Europe has made big strides in cutting pollution that drives climate change – but its natural world is in deep trouble, the EU’s environment watchdog has warned.
The warning comes in the European Environment Agency’s Europe’s Environment 2025 report, a flagship assessment published only once every five years.
Drawing on data from 38 countries, it offers the clearest picture yet of how climate change and damage to nature are threatening Europe’s future well-being and prosperity.
“Significant progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, but the overall state of Europe’s environment is not good,” the report said.
Nature under strain
The EEA says Europe has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent since 1990 and more than doubled the share of renewable energy since 2005. Cleaner air has saved lives – deaths linked to fine pollution particles have fallen by nearly half since 2005.
But nature is still being degraded. More than four out of five protected habitats are in poor condition. Much of the soil is exhausted, and only about a third of rivers and lakes are healthy.
One in three Europeans lives in areas where water is under serious stress.
Europe is also warming faster than any other continent, making heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods more frequent and more destructive.
In 2022 extreme heat was linked to more than 70,000 deaths. Floods in Slovenia in 2023 caused damage equal to 16 percent of that country’s economy.
Air pollution continues to cause about 239,000 premature deaths a year across the EU, and traffic noise contributes to another 66,000 deaths.
“This report is a stark reminder that Europe must stay the course and even accelerate our climate and environmental ambitions,” said Teresa Ribera, the EU executive vice-president for clean transition.
Indigenous knowledge steers new protections for the high seas
She warned that recent extreme weather had shown how fragile Europe’s prosperity and security become when nature is damaged and the climate crisis intensifies.
“Protecting nature is not a cost. It is an investment in competitiveness, resilience and the well-being of our citizens.”
Others in Brussels echoed similar concerns.
EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said the wildfires and floods of recent years showed that “the costs of inaction are enormous, and climate change poses a direct threat to our competitiveness”.
Meanwhile environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said Europe’s economy ultimately depends on healthy ecosystems.
“Healthy nature is the basis for a healthy society, a competitive economy and a resilient world, which is why the EU is committed to stay the course on our environmental commitments,” she said.
France’s green challenge
The country profiles underscores the mixed picture in individual member states.
France has cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent since 1990, including an 8 percent drop between 2022 and 2023. It now protects nearly a third of its land, and water quality has improved.
But France still relies heavily on fossil fuels. Renewables supplied just 22 percent of its energy use in 2023 – well short of the 33 percent target for 2030. Only about one in 10 French farms is organic, far below the goal of nearly one in five by 2027.
Recycling and reuse of materials also lag behind.
A national water plan launched in 2023 set 53 steps to safeguard supplies as droughts become more common. The EEA says Europe as a whole could save up to 40 percent of its water in farming, energy and daily use with better management and modern technology.
Economy at risk
The report warns that the loss of healthy ecosystems threatens Europe’s economy.
Nearly three-quarters of businesses in the eurozone depend on natural systems such as pollination and clean water. Most bank loans go to companies that rely on these resources.
“Human survival depends on high-quality nature, particularly when it comes to adaptation to climate change,” said Catherine Ganzleben, head of the EEA’s Sustainable and Fair Transitions unit.
“Sustainability is not a choice, it is a question of when we do it. Do we do it in the short term and start now, or do we park it, in which case it is going to be harder and the costs of inaction will be higher?”
Could peatlands protect Europe's eastern borders from a Russian invasion?
Environmental groups have urged the EU not to weaken its laws.
“Delaying the EU Deforestation Regulation or weakening our nature and water laws would be historic and irreversible mistakes,” said Ester Asin, head of WWF’s European policy office.
Her call for strong rules was echoed by the European Environment Agency itself.
“We cannot afford to lower our climate, environment and sustainability ambitions. What we do today will shape our future,” said EEA director Leena Ylä-Mononen.
The agency says reaching climate-neutrality by 2050 will require faster cuts in emissions from transport and farming, much greater recycling and the large-scale repair of damaged natural areas.
