EFA

The European Environment Agency in Copenhagen have just released an enlightening  report on 'The European environment - State and outlook 2005' that provides a valuable overview of the state of the environment in 31 European countries over the last five years and points to the main environmental concerns such as climate change, air pollution etc. on which policy makers, businesses and individuals must act on now or pay a heavy price later. While progress has been made generally on air pollution, much remains to be done. According to the report, Europe loses 200 million working days a year to air pollution-related illness. While some of us look mainly at the effect of diseases on patients and the immediate causes, this report gives a wider view and we learn about outdoor air pollution, for example: “The OECD estimates that 6.4 % of deaths and illnesses in young European children are caused by outdoor pollution… Improvements in transport technologies, from hybrids to hydrogen fuelled vehicles, all have their parts to play in reducing the exposure. So, too, does urban planning“…   See the Executive summary of the report.