Press | Umweltbundesamt

The German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency has met its 28 February deadline to allocate emissions allowances for 2010. Some 1,600 operators will receive some 390 million free emissions allowances from the annual budget of a total 451.86 million allowances. read more

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has spoken in favour of use of the natural refrigerant R744 and against the use of the perfluorinated hydrocarbon HFC-1234yf (tetrafluoropropene) as a refrigerant in mobile air conditioners.  German manufacturers in particular have up to now shown preference for the natural refrigerant R744 (CO2), yet a clear and final decision taken by the automotive industry... read more

Efforts in environmental protection may not let up despite the tangible presence of the international economic and financial crisis. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) believes that far-reaching climate protection measures are urgent. UBA President Jochen Flasbarth expressed support for the goal set by the Federal government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 40 percent lower than 199... read more

On 28 January 2010 account holders in a number of European emissions trading registries and elsewhere received fake email requesting them to enter account information on a website. Users of Germany’s Emissions Trading Registry which is operated by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency in Berlin also received phishing email, which seeks to extract user nam... read more

For the year 2008 Germany met its climate protection goal in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol and remains an international frontrunner in the area of climate protection. Greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 sank by 22.2 percent over 1990 levels, a volume equivalent to nearly 280 million tons. read more

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has assessed air quality for the year  2009 based on interim data, and arrived at the following conclusion: at 55 percent of air measuring stations placed in urban areas in the vicinity of traffic, annual mean levels of nitrogen dioxide concentrations (NO2) in 2009 were above the 40 micrograms/cubic metre air (µg/m3) which is set as the cap as of 1.1.2010. read more

Pollution of the climate owing to waste management activities was at a level of some 38 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in Germany in 1990. Up until 2006 this burden had lightened to about 18 million tonnes. The overall decline in emissions of climate-damaging gases-- thanks in particular to ending disposal of untreated residential waste- amounts to about 56 million tonnes, which is a volume rou... read more

The EU has adopted new legislation on plant protection. The new regulations about the authorisation and use of plant protection agents represent a giant leap for environmental protection in Europe. ”The new directive about authorisation bans the application of especially hazardous ingredients in plant protection products. This is long overdue and now marks progress in preventive environmental prot... read more