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
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Germany’s 2021 emissions from power stations almost back to pre-pandemic levels
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
Giving value added tax an ecological and social dimension
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
Global, multi-stakeholder digital coalition presents plan for a green digital revolution
The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) aims to help reorient and prioritize the application of digital technologies to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution and waste. read more
Expert information drinking water and swimming pool water - No.: 8/2022
Dear Reader,The website Distributing Drinking Water, Evaluation Criteria and Guidelineshas been updated as follows: 3rd amendment Silicone Transitional Recommendation Your department for Drinking Water and Swimming Pool Water Hygiene at UBA. read more
"PARC": EU research partnership on chemical risk assessment launches
How dangerous are chemicals that we use and come into contact with every day? The "PARC" initiative of the European Union (EU), launched in Paris on 11 May 2022, is breaking new ground in the assessment of chemical substances. The aim is to improve knowledge about chemical substances in order to better protect human health and the environment. read more
Expert information drinking water and swimming pool water - No.: 7/2022
Dear Reader, The website Distributing Drinking Water, Evaluation Criteria and Guidelines has been updated as follows:Link: Evaluation of factory soldered products in contact with drinking water Your department for Drinking Water and Swimming Pool Water Hygiene at UBA read more
Parts of the European population have alarmingly high levels of pollutant exposure
Some of Europe’s population have alarmingly high levels of exposure to pollutants. This is the conclusion of the European human biomonitoring initiative HBM4EU, coordinated by UBA. Plasticisers were detected in all children and adolescents examined, and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are also present in human blood in quantities that are in some cases too high. read more
