Press | Umweltbundesamt

Europe’s agriculture sector is granted 57 billion euros per year in public funding. Do these subsidies make sense, and where might there be room for improvement in EU subsidies policy?  Is environmental protection adequately taken into account in EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)? The Agriculture Commission (KLU) at the Federal Environment Agency believes the opportunity to optimise CAP in 2014-... read more

A study known as DEMOCOPHES on human exposure levels to pollutants will involve some 4,000 mothers and children from various countries in the European Union (EU). It is scheduled to start in 17 European countries in August. This harmonised approach to testing for exposure to pollutants in humans (biomonitoring) used to be funded by the EU Action Programme Environment and Health. The Federal Enviro... read more

The motto of this summer’s photo contest, Sommer, Sonne - Plastikmüll? [Summer, Sun - Plastic rubbish?], is a campaign by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) to encourage amateur photographers to submit works that depict the holiday natural paradise from a completely different perspective. White sandy beaches and crystal-clear water are far from being the standard everywhere. Plastic bottles bobb... read more

People with little education or low incomes are more likely to suffer from traffic noise and poor air quality than other segments of the population. The health problems associated with particulates and noise are especially high in urban areas with heavy traffic. The consequences of global warming as well as the increasing social polarisation in cities have prompted the need for political intervent... read more

Federal Environment Agency (UBA), industrial and commercial enterprises, associations in the textile and shoe industry, and civic institutions are all toeing the same line on sustainable development: improve environmental standards in textile and shoe production worldwide. President Jochen Flasbarth of the Federal Environment Agency applauds brand-name producers and commercial enterprises for incr... read more

The risk of EHEC breaking out via drinking water can be ruled out. Intestinal bacteria are almost never present in large water supply systems that are microbiologically monitored on a daily basis. Even very small waterworks and house wells that are monitored less regularly are highly unlikely to be host to the current strain of EHEC. UBA President Jochen Flasbarth warned against spreading unfounde... read more

Disposable plastic bottles are squeezing reusable bottles and drinks cartons out of the market. The market share of returnable and ecologically advantageous disposable beverage packaging continues to decline. It sank again slightly in 2009, with a share of only 51.8 percent, which is clearly below the target level of 80 percent that the amended packaging ordinance for mass-produced beverages presc... read more

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is currently conducting a debate about large-scale engineering projects, also known as geo-engineering. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) position on this is cautious for reasons of preventative protection of the environment. ”There is no technology at present which can retroactively contain global warming”, said UBA President Jochen Flasbarth. In p... read more