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Abstract

La presente relazione esplora l’evoluzione delle prestazioni ambientali degli Stati membri dell’UE e la misura in cui le disparità di tali prestazioni sono diminuite dall’inizio degli anni 2000. La relazione è il frutto della collaborazione tra Eurofound e l’Agenzia europea dell’ambiente, in particolare dell’incontro tra le competenze tecniche in materia di convergenza della prima e l’esperienza in materia di questioni ambientali europee della seconda. La relazione si concentra su tre livelli di analisi: indicatori principali, indicatori a livello residenziale e indicatori a livello familiare.

Al fine di esplorare la sfaccettata questione della qualità della vita ambientale nell’UE, la relazione esamina gli indicatori ambientali attraverso un’analisi di convergenza. I risultati suggeriscono che l’UE è sulla strada giusta per raggiungere la neutralità in termini di emissioni di carbonio, anche se la velocità del processo di ambientalizzazione differisce tra gli Stati membri. Per quanto concerne la maggior parte degli indicatori, si osserva un miglioramento rapido e costante delle prestazioni. Un risultato degno di nota è che le tendenze economiche depressionarie degli ultimi due decenni hanno inciso negativamente sugli indicatori a livello familiare esaminati, che sono incentrati sulla povertà energetica.

Key findings

Nel corso degli ultimi due decenni le disparità tra gli Stati membri dell’UE si sono attenuate e le prestazioni relative a molti indicatori ambientali hanno registrato un miglioramento. Gli interventi dovrebbero concentrarsi su tre aree nelle quali sono state rilevate divergenze: qualità abitativa, povertà energetica e trasporti pubblici.

La crisi finanziaria del 2008-2013 ha avuto effetti negativi di rilievo sugli indicatori a livello familiare, che misurano la povertà energetica e la qualità abitativa. La successiva ripresa dimostra la sufficiente capacità di recupero di alcune economie.

Permangono grandi disuguaglianze tra le persone con livelli di reddito differenti: le popolazioni a basso reddito vivono in quartieri e abitazioni di qualità nettamente peggiore. Tuttavia, il miglioramento delle prestazioni relative agli indicatori a livello residenziale, che misurano per esempio l’inquinamento, il riciclaggio e l’utilizzo dei trasporti pubblici, dimostra che molti quartieri stanno diventando più vivibili.

Il conseguimento degli obiettivi ambientali a livello residenziale e familiare potrebbe richiedere l’adozione di misure politiche più rigorose o tempestive di quelle attualmente in atto. Servono soluzioni di alto livello come pure rimedi quotidiani, e le autorità locali e nazionali impegnate nel processo di ambientalizzazione potrebbero seguire le pratiche consolidate suggerite dagli Stati membri o dall’UE.

La diversificazione dei consumi di energia e materiali nell’UE tramite misure volte a promuovere l’utilizzo delle energie rinnovabili e l’economia circolare accelererebbe la transizione verde, attutirebbe gli effetti di future crisi di approvvigionamento di energia e materiali, e proteggerebbe in particolare i cittadini a basso reddito.

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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