Press | Umweltbundesamt

Are investors allowed to erect new shopping centres on greenfield land? Where may they build wind energy systems that serve to protect the climate?  When is priority to be given to nature conservation? The authorities of the federal states, cities, and municipalities take recourse to planning law in their decision-making. Planning instruments such as the German statutory code of building and const... read more

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau-Roߟlau was awarded EMAS registration on 10 April 2008 by the President of the Halle-Dessau Chamber of Commerce (German: IHK), Albrecht Hatton.  UBA’s offices in Dessau-Roߟlau as well as three other sites in Berlin-Grunewald, Berlin-Marienfelde and Langen near Frankfurt/Main have been acknowledged and officially registered with the Halle-Dessau Chamb... read more

Refrigeration and air conditioning systems can be found virtually everywhere: in hotels, factories, and private households.  If the systems contain more than three kilogrammes of fluorinated greenhouse gases as their coolant, they must be checked for leakage at least once a year, pursuant to Regulation (EC) Nr. 842/2006 governing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases.  In future, only certified per... read more

Some 630,000 tonnes of laundry detergent are sold in Germany every year, adding up to nearly eight kilogrammes per person per year. When cleaning and other care products are added, the per capita consumption figure doubles. The majority of laundry detergents and cleaning agents contain fragrances, and there is relatively little knowledge about their impact on human health and the environment. One... read more

The phasing out of nuclear energy use, due to be complete by 2020, will not compromise Germany’s electricity supply.  This is the core conclusion of a new study by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) titled Atomausstieg und Versorgungssicherheit [Quitting nuclear energy and supply security]. News headlines last week depicted a situation whereby Germany would experience shortages of electricity by... read more

‘Protecting health from climate change’ is the motto of this year’s World Health Day. The effects of climate change and extreme weather events have a negative impact on human health.  The extraordinarily long hot season in August 2003 in many parts of western Europe resulted in more than 40,000 deaths than otherwise usual, with some 7,000 cases in Germany.  Those affected in large measure were the... read more

Spring has sprung, and for many it is an opportunity to clear up at home and bid winter farewell.  To those concerned not only about cleanliness but also about our environment, the following advice by Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge, President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA): Use detergents and cleansing agents as indicated. It saves energy, chemicals and water—and is better for health. Lots of... read more

Although the German businesses participating in emissions trading in 2007 produced some 487 million tonnes of climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) - amounting to 9.7 million tonnes, or two percent more than in 2006 - emissions trading already proved itself effective during the first trading period.  Average CO2 emissions of 479 million tonnes in the first trading period (2005-2007) were slightly... read more