Are the Alps as Europe’s ‘water towers’ at risk? Is the discharge rate of the Danube, Rhine, Rhone and Po, the four large rivers originating in the Alps, and which draw about 50 % of their water from the Alpine Rim, in a state of flux? According to experts who met a conference in Bolzano, there is no acute danger of this happening. ”Yet the Alpine region must now adapt to existing and future risks... read more
As concerns the ‘climate neutral’ notion: Preventing greenhouse gases is better than offsetting them
Offers to compensate for greenhouse gases voluntarily abound: whether it be the ‘climate neutral air trip’ or the ‘climate neutral bouquet of flowers’, everything is possible. The idea is simple, namely to compensate for the climate gas emissions produced by products or services by saving the same amount somewhere else. Making sense of all these new possibilities is possible thanks to a new guide... read more
Nearly 42 billion euros in subsidies detrimental to environmental protection efforts
Subsidies amounting to some 42 billion euros for 2006 in Germany had a negative impact on health and the environment, is the conclusion reached by a Federal Environment Agency study about the adverse consequences of subsidies in Germany, Umweltschädliche Subventionen in Deutschland. The variety of negative effects ranges from acceleration of climate change and impairment of water, soil and air qu... read more
Semi-natural bodies of water and leas sustain biodiversity
Loss of biological diversity is one of the key environmental problems we face in the 21st century. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) intend to work together towards a solution to this problem. More than 100 German and international experts from science and the field met at a symposium held in Bonn on 29-30 October 2008 to identify ways to sus... read more
Information on energy-efficient city lighting
The contest on energy-efficient city lighting that was launched in June is now presenting results from the first phase in a compilation of energy-efficient technologies, which can be accessed on the Internet starting today. The site will help initiate the next round of the contest, which is aimed specifically at municipalities. Schemes and new plans to use energy-efficient lighting in cities and t... read more
Success for REACH
Since a short time ago, businesses have had an obligation to report on substances that pose a certain risk to mankind and the environment. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has for the first time published a list of substances of very high concern. Reasons for inclusion are that the substnaces are: carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction, and the list also includes persistent, bioacc... read more
Climate change in Europe: Warning signs becoming ever clearer
Is there a higher incidence of heat waves and severe weather in Europe? How much are the sea levels in Europe rising? How does climate change impact man, plants, and animals? The answers to this are provided in Impacts of Europe’s changing climate - 2008 indicator based assessment report, which the European Environment Agency (EEA) issued yesterday in Copenhagen, Denmark. It confirms that the clim... read more
Mobile air conditioning units with carbon dioxide are climate-friendly and efficient
Protect the climate with carbon dioxide-sounds like a contradiction? It may at first seem paradoxical to want to protect the climate with a greenhouse gas, but this is not so in the case of refrigerants used in mobile air conditioning systems. In fact, carbon dioxide (CO2) is an ecological alternative to the refrigerant tetrafluoroethane commonly used to date. CO2 harms the climate up to 1,300 ti... read more
