The European Nitrates Directive places Germany under the obligation to prevent exceedances of the threshold of 50 milligrammes nitrate per litre.Since 2008, the threshold has been exceeded every year at almost one in five measuring points.On June 21, 2018, the European Court of Justice found Germany guilty of violating the EU Nitrates Directive (case C-543/16).Agriculture is the most important sou... read more
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. read more
Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients for aquatic plants (algae, macrophytes). Their high concentration causes excessive growth especially of algae (Eutrophication). Rivers transport nitrogen and phosphorus into lakes and North sea and Baltic sea and influence its nutrient concentration. read more
The impact of climate change will be felt more strongly in the future – and in Germany too. This is the conclusion reached in what is called the vulnerability analysis, a comprehensive study on Germany's vulnerability to climate change.
