Publications

A new brochure summarises UBA's commitment at the European and international level. Whether it is protecting the climate, dealing with growing mountains of waste or the health hazards posed by toxic chemicals - no nation can address these major issues alone.

Tropospheric ozone is an air pollutant that causes risks to human health and vegetation. This literature study summarises results of experiments, in which the effects of ozone on plants has been investigated in combination with factors of climate change, enhanced concentration of carbon dioxide in the air as well as nitrogen deposition.

The European Green Deal, published by the European Commission in 2019, represents a new and ambitious approach to put environment and sustainability at the heart of European policy. Its ambitions are high, yet the planned measures might not be sufficient to actually meet them.

This report is a review of the existing literature which determine the current level of knowledge of the benefits and costs associated with REACH. The main focus of the review was on the identification of the gaps in the assessment of benefits.

The application and enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste (“WSR”) rise to special challenges for economic agents and competent authorities.  The classification of waste in one of the annexes of the WSR, and therefore the crucial position for the applicable procedure, is rather complex.

Enhancing substitution of substances of concern with less hazardous alternatives will remain a key challenge for chemicals management in the coming years and is a central aim of REACH.

To date, the supply of units for the voluntary carbon market has been almost exclusively in the form of credits generated by climate protection projects elsewhere. This report analyses the merits and challenges of another possible source of supply for GHG compensation: allowances from emissions trading systems (ETSs).

Climate change will affect the frequency, intensity and regional occurrence of extreme weather events and lead to gradual climatic changes. Although climate change impacts appear locally at first, they spread beyond political borders due to the global physical and economic interconnectedness.

Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires increased global climate action, especially towards the production and use of synthetic e-fuels. This paper focuses on aviation and maritime transport and the role of green hydrogen for indirect electrification of industry sectors.

Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement requires increased global climate action, especially towards the transition of the energy sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has suddenly and fiercely changed social life around the world. Besides the diverse, in part drastic negative consequences, the crisis has also produced situations and pictures that seem utopian in “normal” times. Some of these impacts will soon fade away, others are very likely to continue in the longer term.

Chemical recycling is discussed as an alternative or addition to mechanical recycling of plastic waste, which is considered to have both the possibility of removing pollutants and the potential of using waste that is difficult to recycle or heavily contaminated.