Publikation

Environmental Inequality In Europe

Environmental pressures within the EU show a decreasing trend in a growing number of fields, for example air pollution. However, environmental inequality among social groups within the EU is a persistent problem that can increase under decreasing average pollution levels. Whether or not this is the case has not yet been researched in a consistent approach at the EU or Member State level. Environmental inequality, in this report, is shown to be associated with growing social inequalities, for example in income, wealth, housing, and access to public amenities in the living environment. Furthermore, urbanisation, leading to hotspots of high population numbers and (coupled) environmental burden, tends to lead to areas where people either enjoy the ‘double blessing’ of a higher income in a high quality environment, and ‘double burden’ areas where vulnerable groups tend to be exposed to more polluted environments. Finally, environmental inequalities at the global level are increasingly associated with displacement of environmental pressures in relation to European production and consumption patterns.