BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 16, 2008 (ENS) – After poverty, climate change is the most serious problem Europe faces according to a Eurobarometer survey presented in the European Parliament on September 11.

The poll found that 61 percent of respondents have taken some personal action to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. A quarter of those said they had changed their buying habits and used the car less to help the environment.

At the same time, the poll found that a majority believe that the people, governments, industry or the European Union are not doing enough about the warming climate.

The survey of over 30,000 people in 30 European countries found that 31 percent had not taken any action to change their behavior on account of the climate. Of those, almost half said they believe that government and industry should take action, while just over a third did not know what they should do.

The survey was conducted in all 27 EU member states as well as in the three candidate countries – Turkey, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Those who have taken action said they believe it would make a difference, that they had a duty to protect the environment or were concerned about what they would leave for future generations.

Eurostar and Thalys high speed trains await
passengers at Paris Gare du Nord. (Photo
credit unknown)

Across Europe, 28 percent of respondents said they use greener transport and 27 percent buy seasonal and local products that reduce CO2 emissions.

The results were presented at a press conference in the European Parliament by Italian MEP Guido Sacconi, who chairs the parliament’s Temporary Committee on Climate Change.

“The fact that many Europeans say that they do not have enough information, in particular on the actions that citizens could take, clearly indicates that we have to think about initiatives and measures to spread this knowledge more widely, especially among the most vulnerable groups of our population,” said Sacconi. “The role of regional and local authorities in this task will be crucial.”

Sacconi noted differences in attitudes in different countries, saying he thought the responses of those polled depended on whether or not the country had experienced an ecological disaster.

He cited forest fires and droughts in Greece and Cyprus as two examples of countries where people’s ecological awareness had been raised by natural disasters.

Sweden is the country where most people have taken personal action to help reduce their C02 emissions, with 87 percent of respondents saying they have done something.

By comparison, 60 percent of people in Latvia and Lithuania said they have taken no action.

Royd Moor Wind Farm near Penistone,
South Yorkshire, England (Photo by Ian
Britton courtesy FreeFoto.com)

At the press conference, Europe’s Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas pointed to the stimulating effect that green industry could have on Europe’s economy. He noted that 56 percent of those polled believe that climate change can help the economy.

“Saving energy means saving money, so there is a common logic that citizens consider it to be beneficial for economy,” Dimas said.

He went on to say that “citizens have role to play both as consumers, by choosing to buy the right products, and as voters.”

By the end of this year, Europe’s Environment Ministers meeting in the Council along with elected MEPs should reach an agreement on a package of Europe-wide legislation that will help mitigate climate change.

Dimas called on MEPs and the Council of Ministers not to “dilute” the proposed measures.

Margot Wallstrom, vice-president of the European Commission and a former environment commissioner, said, “Surveys of this kind are important components in our policy-making. It is striking to see that European citizens take the issue of climate change so seriously and it confirms our belief that continued, coherent EU action in this area is imperative.”

View This Story On Eco–mmunity Map.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 26, 2007 (ENS) – Reducing the risks and adverse consequences of floods in the European Union is the aim of the new directive, or law, on flood risk management that came into force today. In the past 10 years, Europe has suffered more than 100 major floods, lending urgency to implementation of the new law.

The law requires flood risk management to be negotiated across national borders and contains commitments to increase transparency and involve citizens in the process.

The 27 EU member states are now required to identify river basins and associated coastal areas at risk of flooding and draw up flood risk maps and management plans for these areas.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, “It is important for member states to prevent the advent of floods and to protect areas which are likely to be affected by such events. It is also vital to prepare European citizens to cope with the potential occurrence of floods.”
Flooding of the Elbe River in Germany of 2002 inundated the city of Dresden. (Photo courtesy Telefonica O2)

“This important new legislation obliges member states to assess flood risks, to inform citizens in potentially affected areas and to involve them in the planning process,” Dimas said.

Since 1998 Europe has suffered over 100 major floods, including those along the Danube and Elbe rivers in the summer of 2002.

The successive floods of 2005 and 2007 confirmed Europe’s increased susceptibility to floods and reinforced the need for action.

Since 1998 floods in Europe have caused more than 700 deaths, have displaced more than half a million people and have caused more than €25 billion of damage.

Although floods can play a natural role in revitalizing the functioning of ecosystems, they can also cause widespread environmental damage. Pollution transported via flood waters can spread to areas where drinking water is extracted and extreme floods can destroy delicate ecosystems.

While floods are natural phenomena, human activity such as land development and climate change can increase the likelihood of floods occurring. With appropriate prevention measures the possibility of floods can be reduced and their impact minimised.

This new directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 23, 2007 on the assessment and management of flood risks is an important addition to the European Union’s water legislation. Dimas says it has been carefully crafted for compatibility with the Water Framework Directive.

It applies to all types of floods whether they originate from rivers and lakes, or occur in urban and coastal areas, or arise as a result of storm surges and tsunamis.

Implementation of the new law in the member states will be done in three stages, beginning with a preliminary assessment of river basins’ flood risks and their associated coastal zones to be carried out by 2011.
The 2002 flooding ruined German homes on riverbanks. (Photo German Interior Ministry)

This is to be followed by the development of flood hazard maps and flood risk maps by 2013. The maps are to identify high, medium and low risk areas, including those areas where occurrences of floods would be considered an extreme event.

The maps will also need to include details such as expected water depths, economic activities that could be affected, the numbers of inhabitants at risk and the potential environmental damage.

At the last stage member states are required to produce flood risk management plans by 2015. These plans are to include measures to reduce the probability of flooding and its consequences.

These measures are to focus on preventing unsustainable land use practices by discouraging, for example, building in flood-prone areas.

The plans must also cover how to protect flood prone areas from the likelihood of floods and reducing their potential impact by restoring flood plains or wetlands.

Flood risk assessments will be reviewed and adapted in the light of the effects of climate change and the intensity and frequency of flooding in the long-term, said Dimas.

Another important aspect of the flood risk management plans is the need to prepare the public in the event of flooding.

Member states are obliged to make preliminary flood risk assessments, maps and management plans available to the public. Preparations for flood risk management plans are to be carried out in coordination with public participation in the Water Framework Directive river basin management plans.

Under the directive Member States are obliged to coordinate their activities in shared river basins with other member states or non-EU countries and are required to not carry out measures that are likely to increase flood risks either upstream or downstream unless such measures have been agreed with the affected member state.

View This Story On Eco-mmunity Map.