Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Climate | Energy

EU Emissions Trading: The Need for Cap Adjustment in Response to External Shocks and Unexpected Developments?

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The effectiveness of an emissions trading system in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions is mainly due to the magnitude of the specified emission cap. Assuming sufficient control, a quantitative emission target defined in such a way is quasi automatically achieved by the limited allocation of emission allowances. In functioning markets, this coincides with a somewhat higher allowance price a...read more

Transport

EU policies to address maritime GHG emissions

Analysis of the impacts on GHG emissions

Discussion Paper

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The EU Commission committed itself to include emissions from shipping into the existing EU reduction commitment if no international agreement was achieved on a global level. To this aim the EU COM considered four regional policy options in an impact assessment (2011). In this discussion paper the impact of these policy options on GHG emissions has been analysed, concluding that a carefully designe...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Follow-up to the training session on evaluation of safety reports and joint inspection for Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents

Advisory Assistance Programme for Environmental Protection in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia

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In the follow-up to a training session in February 2009, a project was designed that has provided Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia with support to improve the knowledge of their public experts in the areas of safety reporting, and in particular on:The validation of the content of the safety reports;The methodologies applied in these reports, in particular for:Selection...read more

Climate | Energy, Economy | Consumption

Timely replacement of a notebook under consideration of environmental aspects

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The production of notebooks induces significant environmental impacts. However, these impacts are seldom considered by consumers in their purchasing decisions. Against this background, the Federal Agency of Environment in Germany commissioned the Öko-Institut e.V. and the Fraunhofer IZM with a study to address following questions.read more

Climate | Energy

Risk-analysis of global climate tipping points

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Von vielen Elementen des Erdsystems wird erwartet, dass sie sich mit zunehmender globaler Erwärmung stetig verändern. Diese graduellen Veränderungen könnten sich als reversibel erweisen, wenn die globale Erwärmung zurückgehen sollte. Andere Elemente des Klimasystems hingegen könnten ein Kippverhalten zeigen, bei dem relativ kleine Störungen des Hintergrundklimas ausreichen, um einen (abrupten) Wec...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Rio+20: Financial Resources for Improved International Environmental Governance

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In the run-up to the Rio+20 summit, which takes place in June 2012, this study investigates the current system for financing international environmental governance (IEG). The current architecture for IEG finance consists of a growing number of bilateral and multilateral actors, funds and financial mechanisms which leads to incoherence, inefficiencies and extra burdens on recipient countries. The r...read more

Economy | Consumption

Economic Valuation of Environmental Damage – Methodolocical Convention 2.0 for estimates of environmental costs

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The economic valuation of environmental damage makes it possible to estimate the economic benefit of environmental policy measures and to call attention to the costs of failure to protect the environment. The Methodological Convention 2.0 of the German Federal Environment Agency lays a sound foundation for this evaluation. It clearly identifies the normative judgments and measures underlying the v...read more

Waste | Resources, Agriculture

The legislative proposals for the reform of the CAP

Good initiatives but not good enough for the environment

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The EU Commission proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2014-2020 aim at contributing to improved integration of agriculture, environmental protection and climate mitigation (integration scenario). Overall, they are to give more weight to the principle of “public money for public goods” and thus reinforce the legitimacy of the continued substantial expenditure on the...read more