climate protection

The “SDG pathways” project develops and applies a modeling approach for integrated sustainability assessments of ambitious resource- and climate policy transformation pathways for Germany. Applied evaluation criteria are given by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide an ambitious set of goals and targets for the environmental, social, and economic transformation until 2030.

In a study for the German Environment Agency, a research team from Öko-Institut and Ecologic Institute has examined the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) for global climate action and international climate policy. The results show that their potential to mitigate emissions is probably overestimated in the literature. Nevertheless, NbS can bring various benefits and should be promoted actively.

The Global Stocktake assesses the collective progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement every five years. The first Global Stocktake concluded in 2023 with a decision at COP28 on the way forward to increase action and support to effectively address climate change.

Parties to the Paris Agreement are updating their plans for climate action. Less than half of the countries analysed as part of a project funded by the German Environment Agency are increasing their ambition. Many are lacking a clear plan for implementation. This is the result of a new methodology, which analyses 20 recently submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

A research project for the German Environment Agency developed a method for the systematic analysis of the design of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of Parties to the Paris Agreement. As part of this project, the design of 20 NDCs were analysed with this method.

How do climate change and environmental degradation affect human health? What can people in the health professions do to promote climate protection and adaptation to climate change? This and much more is covered by experts in 15 video lectures, many of which are recorded online. UBA provided support for the lecture series from the funding programme for associations (Verbändeförderung).

Digitalisation is becoming increasingly pervasive in almost all areas of life. However, its impact on natural resources and climate change needs to be better understood. The UBA research project ‘Digitalisation and resources (DigitalRessourcen)’ investigates these interrelations with the aim of identifying strategic levers for sustainable development.

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.