Topics | Umweltbundesamt

Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the economic performance of an economy, but does not reflect social welfare.The national welfare index (NWI) includes overall 20 activities that raise and diminish welfare.The NWI reached its peak in 1999 and declined afterwards until 2005. An upward trend has been observed since 2013. read more

Power generation, heat generation and transport activities pollute the environment, among other things, through the emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.This results in high subsequent costs for society, for example through environmentally-induced diseases, damage to ecosystems or even buildings.For Germany, these environmental costs are estimated to amount to almost 208 billion euros i... read more

Compliance is key to effective environmental law. Serious offences of environmental law are therefore sanctioned as an administrative offence with an administrative fine or even as a criminal offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment. These environmental protection regulations are important to deter potential perpetrators. read more