Selected Online Reading on the Green Deal and European Agriculture: Environment

As in other parts of the world, agriculture in Europe is not sustainable. It must urgently and importantly evolve. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must foster this evolution. In that perspective, this book draws the contours of an ambitious CAP that would facilitate the necessary agro-ecological transition of agricultural systems in the European Union. The book is divided into three parts. The economic aspects are the subject of the first part. The climate, environmental and health dimensions are addressed in the second part. The third part deals with rural development and innovation. With the exception of the first chapter, which provides a brief history of the CAP, the different chapters are organized according to the same structure. They begin with a description of the issue; they continue with a critical presentation of how the issue has been considered within the CAP to date and, if relevant, in other public policies; they finally propose policy recommendations to better address the issue. Each chapter can be read independently. Even if the disciplines and skills mobilized cover a broad spectrum, the general framework of analysis is that of public economics. This reading key is used both to justify the objectives of the CAP and to define the policy instruments to be implemented in order to achieve these objectives in the most efficient way. The concluding chapter addresses three aspects: first, an analysis of the global coherence of our recommendations, including in terms of their links with other policies than the CAP; second, a critical reading of the June 2021 agreement for the 2023-2027 CAP in the light of our recommendations; third, a reading of our recommendations in the light of the ambition of the European Green Deal for agriculture and food. This book is aimed at all actors interested in the future of the CAP and more generally of agriculture in the European Union: policy makers, agricultural stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, researchers, teachers and students.

In recent years, the Green New Deal has moved from relative obscurity to front and centre of policy discussions and public debates about how to respond to the climate crisis. It has been credited with radically changing the nature of the conversation on climate change and with re-energizing the environmental movement at a critical time. All Green New Deal proposals share an emphasis on the need for governments (rather than markets) to lead the energy transition. However, they differ in other respects. This Handbook analyses the fundamentals underlying all Green New Deals as well as exploring national and regional variations. It is divided into three parts. The first part examines the political economy of the Green New Deal focussing not just on how proposals will be costed but also on opportunities for a fundamental transformation of both national economies and the global economic system. The second part explores issues of justice, which are central to many Green New Deal proposals, including Indigenous rights, racial and gender equity, and justice for the Global South. In the third part, authors detail case studies of Green New Deal proposals and plans at the local, national, and regional level. This book will be an invaluable research and reference volume for students and scholars in economics, politics, sociology, geography, and environmental studies. It should also be of interest to those actively involved in climate and environmental policymaking.

Urban and Regional Agriculture: Building Resilient Food Systems explores the sustainable integration of food provision, distribution and consumption through urban farms, agricultural systems, user communities and structural facilities designed to optimize food production and consumption. The book addresses the fundamental and pressing challenges of urban planning problems, waste minimization, food sourcing, access and equity issues, and multiple land use optimization. Sections cover the need and opportunities of urban agriculture, discuss tradition and transition, space and regulatory topics, explore the range of urban agriculture options (aquaculture to urban permaculture), discuss support structures and constructs of physically creating urban agricultural areas, and much more. Edited and authored by leading experts in the field, this volume will be valuable for those working to address issues of food security in urban environments. Integrates agriculture and urban settings to improve food security. Examines relevant considerations, from development to the regulation of food system architectures. Provides regionally specific considerations to guide effective and efficient implementation.

This second and much-revised edition of the pre-eminent work on European Union (EU) agricultural law emphasises the sweeping changes that have led to the gradual expansion of the common agricultural policy to encompass the food chain as a whole. Although the new edition's purpose and methodology remain the same, the author presents a completely new overview of the field as it now exists, including the effects of the latest reform measures up to 2021 and their implications for the future. Imparting in-depth awareness of the multifunctional character of agriculture today - its importance for environmental protection, preservation of biodiversity, public health, mitigation of climate change, and rural development, as well as its international obligations - the book provides matchless insight and clarifications on such critical legal details as the following: analysis of the Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030; extensive treatment of the TFEU provisions on agriculture and the impact of international legal instruments; clear and easily accessible treatment of the legislation on market and price policy, competition, and the agri-food chain; thorough analysis of administrative law aspects, in particular, the rights and obligations of operators in the framework of numerous subsidy arrangements and related topics such as sanctions and force majeure; and in-depth treatment of the importance of the general principles of EU law for legal protection. Given that about one-third of the EU's budget is spent on agriculture - and that European legislation on agriculture is voluminous and complicated and case law is abundant - this well-organised and lucid exposition will be of immeasurable value to any practitioner asked to deal with a case involving agriculture anywhere in the EU. Academics aware of the growing intricacy of the field will welcome the author's reflections on the meaning and significance of EU agricultural law.

This book presents an overview of the field of environmental law and policies within the European Union, from theoretical foundations to major issues and applied governance solutions. Drawing on expertise from renowned academics and practitioners from different disciplines, EU Environmental Governance: Current and Future Challengeshelps readers to understand the main legal, political and economic issues of environmental protection since the adoption of the Paris Agreement by the European Union in 2015, until the 2020 Brexit and European Green Deal. The authors examine a broad range of sensitive and topical environmental issues including climate change, air pollution, waste management and circular economy, nuclear waste, biodiversity, agriculture, chemicals, nanotechnology, the environmental impacts of trade, and environmental conflicts, presenting both current insights and future challenges. Overall, this volume exposes the reader to a vast array of empirical case studies, which will bolster their training and help tackle the environmental challenges faced by Europe today. This book is a valuable resource for students, researchers and policymakers across a broad range of fields including environmental law and policies, environmental economics, climate science and environmental sociology.

