Latest news with #EuropeanEnvironmentAgency
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Health
- Euronews
Summer swimming: Most of Europe's waters safe to bathe in, report says
From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, Europeans can swim safely in most of Europe's waters, according to the latest EU bathing water assessment released on Friday. Over 85 per cent of the sites tested met the EU's strictest 'excellent' bathing water quality standards according to data last year, while 96 per cent of all officially recognised bathing waters in the EU met the minimum quality standards. The assessment and interactive map, produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in partnership with the European Commission, highlights where swimmers can find well-managed bathing sites in Europe. The assessment tests the suitability of waters for bathing, focusing on monitoring bacteria that can cause potentially serious illness. In total, over 22,000 bathing water sites were assessed in all 27 EU Member States, as well as in Albania and Switzerland. In five countries - Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Austria, and Croatia - 95 per cent or more of the bathing waters were marked as being excellent quality bathing waters. Only 1.5 per cent of EU bathing waters were found to be of poor quality. The quality of coastal bathing waters is generally better than that of rivers and lakes. In 2024, around 89 per cent of EU coastal bathing waters were classified as excellent, compared to 78 per cent of inland bathing waters. From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, most of Europe's bathing waters are of excellent bathing quality when assessed against the parameters (Escherichia coli [E. coli] and enterococci) required by the Water and Waste Water Directive (BWD). Bathing water quality in Europe has improved significantly over the last decades. This is due to a drastic reduction of organic pollutants and pathogens previously released in untreated or partially treated municipal wastewater. These improvements have occurred as a result of the combined effects: - The systematic monitoring and management introduced under the Water and Waste Water Directive. - The major investments in urban waste water treatment plants; - the large investments in urban waste water treatment plants. - Improvements in wastewater networks. Thanks to these ongoing efforts, swimming is now possible in urban and once very polluted waters. BWD focuses on monitoring E. coli and enterococci, important indicators of faecal contamination, which poses a risk to human health due to the potential presence of pathogens. In addition, toxic cyanobacterial blooms, although not subject to the quantitative monitoring prescribed by the BWD, often lead to anti-bathing advisories. However, chemicals are also present in the water. Water quality is monitored and assessed under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (EU, 2000). The report found there is still significant pollution of surface and groundwater, which are not captured by bathing water monitoring, even when they exceed legal limits set to prevent harm to the environment. As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, air strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could have serious health consequences across the region. Monitoring groups have not yet documented any such impact. On Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, said it had not identified radiation leaks as a result of Israeli strikes that began Friday and have killed hundreds of people in Iran. But that could change quickly as the attacks continue. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that he is worried about 'the targeting of nuclear sites, which may have immediate and long-term impacts on the environment and health of people in Iran and across the region'. Not all strikes on nuclear facilities would be the same, and an Israeli military official has said their forces plan to minimise the risk of a nuclear disaster and the consequences for civilians. 'There are gradients of risk,' Simon Bennett, who leads the civil safety and security unit at the University of Leicester in the UK and wrote a book on wartime risks to nuclear facilities, told Euronews Health. A successful attack on a live nuclear reactor would be the most devastating to human health, spreading radioactive materials that could endanger people hundreds of kilometres away. But Iran's only commercial nuclear power plant, the Bushehr plant, has not been targeted or affected by the recent attacks, according to the IAEA. Israel has targeted three key nuclear facilities: Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordo. The sites use centrifuges to enrich uranium gas, which produces the fuel that powers civilian nuclear reactors. These centrifuges would also be central to an Iranian effort to develop nuclear weapons, which European Union officials have said must not happen. Israeli strikes fully destroyed the above-ground plant at the Natanz facility, which is more than 100 miles from Tehran. The attacks also severely damaged the site's below-ground operations, which contain its centrifuges. According to the IAEA's director general Rafael Mariano Grossi, there is both 'radiological and chemical contamination' inside the Natanz facility. During an emergency meeting on Monday, Grossi said uranium isotopes may have spread within the facility. Such a leak would consist primarily of alpha particles and would pose a 'significant danger if uranium is inhaled or ingested'. Those dangers include a higher risk of cancer and damage to the kidneys, lungs, and bones. 'However, this risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory protection devices while inside the affected facilities,' Grossi added. The level of radioactivity surrounding the site, meanwhile, 'has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event,' Grossi said. Israel also hit a nuclear research facility in Isfahan on Friday, the IAEA said, damaging four buildings, including a uranium conversion plant. But there has been no sign of increased radiation there. Israel has been eyeing an attack on the secretive Fordo fuel enrichment site, which is where many analysts believe Iran has been working on its nuclear weapons capabilities. The site, built clandestinely, was first publicly acknowledged in 2009. Fordo is buried deep in the mountains of northern Iran, and US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering dropping a bunker-busting bomb to destroy the heavily fortified facility. The site's location deep below ground means that in the immediate aftermath, 'the likelihood of significant contamination [in the surrounding region] is significantly reduced, if not zero,' Bennett said. Over time, though, radioactive isotopes would be 'leaching into the groundwater,' he added. That means it will be critical that Iran allows the IAEA into the country to help manage any leaks – similarly to how the agency assists at the Chernobyl site in Ukraine, decommissioning and managing radioactive waste, Bennett said. It's not yet clear whether Iran will do so. One week into the conflict, it is still escalating. 'At this point, given the fog of war… everything is conjecture,' Bennett said.
