“The sky over the Ruhr region must be blue again.” This demand made by Willy Brandt during a speech on 28 April 1961 in the Bonn Beethoven Hall is rightfully seen as the start of environmentally conscious political thinking in Germany. In so doing, Brandt brought a regional problem previously ignored into the focus of sociopolitical debate- long before there were notions of ’environmental protecti... read more
Proactive noise protection saves money and trouble
Road traffic remains the greatest source of noise, according to the latest noise survey by the Federal Environment Agency, which polled 70,000 participants. The survey says that road traffic noise and aviation noise are the most annoying. "Efforts to protect the public from traffic noise are not yet adequate in Germany. There are still too many people who suffer from excessive noise levels. There... read more
Coast is clear between ocean and water tap
In many countries it is customary to be served a carafe of tap water for free. Asking for the same at a restaurant here in Germany is often answered with a waiter’s disdain, even though the tap water in Germany is an international winner. “Drinking water in Germany is generally of high quality. It is monitored thoroughly and regularly, is inexpensive and probably the only food that does not need t... read more
Energy turnaround requires greater energy efficiency
The energy turnaround in Germany is in full swing. Emissions of greenhouse gases are set to be reduced by 40 percent over 1990 levels by the year 2020. These are the provisions of the Integrated Energy and Climate Programme (IEKP) of August 2007 which was extended in the federal government energy plan of September 2010. However, according to a new study by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) ther... read more
Approaching environmental protection as a global task
The nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan, and its unforeseen impact on mankind and the environment have put into focus the urgency of making major changes in how the economy is run and in our lifestyles. The way to the future is a life that is low-carbon, energy-efficient, and which makes conservative use of resources - at the national, regional and international level. “The signals sent by ambiti... read more
Greenhouse gases well below the limit
Although emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) rose slightly in 2010, Germany’s overall volume of 960 million tonnes continues to undercut the Kyoto target value. A total volume of 40 million tonnes GHG, or 4.3 percent over the previous year’s, were emitted according to preliminary calculations by the Federal Environment Agency. The sharp rise in CO2 emissions owes largely to the economic recovery a... read more
”Environment and Health“ - New additions and updates to educational materials
The Federal Ministry for Environment is expanding its free service for teachers, with new educational materials on the topic of global warming and health now available on the Internet. They are part of an expanding and updated collection of education materials on environment and health (Umwelt und Gesundheit). These materials, which were compiled jointly the Federal Ministry for Environment and t... read more
Emissions trading provides climate protection incentives
The volume of 454 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the some 1,630 concerns in the energy and industrial sectors involved in emissions trading in Germany in 2010 represents about six percent more climate-damaging CO2 emissions over the previous year in a weaker economy. As total emissions are under 2008 levels emissions, reduction efforts will proceed in the second trading period. read more
