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Europe for the Environment: A Bonus for Citizens

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Subido el 16 de julio de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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Four concrete examples of where the EU’s environmental action has had an impact on the ground, resulting in tangible benefits for its citizens. 1- In his little community of Greenore in Ireland, James Larkin has battled for years to give public recognition to the illegality of two sites of refuse dumping that have changed the marine shore and presented numerous health risks to the public. The Irish authorities have never pursued the charges. As a last resort, James and eleven others plaintiffs turned towards the European Commission, which recognised the existence of a series of violations of the EC’s waste legislation. After several warnings went unheeded, the case was sent to the EU’s Court of Justice, which brought proceedings against Dublin. 2- Doris Andelova lives in the Czech Republic, in the heart of what use to be called «The Black Triangle ». In this area bordering Germany and Poland, a large rehabilitation project of major significance has been initiated and supported by the European Union, allowing the region to make a new start and its inhabitants to take on a new lease of life. 3- For the Polar explorer Alain Hubert, climate change is far from being an abstract phenomenon. Three years ago, his journey across the Artic was stopped by the abnormal melting of the ice-barrier. Since then as the head of the International Polar Foundation, Alain Hubert has decided to make the wider public aware of the issues behind climate change and the importance of the struggle against climate change launched by the European Union. 4- The Slovene company Gorenje is a heavyweight on the European market in the manufacture of household, white goods. In the ’90’s, anticipating the entry of Slovenia into the EU, the company aimed at manufacturing goods fully meeting environmental EU rules and even exceeding them. An economic and strategic choice, which today acts as the motor behind their profitability.