This book aims to identify, present and discuss key driving forces and pressures on ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the contributions that ecosystems provide to human well-being. The scope of this atlas is on identifying solutions and lessons to be applied across science, policy and practice. The atlas will address different components of ecosystem services, assess risks and vulnerabilities, and outline governance and management opportunities. The atlas will therefore attract a wide audience, both from policy and practice and from different scientific disciplines. The emphasis will be on ecosystems in Europe, as the available data on service provision is best developed for this region and recognizes the strengths of the contributing authors. Ecosystems of regions outside Europe will be covered where possible.

The present volume brings together a collection of fifteen contributions both by well-known scholars and young researchers from Norway, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the United States, Germany, Ireland, and Romania, focused on various political, legal, social, and economic aspects of the contemporary European Union. The book is divided into two parts, the first one examining different EU actors, policies, and politics, from the rule of European capitalism to integration challenges, from the discourse on migration to the reform prospects of the common agricultural policy, from threats to competitiveness to the EU's educational policies, from the potential election of the Commission president to the role of parties in the current European political landscape, and from rural and urban well-being across the Union to more technical EU law aspects. The second part looks into the role of the European Union as a regional and global actor from a few broader perspectives, dealing with several difficult trials it now faces, from the Eurasian challenge embodied by Russia and China to its current problematic relationship with both its eastern neighbour (the Russian Federation) and its long-time transatlantic partner (the United States), and from its role as mediator in the Serbian-Kosovar reconciliation to its stance regarding the Republic of Moldova's European aspirations and their impact on the identity discourse in the small autonomous region of GÄgÄuzia.

Spatial planning defines how men use one of the most important and scarce resources on Earth: land. Planners therefore play a key role in countering or deepening the current ecological crisis. To foster ecological transitions, planning scholars and practitioners need to be equipped with sound theories and practical tools. To this end, this book advocates a re-foundation of spatial planning under the paradigm of "ecological rationality", based on the revaluation of early pioneers of ecological planning and mutual fertilization with different disciplines, including decision-making science, ecology, (eco)system theory, land use science and political ecology. The key principles of ecological rationality and its application to spatial planning are discussed and this conceptual framework is used to explain the main underlying drivers of ecological degradation and their spatial manifestations at the local level. Current policy instruments in the European context, which can be used to underpin ecological planning, such as Green Infrastructure and the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Service (MAES) initiative, are also examined.

This two-volume book provides an important overview to EU economic and policy issues related to the development of the bioeconomy. What have been the recent trends and what are the implications for future economic development and policy making? Where does EU bioeconomy policy sit within an international context and what are the financial frameworks behind them? Volume II explores the EU food sector, as well as food law and legislation, rural development in the EU, bio-based economy strategy, the circular economy and and bioenergy policies.

This volume presents the proceedings of the ZAFIN Finance and Sustainability conference, organized by the Wroclaw University of Economics in cooperation with Corvinus University of Budapest and the University of Economics in Prague. The contributing authors analyze a variety of issues concerning recent finance problems, including corporate finance, public finance, monetary and fiscal policy issues, and risk management. The book also addresses topics connected to sustainable finance, the transition to green economies, corporate sustainability and sustainable development. The target audience for this book includes researchers at universities and research and policy institutions, graduate students, and practitioners in economics and finance working for private or government institutions.

This edited volume documents the current nature conservation status of arable habitats in Europe. Arable farming systems have evolved in the European landscape over more than ten thousand years and now occupy nearly 30% of the European land area. They support species that have life cycles closely synchronised with traditional cereal growing, many of which have experienced massive declines throughout Europe. For example, in Britain, of the 100 plant species exhibiting the greatest declines in the latter half of the 20th century, 47 were typical of arable land. Despite this the habitat and many of the species associated with it remains unprotected across much of Europe. The 22 chapters cover a range of topics, including: Regional accounts describing the impact of changing agricultural practices on the arable flora; The results of research and surveillance projects on the soil organisms, bryophyte flora, invertebrate fauna and pollinators of arable habitats; The potential for designing multifunctional and resilient agricultural landscapes; The use of ex situ conservation to aid the reintroduction of rare arable plants; Case studies illustrating how changing agricultural practices have impacted on bird populations in Europe; The roles of remote sensing in monitoring agricultural systems; How agri-environment schemes can help restore the biodiversity in arable habitats; and a look forward at ways to help ensure the future security of the species associated with arable habitats. It is clear that the biodiversity of arable land throughout Europe has undergone major changes, particularly during the second half of the 20th century, and that these changes are continuing into the 21st century. We need to develop a deeper appreciation of farmland wildlife and its integration into farming systems to ensure its future security in a world where value is increasingly expressed in terms of material profit. This book is particularly relevant to practitioners, policy-makers and managers working in the fields of nature conservation, agri-environment schemes and land management, and to researchers working in the fields of conservation biology, terrestrial ecology, nature conservation, applied ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, agricultural ethics and environmental studies.