News

What is the greenhouse effect and which gases are involved? How do man-made greenhouse gas emissions cause change in the earth’s atmosphere and what can still be done to limit global warming?

In Germany, some 560,000 end-of-life vehicles arose in 2018. Recycling of these vehicles complied with the European recycling and recovery targets, yet the whereabouts of around 310,000 vehicles are unknown. UBA therefore recommends the introduction of minimum requirements for vehicle registration systems in respect of deregistration of vehicles.

The "EcoDesign Circle" project coordinated by UBA is one of the finalists for the "Regiostars Awards", a competition of EU-funded projects that present inspiring approaches to regional development. The voting for the Audience Award is online on the competition website until 15 September.

Air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, nitrate in groundwater or organic farming - the "Data on the Environment" provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the environment, the polluters and starting points for measures. With the new indicator report, an individual report can now be compiled online from a total of 50 different environmental indicators and downloaded as a PDF.

Sources of natural hazards, such as heavy rainfall, flooding, winter storms or lightning, can cause major accidents. Climate change can change the intensity, frequency and local distribution of such sources of hazards. Operators of installations in which large quantities of hazardous substances are present and the authorities responsible for them must therefore adapt their risk management.

Increasing numbers of customers are paying attention to products’ environmental compatibility. How can and should businesses draw attention to the environmental benefits of their products? When can a product be described as "water-saving” or “recyclable”, for instance?

UBA President Dirk Messner on the response to the coronavirus crisis: “Over the months to come, decisions will be taken that determine our lives in the 2020s.”

A large amount of petroleum- and coal-based chemicals is used as intermediates. A research project recently launched by UBA is intended to clarify, whether intermediate product applications result in the transfer of constituents of concern in the value chain or their release into the environment.

The 8th Global Nitrogen Conference of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI 2020) follows up on the previous nitrogen conferences that have been held since 1998. This year’s theme is “Nitrogen and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Most of the SDGs are closely related to the nitrogen cycle.

Minimizing cumulative emissions is essential for reducing the risk of overshooting the warming limit of 1.5 degrees. This study commissioned by the German Environment Agency analyses the implications for the EU ETS and presents different scenarios for this goal. The authors conclude that the cap reduction factor should be increased to 4 percent starting from 2021 or 5.8 percent starting from 2026.

The Paris Agreement has strengthened objectives to limit global warming remarkably. Considering a fair or cost-effective contribution to global efforts relevant greenhouse gas emitting countries should upgrade their national 2030 commitments to comply with the respective goals. Even, simply redistributing cost-effective reductions among parties by 2050 would not meet fairness considerations.