Top » What measures does the EU take to implement Conservation and management of natural resources?

Published by Jeff Burns on 13.10.2009 in and previewed 79 times


Earth's population heavily relies on natural resources, in order to obtain raw materials such as food, energy and land and to produce an enormous increasing amount of waste by a growing human population, now of some six billion. UN's 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment states that two-thirds of the ecosystem services, on which humans depend is in decline. Europe's demands on the planet have risen by almost 70% since the early 1960's.

The use of land and sea have led to increased traffic congestion, energy use and pollution, increased risk from flooding and loss of landscapes, habitats, and biodiversity. Global patterns of resource use are of concern as they are reducing the earth's regenerative capacity and the services that nature provides. The loss of bio-diversity, prompted in part by climate change, has economic impacts, including on tourism and sectors such as agriculture that are dependent on ecosystem services (pollination, soil fertility, water availability and quality) or other sectors that use biological information as a source of innovation.

Following is a list of the goals and measures which EU is implementing towards conservation and management of natural resources:

1. The Commission will propose a directive on public procurement of green vehicles.

2. The EU will work with Member States and stakeholders to promote eco-innovation and to expand the market for eco-technologies.

3. The EU will provide funding and drive forward research and technology development in key areas including hydrogen and fuel cells.

4. The Commission will draw up an action plan to promote sustainable production and consumption, building on ongoing initiatives such as resource and waste policies, integrated product policy and standards, environmental management schemes and innovation and technology policies

5. Improve resource productivity; get more output from each unit of resource used and reduce the environmental damage (noxious emissions to air, water and soil as well as overexploitation of land and other resources) caused by each unit

6. Improve management and avoid overexploitation of renewable natural resources such as fisheries, biodiversity, forestry, water, air, soil and climate, restore degraded marine ecosystems

7. The EU and Member States should ensure sufficient funding and management of the Natura-2000 "ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the EU", and better integrate biodiversity concerns into internal and external policies to halt the loss of biodiversity.

One important fact that needs to be pointed out is to: "Safeguard the earth's capacity to support life in all its diversity, respect the limits of the planet's natural resources and promote sustainable production and consumption to break the link between economic growth and environmental degradation."

About Author

Jeff Burns writes for Nexreg Compliance Inc., a company that provides EU SDS authoring and MSDS services.

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