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Abstract

Tässä raportissa tarkastellaan EU:n jäsenvaltioiden ympäristötehokkuuden dynamiikkaa sekä sitä, missä määrin erot maiden suoriutumisessa ovat kaventuneet 2000-luvun alkupuolelta lähtien. Raportti on Eurofoundin ja Euroopan ympäristökeskuksen välisen yhteistyön tulos, ja siinä yhdistyvät Eurofoundin tekninen lähentymistä koskeva asiantuntemus ja Euroopan ympäristökeskuksen asiantuntemus omalla alallaan. Raportissa analysointi keskittyy kolmeen osa-alueeseen: keskeiset makrotason indikaattorit, asumisindikaattorit ja kotitalousindikaattorit.

EU:n ympäristöä koskevan elämänlaadun monitahoisen kysymyksen tutkimiseksi aihetta lähestytään raportissa ympäristöindikaattoreiden ja lähentymisanalyysin avulla. Tulokset viittaavat siihen, että EU on oikealla tiellä edetessään kohti hiilineutraaliutta, vaikka viherryttämisprosessin nopeus vaihtelee jäsenvaltioittain. Useimmissa indikaattoreissa ympäristötehokkuuden voidaan havaita parantuneen nopeasti ja tasaisesti. Yksi huomionarvoinen havainto on, että talouden laskusuhdanteet viimeisten kahden vuosikymmenen aikana ovat vaikuttaneet kielteisesti kotitalousindikaattoreihin, joissa on keskitytty energiaköyhyyteen.

Key findings

Erot EU:n jäsenvaltioiden välillä ovat vähentyneet ja suoriutuminen on parantunut monien ympäristöindikaattoreiden osalta kahden viime vuosikymmenen aikana. Toimissa olisi keskityttävä kolmeen alueeseen, joilla on havaittu eroavuuksia: asumisen laatu, energiaköyhyys ja julkinen liikenne.

Laskusuhdanteen vaikutukset vuosina 2008–2013 tuntuivat hyvin kielteisinä kotitalousindikaattoreissa, jotka mittaavat energiaköyhyyttä ja asumisen laatua. Myöhempi elpyminen osoittaa, että joidenkin talouksien kestokyky oli riittävä.

Eri tulotasoja edustavien ihmisten välillä on edelleen suurta eriarvoisuutta: pienituloisten väestöryhmien tilanne asuntojensa laadun suhteen on huomattavasti huonompi verrattuna muihin saman alueen asukkaisiin. Paremmat tulokset asumistason indikaattoreissa – esimerkiksi saastumisen, kierrätyksen ja julkisen liikenteen käytön osalta – osoittavat kuitenkin, että paikallisista asuinalueista on tulossa entistä viihtyisämpiä.

Ympäristötavoitteet asumisen ja kotitalouksien osalta saattavat edellyttää nykyistä tiukempia tai paremmin ajoitettuja politiikkatoimia. Samanaikaisesti tarvitaan sekä korkean tason että arjen ratkaisuja, ja viherryttämistä harjoittavat paikalliset ja kansalliset viranomaiset voisivat noudattaa toimissaan jäsenvaltioiden ja EU:n ehdottamia vakiintuneita käytäntöjä.

EU:n energian ja materiaalien käytön monipuolistaminen uusiutuvan energian ja kiertotalouden toimien avulla nopeuttaisi vihreää siirtymää, lieventäisi tulevien energia- ja materiaalikriisien vaikutuksia ja suojelisi erityisesti pienituloisia kansalaisia.

The report contains the following lists of tables and figures.

List of tables

  • Table 1: Macro-level indicators of environmental performance
  • Table 2: Meso-level indicators of environmental performance
  • Table 3: Micro-level indicators of environmental performance
  • Table 4: Summary of convergence analysis of macro-level indicators
  • Table 5: Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption in 2005 and targets for and effective rates in 2020, EU Member States
  • Table 6: Summary of convergence analysis of meso-level indicators
  • Table 7: Summary of convergence analysis of meso-level indicators
  • Table 8: Correlation matrix of environmental and socioeconomic variables, EU27

