Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Climate change is resulting in an increasing number of hot summer days in Germany. Tropical nights – when the temperature doesn't fall below 20 °C – are increasing. This is a particular burden for vulnerable groups in densely populated inner cities. A recent study by the UBA has systematically investigated how cooler temperatures can be realised in inner-city neighbourhoods and their buildings.

The European Commission has presented a draft regulation on the sustainable use of pesticides, which aims to drastically reduce their application. The German Environment Agency (UBA) welcomes the proposed regulation but believes its guidelines could be improved to ensure it works in practice.

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has proposed aligning VAT more closely with ecological and social criteria. The core of the "Climate and Environment Relief Package" is to exempt plant-based staple foods such as fruit, vegetables, grain products and vegetable oils and public passenger transport from VAT altogether.

The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) aims to help reorient and prioritize the application of digital technologies to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste.

How dangerous are chemicals that we use and come into contact with every day? The "PARC" initiative of the European Union (EU), launched in Paris on 11 May 2022, is breaking new ground in the assessment of chemical substances. The aim is to improve knowledge about chemical substances in order to better protect human health and the environment.

85 percent of the young people surveyed say environmental protection and climate action are important, thus ranking the topic among the four most important to young people in Germany. These are the findings of the representative survey “Zukunft? Jugend fragen! – 2021”. The grand challenges in preserving our essential life support systems are a matter of concern to young people.

People in Germany expect more political action to protect the environment and climate as environmental awareness of the damaging influence of pollution has grown over the past 20 years. These are the findings of a detailed analysis of the Environmental Awareness in Germany 2020 study.

About 500 German undertakings are obliged to include sustainability-related information in their annual reports. According to the plans of the EU Commission more undertakings shall report in the future and apply uniform reporting standards. A study on behalf of UBA recommends precise requirements for reporting on targets, actions and performance indicators and corporate greenhouse gas neutrality.

Climate change in Germany is causing more heat, increased drought combined with water shortages and forest fires, less certainty of snow and an increase in heavy rainfall and flooding at the same time. A new study commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) shows how these changes will affect tourism and what adaptation strategies are possible.

The federal government, the federal states and the region have agreed to cooperate closely in setting up the "National Centre for Environmental Information (umwelt.info)". This is the result of a working meeting in Merseburg today.

Information on sustainability in the textile and fashion industry - this is what the new online platform www.sustainfashion.info by HEJSupport offers, funded by the UBA as part of an Associations project. Different aspects of the sector are highlighted, such as environmental pollution or human rights, and allows people to speak who share their visions for more sustainability.

Air pollution, climate change, land sealing, waste and water management are some of the greatest environmental challenges for urban areas. To tackle these challenges, cities need sufficient funds, staff, technical innovation, political commitment, and a national framework and incentives. An UBA study examined six urban areas in six countries.