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Colourful and versatile workbook about climate change

Whether it is washing machines, smartphones or TV sets: the service life of most electrical appliances is becoming shorter and shorter, says a new report commissioned by UBA.

Emissions of Germany’s greenhouse gases in 2014 made the first significant decline in years. However, emissions increased in the transport and agricultural sectors.

The new low-emission zone made effective in the town of Aachen (Level 3, Baden-Württemberg) in February brings the total number of low-emission zones in Germany to 52.

Higher ozone levels for the first time in years; much lower particulate levels than 2014

In its 5-point programme of sustainable plant protection the German Environment Agency (UBA) urges rethinking plant protection in agricultural practice.

The UBA hosts the coordinating office of the Working Group on Renewable Energy-Statistics since 1 January 2016. The working group is an important player in meeting international reporting obligations and in providing transparent information to policy makers and the public.

A new OECD report discusses examples from countries like Germany, Japan and New Zealand of how transport policy can be better adapted to climate change. The report also examines the major challenges in assessing the economic damage caused by greenhouse gases.

Groundwater not at risk – seismic monitoring now standard

Meat and non-seasonal produce with long hauling distances in particular continue to be a strain on the environment and the climate, according to data in the Umwelt, Haushalte und Konsum brochure by the German Environment Agency (UBA). UBA's President Maria Krautzberger said, "We will only be able to achieve our climate protection goals if we reconsider our consumer habits in earnest."

An event to mark the end of the International Year of Soils 2015 was hosted in Berlin by the German Environment and Development ministries jointly with the German Environment Agency and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit. Under the heading “Soil – A source of life”, experts and policymakers discussed old and new soil protection tasks and challenges.

The International Year of Soils has come to an end, but soil protection is far from reaching its aim.