Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Air, Health

Health Effects of Ultrafine Particles

Systematic literature search and the potential transferability of the results to the German setting

Ultrafine particles represent the smallest size fractions of particles with sizes from one to about 100 nanometers in aerodynamic diameter . Thus, their specific health effects are related to their physical capacity to reach diverse organ systems. The aims of this project were to systematically review the scientific literature on the health effects of ultrafine particles, to evaluate the quality o...read more

Climate | Energy

Strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reductions

Submission by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA)

The EU’s current 80-95% emissions reduction objective for 2050 laid down in the Low-Carbon-2050 Roadmap is an outdated target range and even more problematic, EU’s legally binding 2030 climate policy framework is rated to be far from being sufficient to bring the EU on track with the long-term temperature targets of the Paris Agreement. Now, with the 1.5C-special report of IPCC (IPCC, 2018), the g...read more

Climate | Energy

What Makes an Ideal Global Stocktake? A Functional Analysis

Discussion Paper

Many hope that the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement can become a catalyst for increased mitigation ambition over time. Based on different theories of change, this paper outlines four governance functions for the Global Stocktake. It can contribute to the Paris Agreement as a pacemaker (stimulating and synchronizing policy processes across governance levels), by ensuring accountability of...read more

Transport

Mobility Survey of the German Environment Agency 2017

Summary Report

For the fourth time, the German Environment Agency asked its employees about their commuting behavior as well as their business travel arrangements. 68 percent of employees come to work on foot, by bike or with public transport. Biking accounts for 25 percent of all commuting trips. This is three times more than the national average. The share of public transport and the train increased slightly c...read more

Climate | Energy

Voluntary CO2 offsetting through climate protection projects

An increasing number of people are changing their way of life to make a contribution to global climate protection. Only when greenhouse gases can no longer be avoided and reduced, offsetting is the last step for an environmental-friendly footprint. This guide summarises the most important aspects in a concise form to be taken into account in voluntary offsetting. The guide will also help you under...read more

Climate | Energy

Comparative analysis of options and potential for emission abatement in industry –summary of study comparison and studyfactsheets

This report presents a comparison of several low-carbon roadmaps for the years until 2050 from major European industry associations and the European Commission, and also contrasts them to a selection of closely related research analyses. It addresses the identified abatement potentials, the assumptions made, and a first assessment on their impact on the results. The idea is to increase the general...read more

Soil | Land

Quo vadis soil protection in the Alps? Final report of the UFOPLAN project: Assessment of the Alpine Convention Soil Conservation Protocol and preparation/implementation of an international conference

In many countries, the Alpine Convention’s Soil Conservation Protocol is a requirement “neglected” by public administration and by society, as accountability is spread across many fields of legislation. Especially in the Alps, soil conservation is of great significance, as soil is a limited, non-renewable and endangered resource. During the German Presidency of the Alpine Convention (2015-2016), a...read more

Water

Recommendations for reducing micropollutants in waters

Residues of medicinal products, pesticides, biozides and other chemicals can adversely affect the environment and human health already in low concentrations. These micropollutants are increasingly detected in our waters not least due to improved analytics. Precautionary measures are needed to prevent future stresses on our waterbodies. Therefore, the German Environment Agency (UBA) has analysed en...read more