DW
4 hours ago
- Science
- DW
How dangerous are invasive insects in Europe? – DW – 06/20/2025
Invasive insects like the tiger mosquito and the Asian hornet are becoming increasingly common across Europe, with devastating consequences for human health, agriculture and the environment. As winters become milder due to climate change, insects normally found only in the tropics are starting to feel more at home across Europe. And the speed of travel and global trade is making it easier than ever for them to make the trip — in imported wood, potted plants or simply as stowaways. But these exotic newcomers aren't exactly welcome. Experts with the European Environment Agency told DW that invasive alien species, including insects, are a "major threat to native plants and animals in Europe and are one of the five major causes of biodiversity loss." Though tiny, these pests compete with native species for resources and destabilize fragile ecosystems already dealing with pollution, overexploitation and the effects of a warming planet. They're also a serious problem for humans, spreading disease, destroying crops and costing the EU an estimated €12 billion ($13.8 billion) per year in recovery and eradication expenses. Here are just a few of the greatest invasive insects threatening Europe. Active during the day, and partial to urban areas, the Asian tiger mosquito is a particular menace to humans Image: BSIP/picture alliance Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) The tiger mosquito, named for its distinctive white stripes, is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia and was first spotted in Albania in 1979. It made its way over to Italy and France in the 1990s, and is now well-established across the Balkans, southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia and much of the Mediterranean region. But with its tough eggs and a new tolerance for cooler weather, it has also been spotted in Belgium, Germany and as far north as Sweden in recent years. The tiger mosquito thrives in urban environments, reproducing in standing water in places like flowerpots or gutters. This adaptability — along with a tendency to be active during the day — has made humans an easy target for the insect, which can feed on blood several times a day. Aside from being an itchy nuisance, those bites can transmit contagious human diseases like dengue, chikungunya, West Nile and Zika viruses. Fighting dengue, Indonesia breeds bacteria-tainted mosquito To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) This stinging menace, originally from eastern Asia, first arrived in France in 2004. Also known as a yellow-legged hornet, it's slightly smaller than the native European variety, has an overall darker coloring and is active during the day. It has since spread to more than a dozen European countries, including Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the UK. It's not to be confused with the giant Asian hornet, also known as the "murder hornet" for its dangerous sting. Asian hornets are slightly smaller than the native European hornet, and have an overall darker coloring Image: Axel Heimken/dpa/picture alliance Though being stung by the Asian hornet can be quite painful for humans, the greater risk is to food security and biodiversity, according to agricultural nonprofit CABI. The species preys on hundreds of crucial pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies and flies. But its main target is the European honeybee, which pollinates more than 80% of Europe's crops and wild plants. A study published in the journal Science Of The Total Environment in March 2025 found that the hornet can kill up to 50 bees a day. The Asian hornet is one of 88 species on the EU's list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern , which requires member states to prevent the spread of the insect and eradicate it wherever possible. The tropical fire ant, native to Central and South America, first showed up in Europe in the late 19th century Image: PantherMedia/picture alliance American ants (Solenopsis geminata, Solenopsis invicta, Solenopsis richteri, Wasmannia auropunctata) Also on the EU's most wanted list are four species of foreign ants: the tropical fire ant, the red imported fire ant, the black imported fire ant and the little fire ant. These tiny invaders were accidentally introduced from Central and South America, with the tropical fire ant first showing up in Europe as far back as the 1860s. With its painful sting which can cause an allergic reaction, these species rapidly displace other native ant populations and disrupt ecosystems and agriculture with aggressive feeding habits. What happens when ants invade? To play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 audio A 2023 study at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona found that 7% of the European continent was a suitable habitat for the ant, and that's likely to grow as climate change increases their habitable range. Half of Europe's cities were already vulnerable to invasion — bad news, as these ants can also damage electrical equipment by chewing through wiring and causing short circuits. Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) This extremely invasive pest from Asia is now widespread in France, Italy and Switzerland, but present across most of the continent. They are especially attracted to fruit, nuts and grapevines, but are just as happy munching on vegetables and other crops, like soy. In Italy, the stink bug caused an estimated €588 million in damage to fruit crops in 2019 alone. If collected and crushed along with fruit crops like grapes, the foul-smelling bugs can affect the taste and odor of the fruit or wine Image: ROLAND SCHLAGER/APA/ alliance Farmers have traditionally fought back with insecticides, but researchers are also considering a more environmentally friendly method — pitting the stink bug against its natural enemy. The Samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus), another accidental introduction from Asia, is a parasite that lays its eggs inside the eggs of the brown marmorated stink bug. The wasp larvae feed on the stink bug egg, eventually killing it. Some researchers have cautioned that relying on another foreign insect to handle the problem might end up causing more ecological disruption. But a 2023 study led by CABI found that the wasp appeared to have little impact on most native insect populations. Should we kill invasive species to protect the environment? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) Listed among the 100 world's worst invasive alien species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, this beetle is a major threat to deciduous trees and shrubs. Adults feed on leaves, stems and twigs while larvae burrow into the trunk, slowly killing a tree within a few years. Urban trees, which help to cool cities, are especially vulnerable due to their proximity to ports; in the eastern US, where the beetle arrived in the 1990s, up to 35% of the trees in cities are at risk. Asian longhorned beetles attack healthy and distressed trees alike Image: Heiko Kueverling/Zoonar/picture alliance The insects are often introduced in wood packaging, and have been found in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Poland. But their populations are not yet widely established, and some eradication campaigns have been successful. Europe will have to learn to live with invasive species "Invasive alien insects often appear more difficult to manage than invasive plants or larger animals: they are small, mobile, reproduce rapidly, have short life cycle and often go unnoticed until the damage is done," said the EEA. While it's nearly impossible to completely eradicate an invasive insect species, the damage can be mitigated. Asian hornets have been kept at bay in some areas with special traps and by removing their nests, while researchers in Italy have recently used drones and artificial intelligence to detect and monitor stink bugs. Other methods involve stopping the insect at the source, for example by treating wooden packing with heat before shipping to kill the longhorned beetle. In some cases, it's as simple as clearing any standing water from your balcony or backyard, to stop the spread of mosquitoes. But the experts stressed that insects weren't necessarily any worse than other invasive plants and animals, noting that "each group — and each invasion case — comes with its own biological and ecological complexities." Edited by: Tamsin Walker
RTÉ News
7 days ago
- Lifestyle
- RTÉ News
Watch: The psychology behind fast fashion shopping
Why are so many of us addicted to fast fashion shopping, even though we know it's bad for the environment and for fast fashion factory workers? The fashion industry as a whole accounts for around 10% of global emissions, according to the European Environment Agency. In Ireland, we consume more than double the clothing that people in other European countries do, and around 67,000 tonnes of textiles end up in landfill here every year. Millions of people are working in factories producing fast fashion items, mostly in countries with low labour costs. A European Parliament briefing on textile workers in developing countries found widespread violations of workers' rights, forced labour, unsafe workplaces and unhealthy working conditions. So why do we still consume fast fashion, when we know about these impacts? In our video, we speak to Solene Schirrer from sustainable fashion hub Fabric of Change about the psychology of fast fashion, the tactics brands are using to make you crave the dopamine hit of a fast fashion haul, and some tips to break the cycle of overconsumption.
