Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering- EASE group, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
J Environ Manage. 2024 Nov;370:122790. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122790. Epub 2024 Oct 8.
Even when water scarcity and quality issues are not severe in the European Union (EU) countries, the impacts of climate change and external pressures vary across EU nations, leading to different outcomes. Achieving sustainability requires prioritizing the efficient management of water resources and sanitation services. To this end, conducting studies to identify countries needing appropriate measures is essential. This research focuses on evaluating and analysing the situation of water resources and sanitation systems in the European Union, with two specific objectives in mind. The first objective is to compare disparities between Member States (MSs) in a particular year and track their progress over two periods of five and ten years concerning variables related to water resources and sanitation services. By examining these disparities, the study aims to identify which countries have made significant improvements and which require more attention and resources to enhance their water management and sanitation systems. The second objective is to identify the countries best positioned to achieve certain Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6, SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 11, SDG 12). The results indicate that the countries best positioned in terms of meeting the SDGs and achieving sustainability in water and sanitation are Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. However, in contrast, Romania, Lithuania, and Slovakia face greater challenges, particularly in sanitation. Factors such as economic level and climate change, which impact southern countries more severely (Greece, Spain, Cyprus) where water scarcity is more acute, contribute to these difficulties. Additionally, the lack of information on wastewater management hinders decision-making and the proper management of these wastes. This study analyses the progress and current status of water and sanitation indicators from an environmental perspective for the first time. It introduces variables to assess sustainability in EU countries that are not listed as indicators on the United Nations website, aiming to evaluate compliance with the SDGs.
即使在欧盟（EU）国家水短缺和水质问题不严重的情况下，气候变化和外部压力的影响在欧盟各国也各不相同，导致结果也不同。实现可持续性需要优先考虑水资源和卫生服务的有效管理。为此，进行研究以确定需要采取适当措施的国家至关重要。本研究的重点是评估和分析欧盟水资源和卫生系统的状况，主要有两个具体目标。第一个目标是比较特定年份成员国之间的差异，并跟踪它们在两个五年和十年期内与水资源和卫生服务相关变量的进展。通过检查这些差异，研究旨在确定哪些国家取得了重大进展，哪些国家需要更多的关注和资源来加强其水资源管理和卫生系统。第二个目标是确定最有能力实现某些可持续发展目标（SDG 6、SDG 1、SDG 2、SDG 8、SDG 10、SDG 11、SDG 12）的国家。结果表明，在实现水资源和卫生方面的可持续性以及在满足 SDG 方面处于最佳地位的国家是卢森堡、荷兰、芬兰、瑞典、丹麦和德国。然而，相比之下，罗马尼亚、立陶宛和斯洛伐克面临更大的挑战，特别是在卫生方面。经济水平和气候变化等因素对南部国家（希腊、西班牙、塞浦路斯）的影响更为严重，这些国家的水资源短缺更为严重，这也是造成这些困难的原因之一。此外，缺乏有关废水管理的信息也阻碍了决策和这些废物的妥善管理。本研究首次从环境角度分析了欧盟国家水和卫生指标的进展和现状。它引入了一些变量来评估欧盟国家的可持续性，这些变量没有被列入联合国网站上的指标，旨在评估其对可持续发展目标的遵守情况。
