Protected areas: towards an ecological continuum
Belgium has few natural areas, both in terms of number and surface area. Natura 2000 areas, resulting from the European Birds and Habitats Directives, are found here. The aim of these areas is to protect natural habitats of ecological interest for flora and fauna. Management of these sites varies between Flanders and Wallonia. There are also regional nature parks, known as regionale landschappen in the Flemish region. The aim of these parks is to reconcile the protection of natural areas and landscapes with the economic and social development of the region. They also aim to promote environmental education and experiment with new models of rural management. In 2006, the country inaugurated its first national park: the Upper Kempen National Park in the province of Limburg. It comprises large expanses of coniferous forest and heathland, as well as ponds and hills. It offers magnificent panoramas for nature lovers and is home to a remarkable array of flora and fauna.
A highly urbanized and densely populated territory, Belgium suffers from soil sealing for construction purposes (buildings, transport infrastructure, etc.). In 2015, 15% of Wallonia's territory was built-up, and 33% of Flanders'. This phenomenon of land artificialisation grew by more than 26% between 1985 and 2015. Another point is that the productivist agricultural model, based on the use of fertilizers and phytosanitary products, and associated with open fields - with the exception of the Pays de Herve, where hedgerows are still found - has contributed to the decline in biodiversity. In fact, this type of land use leaves little room for natural spaces and degrades ecosystems. The other point is the fragmentation of natural environments: sanctuarizing islands of nature, without ecological corridors, makes no sense if we want to maintain biodiversity, i.e. the evolutionary dynamics of living organisms. It therefore seems necessary to maintain or restore ecological continuums or webs. This is one of the points made in a European Union report. A number of associations are also involved in environmental awareness and popular education. TheAquascope de Virelles is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of ecosystems. It is home to the Centre ethnobotanique de l'Étang de Virelles, which investigates and passes on information on the use of plants.
Belgian measures to improve water quality
Water management is also an important environmental issue in Belgium. Intensive agriculture has contributed to the pollution of the country's surface and groundwater, where high concentrations of nitrates are found. Measures have been put in place to promote agro-ecological practices. The agri-environmental methods (MAE) resulting from the Walloon Rural Development Program constitute a system of financial compensation for farmers who, on a voluntary basis, have implemented practices that favor the environment. These practices are defined in a set of specifications; they include, for example, the maintenance of ponds or natural meadows, or the establishment of bird-friendly plantations on the edges of plots. Nearly one out of two farmers in Wallonia was involved in this program in 2016. The application of the 1991 European Nitrate Directive has led to the implementation in Wallonia of a Program for the sustainable management of nitrogen in agriculture, in order to protect the water table. A second Walloon Pesticide Reduction Program has also been renewed for athird time within a national plan 2023-2027.
Air quality
In 2017, the European Commission set Belgium three main challenges: managing the Natura 2000 network, combating water pollution and improving air quality. The European Environment Agency estimated that 5,500 premature deaths would be caused by air pollution in Belgium by 2022. Where does it come from? It comes from a variety of pollutants: fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, etc., emitted by transport, heating, energy production, industry and agriculture. The country has taken steps to reduce these emissions. To reduce road traffic, "low emission zones" have been set up in major cities. Belgium has also introduced tax incentives for the purchase of low-emission vehicles. In 2017, the results were mixed: the country met the threshold values for particulate emissions, but exceeded them for nitrogen oxide emissions. This situation is mainly due to road traffic. According to the European Environment Agency, nearly 80% of all journeys are made by car. In addition to strengthening tax incentives, the agency recommends reducing traffic volumes by shifting traffic to other modes. It is this last point that associations and researchers are emphasizing. A gradual shift from motorized vehicles to public transport and active mobility, such as cycling and walking, would be an effective way of combating both air pollution and climate change. In 2019, the Brussels government committed to doubling the modal share of cycling within 5 years. Associations such as Vélorution Bruxelles organize bike-friendly events to promote soft mobility and get the message across.
Energy mix and climate
The country's energy mix in 2022 will feature a high proportion of decarbonized energy (67%), including nuclear and renewable energy (mainly offshore wind, a sector in which significant investments have been made). It breaks down as follows: 47% nuclear, 33% fossil fuels and 20% renewable energies. This mix is set to change over the next few years, with the announced phase-out of nuclear power by 2025. Two of the country's seven nuclear reactors have already been definitively shut down between 2022 and 2023, but the government has decided to extend the use of two other, more recent reactors until 2036...
The main sectors that emit greenhouse gases are transport, the residential-tertiary sector (heating of buildings), industry, agriculture and waste. Between 1990 and 2017, all these activities reduced their emissions by between 20% and 60%, with the exception of the transport sector (+24%) and the residential-tertiary sector (+28%). In the rankings published by the ClimateChange Performance Index between 2018 and 2022, Belgium moved up from 32nd to 49th position, joining the category of countries with a poor climate score. This result is linked to the level of the country's greenhouse gas emissions (10 tons ofCO2 equivalent per year and per inhabitant) and rising energy consumption. By 2023, however, it had climbed back 10 places in the ranking thanks to the development of renewable energies, notably its wind power capacity. Finally, NGOs point to the absence of an integrated climate policy and the lack of ambition and coherence between different governments. Measures have been taken to reduce emissions from the transport sector (see below). With regard to the residential-tertiary sector, the French government has introduced tax incentives to encourage the installation of energy-efficient equipment and the insulation of homes.
Waste management
Belgium has one of Europe's best records for recycling household packaging waste, with a recycling rate of 96% in 2017, except for packaging plastics, for which the rate is 40%. In fact, the country has no facilities capable of recovering this type of waste. Waste management includes a policy of prevention through reduction at source, reuse, and material recovery (recycling) or energy recovery (incineration). Circular economy initiatives are beginning to spread, and by 2021 should account for 15% of total employment in Belgium. However, there is a darker side to this picture: the export of waste to countries where treatment costs are lower and regulations are more flexible, or even non-existent. Certain types of waste (household plastic waste, industrial and construction waste) are shipped to Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam and India, often to clandestine landfill sites, with no regard for the health and safety of local populations. According to the NGO Greenpeace, in 2018, 530,000 tonnes of Belgian waste were exported to other continents, making Belgium one of the world's biggest waste exporters.
Environmental awareness and local initiatives
At the end of 2007, the Climate Change Department of the Federal Public Health Service published the results of a national climate survey. The survey highlighted Belgians' acute perception of the urgency of climate change. Belgians are very much in favor of an energy transition. The environment thus appears to be the Belgians'No. 1 priority (81%), even if they indicate that responsibility lies more with industry and transport than with individuals. At the same time, respondents declare themselves to be very respectful of the environment in their daily lives: mobility, lifestyle habits, purchasing, even if they are aware of areas for improvement (thermal insulation of buildings). Housing initiatives include eco-neighborhood projects (in Brussels, Ypres, etc.), sustainable housing (in Tournai) and, more broadly, urban renewal. Citizens have also launched participative group housing initiatives, both in new passive construction (Vinderhoute) and in the renovation of existing buildings, where energy-saving issues are most pressing (Ghent).
