Press

How can the immense potential of digitalisation be tapped for the benefit of all without consuming excessive resources and energy? These and other questions were discussed by over 150 international experts with the support of the German Environment Agency (UBA) at the virtual conference of the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) on 30 June and 1 July 2021.

Germany's 1,817 stationary installations included in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) emitted around 320 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-eq).

If climate change continues unchecked, the risks from heat, drought and heavy rainfall throughout Germany will increase sharply in the future.

Access to all German environmental information and data via one platform – that is the goal of the new National Environmental Information Centre, which the Federal Ministry for the Environment will set up in Merseburg from the summer of 2021.

In the 2020 bathing season, the EU Commission rated 90 per cent of all German bathing water sites 'excellent'. 96% of bathing waters in lakes, rivers and on the coast complied with the quality standards of the European Bathing Water Directive.

The German Environment Agency proposes a national cap on nitrogen emissions. By 2030, no more than 1 million tonnes of nitrogen per year is to be emitted into the environment. Only then can existing protection goals for water bodies, terrestrial ecosystems and human health be achieved.

The 2020 data for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) are available for all air monitoring stations in Germany. Six cities exceeded the air quality limit of 40 micrograms NO₂ per cubic metre of air (µg/m³) as an annual average.

Better supra-regional flood protection is possible, say the results of a five-year research project carried out by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA). Simulations indicate severe flooding along Danube, Elbe and Rhine rivers could be considerably reduced in the event of a future emergency.

Current rainwater measurements commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) show that TFA concentrations have risen sharply since the 1990s.

A recent study on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA) shows that even though German companies increasingly report on climate, water, resources and waste, significant gaps remain. Only about 20 percent disclose information on air pollution and biodiversity. Apparently, the identified gaps in corporate reporting are often due to insufficient legal provisions.

A new publication by the German Environment Agency (UBA) proposes an even stronger regulation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to protect the climate. HFCs are used as refrigerants in cooling and refrigerant systems which may escape to the environment during filling, operation and disposal. Ammonia, water and hydrocarbons are available as climate-friendly alternatives.