Central to the achievement of the Agenda for Sustainable Development is an adequate, equitably distributed and fully supported health workforce. Nurses are the largest occupational group and represent an indispensable force with which to combat inequities in access to health services and progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while …
Realizing the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change will necessitate a timely transition of the global energy system out of coal, but evidence from Europe, China, and the United States shows that the coal transition can lead to massive job losses. This paper develops a comprehensive policy approach …
This study has been carried out by the International Energy Agency and the Clingendael International Energy Programme to explore the status of hydrogen in the north-western European region and how the sector could evolve towards 2030. National policies and project plans for hydrogen development are brought together to explore opportunities …
The European Commission is currently developing the requirements for the upcoming Euro VII standards. This paper assesses the total manufacturing costs of the emissions control systems—including both engine and aftertreatment technologies—that will likely be required to meet these limits. In particular, this study estimates the costs associated with deploying technologies …
European Union (EU) policymakers are developing a mandate that would require jet fuel providers to blend an increasing share of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into their fuel supply at EU airports starting in 2025. This raises concerns that airlines might uplift additional fossil jet fuel at non-EU airports in order …
Working with nature can help prevent the worst impacts of climate change, and biodiversity and ecosystem loss. Nature-based solutions offer ways to do this. Science and policy have begun to recognise their potential. The knowledge base is expanding rapidly, with gaps identified and plans to fill them. However, challenges for …
The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an ambitious and comprehensive framework that opens new perspectives for policymaking and international cooperation. Its integrated character highlights the linkages and complementarities that exist between different goals and targets. UNECE is supporting countries to address these key sustainable development challenges …
This briefing paper identifies several possible levels of stringency for the post-2021 CO2 standards in the European Union for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles and compares them against economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, as well as the 2050 target for transport sector emission reductions in the EU …
A new study commissioned by the EEA shows a clear hierarchy of passenger and freight transport modes, in terms of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rail and waterborne transport have the lowest emissions per kilometre and unit transported, while aviation and road transport emit significantly more. Alongside shifting to rail …
This paper is designed to aid cities in accelerating the electrification of ride-hailing fleets to reduce their environmental impacts; it does not assess the complex advantages and drawbacks of ride-hailing platforms more broadly. To guide governments’ financial policies and investments, it investigates two key uncertainties around electric ride-hailing vehicles: the …
This report uses the latest research on mobility trends to chart the changes in urban mobility needed for a rapid but realistic return and lock-in of the record low air pollution levels of March and April 2020. The analysis investigates the two most common strategies applied across Europe to clean …
In Europe, new electric passenger car registrations by total numbers, shares, and on a per capita basis were highest in urban and intermediate regions in 2019. However, rural regions offer great potential to electrify the motorized car fleet. This paper focuses on new electric passenger car registrations in rural regions …
A new report from the United Nations warns that time is running out to deliver on the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and calls for rapid deployment of carbon capture use and storage (CCUS) to meet carbon neutrality targets. Carbon capture use and storage (CCUS) is …
The European Green Deal, Europe’s key roadmap to make the continent carbon-neutral by 2050, states that by 2025, about 1 million public recharging points will be needed for the 13 million zero- and low-emission vehicles expected on European Union’s roads. Great efforts will be necessary from the European Union, its …
An electric vehicle (EV) battery uses up just 30kg of raw materials with recycling compared to the 17,000 litres of petrol burned by the average car. That’s according to a new study that shows Europe’s current crude oil dependency far outweighs its need for battery raw materials. The gap is …
This briefing explores the health impacts of climate change in Europe and suggests key opportunities for increased ambition with a focus on adaptation. The briefing highlights key health impacts from climate change including wildfires, heatwaves and extreme temperatures, the spread of infectious diseases and droughts. It outlines the opportunities to …
How is Europe’s corporate sector progressing against the Paris agreement? The 2020 CDP Europe Report, Running hot, shows that while there is strong progress in reducing carbon emissions by many of Europe’s largest companies, progress is uneven. The current target setting of European corporates is in line with the level …
Reducing pressures from agriculture is key to improving the status of Europe’s rivers, lakes, transitional, coastal waters and seas as well as groundwater bodies. A European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment, published today, shows that wider uptake of sustainable agricultural management practices is needed for improving the state of water, as …
The European Commission adopted today a new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, setting out the pathway to prepare for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. While the EU does everything within its power to mitigate climate change, domestically and internationally, it must also get ready to face its …
The EEA has addressed the consequences of climate change in numerous reports, including Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016, the 2019 report Climate change adaptation in the agriculture sector in Europe and the European environment — state and outlook 2020 report. This briefing analyses the implications for Europe …
Sustainable transport and mobility are key to tackle the climate crisis and to achieve the targets of the European Green Deal. However, transport today accounts for nearly 30 percent of the CO₂ emissions within the European Union. How can the EU reduce its transport and mobility emissions while connecting citizens, …
