Environment

Because we only have one World

Planet Earth is our home. It sustains life in a fantastic system that creates air, water, food, warmth and all materials necessary for life. Our duty is to keep our home clean, balanced and beautiful in its entirety.

The aim of Europe United's environment platform is:

1) To ensure that the average European can live and roam around a continent free from health and safety risks ambient toxins can create.
2) To preserve the biological diversity of our continent. Maintaining biological diversity is vital for preserving the balance of ecosystems and for the yet to be discovered scientific properties they contain. Nature possesses materials and bio-chemicals with ground-breaking properties may lead to technological innovations that will improve health and quality of life. These must not be lost before they are found.
3) To preserve the beauty and wonder of nature by protecting endangered species so that future generations of Europeans might enjoy them.
4) To preserve the stability of the environment and the natural resources and benefits it provides. Any disturbance to ecosystems can compromise the benefits the environment provides.

Activities that perturb the environment and ecosystems should be avoided. Any potentially disturbing activities should be carefully studied before they are undertaken. Europe United advocates strict adherence to the precautionary principle with regard to activities that may have an adverse effect on the environment.

Principle of subsidiarity

Europe United believes that those with the greatest vested interest in the well-being of the environment are those who live closest to it. Everyone is vulnerable to putting short-term gain over long-term loss. The role of the EU is to set minimal environmental standards which must be abided across the European Union
Member States should have primary responsibility over their respective natural resources.

Ecological diversity

Preserving ecological diversity in the European Union is vital. To do so the causes of species extinction – such as habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species and overhunting – must be severely limited.

Europe United believes laws prosecuting illegal hunting of animals must rigorously be enforced. While the responsibility for enforcing such laws lies with Member States, greater cooperation at European level should be encouraged to track down illegal hunting and the trade of endangered species across national borders and ensure that such activities are prosecuted to the full extent of EU law.

Europe United believes in setting aside land to promote biodiversity, but does not believe in using tax-payers money to pay farmers for such purposes unless they can clearly demonstrate that the land is indeed being used as a habitat for local species. Europe United believes that farmers should receive rewards solely on the merit of the conservation potential of their land regardless of whether they are working it or not.

Europe United also for tax incentives to be attributed to environmentally-friendly gardeners. The total area of private gardens in Europe represents a significant area of potential habitat for wildlife. Europe United supports tax Incentives for gardeners that can demonstrate both 1) that their garden does not contain any non-native species and 2) that endangered or threatened species are contained in their gardens.

The small variety of crops grown commercially poses the risk that a virus on such crops could have devastating results on the availability of food in the Union. Simple set-aside and the creation of nature reserves will not sustain crop varieties without be cared for. Private gardeners can play a crucial role. Those who choose to tend rare varieties of crops in their private gardens must be eligible for special tax-reductions.

Europe United also supports the spearheading of a new type of architecture where the full beauty and diversity of nature is incorporated into the building itself in a harmonious coming together of architecture, gardening and landscape design, a concept known as ecotecture

Toxic chemicals

Europe United unequivocally supports the REACH regulation and calls on its periodic review to take into account the development of new chemicals.

Nitrates

The release of vast quantities of nitrates has had dramatic consequences on the environment, not least in the significant spread of algal blooms. Europe United supports any research that studies the full environmental implications of the global build-up in nitrates.

CFCs

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy the ozone layer. Europe United strongly supports all existing legislation to reduce their emission and their illegal trade in Europe and around the world.

Acid rain

Europe United supports all efforts to reduce the use of sulphates, phosphates and nitrates that cause acid rain.

Educational programmes

Europe United supports increasing the number of programmes that promote environmental education, especially for children who live in city centres. It is important for children to be exposed to the beauty and vastness of nature to realise it is worth protecting. This can involve survival courses, Boy and Girl Scout clubs and other initiatives. Europe United strongly encourages the creation of stand-alone environmental courses to educate school children on the ways mankind is modifying the environment.