Publications

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) intends to enable farmers to engage in multifunctional production by providing incentives or compensating farmers for measures and public goods not sufficiently remunerated by the markets but for which there is a societal demand.

The buildings sector accounts for about 40% of final energy consumption in Germany, and by far the largest part of this is due to old buildings. In total, more than 80% of the final energy consumed in households is used for space heating and hot water (Federal Statistical Office 2010).

Lake Tegel and Schlachtensee in Berlin show a uniquely pronounced trophic recovery in response to an abrupt and drastic (40- to 100-fold) reduction of their external phosphorus (P) load through P-stripping at their main inflow which exchanges the lake water volume about 5 times per year for Lake Tegel and about 1.5 times for Schlachtensee.

A discussion paper about whether the shift in re-sponsibility from emitters or investors to host country government would limit or even elimi-nate emitters’ incentives to engage in seeking cost-effective mitigation options and if so, by which means such outcome could be avoided or limited.

In this issue:

• Strategies for more environmental justice
• Berlin pilot project on environmental justice
• Research and activities from Germany and Switzerland

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.

This study by the Federal Environment Agency investigates the role of sinks and emissions from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) within existing and planned emissions trading systems. The harmonization of standards is an important aspect so that regional emission trading schemes form an effective and efficient international carbon market.

Fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) are 100 to 24,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO2. The contribution of fluorinated greenhouse gases to global warming is projected to triple from nearly 2% to around 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.

The Federal Environment Agency believes a speedy phase-out of nuclear energy use as of 2017 is both feasible and compatible with the goals of climate protection1. The Federal Environment Agency recommends adoption of a tiered approach.

With ballast water in ships, marine organisms are transported around the globe and to environments on which they may have adverse effects (e.g. displacement or even elimination of indigenous species).

Climate protection strategies today basically pursue two approaches: Firstly, measures should be taken to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emisssions. Secondly, measures should be implemented that enable humans and the environment to adapt to unavoidable climate change.

Position paper of the Ad hoc Subcommittee “Natural Attenuation” of the Contaminated Site Committee (ALA) of the Federal/State Working Group on Soil Protection (LABO), translation by order of the Federal Environment Agency.