Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Air

Literature research for the review of ecotoxicological Critical Limits for heavy metals as a basis for the calculation of Critical Loads in the Geneva Air Convention

Seit 2005 nutzt die Genfer Luftreinhaltekonvention (CLRTAP) ökologische Belastungsgrenzen (Critical Loads) um Wirkungen von Schwermetallen auf die menschliche Gesundheit und auf Ökosysteme zu beurteilen. Dafür sind kritische Konzentrationen in Umweltmedien festgelegt, die sogenannten Critical Limits. Nach mehr als 15 Jahren müssen diese Wirkungsschwellenwerte überprüft werden. Der Bericht in engli...read more

Climate | Energy

CBAM: Relevance of Foreign Trade and CO2 costs

Analysis for the products cement, aluminium, steel, fertilisers

This analysis is intended to contribute to classifying the effects of the introduction of the CBAM on the affected industrial sectors in Germany in relation to exports. It analyses the export intensity and the costs for the purchase of certificates compared to the average value of exports of the respective product group.read more

Climate | Energy, Economy | Consumption, Digitalisation

Software Solutions for Environmental and Sustainability Management

Environmental and sustainability-related data is becoming increasingly important for corporate success, not least because of rising regulatory requirements. The use of software solutions and digital technologies offers numerous potentials for process optimisation, decision support and improvement of environmental performance. At the same time, barriers and challenges are known from corporate pract...read more

Climate | Energy, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Sustainable building air conditioning in Europe

Concepts for avoiding heat islands and for a comfortable indoor climate

The intensity of heat islands in urban areas with many sealed surfaces and little vegetation is increasing due to climate change. This study investigated both how to mitigate this effect on affected neighbourhoods and how to provide agreeable indoor temperature, if possible without air conditioning. Using simulations of both microclimate and buildings, the effect of alterations in outdoor areas (p...read more

Climate | Energy

How to perform a robust climate risk and vulnerability assessment for EU taxonomy reporting?

Recommendations for companies

A robust climate risk and vulnerability assessment is required for companies wishing to achieve taxonomy compliance under the EU Taxonomy Regulation with respect to significant contributions to climate adaptation for certain economic activities. The relevant legal requirements are defined in Annex 1, Appendix A of Delegated Regulation 2021/2139. To facilitate the implementation of these requiremen...read more

Climate | Energy

Climate resilient infrastructure systems

Improving science-policy-practice collaboration

In 2021 UBA commissioned workshops to discuss how research outputs on climate resilient infrastructure systems could be more consistently transferred into practice of infrastructure operation. This paper presents barriers for successful transfer and provides recommendations to overcome them. The target audiences for these recommendations are funding bodies, policy makers, and standardization bodie...read more

Climate | Energy, Waste | Resources

Biogenic and fossil carbon in sewage sludge and digester gas determined by isotope investigation

The aim of the study was to conduct an initial analytical survey of a small number of samples analyze the proportion of fossil carbon in sewage sludge and digester gas and to correlate it with other data collected in a sewage treatment plant.A conservative but representative standard value of 80% biogenic carbon could be derived for sewage treatment plants if they receive less than half of the loa...read more

Economy | Consumption, Waste | Resources

Pilot screening of the environmental hazard potentials of mine sites

OekoRess III

100 large mining sites for copper, iron ore and bauxite worldwide were examined for their environmental hazard potentials. An assessment method developed in the preceding projects OekoRess I and II was applied. The 100 environmental hazard profiles are presented in the form of an interactive map. The report describes the research process, summarises and discusses the research results, draws conclu...read more