News

The “Recommendation on sewage sludge handling” as part of the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area entered into force in March 2017. It defines the principles for the sustainable handling of sewage sludge in the Baltic Sea region.

The service life of most electrical appliances and equipment is becoming ever shorter – at the expense of the environment. The production of new models requires the consumption of valuable precious metals and energy which are not compensated by innovations such as lower energy use. UBA has drafted policy recommendations that will be fed into the European debate about the Circular Economy Package.

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is associated with many critical soil-derived ecosystem services. But what happens if the SOC content is decreasing? A decline in SOC stock may indicate degradation or even loss of land and soil. Therefore, it is currently discussed whether the SOC stock might play an important role in the realisation of the global Sustainable Development Goals.

The EU might introduce an authorization scheme for imported goods such as clothing, sports gear and toys in the REACH Regulation, to aim at a better protection of humans and the environment against Substances of Very High Concern in articles. An UBA study claims that the necessary amendment of the EU chemicals regulation REACH would not breach international trade law.

Mongolia is one of the richest countries worldwide in terms of raw materials. Mining is a major industry but mining activities, increasing steadily since the 1990s, are causing environmental problems. An advisory assistance project organized by UBA is answering a call from the Mongolian Ministry for Environment & Tourism to exchange experience and to deepen German-Mongolian cooperation.

The German Environment Agency organized a joint event with the German Federal Environment Ministry and the Agency for International and Interregional Relations of the Government of the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation on 27 October 2016 in Kaliningrad. More than 130 participants attended the event.

The German Environment Agency, with support from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, supported and advised a three-year Advisory Assistance Project entitled "Environmentally sound concepts of maritime spatial use for the Baltic Sea Area of the Russian Federation".

The EU Commission is providing funding worth more than 74 million euros to the “European Human Biomonitoring Initiative – HBM4EU” project to harmonize and align the database on human biomonitoring in the EU Member States and to enhance our understanding of the health impact of exposure to pollution. The aim is to consolidate existing data and to implement joint research projects.

Presenting the global roadmap for sustainable urban development over the next twenty years: the New Urban Agenda. It is the key outcome of the UN Habitat III Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development which ended on 20 October 2016 in the Ecuadorean capital Quito.

The first half of the Fifth German Environmental Survey (GerES V) was completed at the end of May 2016. By that time, the number of participants had reached 1,326 children and adolescents and their parents, from 101 locations. The study examines the extent to which children and adolescents in Germany are exposed to environmental stressors.

The international community resolved to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. The mitigation activities proposed by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will not be enough to achieve that goal. An UBA report shows how the gap can be narrowed even before 2020, for example with more efficient electrical appliances and through renewable energy support.

Seagoing vessels are a relatively energy-efficient mode of transport but they also cause a lot of air pollution. How great is air pollution at sea and along the coast? How can shipping become environmentally friendly in the future? The UBA is hosting an international conference in Berlin on 17-18 November 2016 to answer these questions. The conference will focus on the North and Baltic Seas.