Biodiversity is declining and water stress is affecting one third of Europe’s population and territory, while the frequency and magnitude of climate-related disasters are increasing. In short, this is the message from the report Europe’s Environment 2025.
Europe’s Environment 2025 is the most comprehensive analysis on the current state and outlook for the continent’s environment, climate, and sustainability, building on data from across 38 countries, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
The outlook for most environmental trends is concerning and poses major risks to Europe’s economic prosperity, security, and quality of life, the authors warned. The agency said climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat to Europe’s competitiveness, pointing out that it depends on natural resources.
Progress on a range of factors that enable the shift towards sustainability – such as innovation, green employment, and sustainable finance – gives cause for hope, EEA added.
More than 80% of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state
The report shows biodiversity is declining across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems in Europe due to persistent pressures driven by unsustainable production and consumption patterns, demonstrated most notably in the food system.
More than 80% of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state, with 60% to 70% of soils degraded, the document reads.
On a positive note, the extent of protected areas increased over the past decade – by 2022, 26.1% of the European Union’s land and 12.3% of its seas were protected. However, designating protected areas alone does not guarantee that biodiversity is effectively protected, the authors wrote.
Water stress is affecting one third of Europe’s population and territory
The report’s findings point to severe pressure on water resources: water stress is affecting one third of Europe’s population and territory.
Only 37% of surface water bodies had a good or high ecological status in 2021, with the degradation of aquatic ecosystems threatening Europe’s water resilience. Agriculture is responsible for the most significant pressure on both surface and groundwater, data revealed.
EEA recalled that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet.
Weather- and climate-related extremes caused economic losses of assets estimated at EUR 738 billion in the EU’s 27 member states over the period 1980-2023, with over EUR 162 billion in costs from 2021 to 2023 alone, the report reads.
Over 70,000 people in Europe are estimated to have died from heat in 2022.
The average annual economic losses in the 2020‑2023 period were 2.5 times as high as in the preceding decade, from 2010 to 2019, according to the report.
Downpours are increasing in severity, with several regions subject to catastrophic floods in recent years, while extreme heat, once rare, is becoming more frequent, with deadly consequences: over 70,000 people in Europe are estimated to have died from heat in 2022.
The greatest challenges call for a need to rethink the links between the economy and the natural environment, land, water and natural resources, EEA underscored.
“We cannot afford to lower our climate, environment and sustainability ambitions. Our state of environment report, co-created with 38 countries, clearly sets out the science-based knowledge and demonstrates why we need to act. In the European Union, we have the policies, the tools and the knowledge, and decades of experience in working together towards our sustainability goals. What we do today will shape our future,” EEA Executive Director Leena Ylä-Mononen said.
Bright spots
The report also highlighted the good results of environmental protection policies in Europe.
The EU has cut its domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37% since 1990, largely driven by reducing fossil fuel use and doubling the share of renewables since 2005.
All member states have reduced their reliance on fossil fuels and shifted towards more sustainable energy sources over the last decade, while increased energy efficiency has brought down demand.
In 2023, renewable energy sources represented over 24% of the EU’s final energy use, a record high.
The bloc’s industrial system has managed to reduce emissions by more than 35% from 2005 to 2023, while emissions from buildings fell by more than 35% between 2005 and 2023.
Significant progress has been made in reducing pollution in Europe. EU policies led to improvements in air quality and reduced premature deaths attributable to fine particulate matter from 2005 to 2022 by 45%, according to the Europe’s Environment 2025 report.
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