The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) presented its new EMAS environmental statement on 2 December 2008 in Berlin, making a plea for environmental management at a high standard in public offices and businesses. ”The Federal Environment Agency practices what it preaches”, said Dr. Thomas Holzmann, Vice President of UBA, and pointed out that there are now five Agency sites that meet the strict requir... read more
Giving sun this Christmas and protecting the environment
Solar power is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly source of energy. Be it watches, pocket calculators, milk frothers or lighting systems for house numbers: Products showing the German environmental label ”Blue Angel” that run without batteries or power sockets give a good example of how forward-looking solar technology can also be effectively applied in the home. Using solar energy not... read more
More safety at industrial installations
Today, 25 November 2008, marks the start of the Fifth Parties of the Conference to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents in Geneva. At the three-day event the 37 signatory states, which include Germany, will discuss the state of development in implementation of the Convention. The Convention governs international efforts to prevent transboundary industrial accidents a... read more
Building and living still place greater strain on environment than necessary
Construction, operation and use of buildings and roads is still taking too high a toll on natural resources, and it promotes global warming. Not only is the continuing high demand for fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for heating and warm water responsible for the poor environmental balance in the building and housing sector, the great demand for building materials such as rocks and soil, met... read more
The Blue Angel - Active in Climate Protection
The Blue Angel is going to increasingly focus on climate protection: From the beginning of next year, the world’s oldest and most well-known eco-label will also be awarded to particularly energy-efficient and climate-friendly products and services and thus provide consumers with better purchase orientation. ”Germany’s Federal Environment Ministry, the Federal Environment Agency and the Environment... read more
Germany now involved in more than 100 international climate protection projects
Since December 2005 the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has authorised more than 100 climate protection projects in developing and emerging economies that comply with the Kyoto Protocol and are based on the so-called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This makes CDM, along with emissions trading, one of the most important climate protection instru... read more
Wood-fired heating: Not every type of fuel may be used in fireplace or tiled stove
Heating with wood is gentle on the climate because burning wood produces only as much carbon dioxide as the trees had previously sunk during their growth. However, under less-than-optimal conditions, incomplete combustion, or use of improper fuels, wood-fired heaters can emit large volumes of hazardous air pollutants, e.g. particulate matter or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are harmful to... read more
Emissions trading: companies to receive certificates
The second phase of emissions trading, scheduled to run from 2008 to 2012, is beginning: as of now, certificates for 2008 are available to companies. ”The pressure to act on implementing more climate protection measures is mounting inasmuch as operators of inefficient lignite power stations will in some cases receive up to 50 per cent fewer certificates,” says Dr. Thomas Holzmann, Vice President o... read more
