Shift to renewable energy eases key environmental burdens, EU says

(EurActiv, 18 Jan 2021) Renewable power generation in the EU has nearly doubled since 2005, producing 34% of electricity in 2019 compared with 38% from fossil fuels.

Europe's shift from fossil fuel-based electricity to renewable sources has reduced environmental problems while also cutting the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Monday.

Renewable power generation in the European Union has nearly doubled since 2005, producing 34% of EU electricity in 2019 compared with the 38% produced by fossil fuels like coal and gas.

The EU's switch from fossil fuel-based power production to sources like wind and solar since 2005 has "significantly decreased" emissions, while also yielding "clear improvements" in key environmental problems, the EEA - an EU agency - said in a study.

These include soil acidification, eutrophication - where freshwater becomes overloaded with nutrients, causing algal blooms and low oxygen levels - and the formation of particulate matter, a type of air pollution linked to 379,000 deaths in Europe in 2018.

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EurActiv, 18 Jan 2021: Shift to renewable energy eases key environmental burdens, EU says