Environmental damage is putting European way of life at risk, says report

A forest fire on the Greek island of Euboea. In a report on the natural environment, EU officials said the climate crisis was a danger to prosperity. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images

The European way of life is being jeopardised by environmental degradation, a report has found, with EU officials warning against weakening green rules.

The continent has made “important progress” in cutting planet-heating pollution, according to the European Environment Agency, but the death of wildlife and breakdown of the climate are ruining ecosystems that underpin the economy.