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When it comes to quality of life, Europeans have a major concern, the environment. 00:00:00
In April 2005, a Eurobarometer survey looked at the concerns and desires of citizens in the Union's 25 member states. 00:00:06
It identified three major worries, water pollution, air pollution and climate change. 00:00:13
The survey also shows that Europeans would welcome better application of legislation, 00:00:19
as well as economic policies which increasingly integrate the environmental dimension. 00:00:25
In each of these areas, which are cross-border by definition, the European Union is taking action. 00:00:30
For more than 30 years, it's been establishing environmental policy and legislation, 00:00:37
which offers the added value that no single member state could supply on its own. 00:00:43
Pollution is the major concern for Europeans. 00:00:53
A picture is worth a thousand words. 00:00:59
This is the pine forest in the Karkonoszy National Park in Poland, which had fallen victim to acid rain. 00:01:01
This is the same national park ten years later, with vegetation entirely restored, 00:01:09
thanks to a project aimed at drastically reducing air pollution, notably from sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide. 00:01:14
So how was all this achieved? 00:01:23
The forest is located in what was called the Black Triangle, where Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic meet. 00:01:26
Until the early 90s, it was one of the most polluted areas in Europe. 00:01:35
All three countries were affected. 00:01:39
These are pictures from that time. 00:01:41
Factories and enormous coal-fired power stations are working at full capacity, 00:01:43
to the detriment of the environment and public health. 00:01:47
This is the other side of the border, in the Czech Republic. 00:01:51
In this seriously affected area, air pollution still remains a major concern, as in all the new member states. 00:01:55
Doris Andilova knows the Black Triangle well, because she still lives in the region. 00:02:02
She remembers. 00:02:06
There was a lot of ash everywhere. 00:02:21
It was impossible to breathe, because there was a lot of dirt. 00:02:23
Children could not go outside, because of the fog. 00:02:27
It happened once that we could not see next to the house, 00:02:31
and we did not even notice the huge fog and smoke. 00:02:35
In 1991, with the prospect of enlargement, 00:02:41
the three governments, under the auspices of the European Union, 00:02:44
began a joint action to clean up the region. 00:02:47
The power stations were equipped with desulfurization installations. 00:02:50
The mines and chemical factories have been closed down. 00:02:54
Coal-fired domestic heating has been converted to natural gas, which is much cleaner. 00:02:57
Air quality is permanently monitored. 00:03:04
Not surprisingly, over 14 years, sulfur dioxide levels have reduced by 93%, 00:03:18
nitrous oxide by 79%, and dust by 97%. 00:03:24
The impact of Europe's action in the area is undeniable. 00:03:29
The Black Triangle has changed color. 00:03:32
After pollution, it's climate change that concerns Europeans most. 00:03:37
The Arctic Ocean is a region which is essential in keeping our climate balanced. 00:03:47
In 2002, Belgian explorer Alain Hubert set out on a 2,400 km expedition to cross this ocean of ice, 00:03:51
which he had to abandon after 68 days. 00:03:59
Why? The quality of the ice. 00:04:02
As these pictures show, it was giving way completely and becoming water. 00:04:05
On average, the ice is no more than 1,50 m thick, 00:04:09
whereas a century ago, Norwegian explorer Fritjof Nansen recorded thicknesses of 5 to 6 m. 00:04:12
The term global warming really takes on its true meaning in the Arctic Ocean. 00:04:19
Today, Alain Hubert is the president of the International Polar Foundation, 00:04:43
which will soon move into these offices in Brussels. 00:04:47
He believes that Europe is pursuing the right strategy to counter this extremely rapid climate change, 00:04:50
caused notably by carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. 00:04:55
The Arctic Ocean is a region which is essential in keeping our climate balanced. 00:05:01
The Arctic Ocean is a region which is essential in keeping our climate balanced. 00:05:05
The Arctic Ocean is a region which is essential in keeping our climate balanced. 00:05:10
I believe that Europe has a unique role in this matter. 00:05:13
Its will to bring an end to the Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in February, is historic. 00:05:16
Because by doing so, it places the environment at the centre of the economic development of the future. 00:05:25
And that is the only key to being able to move forward tomorrow. 00:05:31
First of all, it is a vision, an international agreement. 00:05:35
And God knows if it is difficult to obtain. 00:05:39
And Kyoto, we know, not everyone participates. 00:05:42
So it is truly an initiative that comes from our industrialised countries, 00:05:45
because we have this awareness, because we have this capacity as Europeans to anticipate. 00:05:51
On his scientific expeditions, Alain Hubert sees the effect of climate change first-hand. 00:05:58
And these pictures are evidence. 00:06:03
The Arctic ice is becoming softer and softer. 00:06:05
As an explorer, Hubert is really in a good position to measure the importance of large-scale environmental action, 00:06:08
such as that undertaken by the European Union, on the international scene. 00:06:14
He will soon be off to the Antarctic. 00:06:18
Nearly one European in two expresses a desire to see environmental legislation better applied. 00:06:20
It is possible for each European citizen to change the environmental stakes in his or her own country. 00:06:26
This has been proven in Ireland, on the Coulee Peninsula. 00:06:32
Over there on the horizon is the small village of Greenor. 00:06:35
It is one of the 12 places from where the European Commission has received complaints about waste management. 00:06:38
James Larkin is one of the protesters. 00:06:44
The problem? Two illegal dumps next to the harbour. 00:06:46
After a long struggle, the news has just come in. 00:06:50
The European Court of Justice has found Ireland guilty of persistent general violation of the waste directive at all 12 sites. 00:06:53
The court's decision was delivered a few days ago, on April 26, 2005. 00:07:01
It's a victory for me and for, I suppose, the environment in general. 00:07:07
I always knew it was a dump site. 00:07:12
Our authorities in Ireland felt it wasn't, and basically what this is is an independent judgment to say, 00:07:14
yes, the evidence suggests this is a dump site. 00:07:20
Alongside the harbour is Greenor Beach. 00:07:23
This is what it's all about. 00:07:26
This is how the beach in Greenor has looked for hundreds of years, a gently sloping beach down to the sea. 00:07:29
And here behind me is the result of years of dumping by a private company onto what is a public beach. 00:07:35
It was a naturally sloping beach, a great place for anglers and well used for fishermen, until this dumping started in around about 1990. 00:07:45
This construction materials dump continued to operate until 1997, 00:07:59
when James' association, Tidy Tunes, took its complaint to the European Commission. 00:08:03
After several warnings, the commission brought the case to the European Court of Justice. 00:08:09
14,000 cubic metres of concrete and gravel are still here, and at a second site at the other end of the harbour. 00:08:14
It's a protected zone, a shellfish designated area, and a national heritage site. 00:08:23
But the company running the dump has never been bothered by the Irish authorities. 00:08:29
The Court of Justice has now ruled against the situation, and there's new hope of cleaning up and rehabilitating these sites. 00:08:34
The judgment is very positive, yes. 00:08:42
It basically shows what the power of one can do. 00:08:45
We took it to Europe, we won the case. 00:08:51
For James, Europe clearly brings added value at the environmental level. 00:08:56
The judgment has double significance for him. 00:09:00
The first benefit is that the two days after the court judgment, 00:09:03
the Minister for the Environment in Ireland issued a diktat to his councils not to allow this type of dumping in the future. 00:09:07
The second one is that even if the Irish authorities are not in a position to reply to your correspondence or deal with the problem, 00:09:15
there is another avenue through the European Court of Justice. 00:09:24
A double lesson that he shares with the other complainants, citizens' associations and NGOs whom Europe has judged to be in the right. 00:09:27
Another lesson, for the vast majority of Europeans, the environment is above all a driver of innovation. 00:09:37
Gorinja is the domestic appliance brand in Slovenia, producing ovens, refrigerators and washing machines, 00:09:44
whose electrical components are traditionally synonymous with substances that are dangerous for the environment. 00:09:50
Gorinja produces 3 million appliances a year and sells them not only in Slovenia, but also in 21 other countries in Europe as well as in Russia. 00:09:56
In 2004, turnover increased by 8.8% and profits by 3.5%. 00:10:05
In short, the business is doing well, despite the difficulties this sector is facing internationally. 00:10:11
This is what Gorinja is doing by offering its customers not only environmentally friendly products, 00:10:28
but also by producing their domestic appliances in an ecological way. 00:10:33
Gorinja has adapted its production process to satisfy European legislation, 00:10:38
which is becoming increasingly strict in terms of environmental standards. 00:10:42
Today, 80% of environmental legislation applied in the Member States is European. 00:11:08
The increase in the level of environmental protection and the introduction of strict norms 00:11:14
results in a general improvement in the quality of the lives of all Europe's citizens. 00:11:18
www.gorinjaproductions.eu 00:11:37
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
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      • Nivel Intermedio
Autor/es:
The European Union
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
744
Fecha:
16 de julio de 2007 - 14:25
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
European Commission
Duración:
11′ 43″
Relación de aspecto:
1.45:1
Resolución:
488x336 píxeles
Tamaño:
60.07 MBytes

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