European Environment Agency

22/06/2026

22/06/2026

🫘 🫛 One of the most effective ways to reduce environmental pressures from food production is to diversify our sources of protein.

Proteins are essential to human nutrition and health. Yet how they are produced, traded and consumed has important environmental, economic and social implications.

A new EEA report finds that broadening Europe's protein supply could cut emissions, reduce pollution, strengthen resilience and ease dependence on imported feed. The benefits depend on treating diversification as a deliberate, long-term strategy — not a quick fix.

Livestock production accounts for more than 65% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, and agriculture was responsible for around 94% of EU ammonia emissions in 2023. Europe also imports nearly two-thirds of its high-protein animal feed, concentrated in a handful of countries — leaving supply chains exposed to climate, market and geopolitical disruptions.

The report is clear that this is not about replacing livestock farming. Extensive grazing supports biodiversity, and around one in three protected habitats in Europe depend on it. The case is for gradual rebalancing: expanding pulses, legumes and other protein sources alongside more sustainable livestock systems, rather than rapidly replacing livestock production. Modelling by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre suggests that a coordinated shift could reduce EU agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by around 5% by 2035.
📄 Find out more: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/diversifying-europes-protein-supply

22/06/2026

🌡️ As a heat dome settles over Europe this week — with temperatures forecast to exceed 40°C across Iberia and France, and reaching up to 10–15°C above seasonal averages in some areas — heatwaves are once again at the top of the public health agenda.

This is Europe's second major heat event in weeks. The May heatwave already brought record-breaking temperatures across the continent, with Spain recording over 100 heat-related deaths. Heatwaves remain Europe's deadliest extreme weather event.

In a timely new interview, EEA expert Aleksandra Kazmierczak explains what the latest data shows on heat and human health, and what cities and governments can do to protect people. The answer is not only mechanical cooling: nature is our best air conditioning. Trees, green areas, green roofs, and cool public spaces reduce temperatures, limit the urban heat island effect, and give people access to relief without each household running its own unit.
Mitigation and adaptation must go hand in hand. While early warning systems and urban greening save lives now, cutting emissions remains essential to reducing the frequency and intensity of events like this one.

Read the full interview 👇
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/editorial/interview-nature-is-our-best-air-conditioning

20/06/2026

🌡️ Help us start this weekend's most important conversation about the risks from, and solutions to, climate change!

The climate stripes by professor Ed Hawkins have since 2018 become a powerful way to visualise how temperatures have changed over time. In a single image, they tell the story of a warming world.

Today, on , we are sharing the stripes for Denmark; the home of the EEA. But every country, region and city have their own warming story to tell.

👉 Visit www.ShowYourStripes.info to discover the climate stripes for your area, share them with your network and also in the comments to this post.

Because a conversation can start with a simple image and grow with every voice that joins it.

19/06/2026

🚨 Opportunity to become an EEA Topic Centre (2027-2030) 🌍

The European Environment Agency is inviting expressions of interest from organisations - from all EEA countries - wishing to become Topic Centres.

🔹 Topic Centres act as a conduit for data and information flows, and analysis between the EU level and EEA member countries.
🔹 The Topic Centres support the EEA in carrying out several important tasks for managing the collection, verification, and assessment of environment and climate data.

📆 Deadline: 7 August 2026, 16:00 CET

🌐 More information here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0wgL720

18/06/2026

Ласкаво просимо, Україно! Welcome, Ukraine! 🇺🇦

Ukraine has today joined the EEA and Eionet as a cooperating country — the eighth nation to do so, bringing our network to 32 member and 8 cooperating countries across Europe.

This milestone, formally endorsed by the EEA Management Board, is grounded in the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement and the EU enlargement framework. Ukraine has been an EU membership candidate since June 2022, and today's decision reflects the shared commitment to building the environmental data and institutional foundations that European integration requires.

Ukraine faces significant environmental challenges — including the extensive damage to land, water systems, air quality and protected areas caused by Russia's ongoing war of aggression. Cooperation on environmental monitoring, data and assessment is both a practical necessity and an act of European solidarity.

🗣️ Oleksii Sobolev, Ukraine's Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture:
"Welcoming Ukraine into the EEA/Eionet family is a recognition of that commitment and a practical investment in the environmental resilience of the whole continent."
🗣️ Commissioner Jessika Roswall:
"A country that continues to advance its alignment with EU environmental standards while enduring the devastation of war deserves our full support."
🗣️ Leena Yla-Mononen, EEA Executive Director:
"Environmental challenges know no borders, and cooperation is essential to address them effectively."
🗣️ André Weidenhaupt, Chair of the EEA Management Board:
"This step brings us closer than ever to a truly united European environmental community."
REad mroe: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/eea-and-eionet-welcome-ukraine-as-a-cooperating-country
The EEA is also working together with Georgia in the context of the Energy Community project.

17/06/2026

🍽️🌱 What does sustainable gastronomy look like in practice?

For us at the European Environment Agency, it starts in our canteen kitchen, where chef Pii and her wonderful team from LOCA work every day to create meals that are good for people and mindful of the planet.

From seasonal and organic ingredients to plant-based menus and sustainably sourced fish, sustainability is built into every step of the menu planning process.

Just as importantly, the team works hard to minimise food waste — reusing ingredients creatively, serving sensible portions and tracking food waste daily to help identify opportunities for improvement.

🎥 Tomorrow, 18 June, is , and we are pleased to share a glimpse behind the scenes and highlight the people helping turn sustainable food principles into everyday practice.

16/06/2026

🟢 Good news!
A vast majority of Europe’s bathing waters _ from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean_ are safe to swim in, according to latest European bathing water assessment out today.

🏊‍♂️ It found that 85% of bathing sites met the most stringent ‘excellent’ quality standards under EU monitoring rules, with 96% of all sites monitored meeting the minimum standards.

🏊‍♀️ The quality of Europe’s bathing waters has steadily improved over recent years, thanks to improved monitoring and management practices under the EU’s Bathing Water Directive and other EU water legislation, which has led to better water quality and improved safety for swimmers.

🔎 Find out more about your favourite bathing site via our interactive map, or by checking out our report.

🔗 interactive map: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-charts/state-of-bathing-waters-in-2025
🔗 bathing water briefing: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/vast-majority-of-europes-bathing-waters-safe-to-swim-in

12/06/2026

The World Health Organization has published the second edition of its Heat–Health Action Plans Guidance, the key reference for authorities preparing for extreme heat across the WHO European Region.

The EEA contributed the chapter on reducing heat exposure, covering immediate and longer-term prevention measures at household, building and urban scales — from shading, insulation and ventilation to green roofs and urban cooling interventions.

🌡️ According to the WHO, heat has claimed more than 200,000 lives across the EU and associated countries over the past four years. Many of these deaths are preventable through timely warnings, targeted support for those most at risk, and cities and buildings designed to keep people cool.

The updated guidance sets out eight core elements for heat–health action plans, with new operational tools including action briefs for priority sectors and a ready-to-use public health message bank.

It complements the EEA's work on climate resilience and adaptation, including the climate resilience package published yesterday by the EEA.

🔗 Read the guidance: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289062930

🔗 Read more about EEA's work on climate resilience and adaptation: https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/news/extreme-weather-and-uneven-climate-adaptation-challenge-europes-resilience