The European Environment Agency (eea)

In the autumn of 1994, the EU officially opened the European Environmental Agency (EEA) in Copenhagen. The main role of the EEA is, according to Mr Domingo Jiménez-Baltrán – the Spanish executive Director of the agency – to “provide efficient information to the policy-makers and to the public in general, in order to improve both decision-making and public participation in the process. We want to be a one-stop shop, so that anyone who wants to know about the environment in Europe only needs to come to us”.

The EEA closely cooperates with national and other authorities or independent organizations that have a similar mission. It draws together more that 50 national focal-point institutions, reference centres and ‘topic’ centres into an integrated network called EIONET. The agency is engaged in developing practical yardsticks for applying a precautionary principle of environmental risk management and judging for indicators of sustainable development that can provide solid bases for environmental decision making. The EEA has already produced an encyclopaedic overview (600 pages) of the state of the environment in Europe entitled the Dobrís Assessment (it is called so because it was commissioned at the pan-European meeting of environment ministers at the Czech castle of Dobrís in 1991).

EEA membership is not limited to EU members. Countries such as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and the three Baltic Republics are full members or are on their way to becoming members.

1. What is the main aim (role) of the EEA? 2. What does the EEA incorporate? 3. What has the EEA produced? 4. What country may become a member of this organization?

Ex. 17. Read the dialogue and complete it with proper expressions. You may use the prompts given in ex. 20.

The EEA decided to send the Environmental Inspection to Belarus in order to check how local pollution control agencies execute rules and regulations on environmental protection adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission.

• Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my honour to introduce Mr. Solieri, Mrs. Blacksmith and Mr. Hancock, the EEA Environment inspectors. They are eager to interview you about your work.

• It’s great pleasure for us to visit your research institute. We hear a lot about your work and achievements. But, we are greatly concerned about the ecological situation in Belarus. So, we’ve come here to investigate the state of environment protection and pollution control in Belarus. That is why we need some figures and facts.

What are the leading energy sources in Belarus? Are they fossil fuels? Nuclear power? Or renewable energy sources?

• …

• What is the level of air quality in Belarus? Do emissions of CO₂ (carbon dioxide), NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide), SO₂ (sulphur dioxide), lead exceed the thresholds?

• …

• What is done to control emissions from petrol vehicls?

• …

• Is sewage discharged into inland and ground waters?

• …

• Are nitrates used in chemical fertilizers for agriculture? And in what amounts?

• …

• Thank you so much for the information and your co-operation. We’ll see you next year. Good bye.

Ex. 18. Act out the dialogue.

Ex. 19. Fill in the blanks with the given words and act out the dialogue.

biosphere reserve ecosystems preservation

have been preserved captive rearing

species inhabit plant species

the flora extinct dying out

research observations phenomena

protected areas preserved forests

The same EEA Environment Inspection continues monitoring the ecological situation in Belarus by visiting one of the biggest national reserves “The Berezinsky Reserve”.

• When and why was it founded?

• The Berezinsky Reserve was founded in 1925. It became a … … in 1979, it is the oldest reserve in Belarus.

• How was the territory for the reserve chosen?

• This is a single territory in Europe where vast mires, black-alder wood tracts and other unique nature ecosystems of the subzone of broad-leaved and spruce … of Belarus … … … practically untouched and unchanged.

• What are the main objectives and aims of the Berezinsky Reserve?

• Here experiments on …, rehabilitation and … … of the aboriginal animal and plant … are carried out.

• What amount of animal and plant … is under protection in Belarus?

• Quite a lot. The reserves and the national parks play an important role in the … of the Republic genetic fund 59 … of mammals (80,8% of the total number in Belarus fauna) … their territories, 789 … … have been found in the … of the Berezinsky reserve.

• Are there any rare … … from the Red Data Book?

• Oh, sure, 34 out of 789 and it’s quite alarming because every year the number of … species grows.

• And what is done in the Republic to prevent them from … …?

• The reserves and the National Parks are nature laboratories where nature … are maintained in natural state. At the same time they are … laboratories where long-term … on natural … and life of animals and plants are carried out. Moreover, 80,8% of mammals, inhabiting the Belarusian territory, 91,4% of birds, 100% of reptiles, 100% of amphibia, 60,7% of fish are found on the … …, which means that they are not only observed but … as well.

• Thank you ever so much for the information and good luck and all the best to you and your work.

Ex. 20. Make up your own dialogues by analogy. Use the following words, as well as words from the dialogues and from the texts.

• collection and disposal of domestic waste

• keeping the streets cleat of litter

• control of air pollution from domestic and industrial premises

• to regulate the major pollution risks to air, water and land

• recycling of waste materials

• to leave litter in a public place

• to ensure a reliable water supply

• dumping of waste

• to minimize pollution damage from …

• to experience poor air quality

• emissions from the growing number of motor vehicles

• smogs (smoke-laden fogs)

• airborne particles and other pollutants

• to control emissions of black smoke from commercial and industrial premises

• to reduce sulphur levels in petrol by (70%)

• to increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources

• ozone losses, ozone destruction, ozone depletion

• man-made elements

• disposal of radioactive waste

• increasing consumption of natural resources

• the biodiversity preservation

• 3 state reserves in the Republic of Belarus: the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve (1925), the Pripiatsky Hydrologic Landscape Reserve (1965), the Polessky Radiation Ecologic Reserve (1988)

• to be under strict protection

• to be recorded into the Red Data Book

• research outputs

• to be of great scientific value

• to take part in international programmes such as UNESCO’s MAB (Man and Biosphere), GEF (World Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

Ex. 21. Answer the following questions. Support your ideas using the information from the previous texts and exercises:

1. Why is the problem of protecting our nature so important now? 2. How can we keep our Earth clean? 3. How has the world changed since you were a child? (technology, values, environment, health). 4. What are some ways that you can reduce pollution in Belarus? 5. What can government do to reduce pollution?