Publications

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.

In a press release dated 15 September 2006, the WHO seemed to be indicating a new focus in its strategy on the fight against malaria in respect of the use of DDT.

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, adopted a global plan of action – Agenda 21 – to solve mankind's most urgent problems.

Metals discharged into aquatic systems are mostly adsorbed on suspended particles and finally accumulate in sediments. Since the toxicity of metals have been recognized as important environmental hazard, extensive research was conducted on the dose-effect relationship under different geochemical conditions.

After the entering into force of EU regulation (EC) No. 842/2006 and the EU directive 2006/40/EC, refrigeration systems in supermarkets remain the last big subsector and the strongest emission source of fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFC) in Germany.

The Report on the Environmental Economy, presented here by the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency, provides an overview of the structure and relevance of the environmental economy and the diverse aspects which characterise the interaction of environment, environmental policy and economy.

The German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) presents here a summary of its Ideas on climate policies. We wish to illustrate how we foresee the next steps towards an ambitious set of policies for energy, mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.

While it was not always possible to strictly follow the objectives of the proposal to UBA, it can be stated that the overall objectives of the project were met. A particular problem has been that CAREC had major difficulties in hiring professional staff. At one time there have been 12 openings.

On March 12, 2008 the German Federal Environment Agency and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety held a meeting of experts entitled “Eco-Innovation, International Trade, WTO and Climate: Key Issues for an ecological industrial policy”.

In the late 19th century, the lack of appropriate waste collection and disposal systems in Europe along with public health issues – the outbreak of epidemics such as the cholera – raised the question: How can waste volumes be reduced and how can waste be managed more hygienically? This marked the beginning of the age of “technical waste incineration“.

Under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities,” (Article 3.1 of the UNFCCC) non-Annex I parties have so far been exempted from emission limitation or reduction commitments. However, the pressure is mounting on those countries, especiallymajor emitting developing countries, to contribute actively to the mitigation of climate change.

How does emissions trading influence the competitiveness of the German industry? By increasing the costs of domestic production, emissions trading may induce the relocation of industrial production and the associated emissions – e.g. to non-EU countries with few or no climate protection regulations.