Climate | Energy

Factoring in the environmental costs of fossil fuels—such as through CO₂ pricing—drives up the cost of petrol, oil and gas. A new study commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) explores how climate and environmental protection policy can be both ambitious and socially fair. Fair burden-sharing is a key pillar of socially just environmental policy.

Climate change can have not only devastating physical consequences for people and the environment, but can also have a significant impact on the human psyche. For example, extreme weather events can trigger post-traumatic stress disorders, while concern over our livelihoods can lead to anxiety about the future and depression.

To mark National Heat Action Day, the German Environment Agency (UBA) has published a study on heat-related mortality in Germany. For over four years, researchers from the UBA and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) have worked to refine the calculation of heat-related deaths in Germany. It was found that around 3,000 heat-related deaths in Germany occurred in both summer 2023 and 2024.

The majority of people in Germany continue to perceive both the environmental protection and climate change mitigation efforts as important. However, the topic continues to decline in relative perceived significance for the public

Technical interventions to mitigate the climate crisis are increasingly being discussed internationally. One frequently mentioned intervention is solar radiation modification (SRM). There are several approaches to this, all of which the UBA believes are highly risky and do not represent a practicable solution to the climate crisis. The UBA has now published its findings in a brochure.

What do people mean when they talk about the “1.5°C goal” in the context of climate change? What is the origin of this value and how is it quantified? What happens if we exceed it – is there any way back down below a global warming of 1.5°C? In this text, we look at the emergence of the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and explain why we need to keep it within reach.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany fell by 3.4 percent to 649 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 compared to 2023, data published by the the German Environment Agency (UBA) shows.

The court has ruled in favour of UBA in its fight against misleading greenwashing. In its ruling of 20 February 2025, the Federal Court of Justice confirmed the decision of the lower court, the Dessau-Roßlau Regional Court. The court had imposed strict controls on general and comparative advertising. Information on offers for CO₂ offsetting must be meaninful and transparent.

The transport of passengers and freight generates greenhouse gases (GHG) – not only through the actual transport activities, but also as a result of the processes at the individual locations or through services. On behalf of the UBA, a guideline has been produced which provides information for the standardised calculation and reporting of GHG emissions along transport chains.

Revenue from European and national emissions trading in Germany totalled around 18.5 billion euros in 2024. This means that proceeds from these two key climate protection instruments was once again slightly higher than in the previous year.

As part of an in-house research project, UBA is working on the use and further development of an integrated assessment model (IAM) developed by the independent research institute IIASA. IAMs combine economic, social and ecological aspects for the development of climate action scenarios and are central to the IPCC process. The cooperation between UBA and IIASA is now official.

The outcomes of the World Climate Change Conference in Baku (COP29) have caused disappointment both in Baku and worldwide. Nevertheless, they still contribute to the international climate action process – an achievement that cannot be taken for granted given the current geopolitical situation.