Storms, heavy rain, drought, heat waves – the negative consequences of the climate crisis are increasing, even in Germany. This is shown by the now third monitoring report on the German strategy for adapting to climate change, which we would like to present to you in this issue of our newsletter. We also cover the topics of antibiotic resistance and a misleading calculation method that, in the view of the German Environment Agency, jeopardises the EU’s plans of halving the use of pesticides.
We hope you find it an interesting read,
The Press Office of the German Environment Agency
The consequences of the climate crisis in Germany are becoming more severe
Poor harvests due to heat and drought – just one of the consequences of climate change in Germany.
Source: hykoe / Fotolia.com
The consequences of the climate crisis are becoming more severe, and efforts to adapt to these consequences must be intensified. These are the messages of the now third monitoring report on the German government’s strategy for adapting to climate change (Deutsche Anpassungsstrategie, DAS), which UBA President Dirk Messner and Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke presented on the 28th of November 2023.
More and more storms, heavy rain, droughts and heat waves are affecting the people’s health, the ecosystem and the economy. Germany is one of the regions with the highest water loss worldwide. The consequences are noticeable crop losses in agriculture and increasing forest dieback. In 2018, for example, winter wheat yields were down 15 per cent, and silage maize yields were down 20 per cent on the averages of the previous six years. In 2020, 20 times as many spruce trees died when compared to the average of the past ten years.
Adaptation measures being taken more and more in communities, but they must be intensified, for example, through more greenery and unsealed areas in cities to reduce heat and prevent flooding. The example of heat waves shows that adaptation measures work: the number of heat-related deaths in Germany could be reduced by specific information campaigns, according to UBA President Messner.
The monitoring report will also be available in English from around March 2024.
COP 28 – Survey of global climate change mitigation
From the 30th of November 2023, the 28th World Climate Conference takes place in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), at which the first Global Stocktake of the implementation of the Paris Agreement is to be completed. What is already clear: A course correction is needed, as the global efforts so far have not been enough to meet the targets set in Paris in 2015. read more (in German)
The study analyses strategies and offers recommendations for leveraging the Global Stocktake’s (GST) outcomes for national climate action, especially for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It emphasizes the need for coordinated efforts to ensure the results of the GST influence national political discourse. It proposes communication strategies tailored to the different stages of the NDC…
This factsheet analyses the role of nuclear energy in global climate scenarios. It shows, that a global tripling of nuclear capacity until 2050 is neither realistic nor is it needed to achieve climate targets according to the Paris agreement.
The factsheet presents an analysis of nine global climate scenarios that achieve climate targets according to the Paris agreement as well as two non-target…
The European Climate Law mandates the European Commission to propose a 2040 emissions reduction target by early 2024. In light of the latest report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, the German Environment Agency follows suit and recommends adhering to scientific advice, aiming for the most plausible climate ambition, and setting a domestic 2040 net greenhouse gas…
This fact sheet gathers an overview of key aspects with regards to the extension of the EU ETS 1 to maritime transport and herewith related interactions with other EU, international and national policies concerning the shipping sector. An outlook with a view to evaluating and futher developing the system is also provided.
The maritime EU ETS covers carbon dioxide emissions from 2024 onwards and…
With the 'Fit for 55' package, the EU's energy and climate policy instruments were aligned with the new climate target for 2030 (to reduce emissions by 55 % compared to 1990). One main feature of the Fit for 55 package is the strengthening of the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). This factsheet outlines the key aspects for the existing European Emissions Trading System for stationary…
Which rules and standards for calculating and certifying product-related emissions?
Die EU hat ein Gesetz zur Einführung eines Grenzausgleichsmechanismus erlassen. Dieses Gesetz wirft einige Fragen hinsichtlich der praktischen und rechtlichen Durchführbarkeit auf, einschließlich möglicher rechtlicher Herausforderungen im Hinblick auf das internationale Handelsrecht. Ein wichtiger Aspekt des CBAM sind effektive Vorgaben für die Überwachung und Berichterstattung (MRV) von…
The AOK medical insurance association, under the leadership of AOK Baden-Württemberg, together with the IWW Rhine-Westphalian Institute for Water Research and with the support of the German Environment Agency, launched a pilot study on ecological sustainability in antibiotic supply.
FAQ: Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in ecosystems
After use, antibiotics can enter the ecosystem through treated sewage, combined sewer overflows, sewage sludge or manure, which can harm organisms and promote resistance. So far, in Germany alone, 64 different antibiotics have been detected in ecosystems. Click here for important questions and answers during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW). read more (in German)
The use of pesticides is to be halved by 2030, according to the draft EU regulation on pesticide reduction. This goal is to be verified using pesticide sales data. In the view of the German Environment Agency this method is misleading. Pesticides that are no longer approved are weighted too high. Decreasing sales figures would indicate a decreasing trend, which does not happen in the field.
The report provides an overview of potential inputs of hazardous substances from the offshore oil and gas industry into the North Sea. Emissions from drilling fluids, cuttings piles, accidental spills, produced water and corrosion protection materials were investigated. The individual substances contained were evaluated according to their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity and according to…
Guidance for the use of an R markdown template file
In this report, nonlinear hierarchical models and their use for the kinetic evaluation of chemical degradation data are presented. These models allow for a joint evaluation of multiple data sets, directly resulting in overall degradation parameters and their statistical distribution. Common problems occurring in the separate kinetic evaluation of each dataset with subsequent amalgamation of the…
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Chemicals in products: Where can I find reliable information?
