European Environment Agency

European Environment Agency This is the page of the European Environment Agency (EEA), an agency of the European Union. Currently, the EEA has 33 member countries.
(1)

Our task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. We are a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public.

A great example of how to use nature-based solutions to prevent extreme weather events, in Portugal 🇵🇹. A dual retention...
06/09/2026

A great example of how to use nature-based solutions to prevent extreme weather events, in Portugal 🇵🇹.

A dual retention basin in Setúbal, Portugal, has helped shield the city centre from flooding during recent heavy rainfall. Extreme weather events are becoming more and more frequent in Europe, as the continent is warming up twice the global speed, due to climate change, and floods are the most costly, at European level.

🛰️ This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 31 August 2026, shows the Sado Estuary stretching east from Setúbal, where tidal flats and wetlands meet dense urban development and surrounding farmland and forest.
Located around 30 kilometres south of Lisbon, Setúbal faces a recurring flood risk: heavy rainfall runoff from higher ground combining with elevated water levels in the estuary. The city's Várzea Urban Park addresses this by storing excess rainwater and regulating its flow towards the city and the estuary, while the surrounding green space adds capacity for water to soak into the soil.
🌍 Copernicus EU satellite data support the monitoring of urban and coastal environments, tracking land cover, water bodies, and landscape change over time.
Explore more nature-based adaptation examples like this one on Climate-ADAPT, the European platform for sharing knowledge on climate adaptation: https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/eu-policy/eu-adaptation-policy/eu-mission-on-adaptation

The ocean has absorbed vast amounts of the CO₂ emitted by human activities, helping to slow climate change. But this com...
04/09/2026

The ocean has absorbed vast amounts of the CO₂ emitted by human activities, helping to slow climate change. But this comes at a cost: ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification reduces the availability of carbonate ions needed by corals, shellfish and other marine organisms to build and maintain their shells and skeletons. Combined with other pressures on marine ecosystems, it can affect biodiversity, food webs, fisheries and aquaculture.

In 2025, ocean acidification was identified as the seventh of nine planetary boundaries to have been crossed, highlighting growing risks to marine ecosystems. Reducing CO₂ emissions remains the most effective way to address the root cause of ocean acidification, while reducing other pressures can help strengthen ecosystem resilience.

Learn more about this topic here: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/ocean-acidification

How much material do we use to support our consumption?Despite the EU’s per capita material footprint decreasing by 5.5%...
03/09/2026

How much material do we use to support our consumption?

Despite the EU’s per capita material footprint decreasing by 5.5% between 2010 and 2024, the data from 2020 onwards shows how overall consumption levels remain above the planet’s safe operating space for resource extraction.
That is the level of resource use that humanity can sustain without pushing Earth's systems beyond critical environmental limits.

Looking ahead, projections suggest demand for materials could continue to grow, making further reductions increasingly challenging.

This highlights the need for more sustainable patterns of production and consumption.

Circular economy measures can play a key role by keeping materials in use for longer, reducing the need for primary resource extraction, and supporting high-quality recycling. Accelerating this transition will be essential for reducing environmental pressures, tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity.

Learn more about this topic: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/europes-material-footprint

Wildfires burnt more than 1.2 million hectares across Europe and North Africa between 1 July and 31 August 2026, accordi...
02/09/2026

Wildfires burnt more than 1.2 million hectares across Europe and North Africa between 1 July and 31 August 2026, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), part of the Copernicus EU Emergency Management Service.

Large burnt areas were recorded across the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Italy, Greece, the Balkans, Ukraine and Algeria. Nineteen individual fires exceeded 10,000 hectares each, with numerous smaller fires recorded throughout the region.

EFFIS combines satellite monitoring with ground reporting to support damage assessment, risk monitoring, and coordination among national civil protection and forest management authorities.

Forest fires are a natural feature of many European ecosystems, but climate change has increased fire risk across the continent, lengthening fire seasons and expanding the areas affected, including regions not traditionally prone to wildfires. Understanding these longer-term shifts is central to preparing Europe's forests and communities for future fire seasons.

Explore the EFFIS wildfire data and the EEA's analysis on forest fires and climate change: https://forest-fire.emergency.copernicus.eu/
Read more about the impacts of wildfires in Europe: https://discomap.eea.europa.eu/ClimatePreparedness2026/?page=Wildfires-and-their-impacts

Your feedback matters.The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the evaluation of the European Envir...
02/09/2026

Your feedback matters.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the evaluation of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Eionet for 2022-2026.

The evaluation will assess their performance, effectiveness, relevance and added value in supporting EU environmental policy.

📅 Consultation open until 21 September 2026 🔗 Have your say: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/18801-European-Environment-Agency-the-European-Environment-Information-Observation-Network-evaluation-covering-2022-2026-_en

31/08/2026

Central Europe has had a persistently dry summer.

