Publications

With the indicator report "Data on the Environment – Environmental Monitor 2020", the German Environment Agency provides a condensed picture of the state of the environment, the causes of environmental pollution and starting points for improved policy action.

The publication describes the preliminary status of German air quality in 2020. Regarding PM (particulate matter) the reduction of pollution has continued. Consistently to this development, there are hardly any exceedances of the EU annul limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). And there was less ozone pollution than in both previous years.

The authorisation process is a central instrument of REACH, aiming at reducing risks from the use of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). The goal is a stepwise elimination of such substances from the market with the option to grant temporary exemptions.

An essential prerequisite for a sustainable energy supply and greenhouse gas neutrality in Germany and worldwide is the complete conversion of the energy supply to renewable energies. Wind and sun are the sources with the greatest supply potential. However, these energy sources have a low energy density and are not uniformly available everywhere to the same extent.

The project conducted the third application of the OSPAR Common Procedue for the assessment of the eutrophication status of the German coastal and marine waters of the North Sea, based on data from 2009-2014. The assessment results were also used in the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive for descriptor 5 “eutrophication”.

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).