accounting methods, highlighting the need for methodological improvements as well as better data coverage and quality.

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An artistic view of Europe's waste – EEA announces competition winners

After 200 entries from 29 countries, the European Environment Agency (EEA) is pleased to announce five winners of the Waste•smART competition, which invited Europeans to produce a video, cartoon or photo on the topic of waste.

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Global megatrends shaping Europe's environment

Surging economic growth in many emerging economies is increasing global competition for resources and the burden on natural systems. The European Environment Agency (EEA) is analysing these changes and their implications for Europe’s environment in an updated assessment of 'global megatrends'.

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Competing demands on Europe's environment undermining human well-being

Meeting European demands for food, water, energy and housing exerts major pressures on the environment, indirectly affecting human health and well-being. To reduce the impact of Europe's resource use, a new assessment from the European Environment Agency (EEA) reflects on integrating different policy areas and improved spatial planning.

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Marine litter – a growing threat worldwide

Increasing amounts of litter are ending up in the world’s oceans and harming the health of ecosystems, killing animals when they become trapped or swallow the litter. Human health is also at risk, as plastics may break down into smaller pieces that may subsequently end up in our food. These are just a few of the problems emerging from the waste collecting in our seas.

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What does waste look like? Photo, cartoon and video competition

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is launching a new competition for artistic depictions of waste in Europe. Each European generates approximately half a tonne of household waste on average. A lot of this so-called waste is actually a useful resource, but only two fifths is recycled, according to a recent analysis.

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Can we save energy by changing our behaviour?

In 2010, European households consumed almost 13 % more energy than two decades ago and generated 25 % of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. This trend must be reversed for the EU to reach its goal of reducing primary energy consumption by 20 % by 2020. Today, the European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes a report which investigates what it takes to achieve energy savings through changing consumer behaviour and launches an online survey to know more about society's views on the topic.

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Highest recycling rates in Austria and Germany – but UK and Ireland show fastest increase

Austria, Germany and Belgium recycled the largest proportion of municipal waste in Europe in 2010. Although some countries have rapidly increased recycling rates, Europe is still wasting vast quantities of valuable resources by sending them to landfill, and many countries risk falling short of legally binding recycling targets.

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How to measure environmental pressures from production and consumption?

The consumption and production of goods and services is currently unsustainable in Europe, with ‘decoupling’ of environmental pressures from economic growth insufficient to date. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) describes methods for quantifying environmental pressures caused by European consumption patterns and economic production sectors. These methods can help target decoupling actions.

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EU exporting more waste, including hazardous waste

Waste is increasingly moving across EU borders, for recovery or disposal. This is true for waste shipments between EU countries, and also transfers of waste outside the EU, according to a new assessment from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

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Potent greenhouse gases – fluorinated gases in the European Union

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published new aggregated information on the production and trade of fluorinated gases – or F-gases – in the EU. Although emitted in relatively small quantities, the emissions of these gases are increasing, and many are several thousand times more powerful greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide (CO2).

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Rio+20 agreement - a modest step in the right direction

At last week’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, delegates did not agree to any ambitious treaties or deadlines for dealing with pressing issues such as climate change, food and water scarcity. However, there were many positive signs for the future global environment.

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