ISSN 1977-8449 EEA Report No 19/2018 Environmental indicator report 2018 In support to the monitoring of the Seventh Environment Action ProgrammeEEA Report No 19/2018 Environmental indicator report 2018 In support to the monitoring of the Seventh Environment Action ProgrammeLegal notice The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the European Commission or other institutions of the European Union. Neither the European Environment Agency nor any person or company acting on behalf of the Agency is responsible for the use that may be made of the ination contained in this report. Copyright notice European Environment Agency, 2018 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. More ination on the European Union is available on the Internet http//europa.eu. Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 ISBN 978-92-9480-017-6 ISSN 1977-8449 doi10.2800/180334 European Environment Agency Kongens Nytorv 6 1050 Copenhagen K Denmark Tel. 45 33 36 71 00 Web eea.europa.eu Enquiries eea.europa.eu/enquiries Cover design EEA Cover photo Guido Sorar3 Contents Environmental indicator report 2018 Contents Acknowledgements 4 Online briefings underpinning this report 5 Summary 6 Readers guide . 10 1 Key messages 7th Environment Action Programme priority objective 1 to protect, conserve and enhance the Unions natural capital . 14 2 Key messages 7th Environment Action Programme priority objective 2 to turn the Union into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy . 17 3 Key messages 7th Environment Action Programme priority objective 3 to safeguard the Unions citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and well-being . 21 References . 24 Annex 1 List of indicators and corresponding Annual Indicator Report Series AIRS 2018 briefings by 7th EAP thematic priority objective 27 Annex 2 Scoreboard indicators examined time periods and sources . 28Environmental indicator report 2018 4 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements EEA lead author Aphrodite Mourelatou EEA EEA authors and contributors to the briefings Alberto Gonzalez-Ortiz, Almut Reichel, Ana Tejedor Arceredillo, Andreas Unterstaller, Andrus Meiner, Anke Lukewille, Annemarie Bastrup-Birk, Doris Marquardt, Eleni Tryfon, Eulalia Peris Aguilo, Evrim Dogan Ozturk, Federico Antognazza, Francois Dejean, Jock Martin, Katarzyna Biala, Martin Adams, Mihai Tomescu, Nihat Zal, Pawel Kazmierczyk, Peter Kristensen, Ricardo Fernandez, Roberta Pignatelli, Stefan Ulrich Speck, Stephanie Schilling, Wouter Vanneuville, Xenia Trier, Ybele Hoogeveen EEA. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank The Eionet the National Focal Points and the State of the Environment National Reference Centres from the 33 EEA member countries and the six EEA cooperating countries for the review of the reports briefings including their country relevant comments; The European Commission Directorate Generals for the Environment and for Climate Action for their EU policy relevant comments on the report and on the briefings; The statistical office of the European Union Eurostat for the thorough review of the reports briefings.5 Online briefings underpinning this report Environmental indicator report 2018 Online briefings underpinning this report Online briefings that underpin the Environmental indicator report 2018 In support to the monitoring of the Seventh Environment Action Programme Priority objective 1 Priority objective 2 Priority objective 3 To protect, conserve and enhance the Unions natural capital Euthrophication of terrestrial ecosystems due to air pollution Agricultural land nitrogen balance Urban land take Forest utilisation Marine fish stocks Common birds and butterflies EU protected species EU protected habitats Surface waters To turn the Union into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy Resource efficiency Waste generation Recycling of municipal waste Freshwater use Greenhouse gas emissions Renewable energy sources Energy efficiency Household energy consumption Transport greenhouse gas emissions Food consumption animal based protein Environmental and labour taxation Environmental goods and services sector employment and value added Environmental protection expenditure To safeguard the Unions citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and well-being Outdoor air quality in urban areas Air pollutant emissions Quality of bathing waters Number of countries that have adopted a climate change adaptation strategy/plan Environmental noise Consumption of hazardous chemicals Pesticide sales https//www.eea.europa.eu/airs/2018Environmental indicator report 2018 6 Summary This is the third edition of the annual European Environment Agency EEA Environmental indicator report in support to the monitoring of the European Union Seventh Environment Action Programme. The Seventh Environment Action Programme 