Press | Umweltbundesamt

More than half of the deep, oligotrophic lakes in Northern Germany have ‘good’ ecological status and therefore already achieve the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive. These good reviews are cause for the Federal Environment Agency to declare them as “Water Type of the Year 2014” on the occasion of World Water Day. read more

Antibiotics are used on a large scale in industrialised farming, especially in pork and poultry production, but also for beef. The animals excrete most of these drugs unchanged. When such contaminated slurry is spread on fields, the drugs are also introduced into the environment. There is no conclusive data on how they affect the environment. Exactly how great is the danger that the drugs spread o... read more

The newly appointed Sustainable Building Commission at the Federal Environment Agency (KNB) will consult the Agency (UBA) on expert issues of sustainable building. In addition, the fourteen experts of the KNB from science and specialist authorities will serve as UBA's platform for scientific debate. The interdisciplinarity of the members of the ecologically focussed KNB reflects the status of the... read more

Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany rose again slightly in 2013, by 1.2 per cent compared to the previous year. These are the preliminary results of first estimates by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). A total of nearly 951 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents were emitted in 2013, almost 12 million tonnes more than in 2012. CO2 emissions account for most of the increase, with a rise o... read more

The Federal Environment Agency is recommending a further reduction in the use of disposable plastic carrier bags and an expansion of the fee on shopping bags which is already in place in the retail food trade. This will help to use resources efficiently, avoid waste and to reduce the input of waste to the oceans and seas. read more

Nearly half of all appeals by recognised environmental associations are successful, which places their "success rate" far above the average of successful legal proceedings under administrative law in Germany. It has proven to be an effective instrument to ensure compliance with environmental regulations during the planning and authorisation process of industrial and infrastructure projects. read more

Bioenergy, and biofuels in particular, is the subject of much controversy. Does material use of biomass to make building materials, bioplastics or lubricants pose a better alternative? A research project done on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has completed a first-time, in-depth study on the issue, and the results show that the material use of renewable resources before they are us... read more

Nitrogen dioxide and particulates in particular still had an impact on air quality and on human health in Germany in 2013, say preliminary measurements from the Länder and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). The high levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution measured in previous years remained unchanged. More than half of the stations in urban areas near traffic measured exceedances of the allowable... read more