Opportunities for achieving the sustainable development goals through assessing health in environmental assessments

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Nowacki ◽  
O Mekel ◽  
P Martin-Olmedo ◽  
B Cave
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Preventive Action ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
European Investment

Abstract The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for tackling environmental risks at their root, that is, through a shift towards primary preventive actions and the promotion of healthy choices. Reducing the 13 million deaths resulting from environmental risks each year requires efficient scale-up of primary preventive action involving all key stakeholders, across all sectors. Decisions taken on the drivers of health risks should have the attainment and protection of good health as an explicit aim in key sectors such as energy, transport, housing, labour, industry, food systems and agriculture, water and sanitation, and urban planning. A key tool for such actions can be seen in Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) and an enhanced integration of health assessments into environmental impact assessments (EIA). In many countries worldwide, legally binding instruments exist which are concerned with assessing the impacts of policies, programmes, plans and projects on the environment to contributes to a high level of protection of the environment and human health. Within the European Union (EU) the EIA Directive 2014/52/EU names human health among the topics to be addressed when conducting an EIA. The amended EIA Directive also includes issues that are relevant to human health, for example, climate change and vulnerability (exposure and resilience) to major accidents and/or disasters. These amendments are relevant also beyond EU borders through, for example, the policies of the European Investment Bank. A paper recently developed by IAIA and EUPHA provides insights to the EIA Directive to raise awareness among health authorities and public health professionals on the potential for primary preventive actions and promotion of healthy choices outside the health sector. Key messages will be presented and further discussed with the audience on how achieving the 2030 Agenda can be supported through impact assessments and the enhanced involvement of health authorities.

scholarly journals The Warming Climate Aggravates Atmospheric Nitrogen Pollution in Australia

Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yi Sun ◽  
Baojing Gu ◽  
Hans J. M. van Grinsven ◽  
Stefan Reis ◽  
Shu Kee Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
European Union ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Nitrogen Cycle ◽  
Atmospheric Nitrogen ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Cost ◽  
Warming Climate ◽  
The Usa

Australia is a warm country with well-developed agriculture and a highly urbanized population. How these specific features impact the nitrogen cycle, emissions, and consequently affect environmental and human health is not well understood. Here, we find that the ratio of reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses to air over losses to water in Australia is 1.6 as compared to values less than 1.1 in the USA, the European Union, and China. Australian Nr emissions to air increased by more than 70% between 1961 and 2013, from 1.2 Tg N yr-1 to 2.1 Tg N yr-1. Previous emissions were substantially underestimated mainly due to neglecting the warming climate. The estimated health cost from atmospheric Nr emissions in Australia is 4.6 billion US dollars per year. Emissions of Nr to the environment are closely correlated with economic growth, and reduction of Nr losses to air is a priority for sustainable development in Australia.

scholarly journals Understanding health behavior changes in response to outbreaks: findings from a longitudinal study of a large epidemic of mosquito-borne disease.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Raude ◽  
Kathleen McColl ◽  
Claude Flamand ◽  
Themis Apostolidis
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Preventive Action ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Social Visibility ◽  
Regional Health Authorities ◽  
Protective Behaviours

Rationale. Although greater attention has been recently given to the ecological determinants of health behaviours, we still do not know much about the behavioural changes induced by the spread of infectious diseases. Objective. In this study, we took advantage of a large epidemic of chikungunya, an emerging mosquito-borne disease, in French Guiana to examine the dynamic interaction between risk-related perceptions and behaviours that occurs in response to a disease outbreak. In particular, we tested empirically the assumption that both risk perceptions and health behaviours were elastic with respect to prevalence of chikungunya. Methods. A representative sample of French Guianan (N=434) was interviewed in January 2015 just after the peak of the epidemic, and again 2 months later. Participants were asked about their perceptions of the threat, as well as their engagement in a range of protective behaviours promoted by the regional health authorities to control the spread of the disease. Results. The surveys showed that (1) the frequency of some health behaviours – those related to visible control methods – significantly increased with the subjective and objective prevalence of the disease, (2) perceived risk of infection for oneself tended to decrease considerably over time, and (3) the risk reappraisal hypothesis failed to account for this paradoxical trend in the people’s response to the risk of contracting the disease. Conclusion. These findings suggest that people may fail to adjust their risk perceptions, and to a lesser extent their health protective behaviours, to the course of an epidemic. Notably, the prevalence elasticity of preventive action found in previous studies of behavioural response to infectious diseases differed substantially according to the type of intervention (personal versus environmental methods). This paradoxical trend may be attributed to risk habituation effects, which seem to vary significantly according to the social visibility of the preventive actions.

scholarly journals Analysis of selected aspects of the railway safety in the European Union

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 378-381
Author(s):  
Tomasz Ciszewski ◽  
Waldemar Nowakowski ◽  
Marcin Chrzan
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
European Community ◽  
Safety Culture ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Safety Level ◽  
Regulatory Authorities ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Railway Safety ◽  
Practical Experiences

Sustainable development of railway companies is conditioned by safety, which is why each railway operator should continually strive to improve safety and reduce the number of accidents. The requirements for reporting incidents and analyses are regulated at the European Community level. The regulatory authorities - national and European - are responsible for monitoring the safety culture. On the basis of the acquired data and safety indicators the authors analysed trends related to the European railways safety level. Comparative analyses carried out for individual EU countries allowed to find the main causes of accidents and indicate selected corrective actions that can be taken to improve safety and reduce accident costs. Previous practical experiences show that the costs of preventive actions are much smaller than the costs of eliminating the effects of accidents. Although the results of the analysis clearly show that consistent efforts in the safety area lead to a structural reduction in the number of accidents, there is still significant scope for improvements in many areas.

