Press

Am 1. Juli 2024 ist das Klimaanpassungsgesetz (KAnG) in Kraft getreten. Für die Bundesländer bildet es den Rechtsrahmen, eigene Klimaanpassungsstrategien vorzulegen, und dafür Sorge zu tragen, dass die Kommunen Klimaanpassungskonzepte aufstellen. Eine erste bundesweite, repräsentative Umfrage im Auftrag des UBA zeigt nun, dass eine Mehrheit der befragten Kommunen bei dem Thema aktiv ist.

From 10 to 11 September 2024, the 6th REACH Congress took place at the German Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau-Rosslau with more than 500 experts from companies, scientists, non-governmental organisations and public authorities. The discussion focussed on solutions to avoid harmful emissions of chemicals into the environment.

The intensive and complex educational work of the German Environment Agency (UBA) in the area of Upstream Emission Reductions (UER) is showing further success: For eight UER projects in China, for which a decision on approval had to be made by 31 August 2024, the UBA will not issue the requested approvals due to irregularities identified by the UBA.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) are organising the German SUSTAINABLE BUILDING Award for the third time.

The Single-Use Plastic Fund Act obliges manufacturers, from 2024, to bear the costs of single-use plastic products collected as waste in streets or parks. While the digital platform DIVID, set up by the UBA, was initially only available for the registration of manufacturers in Germany, eligible parties and foreign manufacturers have also been able to register there since 1 August 2024.

Capacity expansion must be further accelerated to meet climate and energy targets. In the heating sector, mild weather led to lower demand for heating. In the mobility sector, the use of renewable electricity in transport increased slightly.

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS 1) covers emissions from energy-intensive industry, the energy sector and intra-European aviation. In 2023, the 1,725 stationary installations in Germany covered by the EU ETS 1 emitted around 289 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-eq). This corresponds to a reduction of around 18 per cent compared to the previous year.

Sponge city concepts are an essential basis for adapting cities to extreme weather events such as heavy rain, heat and drought. Many local authorities are working toward that aim. However, it is becoming increasingly important to remove barriers so that towns and cities can better prepare for changing climate conditions.

The first version of the umwelt.info internet portal is available to the public at https://mvp.umwelt.info. Lilian Busse, Vice President of the German Environment Agency, commented: “The online launch of umwelt.info is an important milestone for us. We are testing the portal under real conditions for the first time and are looking forward to the feedback from users.”

The collaboration between the city of Dessau- Rosslau, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the German Environment Agency “Dessau- Rosslau Lives Global Openness and Diversity”, which has been running since spring 2021, has been nominated for the German Demography Award in the “Living Diversity” category.

Ein Blick zurück und ein Ausblick in die Zukunft: 75 Jahre Grundgesetz, 35 Jahre Mauerfall und 50 Jahre Umweltbundesamt (UBA). Seit seiner Gründung am 22. Juli 1974 hat das UBA maßgeblich zum Schutz der Umwelt beigetragen. Die Luft ist sauberer geworden, die Trinkwasserqualität hat sich deutlich verbessert und ebenso die Gesundheit der Menschen insgesamt. Viele Gründe, um gemeinsam zu feiern.

On World Environment Day, the German Environment Ministry (BMUV), together with the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), provided comprehensive information on the health risks and protective measures related to the climate crisis at the Environment Week event.