European perspectives on global health: a policy glossary

2. Europe must include global health in all fields of policy
issues, through policy actions targeted at air quality
( Clean Air for Europe, CAFE ), water quality, or the
regulation of chemicals ( Registration, Evaluation
and Authorisation of Chemicals, REACH ). Following
a 2003 proposal from the <strong>European</strong> Commission,
the “<strong>European</strong> Environment & Health Action Plan
2004-2010” was launched, with the specific goal
of creating an integrated environment and health
information system to improve knowledge on the links
between the sources of pollution and health effects.
Indeed, although the quality of water and air has seen
improvements since the inception of environmental
programmes and the control of chemical through
REACH has progressed, as mentioned above there is
still much to be done to reduce the environmental
impact on health in Europe. The Environment and
Health Action Plan was designed to provide scientific
information to limit the environmental impact on
health and to promote better cooperation between
the environmental, health, and research sectors while
improving communication on environmental issues.
While additional knowledge of the multi-causal
environmental factors of ill health is necessary, this
can only constitute a first step in an environmental
approach and strategy for Europe. Given the
complexity of environmental issues, health policies
that address environmental determinants such as
transport, urbanisation, use of pesticides and energy
policies are essential. For that, an integrated approach
is required, with enhanced cooperation between the
health and other relevant sectors. Mechanisms to
coordinate this cooperation should be put in place,
possibly involving the <strong>European</strong> Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control. To respond to the pressing
need for environmental protection within its borders,
the EU will also need to go beyond data collection
and analysis and ensure that its commitment to
examine the health impact of all economic and social
policies is applied in practice. Given the differences in
exposure and resulting inequalities in the burden of
environmental diseases by country, targeted actions
directed at reducing the environmental impact,
particularly in Eastern countries still catching up in
terms of economic development, should be considered
as well.
To insert these initiatives in a long-term vision, the
assessment and management of environmental
health risks must be done within a framework
Global Health Policy Glossary
of sustainability. In a proposal made in 2001 to
the Gothenburg <strong>European</strong> Council, the <strong>European</strong>
Commission described a “<strong>European</strong> strategy
for sustainable development”, which explicitly
includes environmental degradation and resources
consumption as key factors to address in the
development of the EU. In 2002, the Commission
extended the reach of its sustainable development
strategy to the global level.
That same year, the EU and its Member States ratified
the Kyoto protocol to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, which commits most
<strong>European</strong> states to reducing their collective emissions
of six greenhouse gases by 8 % by the period 2008-
2012. This ratification reflects the EU’s commitment
to both environmental issues and sustainable
development, which relies heavily on addressing the
latter. The EU has enduringly been one of the strongest
advocates and negotiators for the Kyoto Protocol. At
the time of the ratification, the 15 members of the
EU working in unison managed to have a maximum
impact on the negotiations and the implementation
of the Kyoto agreement. The EU is also striving to
remain at the forefront of the battle against climate
change by working on a strategy post-2012, outlined
in a Commission communication on “Winning the
Battle Against Climate Change” from February 2005.
For now, measures to reduce emissions further in
the EU, and at the lowest economic cost, are still
needed, such as the EU-wide carbon dioxide emissions
trading system, which allocates permits to polluting
industries to emit a certain amount of carbon, with the
possibility to sell unused permits through the carbon
market
Indeed the impacts of <strong>European</strong> health and
environmental protection on global health are
manifold. Recent human bio-monitoring data show
increased body concentrations of some accumulative
substances, reflecting increased contamination of the
environment. This process does not stop at <strong>European</strong>
borders. Pollution created in Europe impacts upon the
global environment by adding to global warming and
the release of pollutants into the air and seas. The
full extent of the future impact of climate change is
uncertain, it seems likely to destabilise local climatic
conditions leading to more extreme weather events. It
could halt the flow of the Gulf Stream system bringing
severe winters to North East Europe, while at the
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