Press | Umweltbundesamt

For the first time, a woman will head the Federal Environment Agency. On 5 May 2014 Maria Krautzberger is taking office as the President of Germany's biggest national environment authority. On 30 April the Federal Cabinet nominated her to succeed Jochen Flasbarth, who at the end of 2013 became State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry. Ms Krautzberger's last position was as Permanent Se... read more

The fight against the oak processionary has begun in many of Germany's Länder, including in Berlin and Brandenburg. The caterpillars of this moth have bristles which contain a toxin that can cause health problems. The caterpillars are controlled with either chemical or biological agents before they develop these bristles, usually beginning in late April through early May. read more

Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced, and be reduced soon. This is the conclusion of the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was published today. Emissions reductions can only be achieved with very ambitious climate protection measures that take effect quickly. However, if no reduction efforts are made over the next 10 years it will hardly be possible t... read more

A research project on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency has shown the magnitude of the contamination of the environment by pharmaceuticals: traces of more than 630 different pharmaceutical ingredients and their degradation products have been recorded in many regions of the earth. They can be found in water, soil, sludge and organisms. read more

The Federal Environment Agency in Dessau-Roßlau has won this year’s EMAS Award for outstanding innovative projects in the organisation’s environmental management. EU Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik presented the award to UBA in the "large organisation in the public sector" category at the Hanover Messe for the Agency’s Haus 2109 property. The building is the first office building in th... read more

The extensive use of plant protection products in agriculture is causing increasing harm to birds on fields. This is the conclusion reached in a study done on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency The partridge and skylark in particular are finding less food because, besides killing pests, the chemicals used also kill prey such as butterfly caterpillars and other insects. In addition, herbicide... read more

Regulations on the use of biocides must become more specific and more binding. The risks of these substances, which are contained in products such as wood preservatives and insect repellents, were underestimated for a long time. The existing EU Biocides Directive has only concerned the placing of biocidal products on the market but not how they may be used. New regulations governing their use coul... read more

Climate change will augment global risks such as poverty, pollution and the extinction of species which already exist and will slow down economic development. These are the facts reported in Part II of the current World Climate Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change which was published today in Yokohama, Japan. read more