List of figures

  • Figure 1: Conceptualisation of European environmental quality of life
  • Figure 2: Timeline of the EU environmental acquis
  • Figure 3: Sigma-convergence in net greenhouse gas emissions, EU27, 1990–2019
  • Figure 4: Net greenhouse gas emissions, EU Member States, 1990 and 2020
  • Figure 5: Sigma-convergence in years of life lost due to PM2.5 exposure, EU27, 2005–2019
  • Figure 6: Comparison of years of life lost due to PM2.5 exposure, EU Member States, 2005 and 2019
  • Figure 7: Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, EU27, 2004–2020 (%)
  • Figure 8: Share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, EU Member States, 2008 and 2020 (%)
  • Figure 9: Delta-convergence in national targets for renewable energy, EU27, 2004–2020
  • Figure 10: Circular material use rate, EU27, 2010–2021 (%)
  • Figure 11: Sigma-convergence in circular material use rate, EU27, 2010–2021 (%)
  • Figure 12: Share of population reporting pollution, grime or other environmental problems, for total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2020 (%)
  • Figure 13: Share of population reporting pollution, grime or other environmental problems, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU Member States, 2020 (%)
  • Figure 14: Share of population reporting pollution, grime or other environmental problems, by degree of urbanisation, EU Member States, 2020 (%)
  • Figure 15: Recycling rate of municipal waste, EU27, 2008–2021 (%)
  • Figure 16: Sigma-convergence in the recycling rate of municipal waste, EU27, 2008–2021
  • Figure 17: Sigma-convergence in the share of buses and trains in inland passenger transport, 2008–2020, EU27
  • Figure 18: Share of buses and trains in inland passenger transport, EU27, 2000–2020 (%)
  • Figure 19: Changes in the share of buses and trains in inland passenger transport during the COVID-19 pandemic, EU Member States, 2019 and 2020 (%)
  • Figure 20: Sigma-convergence in the share of the population experiencing noise pollution, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2020
  • Figure 21: Share of households experiencing noise pollution, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2020 (%)
  • Figure 22: Share of households experiencing noise pollution, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU Member States, 2020 (%)
  • Figure 23: Sigma-convergence in population living in dwellings with damp, leaks or rot, EU27, 2009–2020 (%)
  • Figure 24: Share of the population living in dwellings with damp, leaks or rot, EU Member States, 2009 and 2020 (%)
  • Figure 25: Share of the population living in dwellings with damp, leaks or rot, EU Member States, 2019 and 2020 (%)
  • Figure 26: Sigma-convergence in the share of the population living in dwellings with damp, leaks or rot, EU27 without Cyprus, 2009–2020
  • Figure 27: Sigma-convergence in share of households in arrears on utility bills, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2021 (%)
  • Figure 28: Share of households reporting arrears on utility bills, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2021 (%)
  • Figure 29: Share of population in arrears on utility bills, EU Member States, 2008, 2019 and 2021 (%)
  • Figure 30: Sigma-convergence in the share of the population unable to keep home adequately warm, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2005–2021
  • Figure 31: Share of the population unable to keep home adequately warm, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU27, 2008–2021 (%)
  • Figure 32: Inequalities in the population unable to keep home adequately warm in 2021, by total population and population at risk of poverty, EU Member States (%)
  • Figure 33: Correlation between years of life lost due to air pollution and mean and median income, EU27, 2005–2019
  • Figure 34: Correlation between the share of the population experiencing noise pollution and mean and median income, EU27, 2003–2020
  • Figure 35: Correlation between the share of the population experiencing noise pollution and educational attainment, EU27, 2003–2020
  • Figure 36: Correlation between circular material use rate and income and GDP, EU27, 2008–2019
  • Figure 37: Correlation between municipal recycling rate and income and GDP, EU27, 2004–2020
  • Figure 38: Correlation between the share of the population living in dwellings with no indoor toilet or shower and mean and median income and GDP per capita, 2009–2020, EU27
  • Figure 39: Correlation between the share of the population living in dwellings with damp, leaks or rot and educational attainment and employment rate, EU27, 2009–2020
  • Figure 40: Correlation between the share of population in arrears on utility bills and the AROPE or NEET share of the population, EU27, 2015–2021
  • Figure 41: Correlation between the share of the population unable to heat their home adequately and mean and median income and GDP per capita, EU27, 2005–2021
Number of pages
80
Reference nº
EF23022
ISBN
978-92-897-2345-9
Catalogue nº
TJ-04-23-785-EN-N
DOI
10.2806/576287
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