Publications

The present background paper reflects the position of the German federal authorities on the regulation of nanomaterials (NMs) under REACH. It is intended as a basis for preparing decision-making routes for political processes responses to from outsiders (e.g. Bundestag deputies or NGOs).

Although much has been done in the area after the Bulgarian accession to the EU Bulgaria still has one of the lowest energy efficiency in the EU.5 Bulgaria has EU emissions commitment and energy efficiency is the best way to address them, but the financial mechanisms are not in place.

“Sustainability Research” or “Sustainability Science” has become a common term, one found in the names of research programs, research institutions and specialist journals. But just like the term “sustainability” itself, “sustainability research” is not clearly defined.

Materials that are used outdoors can be preserved by biocides to prevent disturbance by organisms, mainly colonisation by microorganisms. These applications may cause emissions of active substances into environmental compartments via leaching processes. The European Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC (BPD) requires an assessment of environmental risks caused by the use of biocidal products.

The brochure contains the essential steps for developing the waste management concept of the city Khanty-Mansiysk and the results: the concept and the educational materials that have been created in this context in order to provide scientific approaches in the field of sustainable waste management at Russian universities.

Due to the particular uncertainties concerning evaluation of the possible risks of nanomaterials for human health and the environment, the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) supports the establishment of a European register of products containing nanomaterials as a precautionary measure.

The effectiveness of an emissions trading system in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is mainly due to the magnitude of the specified emission cap. Assuming sufficient control, a quantitative emission target defined in such a way is quasi automatically achieved by the limited allocation of emission allowances.

The EU Commission committed itself to include emissions from shipping into the existing EU reduction commitment if no international agreement was achieved on a global level. To this aim the EU COM considered four regional policy options in an impact assessment (2011).

Von vielen Elementen des Erdsystems wird erwartet, dass sie sich mit zunehmender globaler Erwärmung stetig verändern. Diese graduellen Veränderungen könnten sich als reversibel erweisen, wenn die globale Erwärmung zurückgehen sollte.

In the run-up to the Rio+20 summit, which takes place in June 2012, this study investigates the current system for financing international environmental governance (IEG). The current architecture for IEG finance consists of a growing number of bilateral and multilateral actors, funds and financial mechanisms which leads to incoherence, inefficiencies and extra burdens on recipient countries.

The production of notebooks induces significant environmental impacts. However, these impacts are seldom considered by consumers in their purchasing decisions. Against this background, the Federal Agency of Environment in Germany commissioned the Öko-Institut e.V. and the Fraunhofer IZM with a study to address following questions.

In the follow-up to a training session in February 2009, a project was designed that has provided Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with support to improve the knowledge of their public experts in the areas of safety reporting, and in particular on: