Publications

This report was inspired by the work we did on a project funded by the EEA that ran between June 2011 and March 2012. One of the main aims of the EEA project was to provide examples of how the evaluation of global mega trends presented in the SOER 2010 could be applied to regional topics, like resource scarcity or environmental goals.

This report first describes the two processes for the development of SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda, and the options to integrate the results of both processes in order to arrive at one set of goals. It goes on to discuss the possible structure of a set of SDGs, and discusses a number of topic clusters, as an illustration of what possible SDGs could look like.

Annex B to the Methodological Convention 2.0 for Estimates of Environmental Damage contains UBA’s recommendations for best-practice cost rates for greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants and, based on this, estimates of the environmental costs of transport and of power and heat generation.

The background paper presents an overview of key contents of the Methodological Convention 2.0 for Estimates of Environmental Costs and its annexes.

The current exposure assessment for pesticide entries into water bodies considers a water body model which represents a realistic worst case for water bodies in the agricultural landscape.

Nitrogen emissions in the form of nitrogen oxides (NOX) or ammonia (NH3) contribute to the formation of groundlevel ozone and secondary fine particulates, which, together with nitrogen dioxide, are major air pollutants with significant impacts on human health. In addition, ammonia and ground-level ozone cause damage to crops and natural ecosystems.

The aim of the study was to fill knowledge gaps regarding the estimation of adaptation costs and to develop a concept towards comparing costs between developing countries. In the first part a conceptual approach is presented to estimate adaptation costs of various sectors.

The criteria for the sustainable selection and use of chemicals were developed by the Umweltbundesamt between 2008 and 2010 and reflect the current state of the expert discussion. They were compiled in a guide for small and medium sized enterprises (SME).

With its reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU Commission strives for not only a fairer distribution of agricultural funds but, in particular, for a more environmentally friendly, a “greener” CAP.

Within the next 40 years, in the European Union approximately 11,000 t of metallic mercury has to be disposed that is no longer used in the chlor-alkali industry or is gained from non-ferrous metal production or the cleaning of natural gas. One disposal option is permanent storage in underground storage sites in salt rock.

The overarching goal of the research project is to develop strategies and instruments for sustainable material use of biomass in order to contribute to the German federal government’s climate protection and resource conservation objectives. Political debate about biomass in recent years has focussed primarily on energy use.

Three different wood preservative products, their eluates produced by leaching tests, mixtures of some of their ingredients and some of their ingredients as single substances were tested for growth inhibition of green algae as well as acute and chronic toxicity to Daphnia magna. The tests were conducted according to OECD standard guidelines and supported by analytical