Topics | Umweltbundesamt

Too high phosphorus concentrations are measured at more than half of all river measurement stations in Germany.The share has declined by around one third since the beginning of the 1980s. Extreme levels of pollution are very rare nowadays.Aim of the Sustainability Strategy is to meet the requirements for good status for phosphorous in all water bodies by 2030 at the latest.This requires a change i... read more

387,700 people worked in the renewable energy sector in 2022.Employment in the renewable energy sector reflects the development of the German market.Strong employment growth until 2011 was followed by a pronounced decline that resulted from the widespread collapse of the domestic photovoltaic industry.Only since 2019, employment has been rising again. read more

The rail share in freight transport fluctuated between 19 % and 21,5 % over the past years.The share of inland waterways transport fell almost continuously from 13.5 % to 6.4 % since 1999. read more

The share of environmentally friendly passenger transport has remained more or less constant since 2003, only slightly increasing until 2019 and reaching 20.6 %. In 2020 and 2021, it fell to around 18 % due to the pandemic and was back at 20.3 % in 2022.To keep the environmental impact of passenger transport low, the share of environmentally friendly transport in total passenger transport should b... read more

The Federal Government wants to lower final energy consumption of freight and passenger transport by 15 to 20 % by 2030 compared to 2005.Freight and passenger transport have become significantly more efficient since the early 1990s, but the increased transport performance has led to an increase or stagnation in final energy consumption.Final energy consumption in freight transport remains at a hig... read more

Final energy consumption associated with buildings decreased by 20.1 % between 2008 and 2023.However, according to the 2010 Energy Concept, the heat demand of buildings should have decreased by 20 % between 2008 and 2020. In fact, consumption fell by only 10.9 %.Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the resulting energy-saving efforts, building-related final energy consumption ha... read more

Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the economic performance of an economy, but does not reflect social welfare.The national welfare index (NWI) includes overall 21 activities that raise and diminish welfare.The NWI shows a different course than GDP. It fluctuates in phases. In recent years some growth has been seen. read more

Primary energy consumption (PEC) in Germany has fallen significantly since the end of the 2000s. It fell by 26% between 2008 and 2023.According to the Energy Efficiency Act of 2023, PEC is to be reduced by 39% by 2030 compared to 2008.The 'Projection Report 2023' by the German Environment Agency indicates that the measures taken so far will likely be insufficient to achieve these targets.The indic... read more