News
‘Climate is water’
Healthy rivers critical to global efforts to adapt to climate change, says new report.
21 July 2019
A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) reveals that Europe’s water resources are under serious pressure, with no significant progress made since 2009.
The report underscores the urgent need for stricter implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), significant changes to agricultural production, pollution reduction and urgent ecosystem restoration.
‘The persistently lousy state of Europe’s waters shows that Member States are failing to address the water crisis, year after year. The Water Framework Directive has been in place for over two decades, but its goals remain largely unmet because national governments do not take its requirements seriously.
‘Unfortunately, as reflected in the Draghi report, there are strong calls to weaken the directive’s standards to facilitate harmful projects, when what we truly need is to prioritise the protection of our water resources.’
CLAIRE BAFFERT
Senior EU policy officer, Water & Climate Change Adaptation at the WWF European Policy Office
According to the State of Water report, less than 40% of surface waters, such as rivers and lakes, are currently healthy.
Nearly 25% of groundwater bodies are not in good chemical status, even though they provide almost two-thirds of our drinking water.
The chemical status of rivers, lakes and coastal waters has further deteriorated, with less than 30% meeting the pollution standards set by the WFD.
While the EEA data shows that less than 30% of surface waters are in a good chemical state, Sara Johansson, senior policy officer for Water Pollution Prevention at EEB warns that this figure – while alarming – isn’t even giving the full picture.
‘It’s only assessed against a limited and outdated list of pollutants’, Sara says. ‘New quality standards for water must be adopted with urgency so that monitoring and planning of measures can be included in the next River Basin Management Plans.’
‘Thank you, EEA! We have heard the message loud and clear: our water resilience is at risk. The path forward to meet EU targets and improve the health of European waters is equally clear: wetland restoration over maladaptation. Building dams and relying on more grey infrastructure continues to prove counterproductive, often worsening the problems it aims to solve. Wetland restoration remains a low priority on the EU’s agenda, but for those concerned about devastating floods, droughts, the decline of freshwater fish, or access to water as a human right, this is truly a no-brainer.’
IRENE DUQUE
Freshwater policy officer at Wetlands International Europe
Harmful agricultural practices, particularly the intensive use of nutrients and pesticides, continue to be the most significant pressure on water.
Diffuse pollution pressures from agriculture affect 32% of groundwaters and 29% of surface waters.
Chemical pollution from coal-fired plants, along with alterations to rivers due to dam construction and straightening, also exerts considerable pressure on surface waters.
‘The state of Europe’s waters is a wake-up call for urgent action. As the EEA report shows, this is not only a European issue, but a global crisis. Restoring at least 25,000 km of rivers to their free-flowing state is not just an environmental necessity: it’s a commitment to biodiversity and our future.
‘Europe has a global commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nature Restoration Law to achieve this goal. We need to accelerate the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and prioritise water and ecosystem protection across all policies. The time to act is now, and delay is not an option.’
ANDRAS KROLOPP
Head of biodiversity policy at The Nature Conservancy Europe
Europeans are increasingly paying the price for their government’s inaction on the water crisis. According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, 78% of Europeans want the EU to do more to address water pollution.
The Living Rivers Europe NGO coalition is urging Member States to accelerate the implementation of the WFD to improve Europe’s waters and integrate water and ecosystem protection across all policies.
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