European Union

City centres have long been characterised by high levels of consumption. They now face major changes due to online retailing, the aftermath of COVID19 and the climate crisis. The UBA coordinated EU Interreg project “NiCE – from niche to centre”, started in May 2023. The project aims to take advantage of these changes and make city centres more attractive again by offering sustainable options.

The ERGO (EndocRine Guideline Optimisation) project aims to improve the identification and regulation of hormonally active substances (endocrine disruptors). It will be shown to what extent the effects of endocrine disruptors in mammals can be extrapolated to non-mammals and vice versa. The thyroid hormone system will be used as the basis for the investigations.

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.

In 2018, the European Commission published its communication “A clean planet for all”, which calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A thorough study commissioned by UBA assessing the underlying scenarios for policy making shows, that central aspects for building an adequate ambitious long-term climate strategy, such as socio-economic, fiscal and technological, had been considered.

The European Commission issued a legislative proposal with seven measures for reducing waste on European beaches. The main aim of the proposal is to reduce the input of the most frequent plastic waste categories (top litter items). These are mainly single-use products such as food containers, cups, plastic bottles and cigarette butts, but also balloon sticks.

The German Environment Agency (UBA) supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at all levels after the UN Member States adopted them in September 2015. In addition to implementation at national and local level, UBA's efforts in the area of sustainability focus on an implementation of the SDGs at EU level.

The impacts of climate change are clearly felt in Europe. Efforts to adapt to climate change are thus becoming increasingly important. The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, adopted in 2021, has defined ambitious targets to address the growing need for action.