KAZALCI OKOLJA

Environmental indicators in Slovenia


Environmental indicators are based on graphs, maps and assessments and as such present environmental trends in Slovenia. The indicators represent one of the four pillars of our environmental reporting, and are prepared in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. The Environmental Indicators in Slovenia website enables users to browse among 180 indicators. They are based on numerical data and they indicate the state, characteristics and trends of environmental development in Slovenia. They are prepared using a systematic approach based on data and monitoring, as shown in the information pyramid.

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Neutral

In Slovenia, nutrient overloading is still the basic problem concerning lakes and reservoirs, and from 2006 to 2019, no improvement is observed. In the assessment period 2016–2019, only 4 out of 11 lake water bodies were determined to be in good or very good trophic status. Overloading of lakes with phosphorus is usually a result of inadequate wastewater drainage and intensive agriculture in the watershed area.

Neutral

Environmental protection is important to the residents of the EU and Slovenia. The most significant environmental issues mentioned are growing amount of waste, air pollution, and climate change. A large majority of respondents agreed with statements expressing concern about various environmental problems and acknowledging their impact on their daily lives and health.

Bad

Trends in annual precipitation are not as obvious as temperature trends. Changes between years and differences between regions are significant. According to climate change projections, annual precipitation will slightly increase while changes in seasonal precipitation will be noticeable. The most worrying are summer conditions, because less precipitation and higher temperature might result in higher frequency of droughts. In winter, more precipitation may lead to an increase in flooding events.

Neutral

Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children and one of the major causes of hospitalization to the age of fifteen. In 2019, in EU countries, the share of people reporting asthma was 5,7 %, and for Slovenia it was 4,8 %.  In the period 2017-2021, the municipalities of Kostel, Kobilje and Cankova stood out in terms of the number of hospitalizations for asthma. Recent evidences support relationship between exposure to air pollution and exacerbation of asthma, mainly due to exposure to particulate matter (PM10).

Bad

The frequency of agricultural drought in Slovenia has been increasing in recent decades. In the last twenty years, we have recorded 7 droughts that affected Slovenia at the scale of a natural disaster. Drought is occurring with increasing intensity and in areas and seasons where there have been no problems in the past. An additional risk for agricultural drought are rapidly developing droughts in summer ("flash droughts"), which occur especially during heat waves. Projections show that trend of increasing frequency and intensity of agricultural drought will continue in the future.

Neutral

Comparison of periods 1961-1990 and 1991-2020 on the chosen representative stations around Slovenia shows decrease of heating degree days by around 10 % and multiple increase of cooling degree days. With projected continuous temperature raise until the end of 21st century, those trends are expected to continue. Thus, in Slovenia, energy demand for cooling will increase in the warmer period of the year, while the energy demand for heating will decrease in colder period of the year. Same trend is projected for Europe in general.