Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Chemicals

Advancing REACH: Strengthening control of emerging risk

In October 2020, the European Commission launched the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability that calls to counter emerging risk with preventive action. This report aims to place this strategy in the context of the debate on the precautionary principle in the EU and to derive policy options to advance ⁠REACH⁠ in order to strengthen the control of emerging risk. The report assesses the...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

The path to greenhouse gas neutral administration

stages and guidelines

A guide of the German Environment Agency (UBA) supports public administrations being a role model of climate protection. To this end, it presents nine stages on the path to greenhouse gas neutral administration. For each stage, it describes the steps and challenges and provides practical recommendations for all relevant issues. Furthermore, the guide contains methodological, organizational and pra...read more

Economy | Consumption, Waste | Resources, Water, Soil | Land

Management of contaminated sites of the petrochemical industry

Manual

Environmental authorities globally are challenged with the complexity of problems associated with contaminated sites. For protecting human beings and the quality of the environmental media air, water and soil, the prevention and elimination of hazards as well as impact mitigation are crucial. This manual presents information and solution-oriented procedures for all stakeholders with a focus on ide...read more

Chemicals

Advancing REACH – ECHA Board of Appeal

Proposals for further development and strategies for implementation

For ⁠REACH⁠ a board of appeal (BoA) is established within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in order to guarantee processing of appeals for any natural or legal person affected by decisions taken by ECHA. This report summarized the status and the development of the Board of Appeal since REACH entered into force. It analyses three different policy options to enhance the efficiency...read more

Chemicals, Economy | Consumption, Health

Toxicological basic data for the derivation of EU-LCI values for 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, 3-methoxybutanol, 1,2-propylene glycol n-propyl ether, methyl formate and butyl formate

The subject of this project was the preparation of substance reports for five substances relevant for building products emissions. For these substances, the toxicological data basis was researched, compiled and evaluated, and EU-LCI values were proposed. The EU-LCI values allow the harmonisation of the health assessment of building products emissions throughout Europe. The EU-LCI Working Group is...read more

Water

The value of the German marine environment

Costs of degradation of the marine environment using the example of the German North Sea and Baltic Sea

Strong algal growth, water turbidity, overfishing, underwater noise or trash not only on the beaches are just a few examples that the North Sea and Baltic Sea are confronted with. The latest status assessment of the German North Sea and Baltic Sea waters from 2018 shows that a good status of marine waters is still a long way off.From a human well-being perspective, a marine environment in poor con...read more

Chemicals, Air, Health, Water, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters, Soil | Land, Transport

The Zero Pollution Action Plan as a chance for a cross-regulatory approach to pollution prevention and reduction

To further prevent and reduce the pollution of air, water, and soil and to safeguard human health and well-being, the European regulatory framework needs to be improved to include a cross-regulatory approach. This scientific opinion paper presents such an approach for the systemic protection of air, water, soil and human health – the Zero Pollution Ambition Cycle developed by the German Environmen...read more

Klima | Energie

Renewable energies in Germany

Data on the development in 2020

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Working Group on Renewable Energy Statistics (AGEE-Stat) takes stock of the use of renewable energies and annually prepares an official estimate of the development of renewable energies for the previous year. This background paper describes the initial findings for the electricity, heatand transport sectors, supplemented by fig...read more