12.4.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
L 114/27
(31)
Natural capital accounting, a tool that aims to measure the changes in the stock of natural capital at a variety of scales and to integrate the value of ecosystem services into accounting and reporting systems, should support measuring progress towards ambitious targets and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect and restore biodiversity, which it cannot replace.
(32)
Marine and coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, coral reefs, salt marshes and seagrass meadows, are being degraded and negatively impacted through harmful practices, pollution and processes such as eutrophication and acidification, impacting the biodiversity they sustain and the ecosystem services and functions they provide, as well as their capacity to act as carbon sinks.
Urgent action is required to protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, including the ocean floor.
Ocean protection and preservation is a global challenge and a collective responsibility, and there is a need to raise awareness and improve ocean literacy in order to foster the adoption and implementation of effective measures by all levels of, and actors in, society.
(33)
Environmental degradation and the adverse effects of climate change are expected to increase further in the years to come, impacting the hardest on developing countries and vulnerable populations.
In order to help build resilience and support third countries in their efforts to mitigate, and adapt to, climate change, as well as to protect biodiversity, financial assistance from the Union and Member States to third countries should promote the UN 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the post-2020 global framework of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and be in line with the priority objectives of the 8th EAP.
Furthermore, the Union and Member States should also ensure that the Paris Agreement and other international climate and environmental agreements are implemented in ways that reflect the principles of equity and of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, as laid down in Article 2(2) of the Paris Agreement.
(34)
Green diplomacy and enhanced cooperation with third countries, including developing countries, and supporting good global environmental governance, including promotion of access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, are key to attaining SDGs as well as the Union’s environmental and climate objectives.
Ensuring synergies and coherence between all internal and external Union policies, including trade policies and agreements, and adhering to Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development is also essential.
(35)
As environment policy is highly decentralised, action to attain the priority objectives of the 8th EAP should be taken at different levels of governance, i.e. at Union, national, regional and local levels, with a collaborative approach to multi-level governance.
Efficient monitoring, implementation, enforcement and accountability are essential, and effective governance is required in order to ensure coherence between policies.
The integrated approach to policy development and implementation should be strengthened with a view to maximising the synergies between environmental, social and economic objectives by systematically screening and, where appropriate, assessing the potential trade-offs between them, as well as by systematically evaluating the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups.
This integrated approach should meet the specific needs of all regions, including urban and rural areas and outermost regions.
Moreover, access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decisionmaking, and access to justice, including transparent engagement with and between public authorities at all levels of decision-making, non-governmental actors and the broader public, in line with the Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters (9) (the ‘Aarhus Convention’), are important for ensuring the success of the 8th EAP.
(36)
The Commission should assess the progress in attaining the priority objectives of the 8th EAP by the Union and the Member States in the context of the just and inclusive transition towards sustainability, well-being and resilience within planetary boundaries.
This is in line with calls of Heads of State or Government of the Member States in the Porto declaration, of the Council in its conclusions of 24 October 2019 on the Economy of Wellbeing and of the European Economic and Social Committee in its Reflection Paper ‘Towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030’ for measuring economic performance and societal progress ‘beyond GDP’, and moving towards using well-being as a compass for policy, which is also supported by the OECD.
(9) OJ L 124, 17.5.2005, p. 4.