Europe has learnt some hard lessons already and is ready to be radical in the environmental arena, he says. Europe is a diverse continent, densely populated in the west but sparsely inhabited to the north and east.
Some parts have been cultivated for millennia, others are almost untouched wilderness.
Yet despite this variety, all its 800 million inhabitants share a number of environmental problems. Traditionally, European environmental policies have tried to control pollution at its source and protect particular parts of the environment. More recently, however, integrating environmental considerations into other policy areas and promoting sustainable development have become important issues. The Second Assessment therefore devotes its final chapter to explaining the vital importance of this move for the future health of the environment.