Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Climate | Energy

Criteria for the evaluation of climate protection scenarios

Climate protection scenarios are an important basis for long-term climate protection planning. The modelling, which is often carried out in extensive studies, is a central source of information for decision makers and stakeholders in the development of climate protection strategies. This report outlines a catalog of criteria for the systematic evaluation of long-term climate protection scenarios. ...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Critical loads for eutrophication and acidification for European terrestrial ecosystems

The project aimed to improve the European background database used by the Coordination Centre for Effects (CCE) to calculate Critical Loads (CLs) for eutrophication and acidification for (semi-) natural European terrestrial ecosystems. The database is used when member countries do not provide their own CL data to the CCE. In this case, the missing country data are replaced by the results of the ba...read more

Water, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Development of concepts and methods for compilation and assessment of selected anthropogenic pressures in the context of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

In 2008, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive entered into force, with the overall objective to achieve and/or maintain a good status of the marine environment by 2020. The good environmental status has to be defined in accordance with qualitative Descriptors specified through a Commission Decision. The project developed a first understanding and assessment concepts for descriptors 2 (non-indig...read more

Chemicals

Bioaccumulation of ionic compounds - Deriving of alternative screening criteria from experimental studies

Many chemicals for which a PBT assessment is necessary are ionized in the environment. Therefore, the project aimed to find appropriate screening criteria for ionic organic chemicals (IOCs) to estimate their bioaccumulation potential. Twenty possible parameters were examined. The partitioning coefficient between water and fish calculated with COSMOmic showed the strongest correlation with experime...read more

Economy | Consumption, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Shaping sustainable digitisation

A discussion paper from the German Environment Agency

Digitisation is not only transforming our society it is also having an impact on the environment: On the one hand, digitisation can improve the state of the environment for example through digitally optimised production processes. On the other hand, negative environmental rebound effects can arise, like a higher demand for internet-enabled products from which an increase in usage of resources and...read more

Climate | Energy

The European Commission’s Renovation Wave Initiative for the Building Sector

Discussion paper

In summer 2020, the European Commission launched the Renovation Wave Initiative as an important building block of the European Green Deal. The aim is to at least double the renovation rates of public and private buildings over the next ten years and to promote deeper renovations. Together with the decarbonization of heat supply, this should enable a significant reduction in direct greenhouse gas e...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Urban environmental protection international

Stock-taking and outlook

The aim of this study is to contribute to a learning process about innovative and successful approaches to overcoming problems and challenges of urban environmental protection. To this end, a detailed overview of the importance of environmental challenges, political priorities and successful solutions in selected countries and cities is given. Based on this, the study analyzes specific success fac...read more

Waste | Resources, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Options under International Law to Increase Resource Efficiency

Resource protection and resource efficiency are an ecological, economic and social necessity. Many resources are limited and under pressure from the rising world population, production methods, consumer behaviour and the high per capita resource consumption. Using more and more resources will exceed the limits of the earth’s ecological carrying capacity in the foreseeable future. This development...read more