News

The German Environment Agency welcomes the EU’s initiative to change the use of plastics in Europe. The European Commission presented its Plastics Strategy on January 16th.

If Germany wants to live up to the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement, its transport sector must quickly and drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions. A recently published paper commissioned by the German Environment Agency confirms this conclusion and proposes concrete measures by which emissions can be reduced significantly and ensure that the climate action goals are achieved.

The German Environment Agency recently published its Data on the Environment 2017 report. Action is needed with regard to climate protection policy, improvement of resource efficiency and nutrient pollution, good news for recycling rates and drinking water quality.

Since 2016, there are new legal requirements for the assessment for nutrients and substances of the waters in Germany. New assessment procedures for hydromorphology were developed. These assessment instruments and the results of the application are described in the brochure "Waters in Germany: Status and Assessment".

The transport sector is under pressure and faces tremendous challenges - not only in Germany. Hence, many countries are looking for solutions that mitigate the sector’s environmental impact and promote sustainable alternatives. UBA and GIZ collected promising ideas and innovations from emerging and developing countries that show great potential for the German context.

The OECD Test Guideline No. 318 features the very first standardized test method particular for nanomaterials adopted by OECD. It is one important component needed for the adaptation of nanospecific requirements for environmental risk assessment applied within legislations on chemical safety.

Capital investments which target the energy, transport and building sectors can help to limit the rise in Earth’s temperatures to less than 2 degrees. A new UBA study proposes the criteria by which public financial institutions like development banks should proceed and identifies which projects should no longer be funded.

Assessing and managing the effects of glyphosate on diversity and abundance of non-target species fully complies with European and national laws. Glyphosate is expected to have a particularly strong impact on non-target organisms by disrupting food webs in agricultural areas.

The agencies from nearly 20 EU countries responsible for the enforcement of the European WEEE Directive have formed a network. UBA initiated the constitutional meeting on 7-8 September 2017. The representatives from all participating EU-countries agreed to cooperate more closely in the future in order to prosecute non-compliant producers who trade across borders more effectively.

In an initial step to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport, shipping companies must monitor and report their emissions starting 01.01.2018. The German Emissions Trading Authority at UBA (DEHSt) is the competent authority for emissions monitoring in Germany.

UBA is engaged in transboundary efforts to improve the protection of man and the environment, for example in the case of fires at industrial facilities or oil spills. In September 2017 UBA launched a joint emergency exercise with the German and Polish fire brigade and organised a seminar on how to prevent transboundary pollution by contaminated fire-water.

Certain substances are harmful to man and the environment. The AskREACH project will raise awareness on Substances of Very High Concern in articles among the European population, retailers and industry. Consumers can use a smartphone app to get information on such substances or send requests for information to suppliers. The European Chemicals Regulation REACH provides the legal framework.