European Union News - Environmnet

The European Environment Agency (EEA) presents some useful information to avoid harmful ozone pollution this summer. According to the agency, high summer temperatures combined with air pollution can cause ground-level ozone to form, which has serious effects on health, especially for older people or children, or those with asthma and other breathing problems.

The European Commission announced that it will allocate €34 million for an environmental programme in Algeria. This programme will focus on protecting the Algiers coastal region, and aims to put the environment and efforts to tackle the impact of climate change at the heart of the country’s development policies.

Scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre measured key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours. The measures show that sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping have sharply decreased in EU ports thanks to EU policies.

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) which provides updated and reliable information on wild land fires in Europe supporting forest fire prevention and fire-fighting services in the European countries, has issued a statement with the current situation in the UE. Despite of a slight improvement forecast in the situation at the beginning of this week, fire danger conditions remain very high in the western part of the Mediterranean region, in Portugal, Spain and France.

The new rules to see EU citizens better informed about major threats posed by industrial plants in their immediate vicinity, entered into force on the 13 of August 2012. The new Directive obliges Member States to draw up emergency plans for areas surrounding industrial installations where very large quantities of dangerous substances are to be found.

On the 13 of August 2012, the new improved rules on the collection and treatment of e-waste entered into force. With this new Directive, there is a clear step forward in terms of environmental protection and a major boost to resource efficiency in Europe because there are established new objectives.

According to the results of this study urgent action must be taken to reduce emissions in order to avoid a global catastrophe by 2050. Researchers working in different projects funded by European research programmes have analyser for the first time all five major air pollutants that have harmful effects on human health and have concluded that air quality could reach dangerous levels in less than 35 years.