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

The indicator mainly shows the unidentifiable direction of development. The majority of data were available only for a limited period and therefore, reliable estimation of trends is not possible. Cereals are the predominant group of crops in Slovenia. Areas for growing green fodder crops and industrial plants are increasing, while the production of root and tuber crops has stabilized on two percent of arable land. A slow diversification of crop species is observed; particularly favorable is the increase in the share of legumes.

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.

Bad

Temperature in Slovenia is increasing faster than global average. Increase in the annual average temperature is most evident in the last three decades. Warming of the atmosphere will continue according to the climate change projections. The result of warming is an increase in sea level (due to melting of glaciers and thermal expansion), increase in level of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (contributes to warming), and many extreme weather and climate events (like floods, droughts, hail and heavy wind), which will influence the quality of our lives.

Bad

Temperature observations show increasing trend of maximum and minimum absolute temperature in between 1961 and 2022, reflecting a global warming. Number of hot days is increasing, including the frequency of extreme hot days with daily maximum temperature above 35 °C. In the summer of 2013, the highest temperature so far was measured in Slovenia, and local temperature records were observed at many meteorological stations. A record number of hot days was observed in 2022. Number of days with temperature below zero show a decline.

Bad

Precipitation is highly variable in space and time, even more than temperature (storms and hail). In the last two decades, Slovenia is observing catastrophic droughts and abundant precipitation resulting in floods, sometimes drought and floods occur even within the same year. The maximum snow cover depth and the depth of fresh snow decreased in the period 1961-2022.

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).