scholarly journals Sustainable development goals and the European Cohesion Policy: an application to the autonomous Region of Sardinia

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Cavalli ◽  
Sandro Sanna ◽  
Mia Alibegovic ◽  
Filippo Arras ◽  
Gianluca Cocco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cohesion Policy ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Paramount to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the effective tackling of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) is the cooperation and coordination of the different levels of government—i.e. the supranational, national and local levels. This is due to the very nature of the SDGs, which are multi-dimensional and intended to guide and boost sustainable development at multiple scales. The European Union (EU) demonstrated a full commitment to the Agenda, making sustainable development a top priority. In fact, the five strategic objectives of the EU are modelled on the principles of the 2030 Agenda and the Cohesion Policy, EU’s most transversal policy, is designed to give a direct contribution to the tackling of the 17 SDGs. Introducing a new methodology to evaluate the sustainability of operational programmes co-financed by the EU, the following paper aims to contribute to the building literature around the question of monitoring public investments regarding sustainability criteria. By matching the 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda with the 143 intervention fields of the Cohesion Policy, with specific reference to Sardinia’s European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund 2014–2020 Regional Operational Programmes, the present work introduces the key features of the model developed and its first results. The model could be of valuable support to policymakers who now have an innovative tool to monitor investments’ coherence with the sustainability standards of the 2030 Agenda.

scholarly journals From the circular economy to the sustainable development goals in the European Union: an empirical comparison

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Miguel Rodríguez-Antón ◽  
Luis Rubio-Andrada ◽  
María Soledad Celemín-Pedroche ◽  
Soraya María Ruíz-Peñalver
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe European Union (EU) is trying to accelerate the transition from the current linear economy to a circular economy (CE). In fact, the CE is considered a tool to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs). In this sense, this paper aims at analysing the interaction between the CE and SDGs in the context of the new 2030 Agenda and the European CE strategy; thus contributing to the scarce empirical literature that links the potential of the European CE strategy to the achievement of the SDGs set by the 2030 Agenda. Three specific research questions have been formulated. First, could the objectives defined in the 2030 Agenda be considered homogeneous, and could they uniquely measure the concept of sustainability? Second, are there significant correlations between the implementation of a CE in the EU and the SDGs? Finally, is the behaviour of the 28 countries that make up the EU homogeneous in terms of the results of the initiatives aimed at the implementation of a CE? From these questions, nine hypotheses are put forward concerning the possible relationships between a CE implementation and the fulfilment of SDGs in the EU. Using a correlation analysis, an exploratory factor analysis, and a cluster analysis, it has been demonstrated that (a) SDGs do not univocally measure the concept of sustainability; (b) there are significant relationships between CE and SDGs in the EU; (c) the behaviour of these European countries is not homogeneous.

scholarly journals The Consumption of Mineral Fertilizers and Herbicides in Poland Against the Background of the European Union

2018 ◽  
Vol 18(33) (1) ◽  
pp. 194-202
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Piwowar
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Countries

The popularity of fertilizers and plant protection treatments with chemical preparations is based, among other factors, on their ease of use and fast effects. This paper presents an analysis of the consumption of selected agrochemicals in EU-28 agriculture in type and spatial arrangement. The main aim of the article is to present changes in the examined scope, including the identification of Poland's rank in the consumption of selected agrochemicals against the background of European Union countries. According to the analysis, the consumption of mineral fertilizers and herbicides in Poland is one of the highest in Europe. Due to potential threats to human health and life and environmental risks, special attention should be paid to agricultural practices with regard to the use of agrochemicals.

scholarly journals Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Romania

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Firoiu ◽  
George H. Ionescu ◽  
Anca Băndoi ◽  
Nicoleta Mihaela Florea ◽  
Elena Jianu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Implementation Status

Romania needs a change of the current development paradigm to face the challenges of the 21st century. As a member of the European Union, leaders in Romania are is interested in implementing the principles of sustainable development at a national level to reduce development gaps, to increase citizens’ well-being, and to preserve a clean environment. The purpose of this research is to determine the implementation status of the 2030 Agenda sustainable development goals (SDG) in Romania and to explore to what extent Romania will be able to reach, for the 2030 horizon, EU average values for the selected indicators. The research is based on 107 indicators that monitored the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Eurostat database (sustainable development indicators) was the source of data in terms of their availability and integrity. The research results showed that the implementation status of SDG is sub-optimal. In the case of 40 indicators out of the 107 analyzed, forecasts indicate the possibility of reaching the EU average values by 2030. However, the country can remain on the path to sustainable development only by involving all stakeholders and increasing concrete and well-targeted measures to improve SDG indicators.

Sustainable Development Policies in the Context of Globalization

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 232-237
Author(s):  
Mircea-Sebastian Mancia ◽  
Aurora Mancia ◽  
Gabriela A. Popoviciu ◽  
Liliana Paina
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
General Meeting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Policies

AbstractThe EU, founded about 70 years ago (1957), to ensure the peace of Europe and the entire world; today, another mission of the European Union is “the well-being and survival of our citizens” (Fr. Timmermans - European Commission COM22 30.01.2019). Sustainable development aims to improve the life of citizens of Europe through lasting economic growth while setting the priorities related to this desire. In 2015, the UN General Meeting adopted the 2030 Agenda and in 2017 the “Declaration from Rome of the leaders of the European states that are members of the European Union” was signed. Through these documents, the necessary and obligatory steps have been established to protect the planet and to ensure the needs of future generations. The objectives set are for the long-term modification of economic development, respecting, and protecting the resources and the environment in the context of future sustainable development. Being UN and EU member and being signed by the Romanian government of the “2030 Agenda”, it launched in November 2018 “The National Strategy for the Sustainable Development of Romania 2030”, which takes into account the present needs and those of future generations, focusing on the respect for the citizen.

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