Environmental (Commonwealth Union)—Europe’s traditional way of life is coming under growing threat from the surging pace of environmental degradation, according to a dismal new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Despite great strides made in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the ecosystems on which Europe’s prosperity, well-being, and stability depend are suffering from the cumulative burden of climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable consumption.
The seventh EEA flagship report, published every five years since 1995, paints the darkest picture to date of Europe’s environment. Its findings reveal that even though Europe lowered overall emissions by 37% since 1990, these improvements are being eroded by ongoing setbacks in other sectors and by natural degradation.
One of the most disturbing findings is the state of Europe’s protected areas: over 80% are in poor or bad health, a direct result of overconsumption, production patterns, and lacking adaptation to climate extremes. The EU’s formerly healthy “carbon sink,” the forests and ecosystems that take up CO₂, has shrunk by almost 30% over the last decade. Enhanced logging, raging wildfires, and pest outbreaks, all exacerbated by rising temperatures, are to blame for this collapse.
Transport and food pollution, stuck since 2005, are still stubbornly high, while energy and industrial emissions have reduced pollution substantially. In the meantime, already one in three Europeans resides in water-stressed conditions, with an increasing problem foretold as droughts get stronger under climate change.
“This is effectively threatening Europeans’ future prosperity, competitiveness, and standard of living,” warned Leena Ylä-Mononen, executive director of the agency. “We are struggling to meet our 2030 targets on numerous fronts.”
It is occurring at a politically sensitive moment. Across Europe, climate skeptic parties are gaining ground, demanding an unwinding of environmental rules they complain are driving competitiveness in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, however, the United States, both diplomatically and through market pressure, is pushing the EU to ease pollution standards and bring in additional fossil fuels. During a speech at the UN last week, US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric, asserting that the green energy agenda was putting Europe in danger of destruction, and attributing the decline in emissions to factory closures and job losses.
EU leaders, however, brushed aside this rhetoric. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra was straightforward: “The costs of doing nothing are enormous, and climate change is a direct threat to our competitiveness. To stay on course is the secret to safeguarding our economy.” EU competition and green transition chief Teresa Ribera put stress on the fact that delaying or lowering targets would “only increase costs, exacerbate disparities, and erode our resilience.”
The EEA report assessed 22 policy objectives for 2030, from greenhouse gases to biodiversity and resource utilization. Only two greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting substances were “largely on track.” Nine were “largely not on track,” and the others showed mixed or uncertain progress.
Biodiversity was an especially dismal failure. Europe had pledged to halt and reverse wildlife decline by 2020, but nothing of the sort has been signed. No biodiversity indicator is yet in line to meet the 2030 targets. The expansion of protected areas offers hope: by 2022, 26.1% of EU land area and 12.3% of seas will have gained protection. But experts warn that protection without management will not stem the flow of ecological degradation.
The report also flagged Europe’s gradual journey towards a circular economy, where products are reused and recycled to minimize waste. Recycling’s proportion of material demand has risen only slightly, from 10.7% in 2010 to 11.8% in 2023. “The real red flag is our consumption,” wrote co-author Tobias Lung. “Our consumption levels are way, way, way too high.”
However, some progress has been made. Air has become healthier, with deaths linked to fine particulate pollution reduced by half compared to 2005. Ylä-Mononen emphasized the significance of the achievements: “We are saving human lives thanks to those actions. It is really a clear case to continue.”
The bigger issue now is political will. As European leaders increasingly prioritize short-term competitiveness over long-term sustainability, critics warn of a backdoor repeal of green policy in the name of “simplification.” The European Commission insists that its green agenda remains in place, but its concessions to industry and member states reveal the growing tension between environmental necessity and economic lobbying.
The EEA report makes it difficult to doubt: Europe’s environment is in crisis. The ecosystems that are supporting the continent’s prosperity and cultural identity are breaking down. Whether or not politicians reaffirm their commitments or are undone by political waves will determine not just the future of Europe’s competitiveness but its way of life itself.