7th EAP 2014-2020 provides an overarching strategic framework for EU environment policy planning and implementation. It contains nine priority objectives, of which three thematic priority objectives are considered central. These aim to 1. protect, conserve and enhance the Unions natural capital; 2. turn the Union into a resource-efficient, green, and competitive low-carbon economy; 3. safeguard the Unions citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and well-being. As with the first two editions, this report examines with the help of 29 indicators whether or not the EU is on the right path to achieve the 7th EAPs three thematic priority objectives by 2020. The report updates last years results with the latest data mainly from 2016 and 2017 and ination. Table S.1 summarises the indicator results across the three priority objectives in a scoreboard. For each indicator, more detailed assessments are available online 1 . The table shows long term indicator past trends as well as the outlook for meeting selected objectives relevant to the achievement of the thematic priority objectives by 2020 2 . A full description of the scoreboard ology including a conceptual illustration can be found in Box 3 see page 12. This years scoreboard enables the following summary assessment of progress by 7th EAP thematic priority objective to be made Summary Priority objective 1 the EUs natural capital is not yet being protected, maintained and enhanced in line with the ambitions of the 7th EAP. The 2020 outlook remains bleak overall for the selected set of objectives related to this priority objective. Priority objective 2 the 2020 outlook shows mixed progress. The EU is on track to meet climate and renewable energy related targets, although it is uncertain whether it will meet its energy efficiency target. There have been resource efficiency improvements. However, waste generation increased recently and a reduction in the environmental impact of production and consumption is uncertain for the housing sector and unlikely for the food and mobility sectors. Priority objective 3 the 2020 outlook for this objective is also mixed. There have been substantial reductions in emissions of air and water pollutants in recent decades. However, there are still key concerns over air quality and noise pollution in urban areas, and chronic exposure of the population to mixtures of chemicals. Overall progress per thematic priority objective remains similar to that depicted in the scoreboards in the previous two editions of this report positive and negative trends and outlooks across the board and a gloomy outlook for Priority objective 1. Nevertheless, the prospects of meeting some of the selected objectives within the priority objectives have deteriorated from one year to the next. Last years scoreboard amended downwards the 2020 prospects for meeting the objectives that corresponded to land take and ammonia emissions indicators see Priority objectives 1 and 3 in table S1. The changes in these two 2020 outlooks have been retained in this years scoreboard. The latest data show that ammonia emissions, arising mainly from 1 https//www.eea.europa.eu/airs/2018 2 The table shows that in some cases although there have been improvements in the past it is unlikely that the related objectives will be met by 2020. This is because the improvements to-date and any expected improvements up to 2020 will not be sufficient to meet the objectives. Summary 7 Environmental indicator report 2018 Table S.1 Indicator scoreboard by 7th Environment Action Programme thematic priority objective Notes a The examined past trend period is unique to each indicator and is specified in Annex 2. * The indicator past trend is also available at EEA member country aggregate level and not just at EU aggregate level. The colour assessment remains the same for the EU and the EEA member country including the EU indicator past trend. The indicator has not been updated with more recent data in this years report.N.A. Non applicable. EU indicator past trend Outlook for meeting the selected objective by 2020 Improving trend  It is likely that the EU will meet the objective by 2020 Stable or unclear trend  It is uncertain whether or not the EU will meet the objective by 2020 Deteriorating trend  It is unlikely that the objective will be met by 2020 Indicator EU indicator past trend a Outlook for meeting the selected objective by 2020 Priority objective 1 to protect, conserve and enhance the Unions natural capital Exposure of terrestrial ecosystems to eutrophication due to air pollution *  Gross nutrient balance in agricultural land nitrogen  Land take *  Forest growing stock, increment and fellings Status of marine fish and shellfish in European seas  Abundance and distribution of selected species common birds * and grassland butterflies  Species of European interest  