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EU Environment Policy

EU Environment Policy. 02.07.2012. Competition for resources (including raw materials) increases, resource scarcities appear, prices go up - this will affect the European economy. Natural resources (1).

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EU Environment Policy

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  1. EU Environment Policy 02.07.2012

  2. Competition for resources (including raw materials) increases, resource scarcities appear, prices go up - this will affect the European economy Natural resources (1)

  3. Over the 20th century, the world increased its fossil fuel use by a factor of 12, and material extraction grew by a factor of 8 Demand for food, feed and fibre may increase by 70% by 2050 60% of the world’s major ecosystems that help produce these resources have already been degraded or are used unsustainably The World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that by 2050 we will need a 4 to 10 fold increase in resource efficiency, with significant changes needed by 2020 Natural resources (2)

  4. Growth of the World Economy 1950 2010 2050 Natural resources (3) 2050: 9 billion 2011: 7 billion • Population to reach 9 billion by 2050 • By 2050, world economy projected to nearly quadruple, with growing demand for energy and natural resources • Two billion middle income earners in 'developing countries' are expected to triple their consumption by 2020 • If the growing global population matched OECD consumption by 2050, world consumption would be 15 times bigger than now

  5. The life-cycle (1)

  6. The life-cycle (2)

  7. Cost of inaction (1) OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050 (OECD 2012): • Progress on an incremental, piecemeal, business-as-usual basis in the coming decades will not be enough. • Pressures on the environment from population growth and rising living standards will outpace progress in pollution abatement and resource efficiency. • As a result, continued degradation and erosion of natural environmental capital are expected to 2050 and beyond, with the risk of irreversible changes that could endanger two centuries of rising living standards. • Well-designed policies can reverse the trends projected in the Baseline scenario, safeguarding long-term economic growth and the well-being of future generations.

  8. Cost of inaction (2) • Natural systems have “tipping points” beyond which damaging change becomes irreversible (e.g. species loss, climate change, groundwater depletion, land degradation). • "The benefits of strong and early action far outweigh the economic costs of not acting" (Stern Review, 2006). Action => 1% global PDB each year until 2050; Inaction => up to 20% of global GDP/year • Biodiversity: “2008 financial crisis has cost around $1.000-$1.500 billion to Wall Street, but every year we lose a natural capital of $2-$5.000 billion." (Pavan Sukhdev, TEEB Leader, ex Direttore Deutsche Bank) • Transport: the environmental impacts of transport and congestion are estimated to have a cost equivalent to up to 5% of GDP. • Air pollution: causes in Europe the loss of ca. 150 million working days a year and health costs estimated at between €50 and 100bn a year.

  9. Prevention Re-use Recycling Recovery Disposal Waste as a resource Moving up the waste hierarchy

  10. Example • “Urban mining” • 1t of good ore contains 5g of gold • 1t mobile phones contains 150g of gold! =>ecodesign + ricycling

  11. Key sectors In industrialisedcountriesfood, housing and mobility are responsible for 70-80% of allenvironmentalimpacts of consumption. FOOD MOBILITY BUILDINGS WATER CLEAN AIR Key Resources LAND & SOIL MATERIALS MARINE

  12. Article 191 (TFUE) Environment: an EU priority • 1. Union policy on the environment shall contribute to pursuit of the following objectives: • — preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment, • — protecting human health, • — prudent and rational utilisation of natural resources, • — promoting measures at international level to deal with regional or worldwide environmental problems, and in particular combating climate change. • 2. Union policy on the environment (…) shall be based on the precautionary principle and on the principles that preventive action should be taken, that environmental damage should as a priority be rectified at source and that the polluter should pay.

  13. The 6th EAP (1) The Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community 10 year time-frame (2002-2012) Four priority areas: Climate change; Nature and biodiversity; Environment, health and the quality of life; Natural resources and waste Two cross-cutting areas: international co-operation; strategic approaches to policy-making (implementation, cooperation with the market) In total, the 6th EAP contains total 156 actions

  14. Recent strategic policy initiatives A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 (March 2011) Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 (May 2011) Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (Sept 2011) … and CAP, CFP, R&D, Cohesion reforms

  15. 2012: Blueprint for Europe’s waters SCP Communication Invasive Alien Species proposal Green Paper on Green Infrastructure Sustainable use of phosphorous 2013 Air quality review Communication on Sustainable Food 2014 Waste policy review Communication on Land Use In the (env) pipeline

  16. 2020 timeframe, 2050 vision Emerging themes: Enhancing our ecological and climate resilience Green & competitive growth – low-carbon, resource-efficient economy Health & environment, human well being _________________________________________________ Thinking about the 7th EAP • Supporting instruments: • Implementation • Integration, coherence • Knowledge base • Financing • Cross-cutting issues: • International • Urban environment

  17. Since November 2010: various stakeholder events 31 August 2011: Final assessment of the 6th EAP COM(2011) 0531 final 12 March – 1 June 2012: online public consultation (background document + questionnaire) November 2012: Commission proposal for the 7EAP 2013-14? - Co-decision process leading to adoption Timetable

  18. More information DG Environment: http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment Towards a 7th EAP:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/newprg/7eap.htm Resource efficiency:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency Summary of EU Environmental policy/legislation: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environment/index_en.htm andrea.vettori@ec.europa.eu Thank you for your attention!

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