Environmental pollution is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss.
EU Green Week 2021, taking place from today (Monday, May 31) until Friday (June 4), is putting the spotlight on zero pollution.
During this week – which is Europe’s biggest annual event on environmental policy – possibilities to make the EU’s zero pollution ambition a reality will be explored.
Main drivers of biodiversity loss
The mostly virtual week will include a conference along with more than 600 partner events taking place all over Europe.
Some of these events include the launch of the Consumer Footprint Calculator and the EU LIFE Awards.
Pollution affects us all, according to the European Commission, and it is the largest environmental cause of multiple mental and physical diseases and of premature deaths, especially among children, people with certain medical conditions and the elderly.
It is also one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss.
EU Action Plan
EU Green Week comes hot on the heels of the commission’s adoption of the EU Action Plan: ‘Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil’, a key deliverable of the European Green Deal.
This action plan sets out an integrated vision for 2050: a world where pollution is reduced to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems, as well as the steps to get there.
The plan ties together relevant EU policies to tackle and prevent pollution, with a special emphasis on how to use digital solutions to tackle pollution.