PFAS have been detected in soil and groundwater in many locations across Germany. The causes of this contamination are varied. The use of fire-fighting foams containing PFAS often results in PFAS contamination at sites belonging to the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and airports.
The study ‘Strengthening soil protection and the remediation of contaminated sites through a revision of soil protection legislation’ examines the shortcomings of the existing regulations and discusses possible solutions. It also presents a legislative proposal for the revision of the Federal Soil Protection Act, accompanied by explanatory notes.
Under the current legal situation, pesticides are authorised in Germany even though scientific findings show that they are harmful to the environment. The German authorities are currently unable to effectively protect the environment from harmful pesticides. This should be re-regulated under European law.
2023 Monitoring Report on the German Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change
Experts from all over the world discussed the requirements for the protection and sustainable management of soils in Africa and worldwide during the workshop “Legal instruments for the effective protection and sustainable management of soils”.
Many projects that make use of land can have negative environmental impacts. This includes soil sealing or even degradation of natural soils, for example as a result of the construction of buildings or industrial facilities. Landscape fragmentation by streets and railway tracks is also a problem.
Chemicals enter the environment every day, but there is hardly a substance group that is used with more purpose and in such large amounts than plant protection products.
The world’s soils are neither barren nor dead, for they constitute the habitats of one trillion times more bacteria than there are stars in the universe. Even a mere teaspoon of soil contains a million bacteria, 120,000 fungi and 25,000 algae. These microscopic organisms perform key material-cycle functions.