Habitats of European interest  Status of surface waters  Priority objective 2 to turn the Union into a resource-efficient, green, and competitive low-carbon economy Resource productivity  Waste generation in Europe excluding major mineral wastes absolute and per capita  Recycling of municipal waste *  Use of freshwater resources  Total greenhouse gas emission trends and projections  Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption  Progress on energy efficiency in Europe  Energy consumption by households  Greenhouse gas emissions from transport  Animal product consumption animal protein  Share of environmental and labour taxes in total tax revenues  Employment and value added in the environmental goods and services sector EGSS compared with the whole economy  Environmental protection expenditure in Europe deflated absolute value  Priority objective 3 to safeguard the Unions citizens from environment-related pressures and risks to health and well-being Exceedance of air quality standards in urban areas nitrogen dioxide NO 2 ; dust particles PM 10 ; fine particulate matter PM 2.5 ; ozone O 3  Emissions of the main air pollutants in Europe sulphur oxides SO 2 ; nitrogen oxides NO X ; fine particulate matter PM 2.5; non-methane volatile organic compounds NMVOCs; ammonia NH 3 *   Bathing water quality  Number of countries that have adopted a climate change adaptation strategy and/or planN.A.  Exposure to environmental noise  Consumption of chemicals, by hazard class  Total sales of pesticides  NO 2 , PM 10 , PM 2.5 O 3 SO 2 , NO X , PM 2.5NMVOCs SO 2 , NO X , PM 2.5,NMVOCs NH 3 NH 3Summary 8 Environmental indicator report 2018 agricultural production, have continued to increase. Also, although there are no more recent land take i.e. land lost to artificial surfaces such as buildings and roads data in this edition of the report, there are still no policies in sight promoting the necessary reductions in the rate of land take to remain on track to meeting the related 2020 objective. Under Priority objective 2 of this years scoreboard, the 2020 prospects for three more indicators were adjusted downwards. Concerns were also raised in relation to a fourth indicator. First, primary energy consumption used here to measure progress in energy efficiency increased in both 2015 and 2016. Preliminary estimates show that it also increased in 2017, reaching a higher level than that corresponding to the linear pathway required to meet the energy efficiency target by 2020. The outlook towards meeting the energy efficiency target by 2020 has therefore been changed from likely to uncertain. Energy consumption in households used as a proxy to track progress in reducing the overall environmental impact of production and consumption in the housing sector increased both in 2015 and 2016 3 . Energy efficiency improvements in the housing sector over these years were not sufficient to outweigh the increase in energy consumption. This makes the prospects of reducing household energy consumption within the period of the 7th EAP uncertain. As such, this edition has revised the outlook towards meeting this objective from likely to uncertain to be met by 2020. The third indicator concerns transport greenhouse gas emissions used as a proxy to track progress in reducing the overall environmental impact of production and consumption in the mobility sector, which increased year-on-year from 2014 until 2016. Preliminary estimates show that emissions also increased in 2017. This makes it more unlikely that there will be an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transport during the period of the 7th EAP implementation 2014-2020. As such, this years scoreboard has modified the outlook towards meeting this objective from uncertain to unlikely to be met by 2020. Waste generation increased over the 2010-2016 period, in particular since 2014. The prospects of waste generation being in decline by 2020 remained, as with the previous years scoreboard assessments, uncertain, not least because of the few data points available for the assessment. Nevertheless, the risk that the EU will miss this 2020 objective increased. For several other scoreboard indicators across the three thematic priority objectives analysis showed a slow-down in progress in the more recent years of the examined time series 4 . These developments do not currently mean there is an increased risk of a downwards amendment of the prospects for meeting the 2020 objectives that correspond to these indicators. This is either because previous progress has been enough to keep the EU on track or because it is already known that the objectives will not be met. The low economic activity level in the EU following the 2008 financial crisis contributed to several of the positive past trends shown in the scoreboard. However, the EUs relatively high economic growth in