By Brian Johnson - 21st December 2005
The European Commission has unveiled details of two new ‘thematic’ strategies designed to improve the way Europe exploits and recycles its natural resources.
The ‘thematic strategy for the sustainable use of natural resources’ aims to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of Europe’s steadily increasing consumption of natural resources such as, water, fossil fuels and raw materials
Meanwhile the ‘thematic strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste’ hopes to turn the EU into a “recycling society” by improving the way Europe disposes of its waste.
Announcing the two new strategies on Wednesday, EU environment chief, Stavros Dimas said they were “both two sides of the same coin”.
Natural resources
As economies grow, so does the use of natural resources, argues the commission: pressure to build on more land, to exploit more forests, to plough more fields, to extract more fossil fuels and minerals increases exponentially, resulting in a higher environmental impact.
Ecologically damaging land use in Europe is accelerating, says the commission. Built up areas have expanded by 20 per cent over the last 20 years, and globally, freshwater use is increasingly outstripping supply.
Dimas believes this strain on resources could eventually threaten their viable exploitation, and wants the new thematic strategy on natural resources to ‘decouple’ environmental impact from economic growth.
“Europe’s economy uses large amounts of natural resources. This is often done in a way that harms the environment, threatening the resource base on which we depend and thus future economic growth,” said Dimas.
“We need an overarching approach that measures impacts of resource use and informs policymaking so we can take appropriate action. This can bring us a decisive step closer to sustainable development.”
The new mantra on reducing the overall environmental impact on natural resources will be “more value – less impact – better alternatives,” said Dimas.
The new strategy will monitor the environmental impact of resources at each stage of their life cycle: from harvest/extraction, through transport, processing, to end use and waste. “Life-cycle thinking,” according to Dimas.
By looking at the whole life cycle argues Dimas, the best overall solutions can be found.
The thrust of the commission’s new strategy will be gathering information and the development of national programmes, over a 25 year timeline.
The strategy will create an EU data centre to bring together knowledge and decision makers, set up an international panel with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide advice on global solutions.
Brussels also wants member states to develop national plans and programmes under the guidance of a new EU high level group.
The commission will also look to factor in the environmental impact of resource use in future EU economic policies.
Recycling waste
Central to and running parallel to the strategy on natural resources will be further action on waste management.
The commission’s new thematic strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste will look at updating and modernising EU recycling policy.
“Waste volume has been disproportionately increasing, outpacing even economic growth,” said Dimas.
“Now is the time to modernise our approach and to promote more and better recycling.”
Dimas wants the EU to become a recycling society, where recycling is the “default” option, and landfill options for waste used only as a “last resort”.
Measures included in the thematic strategy include a revision of the 1975 Waste framework directive and further plans to promote a better recycling regulatory environment across the EU.
The two new ‘thematic’ strategies follow the launch of similar measures on air pollution and the marine environment announced since the summer, as part of the commission’s long-term environmental policy, The ‘sixth environmental action plan’.
Three more ‘thematic strategies’ on soil, pesticides and the urban environment, expected in early 2006 will complete the commission’s policy proposals.
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