Environmental policy, unlike other political fields, is an area in which the European Union has a comparatively wide array of responsibilities. In some of them the block has tackled problems head-on. One example is plastics, the use of which the EU is keen on limiting. On the other hand critics argue that the EU isn’t very forceful when it comes to issues such as air pollution or eco-friendly agriculture. Will the bloc use its powers more effectively in the future?
Environmental pollution
Working towards a cleaner union
Turkey: Europe’s top destination for… trash
Tonnes of plastic packaging destined for recycling from popular British supermarkets like Sainsbury's and French frozen food retailer Picard is instead ending up being dumped illegally in Turkey
Covid and pollution: intimately linked, compound threat
Lockdowns may have temporarily cleared up the skies above big cities but experts warn that air pollution remains a Covid-19 threat multiplier that will far outlast the pandemic
European air quality improves but still detrimental to health: report
Air quality has improved significantly across Europe over the past 10 years, but pollution still contributes to significant numbers of premature deaths, the European Environment Agency says
Finland’s battery plans spark environmental fears
Finland is the only EU country whose bedrock is known to contain all the major battery minerals, but the prospect of increasing mining in a nation of vast forests and pristine lakes is controversial
Air pollution linked to 15 percent of coronavirus deaths: study
Long-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to 15 percent of Covid-19 deaths globally, according to research that highlights the health risks posed by greenhouse gas emissions
Plastic dumped in Mediterranean ‘could double in 20 years’
Nearly 230,000 tonnes of plastic is dumped into the Mediterranean every year, a figure which could more than double by 2040, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature warns