Publications

Germany’s municipal sewage treatment plants generate some two million tons of dry sewage sludge annually, with the proportion of thermally
treated sewage sludge increasing from 31.5 per cent in 2004 to more than 54 % in 2011.

The study shows that it is technically feasible for Germany to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. The scenario chosen in the study considers the issue from a purely national perspective and does not include interaction with other countries.

Discharge via the municipal waste water system is the dominant emission pathway to water for many micropollutants especially for household chemicals, substances used in commerce and industry (especially in small and medium-sized enterprises), pharmaceuticals and biocides.

The world is in a process of constant change and development. Not only is technology advancing, but the environment as well as  political, social and economic systems are constantly changing. To respond, it is important to look into the future so as to recognize and take advantage of opportunities as well as detect and minimize risks to mitigate negative consequences.

The UBA celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2014. As an exception we took this occasion to take a look at the past in our annual "What Matters" publication, namely at the most important milestones in German environmental policy with which the UBA is closely associated. The publication also casts a spotlight on the most current topics in environmental protection.

In 2010 environmentally harmful subsidies in Germany amounted to more than €52 billion. The state granted subsidies among others to the lignite industry and aviation sector. The volume of subsidies therefore remains high –  and there is no sign of a systematic reduction. Environmentally harmful subsidies not only thwart environmental protection, they are also a burden on public funds.

As a Party to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), since 1994 Germany has been obliged to prepare, publish and regularly update national emission inventories of greenhouse gases. In February 2005, the Kyoto Protocol entered into force.

Air conditioning systems for passenger cars in the EU must switch to a new refrigerant for the sake of climate protection. However, UBA is not the only one to believe that many car manufacturers are backing the wrong horse. The new refrigerant R1234yf can ignite during accidents and hydrofluoric acid may form.

In order to identify sensitive organisms, biological endpoints in vivo and suitable in vitro test systems for the biomonitoring of pharmaceuticals, a two-part literature search was conducted.

Automobiles, planes, ships, machinery, facades and the interior of build-ings, furniture, household appliances, magazines, posters and data stor-age devices: The list of products covered with lacquers and paints is sheer endless. In 2012 about 2.6 million tons of lacquer, paint and printing ink were produced in Germany (VdL 2013). This shows how important these products are in our daily lives.

The contribution of outdoor jackets as a source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) regarding the environmental and human exposure in Germany and other member states of the European Union (EU) has been investigated. Following the development of robust and validated analytical methods for 24 different PFASs, a total of five impregnating agents and 16 different jackets were analyzed.

Are green products being substituted for conventional products, or are they simply being used in parallel? Is the same trend being seen across all product segments? Does it apply to the big points of sustainable consumption?