Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Waste | Resources

What Matters 1-2018: Recycling

UBA's biannual "What Matters" magazine covers current topics in environmental protection. The first edition “Recycling” takes an in-depth look at the circular economy in Germany with a special focus on plastics. The magazine offers data and facts and discusses current problems and possible solutions in Germany’s circular economy. read more

Climate | Energy

Re-Aligning European Union’s Climate Policy to the Paris Agreement

Short-term Implications of the IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5°C”

By 2020, the Parties to the Paris Agreement should communicate or submit new, updated nationally determined contributions (NDC). For this exercise, the findings of the IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5°C” are especially relevant. In this light, a position paper of the German Environment Agency outlines how climate policy could be calibrated towards limiting warming to 1.5°C.read more

Economy | Consumption, Transport

Guide on green public procurement: Electric Bicycles

Electric bicycles are an important environmentally and socially sustainable alternative to cars for covering distances of up to around 20 kilometres. Compared to cars, electric bicycles are more economical and at the same time healthier and more eco-friendly, and are often quicker – and indisputably space-saving. This guide is based on the June 2015 edition of the Blue Angel eco-label criteria for...read more

Chemicals

Shaping Sustainable Chemicals Management: Refinement of the Chemical Leasing Sustainability Criteria and Application in Case Studies

In the project experts have developed sub-criteria and indicators for the internationally agreed five sustainability criteria for Chemical Leasing. From this, both an indicator checklist and the electronic instrument SMART 5 were developed. The checklist allows a qualitative assessment. With SMART 5, users can capture quantitative values and generate an overall view of their Chemical Leasing appli...read more

Soil | Land

The need for soil protection legislation at EU level

Position paper of the German Environment Agency German Environment

The Position paper begins by discussing options on how to further develop EU soil protection law. Compared to the status-quo, strengthening the existing soil protection legislation at EU level would preserve transboundary ecosystem services of soils and also help to effectively implement the ‘land degradation neutrality’ objective. More specifically, the Position paper clarifies the advantages and...read more

Air

Impacts of Heavy Metal Emission on Air Quality and Ecosystems across Germany – Sources, Transport, Deposition and potential Hazards

Part 1: Assessment of the atmospheric heavy metal deposition to terrestrial ecosystems in Germany

The study investigates spatial and temporal trends of airborn deposition of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, vanadium and zinc in Germany using modelled and measured data, among these results of bioaccumulation surveys. A risk assessment is provided by comparing the results with environment quality targets and criteria from regulations.read more

Climate | Energy

Fact Sheet: EU 2050 strategic vision “A Clean Planet for All”

Brief Summary of the European Commission proposal

The Paris Agreement invites parties to provide their low carbon development strategies by 2020 in order to disclose their plans to support the implementation of the Agreement. The European Commission (EC) published a set of documents presenting its analysis of options for long-term climate policy in the European Union. This factsheet has been worked out for the German Environment Agency within a r...read more

Transport

Framing the Third Cycling Century

Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

There is a tension between research and practice in the field of cycling as well as in general in environmental policy. Numerous scientific publications and knowledge do not reach the practitioners who might benefit from them. Not only was the International Cycling Conference 2017 intended to tackle this deficit with a large-scale forum, but also this publication, which takes up and continues the...read more