Irish Times
13-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Why scheduling quiet time every day is good for your health
Do you have somewhere quiet where you can go? Spending time every day away from noise is good for your health. After air pollution, road, rail and air traffic noise is the second most important cause of ill health in western Europe, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Industry, construction, public works and neighbourhood noise all add to what it calls 'environmental noise'. Heart attack , stroke , reduced cognitive performance in children, severe annoyance and sleep disturbance can result from prolonged exposure to such noise, according to the WHO. It is estimated to cause 12,000 premature deaths, and to contribute to 48,000 new cases of heart disease in Europe every year, says the organisation. READ MORE Noise is a health problem for at least one in five EU citizens, according to the European Commission . Yikes. It's hard for urban dwellers to avoid noise, but they are not the only ones affected. In areas affected by noise, the proportion of people 'highly annoyed' by noise is greater in rural areas than noisy urban areas, according to the European Environment Agency . This suggests that unnatural sound, such as wind turbines, perhaps, is more annoying in the context of rural areas and perhaps masks other, more beneficial, natural sounds, according to the 2016 Quiet Areas in Europe report by the Agency. The Environmental Noise Directive is the main EU law for noise pollution. It requires countries to publish noise maps and action plans every five years. It isn't prescriptive about noise limits or mitigations, however. That's for member states to decide for themselves. Action will have to be ramped up if the number of people affected by transport noise is to be reduced by its target of 30 per cent by 2030, says the European Commission. [ Dublin Airport noise could cause heart issues for nearly 17,000 people living nearby Opens in new window ] One action is identifying and preserving areas where there is good environmental noise quality. This kind of tranquillity is often found where there is vegetation, low levels of man-made sounds and the dominance of natural sounds, according to the Quiet Areas report. The visual intrusion of man-made structures and buildings into an otherwise perceived natural landscape can also reduce the sense of tranquillity. Ireland ranked fourth in EU countries where people living in cities of more than 50,000 inhabitants had access to quiet areas within a one-hour drive, according to the report. Those living in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg had the least access to quiet areas. It's important for all of us to get respite from noise pollution and the Environmental Noise Directive allows for the designation and protection of quiet areas. Limerick City and County Council has some areas in mind. Since 2020 Limerick has been inviting its citizens to use the free Hush City app to record information on areas in the city and county where they find peace and tranquillity. This information is then available to policymakers, and it shows others where they can find peace and quiet too. As part of Limerick's Noise Action Plan 2024-2028, the council will assess sound in parks and other green spaces in Adare, Newcastle West, Croom and Abbeyfeale, gathering supportive evidence to have them officially designated as Quiet Areas. [ 'Like living near a helicopter': Residents fed up at takeaway delivery drones buzzing over their homes Opens in new window ] Limerick was ranked 'excellent' by the Environmental Protection Agency for its 2023 noise action plan progress report. The city and county have been using low-noise road surfaces, introducing traffic calming to reduce speeds, conducting noise monitoring surveys and prioritising cycling and walking routes. Noise is about culture and respect among people too. In some areas of Germany, you wouldn't dream of mowing your grass or cutting hedges between 1pm and 3pm as it is typical for older generations to sleep at this time. If you haven't stopped work, you will likely get a gentle reminder from a neighbour to do so. It's a two-way street, where neighbours assure each other some quiet time every day. So whether it's your phone on speaker on public transport, your strimmer going on a Sunday morning, or your dog barking all day, spare a thought for those around you. Don't make noise, make peace.
Daily Record
10-06-2025
- Daily Record
'Extraordinary' beach that 'feels like a Mediterranean paradise' is just hours from UK
For those wanting a picturesque location without committing to a long-haul flight, Croatia might be the perfect solution. A popular beach praised for its "Maldives charm" is just hours away from the UK. For holidaymakers wanting a picturesque location without committing to a long-haul flight, Croatia might be the perfect solution. Just a three-hour flight from the UK, Croatia is known for its white sand, turquoise seas, car-free islands and dramatic cliffside coves. According to rental experts Croatia offers all the beauty of the Maldives without the long-haul journey. Croatian coastal bathing areas, according to the European Environment Agency's report, are the cleanest in Europe. Tamed by its 1,244 islands, the Croatian sea is also very calm. In the summer, Croatian reaches temperatures of around 21 degrees in June and up to 28 degrees in August. Toni Hrelja, founder of shared a local's guide to Croatia's most beautiful beaches, including hidden gems where the "crystal-clear waters and stunning scenery rival the Maldives." Among them is Zlatni rat (Golden Horn) beach on Brač island. According to Toni, the name 'Golden Horn' comes from the beach's unique shape — a 'horn' that juts out from the island. Toni said: "With bright turquoise waters and deep blue gradients, this dreamy beach feels like a Mediterranean paradise. "While the water has that Maldives charm, the shade comes not from palm trees, but from pine trees, reminding you that you're still in Europe." Golden Horn beach is located on Brač, one of the largest Dalmatian islands. The beach is 4km from the town of Bol, making it slightly secluded, but not entirely remote due to its popularity. The beach has proven hugely popular with TripAdvisor reviewers, who have described it as "a place you will always return to," "unique," and "living up to the hype," with an impressive 3,410 reviews and an overall rating of four stars. Among them many reviews, one person said: "An extraordinary experience! A very beautiful beach, a pebble beach where you can enjoy the crystal waters of Zlatni Rat Beach." A second wrote: "Zlatni Rat is undeniably one of the most stunning beaches I've visited, with crystal-clear water and gorgeous views." A third added: "By far the most beautiful beach in Croatia and certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sea is so clean and turquoise that it is simply fantastic. This place is definitely a MUST VISIT." There are direct flights from London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Leeds to Split, a coastal town in Dalmatia. From Split to Bol (Brač) the passenger catamaran ride lasts up to one hour. There's also a ferry boat option (50 minutes) from Split to Supetar, for those opting to rent a car during their visit.