Weekly Soil Moisture data from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service, tracked from 02 May to 23 August 2026, shows a clear and stubborn pattern: from Germany through Hungary and into Ukraine, surface soil moisture has stayed markedly low for most of the growing season. Meanwhile, Scandinavia has remained consistently saturated throughout the same period.
This fits a trend our European Climate Risk Assessment has flagged as a growing concern for the continent: worsening water scarcity and drought risk as Europe continues to warm faster than the global average. Water stress already affects roughly a third of Europe's population every year, and the area exposed to severe drought conditions has continued to grow in recent years.

Sustained soil moisture deficits like the one shown here are one of the key early-warning signals for agricultural drought risk, and for the broader water resilience challenges EUCRA highlights for the years ahead.

We continue to monitor these patterns as part of our work on soil moisture, drought and water resilience.

Data: Soil Moisture, Copernicus Land Monitoring Service — https://land.copernicus.eu/en/products/soil-moisture

Europe's clothing retail sector is changing fast. Between 2018 and 2023, the EU lost more than 100,000 jobs in clothing ...
28/08/2026

Europe's clothing retail sector is changing fast.

Between 2018 and 2023, the EU lost more than 100,000 jobs in clothing retail and over 30,000 stores closed their doors.

The shift to online shopping is a major driver. In 2024, clothing, shoes and accessories were the most purchased products online in the EU. Ultra-fast fashion platforms have intensified competition, raising concerns about environmental and climate impacts.

At the same time, second-hand platforms are growing rapidly, reshaping how Europeans buy and use clothing.

With textiles production and consumption remain a major driver of resource use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, the transition to circular business models, such as refuse, reuse, repair, rental and recycling, is more important than ever.

Learn more about this topic:
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/circularity/sectoral-modules/textiles/number-of-jobs-in-clothing-retail-in-the-eu

13.7% of lakes have reached high ecological status and 42.6% have reached good status, under the Water Framework Directi...
27/08/2026

13.7% of lakes have reached high ecological status and 42.6% have reached good status, under the Water Framework Directive - an information worth mentioning on .

Across all surface waters, 39.6% achieved good or high ecological status in 2021, based on data reported by 25 EU member states via the Water Information System for Europe, as part of the third River Basin Management Plans.

Every healthy lake supports freshwater supply, climate regulation, water purification, recreation, and protection against floods and droughts. These figures reflect the sustained efforts of member states, scientists, and local communities working to restore and protect these ecosystems.
Today is a chance to celebrate that progress, and to recommit to the work still ahead for the lakes and rivers that sustain us.
Explore the indicator: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/ecological-status-of-surface-waters

🌡️ The Black Sea has warmed by around 1.7°C since 1991. The North Sea by around 1.0°C. Both are signs of a broader shift...
26/08/2026

🌡️ The Black Sea has warmed by around 1.7°C since 1991. The North Sea by around 1.0°C. Both are signs of a broader shift across European waters, according to a newly updated EEA indicator on European sea surface temperature. All five European seas have warmed considerably since 1870, and particularly since the late 1970s, with recent years among the warmest on record. Oceans absorb most of the additional heat building up in the climate system, driving sea surface temperature increases and contributing to rising sea levels (NASA).

Under a high emissions scenario, climate projections point to a further increase of 2 to 6°C in European sea surface temperatures by 2100.

Marine heatwaves have also grown more frequent and more intense, both globally and across European seas. This trend is projected to continue, with growing impacts expected on marine ecosystems and the wider climate system.

🌊 Explore the full indicator, including projections and regional data: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/european-sea-surface-temperature

🌡️ Temperatures across European land areas rose by 2.20 to 2.29°C above pre-industrial levels between 2015 and 2025, wel...
25/08/2026

🌡️ Temperatures across European land areas rose by 2.20 to 2.29°C above pre-industrial levels between 2015 and 2025, well ahead of the global rate of 1.24 to 1.32°C, confirming Europe as the fastest warming continent in the world.

Under the Paris Agreement, countries committed to holding warming well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Current trends point to the 2°C threshold being crossed before 2050 unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall sharply.

Climate model projections show European land temperatures continuing to rise faster than the global average through this century. Under a scenario with strong emissions cuts, warming could reach 1.2 to 3.4°C by 2071-2100, compared with 1981-2010. Under a scenario with continued high emissions, the increase could reach 4.1 to 8.5°C.

Warming is projected to be strongest in north-eastern Europe, northern Scandinavia and inland areas of the Mediterranean, and weakest across western Europe, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, western France, the Benelux countries and Denmark.

📊 Explore the full indicator: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/global-and-european-temperatures

Adresse

Kgs. Nytorv 6
København Ø
1050

Telefon

+4533367100

Internet side

Underretninger

Vær den første til at vide, og lad os sende dig en email, når European Environment Agency sender nyheder og tilbud. Din e-mail-adresse vil ikke blive brugt til andre formål, og du kan til enhver tid afmelde dig.

Kontakt Skolen

Send en besked til European Environment Agency:

Genveje

Del