Many products contain chemicals that can be harmful for your health and the environment. However, different labelling requirements and disclosure rights apply to various groups of products. The German Environment Agency gives an overview where citizens can find information about the chemicals in products. read more (in German)
Transport
Sustainably shaping digitisation in transport
Driverless shuttles on the roads, assistance systems in passenger cars and route planning on your phone – these and more current and future developments in the digitisation of transport, their opportunities and risks, and necessary constraints were analysed as part of two research projects by the UBA. The results have now been summarised and published in a brochure. read more (in German)
Noise
Noise action plan: Guidelines help with selecting measures
Noise action plans following the EU Environmental Noise Directive are crucial in improving quality of life in noisy areas and in protecting the public’s health. When selecting measures, different variants are weighed up against each other. The UBA has published a new brochure that supports the authorities in assessing the measures. read more (in German)
Economy / Consumption
Plant-based diet: What citizens recommend
At the invitation of the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) and the German Environment Agency (UBA), around 60 citizens in Germany discussed how to encourage plant-based diets more strongly. In a multi-step participation process, they developed a catalogue of recommendations that was handed over to the BMUV State Secretary, Stefan Tidow, on the 20th of October 2023. read more (in German)
Tackling the transformation of the food system now!
Ecological, regional and plant-based: The transformation of our food system towards more sustainability was the focus of a research project commissioned by the German Environment Agency and the BMUV. A new UBA brochure shows strategies to change our diet sustainably. read more (in German)
Green Christmas
Christmas trees, Christmas lights, wrapping paper – our tips for a more environmentally-friendly Christmas. read more (in German)
Waste / Resources
Packaging waste on the rise again in 2021
In 2021, packaging waste in Germany increased by 4.9 percent or 0.91 million tons, compared to last year, to a total of 19.69 million tons. The majority of this (18.97 million tons) was recycled – 13.36 million tons into new products or materials and 5.59 million tons into energy. This meant that in 2021 Germany could already meet most of the European targets set for 2025. read more (in German)
The federal government's first waste prevention program (WPP) with the participation of the federal states was passed in 2013 and continued in 2021. The WPP was accompanied by a dialogue process to strengthen communication and networking between those involved in the implementation process. For specific fields of action, suitable instruments for reducing barriers were developed and impulses were…
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Air
Particulate matter from New Year’s fireworks
Every year in Germany, around 2050 tons of particulate matter (PM₁₀) are released by the burning of fireworks, the majority of which takes place on New Year’s Eve. This is equivalent to about one percent of the total amount of released particulate matter in Germany. On the first day of the new year, the air pollution with hazardous particulate matter is higher in many places than at any other time of year. read more (in German)
A new map product for calculating the critical loads for eutrophication and acidification of terrestrial ecosystems and for modelling air quality was created in this project. The spatial extent of the map covers a large number of countries in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The results of this project are map products representing the land cover in 217 EUNIS classes and 13 RCG classes. In…
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Water
Status report released: Baltic Sea heavily polluted
On the 31st of October 2023, a new status report by the Helsinki Convention of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea (HELCOM) was presented to the public. This is the Baltic Sea’s most comprehensive ecological status assessment ever conducted. Despite the protection efforts, the delicate ecosystem of the Baltic Sea is in poor condition almost everywhere. This is because of human activities. read more (in German)
German Centre for Micropollutants continues the trace substance dialogue
On the 16th and the 17th of October 2023, the networking event “Future Platform of the Centre for Micropollutants – together for clean waters” by the German Centre for Micropollutants took place in Berlin. Around 100 people from different sectors got together at the event to promote the exchange of ideas and measures for reducing micropollutants in the waters. read more (in German)
Sustainability / Strategies / International matters
Reducing substances in the construction sector that are hazardous to health and the environment and supporting circular construction – these are the goals of NonHazCity 3, a European project in the EU Interreg Program for the Baltic Sea Region. The project team involves 21 partners from all eight EU countries around the Baltic Sea, including the German Environment Agency (UBA).
Ziel dieses Berichtes ist der Vergleich unterschiedlicher Methodiken, die in Listen oder Datenbanken von Umweltkosten (environmental unit costs) verwendet werden. Diese werden u.A. für Kosten-Nutzen-Analysen und Umwelt- oder Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung genutzt. Die Analyse basiert auf einem Kernset von Listen und Datenbanken, das aus einer Sondierung des Umweltbundesamtes hervorging. Ergänzt…
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UBA news
Dessau-Roßlau embraces cosmopolitanism and diversity
Like many communities in Germany, the city of Dessau-Roßlau, where the German Environment Agency has its headquarters, is faced with the challenge of coping with demographic change and actively shaping the coexistence and cohesion of an increasingly diverse urban population. The successful cooperation between Anhalt University, the German Environment Agency and the city of Dessau-Roßlau on these issues has now been extended for five years. read more (in German)
As recounted
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The ten warmest years since regular weather records began have been measured since 2010. Find out more (in German)
