Newsletter-Archive | Umweltbundesamt

Welcome to the new issue of ‘The Latest from UBA’!It has now been 20 years since the European Union introduced emissions trading as a key climate policy tool. Since then, greenhouse gas emissions from installations covered by the scheme in both Germany and the EU have been cut by around half. You can read more about this in the current edition of our newsletter. Effective climate action tools must... read more

According to the latest analyses by the UBA, electricity generation from renewable energies in the first half of 2025 was about five percent below the level of the corresponding period of the previous year. The main reason was exceptionally low wind conditions. Despite these unfavourable conditions, the share of renewables in gross electricity consumption were maintained at 54 percent. read more

Across Europe, emissions under the EU-ETS 1 have fallen even more sharply by 51 percent. This means that since 2005, emissions have roughly halved, according to the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (UBA). read more

The German GreenTech sector is growing significantly faster than traditional industrial sectors, is strongly integrated into global trade, and is a driver of innovation in many areas. read more

For the first time, Germany is cancelling certificates from the European Emissions Trading System to secure the climate effect of the statutory coal phase-out. In total, certificates corresponding to 514,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be withdrawn from the market. This measure is the result of the shutdown of the Neurath A and Frechen power plant units in 2022, as stipulated by the Coal Phase-Out Act. read more

Anyone looking to escape the summer heat can do so in one of Germany’s many (almost) pristine bathing waters. According to the German Environment Agency (UBA), bathing water quality in Germany remained consistently high in 2024 – just as in previous years. read more

Factoring in the environmental costs of fossil fuels—such as through CO₂ pricing—drives up the cost of petrol, oil and gas. A new study commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) explores how climate and environmental protection policy can be both ambitious and socially fair. Fair burden-sharing is a key pillar of socially just environmental policy. read more

Around 60 percent of all biodiversity on Earth is found in the soil. Soil organisms ensure fertile soil and clean drinking water, build up humus and break down pollutants. And yet, there is often a lack of information on the actual condition of soil organisms in Germany. read more