Press

On May 14, 2024 at the IFAT trade fair in Munich, Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, honoured several local authorities for their commitment to better organic waste collection.

The German Environment Agency's (UBA) Environmental Monitor 2024 once again presents a mixed picture of the state of the environment in Germany. While there have been successes in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, many indicators show a clear need for action.

Heat pumps will play a key role in the future, greenhouse gas-neutral heating of buildings. Last year, every fourth new heating system in Germany was already a heat pump. Nevertheless, there are still many misconceptions and a lack of information about their potential use.

The UBA opened a new site in Cottbus on the 25th April 2024. Ten UBA employees will conduct research there on the decarbonisation of industry and transport. The newly founded department is there to exchange knowledge and network with local actors. The Federal Government supports the foundation of the new UBA site in Cottbus on the basis of the Coal Regions Structural Strengthening Act.

Over 50 years ago, the social-liberal coalition under chancellor Willy Brandt breathed new life into environmental protection. With the launch of the Federal Government’s first environmental programme and the appointment of the first German Environment Minister in 1971, environmental policy initially took root within the Federal Ministry.

The Single-Use Plastics Fund Act, passed on 15 May 2023, obliges manufacturers to bear the costs for the collection of their single-use plastic products when discarded as waste in streets or parks from 2024. The German Environment Agency is setting up the digital platform DIVID to manage and process the levies that companies must pay into the Single-Use Plastic Fund.

The Hesse State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG) investigated the emission ⁠of ultrafine particles (UFP) and the effectiveness of electrostatic precipitators to reduce fine dust emissions from a wood-burning stove.

In the second year of the national emissions trading scheme (nEHS), emissions within its scope amounted to 288.5 million tonnes of CO₂.

At its meeting on 22 March, the Human Biomonitoring (HBM) Commission at the German Environment Agency (UBA) derived a health-based assessment value (HBM value) for mono-n-hexyl phthalate (MnHexP) in urine.

The shallow coastal waters of the Baltic Sea are not only popular with holidaymakers, but also provide a home for many creatures in seagrass meadows, dense algae forests, rocky reefs and mussel beds.

In 2023, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Germany fell by 10.1 per cent compared to 2022. This is shown by new figures from the German Environment Agency (UBA). The reasons for this are the increased share of renewable energies, a decline in fossil fuel energy production and lower demand for energy from industry and consumers.

The conditions for the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are currently being created across the EU. CBAM ensures that the CO₂ emissions of certain energy-intensive imported products are given a price.