Press

Urban and rural areas are often perceived as opposites. In reality, however, they are closely interwoven. While cities are struggling with rising rents and space scarcites, many rural regions are facing an ageing population and a shortage of skilled workers.

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has taken action against unfair business practices by the sales platform CopeCart. In a decision dated 4 June 2025, it prohibited the company from offering distance learning courses to consumers in Austria that are not properly approved.

According to the latest analyses by the UBA, electricity generation from renewable energies in the first half of 2025 was about five percent below the level of the corresponding period of the previous year. The main reason was exceptionally low wind conditions. Despite these unfavourable conditions, the share of renewables in gross electricity consumption were maintained at 54 percent.

Across Europe, emissions under the EU-ETS 1 have fallen even more sharply by 51 percent. This means that since 2005, emissions have roughly halved, according to the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (UBA).

The German GreenTech sector is growing significantly faster than traditional industrial sectors, is strongly integrated into global trade, and is a driver of innovation in many areas.

For the first time, Germany is cancelling certificates from the European Emissions Trading System to secure the climate effect of the statutory coal phase-out. In total, certificates corresponding to 514,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be withdrawn from the market. This measure is the result of the shutdown of the Neurath A and Frechen power plant units in 2022, as stipulated by the Coal Phase-Out Act.

Anyone looking to escape the summer heat can do so in one of Germany’s many (almost) pristine bathing waters. According to the German Environment Agency (UBA), bathing water quality in Germany remained consistently high in 2024 – just as in previous years.

Factoring in the environmental costs of fossil fuels—such as through CO₂ pricing—drives up the cost of petrol, oil and gas. A new study commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) explores how climate and environmental protection policy can be both ambitious and socially fair. Fair burden-sharing is a key pillar of socially just environmental policy.

Around 60 percent of all biodiversity on Earth is found in the soil. Soil organisms ensure fertile soil and clean drinking water, build up humus and break down pollutants. And yet, there is often a lack of information on the actual condition of soil organisms in Germany.

Climate change can have not only devastating physical consequences for people and the environment, but can also have a significant impact on the human psyche. For example, extreme weather events can trigger post-traumatic stress disorders, while concern over our livelihoods can lead to anxiety about the future and depression.

To mark National Heat Action Day, the German Environment Agency (UBA) has published a study on heat-related mortality in Germany. For over four years, researchers from the UBA and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have worked to refine the calculation of heat-related deaths in Germany. It was found that around 3,000 heat-related deaths in Germany occurred in both summer 2023 and 2024.

A large number of fish in German rivers are contaminated with rat poison residues. For the first time, an extensive laboratory study commissioned by the German Environment Agency has investigated the effects of rodenticides on fish health. The result: Even at the concentrations measured in the livers of wild fish, severe symptoms such as blood clotting disorders, bleeding and anaemia occurred.