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Europe's economic prosperity and well-being is intrinsically linked to its natural environment — from fertile soils to clean air and water. It is not just a vision for the environment, but also a vision for the economic and societal context of environmental issues.
In the early 1970’s, the European Union put in place the beginning of a common environmental policy, which now amounts to some 500 directives and regulations, In 2015, Europe stands roughly halfway between the initiation of EU environmental policy in the early 1970s and the EU's 2050 vision of 'living well within the limits of the planet'. Reduced pollution, nature protection and better waste management have all contributed. European Union air policies and legislation have delivered real benefits both for human health and the environment. At the same time, they have offered economic opportunities, for example for the clean technology sector, and thereby contributing to the Europe 2020 Strategy, aimed at making the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy by 2020. For example, the environment industry sector, which produces goods and services that reduce environmental degradation and maintain natural resources, grew by more than 50% in size between 2000 and 2011. It has been one of the few economic sectors to have flourish in terms of revenues, trade and jobs since the 2008 financial crisis.
At the same time, growing understanding of the characteristics of Europe's environmental challenges and their interdependence with economic and social systems in a globalised world has brought with it increasing recognition that existing knowledge and governance approaches are inadequate. It is also more and more recognized that the environmental problems that the world is facing are far from simple, and depend on many interacting factors. Therefore, the level of ambition of existing environmental policy may be inadequate to achieve Europe's long-term environmental goals. For example, projected greenhouse gas emissions reductions are currently insufficient to bring the EU onto a pathway towards its 2050 target of reducing emissions by 80–95%. In addition, existing policies have arguably been less successful in halting biodiversity loss due to habitat destruction and overexploitation; in eliminating risks to human health resulting from the combination of chemicals introduced into our environment; or in halting climate change.
It is against this backdrop that the EEA State and Outlook report 2015 about the European environment has been written. Based on data and information from numerous published sources, this synthesis report evaluates the European environment's state, trends and prospects in a global context, and analyses opportunities to recalibrate policies and knowledge in line with a 2050 vision.
This 2050 vision, laid out in the 7th environmental action programme of the EU states in particular:
'In 2050, we live well, within the planet's ecological limits. Our prosperity and healthy environment stem from an innovative, circular economy where nothing is wasted and where natural resources are managed sustainably, and biodiversity is protected, valued and restored in ways that enhance our society's resilience. Our low-carbon growth has long been decoupled from resource use, setting the pace for a safe and sustainable global society.'
This has been translated into three thematic objectives outlined in the 7th Environment Action Programme which are :
The above vision was adopted by the European Union in 2013 but the inherent ambition is by no means limited to this programme, and a host of recent policy documents have complementary or similar ambitions at their core
This shift in the policy framework to a more systemic perspective on natural capital marks an important step towards the implementation of such integrated management approaches. In this context, to achieve this 2050 vision, regulatory actions will focus on three key areas:
