More than half of Germany's surface area is used for agriculture. Agriculture thus is the largest land user in Germany and a significant contributor to environmental stress. On the other hand, agriculture is also affected, for example, by the effects of climate change. In the flyer "Environment and agriculture 2018" UBA presents key facts about agriculture and environment.
The UBA had already introduced an environmental management system in the late 1990s, which was then validated in 2001 according to the most stringent requirements worldwide under the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS). In the meantime 14 UBA sites – including all air quality monitoring stations – have been validated according to EMAS. In 2017, UBA decided to become greenhouse gas-neutral.
The aim of the research project “Resource-efficient land use – Towards a Global Sustainable Land Use Standard” was to spark a debate on the development of a standard for global sustainable land use, launch the requisite scientific process and explore and identify options for implementing a global sustainable land use.
There’s no way around it: all construction has a direct impact on the soil. Depending on the extent of the changes brought about by construction, it can completely or partly destroy vital soil functions. For example, paving over open space destroys natural habitats. Land use resulting in drastic changes in both greenfield land and farmland can be curbed, however.
Soil carries out myriad functions that are free of charge and extremely powerful, and that are what make soil so valuable not only to us but also to natural flora and fauna. Clean water and healthy food are only obtainable if our soils are healthy too. And while the soil supports myriad functions, it also needs stewardship.
Land cover is a key indicator of anthropogenic environmental pollution. The EU’s CORINE Land Cover (CLC, Coordination of Information on the Environment) program provides harmonized and thus comparable land cover and land use information for all EU member states.
