Newsletter-Archive | Umweltbundesamt

Dear Reader,The website Distributing Drinking Water, Evaluation Criteria and Guidelineshas been updated as follows:Information on the evaluation of starting substances for the production of cementitious materials in contact with drinking water - Version 2Your department for Drinking Water and Swimming Pool Water Hygiene at UBA. read more

Dear readers,Climate change is making itself increasingly felt in Germany. This newsletter focuses on what we can all do – whether in politics, the economy or in our private lives – to combat the increasing incidence of extreme weather.Good news for climate protection: in the first half of 2022, renewable energy sources generated about 14 percent more electricity in Germany than in the first six m... read more

Dear Reader,The website Distributing Drinking Water, Evaluation Criteria and Guidelines  has been updated as follows:Evaluation criteria for metallic materials in contact with drinking water2nd amendment of recasting -Direct link:Evaluation criteria for metallic materials | UmweltbundesamtAmendments can be reviewed in the German Federal Gazette (only in German):2nd amendment of recasting as 2... read more

Climate change is resulting in an increasing number of hot summer days in Germany. Tropical nights – when the temperature doesn't fall below 20 °C – are increasing. This is a particular burden for vulnerable groups in densely populated inner cities. A recent study by the UBA has systematically investigated how cooler temperatures can be realised in inner-city neighbourhoods and their buildings. read more

The European Commission has presented a draft regulation on the sustainable use of pesticides, which aims to drastically reduce their application. The German Environment Agency (UBA) welcomes the proposed regulation but believes its guidelines could be improved to ensure it works in practice. read more

Dear readers,Recently the European directive on the common system of VAT was amended. It states “Member States should be given the possibility to contribute to a climate-neutral and green economy by means of applying reduced rates on environmentally friendly supplies while, at the same time, preparing the phasing out of the existing preferential treatment of environmentally harmful supplies.” Befo... read more

Germany's roughly 1,730 fixed installations included in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) emitted around 355 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-eq). This represents an 11% increase compared to 2020, meaning that the 2019 pre-pandemic level was only undercut by about 8 million tonnes of (CO₂-eq). read more

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has proposed aligning VAT more closely with ecological and social criteria. The core of the "Climate and Environment Relief Package" is to exempt plant-based staple foods such as fruit, vegetables, grain products and vegetable oils and public passenger transport from VAT altogether. read more