Lancée en 1998 par la Commission européenne et un groupe d'agences spatiales, l'initiative GMES (Surveillance Mondiale pour l'Environnement et de la Sécurité) doit assurer à l'Europe un accès indépendant et permanent aux flux d'informations générés à partir de l'espace. Il y va de l'efficacité de son action pour la maîtrise de son environnement, la prévention et la gestion des catastrophes naturelles ou industrielles, le respect de ses engagements en matière de réduction des gaz à effet de serre, l'anticipation des conflits et le traitement des crises.

Les incendies de forêt dévastent chaque année plusieurs centaines de milliers d'hectares en Europe, principalement autour du bassin méditerranéen. Images satellitaires, caméras numériques, modélisation informatique... Les scientifiques explorent différentes voies technologiques pour combattre ce fléau.

Muséums, jardins botaniques et zoologiques, universités... L'Europe possède les collections de sciences naturelles les plus riches au monde, mais ce précieux patrimoine scientifique est inexploité. Grâce au projet ENHSIN, un réseau de bases de données interconnectées devrait fédérer ces ressources en une infrastructure cohérente et accessible.
 

Les forêts peuvent-elles réduire la concentration de gaz carbonique dans l'atmosphère, principale cause du réchauffement climatique ? Cette question névralgique a été l'une des causes de l'échec de la conférence de La Haye en novembre 2000, qui tentait de concrétiser les engagements internationaux du protocole de Kyoto de 1997. Elles font l'objet d'un intense débat scientifique, auquel veut répondre le vaste réseau de recherche CarboEurope.
 

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Aviation has two Achilles heels : noise and air pollution. Despite the enormous progress in reducing these major nuisances, the prospect of sustained growth in global air transport presents aeronautics research with a major environmental challenge.
 

The sea is wreaking revenge for man's negligence. From north to south, Europe's coastal waters are periodically invaded by toxin-producing micro-algae which pose a threat to human health. What is going wrong ? Researchers on the Nutox project and Eurohab initiative are gradually coming to understand the physico-chemical and biological mechanisms which are producing this worrying phenomenon.
 

The symbols of unspoilt nature seemingly beyond the reach of modern ills, remote mountain regions are in fact hypersensitive ecosystems, both victims and excellent indicators of environmental and climatic changes caused by man. Over recent years, multidisciplinary teams of European researchers with the AL : PE and MOLAR projects have been studying these remote expanses of azure skies and lakes.
 

Would we be prepared to change our habits to counter the risks of climate change ? Ulysses, a European project involving experts from the social and natural sciences, has been experimenting with a new kind of methodology for urban democratic participation.
 

The risks of climate change are serious. What could they mean for Europe ? And how should we respond ? By analysing the scenarios and likely socio-economic consequences in relation to specific geographic characteristics, experts from Acacia are bringing policy-makers, industrialists and social players face-to-face with realities that can no longer be ignored - and the changes they will require.
 

African, South American and Caribbean experts are working together on an extensive European endeavour to promote the Ecopath model : a key tool for understanding the interactions between species and the responsible management of marine ecosystems.
 

The thousands of small boatbuilders that flourish along the coasts and waterways of Europe will benefit from a clean, high-performance technology for moulding composite materials. An innovation which is sure to spread to many other sectors.
 

Fifty six million apartments, built after the Second World War, must be incorporated into new urban development strategies. Which is why energy- and water-saving measures, improved quality of life for residents, the management of household waste, and materials recycling are all being studied now by the building managers and researchers of the Sureuro project.
 

The sustainable development of urban transport is dependent on many variables, in terms of infrastructure, pricing policies and the allotment of land. That is why integrated planning tools are now being tested at a number of sites in northern and southern Europe, with a view to optimal mobility in the city of tomorrow.
 

Today's cities are grappling with multiple and complex problems as they seek to ensure a sustainable development as the sole guarantee of quality of life for their inhabitants. 'The City of tomorrow and cultural heritage', a key action under the Fifth Framework Programme, is endeavouring to promote an in-depth and integrated approach to all the technological, socio-economic and environmental challenges facing our metropolitan areas. David Miles, who is responsible for this policy at the European Commission, explains.