About the EU Green Week
Pollution affects everybody – through the air we breathe, the water we drink or the land we grow our food on. 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. But pollution does not affect everybody equally. People who live in more deprived areas very often live close to contaminated sites or in areas where there is a very high flow of traffic. Pollution is also one of the main reasons for the loss of biodiversity. It reduces the ability of ecosystems to provide services such as carbon sequestration and decontamination.
But it can be prevented. The EU Action Plan toward a Zero Pollution Ambition is a key action of the European Green Deal scheduled for spring 2021. It will help to create a toxic-free environment across the EU by better monitoring and, reporting, and by preventing and remedying pollution from air, water, soil, and consumer products.
It will also support the post-COVID 19 recovery by helping to rebuild a more sustainable EU economy, creating job opportunities and reducing social inequalities. The European Green Week 2021 will be dedicated to the ‘zero pollution ambition’. It will also look at other relevant European Green Deal initiatives, such the climate initiatives, the upcoming Chemicals Strategy, as well as initiatives in the field of energy, industry, mobility, agriculture, fisheries, health and biodiversity.
EU Green Week 2021 will be an opportunity to engage with all stakeholders and interested citizens on how we can work together to make the ambition for a zero pollution and toxic-free environment a reality.
Do you have any questions?
Write to ENV-GREENWEEK@ec.europa.eu
About the European Green Deal
https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
Being part of EU Green Week is the opportunity to showcase the achievements of your organisation or city to a wider audience.
If you are planning an event between 3 May and 13 June 2021, or would like to organise one, why not register it as an EU Green Week partner event.
Any type of event is eligible, be it a workshop, guided tour, exhibition, fair, open day or an online event, etc.
The only requirement is that it needs to be relevant to the EU Green Week 2021 theme of Zero Pollution. This theme links with many issues, such as industry, chemicals, energy, mobility, agriculture and fisheries, biodiversity or climate, amongst many others.
Events can explore a wide range of questions, including:how does pollution affects our health and well being, how to achieve zero pollution production and consumption, the need to address the existing pollution legacy, how to establish integrated measuring and tracking of pollution to steer the change or how can we work together to create the zero pollution transformation
Please note that this does not mean that the event needs to focus exclusively on Zero Pollution. It can show links and connections with other areas, such as climate change, agriculture, circular economy, urban environment, and so forth.
It could even focus on a need for better governance, implementation of existing legislation, training and education or on how citizens could be better involved.
