Topics | Umweltbundesamt

The European Nitrates Directive places Germany under the obligation to prevent exceedances of the quality standard of 50 milligrams nitrate per litre.Since 2008, the quality standard has been exceeded every year at almost one in six measuring points.On June 21, 2018, the European Court of Justice found Germany guilty of violating the EU Nitrates Directive.Agriculture is the most important source o... read more

69 % of vulnerable ecosystems in Germany are threatened 2019 by excess nitrogen deposition.With the revised German Sustainable Development Strategy 2016, the Federal Government aims to reduce the proportion of these areas by 35 % until 2030. According to the current calculation basis, this results in a target value of 52 % by 2030.This target is feasible only if efforts to reduce air pollution are... read more

According to the data of the German Federal Statistical Office, the share of area under organic farming of agricultural land increased from 2.9 % to 9.7 % from 1999 to 2021.The Federal Government aims to increase the proportion of organically cultivated areas in agricultural land to 30 % by 2030.At the growth rate of recent years, this aim is expected to be missed in 2030. read more

In the sector of products with official eco-labels, 13.4 % of turnover was generated with particularly environmentally friendly products in 2020.The Federal Government has set the target of increasing the market share of environmentally friendly products to 34 % by 2030.More efforts are needed to achieve this goal, particularly in the food and mobility sectors. read more

A water exploitation index of 20 % or above indicates the threshold of water stress.Water stress means an increasing risk of environmental problems and economic difficulties.Since 2007 the water exploitation index has been below the critical level of 20 %.Germany is causing water exploitation in other parts of the world by importing goods. In some regions this can contribute to water stress. read more

2021 was the seventh warmest year worldwide since records began 1850.The last seven years have been the warmest years worldwide since 1850.The Paris Climate Agreement stipulates that the increase in global temperature should be limited to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, and even to 1.5 °C. Due to historical data availability, the comparative period used by WMO for this purpose is 1850... read more

In 2021 no water body of transitional or coastal waters in the North and Baltic Seas achieved good or very good status.According to the European Water Framework Directive, by 2015 and with a deadline extension to 2027 all waters should have achieved at least a good ecological status.The time must now be used to reach the ambitious targets by 2027 at the latest.This will require considerable additi... read more

The recycling rate for municipal waste rose from 56 % in 2002 to 67.4 % in 2020.The target set by the Federal Government of increasing the recycling percentage for municipal waste to 65 % by 2020 has therefore been achieved.However, there is still a need for action for individual subgroups of municipal waste. read more