Climate Change

Brazilian sugarcane ethanol and the EU

Brazil is lobbying for biofuels to be introduced into the EU market, despite the reluctance of the scientific community and some NGOs.
Background One of the challenges of the century is the pollution resulting from CO2 gas emissions. Faced with the lack of high-level efforts to reduce these emissions, one alternative is to encourage the progressive replacement of gasoline with biofuels. Advocates for biofuels assert they are more eco-friendly, emit less greenhouse gas and are sustainable. (...)

The Second Citizens AGORA: Climate Change.

The second citizens Agora took place on the 12th-13th of June 2008. The Agora is originally a ancient Greek word for an open citizens debate, this being the idea behind the current Agoras.
The first Agora, as previously reported by EPHA, had the heady title of ’The Future of Europe’ and as many agreed was far too broad a topic. This second Agora was on the marginally slimmer topic of Climate Change.
Gerard Onesta, Vice-President of the European Parliament and architect of the Agora, opened (...)

"Protecting Health from Climate Change" - World Health Day, 7 April 2008

On occasion of the 2008 "World Health Day" the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the World Health Organisation held a conference on "Protecting Health from Climate Change" on 7 April 2008.
2008 World Health Day focused on the need to protect health from the adverse effects of climate change. The theme was selected in recognition that climate change is posing ever growing threats to global public health security.
The celebration of the World Health Day started (...)

HEAL and EUREGHA launch the "Climate Change and Health Good Practice Awards"

On the occasion of the year’s World Health Day 2008 the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the EUropean REGional Health Authorities (EUREGHA) network launch a Good Practice Award for local and regional mitigation and adaptation projects that simultaneously promote human health and protect the climate.
The competition has two awards categories: climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation, aiming to showcase health focused projects where establishments have reduced their (...)

New report about the health risks of heavy metals from long-range transboundary air pollution

The World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe has published a new report entitled “Health Risks of heavy metals from long-range transboundary air pollution” on the sources, chemical proprieties and spatial distribution of cadmium, lead and mercury pollution that evaluates the potential health risks in Europe.
The Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) was signed in 1979. Its recently activities persistent organic pollutants (Protocol on (...)

Primer on Environment and Health in Europe published

The Health and Environment Primer provides an introduction to European environmental health policy. The booklet sketches out basic environmental health concepts and maps out recent developments in the environment and health arena. It covers European policy developments in an accessible and approachable text that combines history with information about relevant organisations and web-page references. The primer is a resource to aid people can refer to find out about the important environment (...)

EPHA and HEAL conference on Climate Change and Public Health

EPHA and HEAL conference held on climate change and the challenges for Publci Health: priorities for EU Action.

EU Commission launches Green Paper on climate change

A Commission Green Paper on adapting to climate change promises a 2008 Communication on the health impacts and policies necessary because of climate change.
The European Commission, DG Environment, adopted a Green Paper on Adapting to Climate Change in Europe: options for EU action , on 29 June 2007. Commissioner Stavros Dimas gave a lecture on the subject in a conference that took place in Brussels on 3 July 2007.
The Green Paper on climate change is the Commission’s first comprehensive (...)

EU Commission urges EU states to reduce CO2 emissions

The European Commission, based on a status report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), has urged EU member states to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emission in a statement that took place on 14 June, in Brussels.
Commissioner Stravos Dimas has welcomed the EEA’s report which concludes that the European Union’s greenhouse gas emission fell by 0.7% in 2005. However, Mr. Dimas has underlined that member states need to improve their efforts to limit emissions (...)

Strengthening health systems to control the health effects of climate change, report says

The WHO/Europe’s publication entitled "Protecting health in Europe from climate change" urges European countries to strengthen their health system to respond to health threats due to climate change.
It is generally accepted by the scientific community that climate change affects health through changing weather patterns and altering ecosystems. These aspects are crucial determinants of availability and quality of necessary resources such as water, food and air that shape livelihoods.
The (...)