The prizes of the 2017 contest go to repair services, mobile applications to initiatives to fight food waste, energy-saving design products, concepts for resource-efficient and recyclable fashion and a vision for the opportunities which living plant construction provides.
People in developed countries spend the majority of their lives indoors, on average about two thirds in their home. However, the quality of indoor air is not always beneficial to human health.
The transport sector is under pressure and faces tremendous challenges - not only in Germany. Hence, many countries are looking for solutions that mitigate the sector’s environmental impact and promote sustainable alternatives. UBA and GIZ collected promising ideas and innovations from emerging and developing countries that show great potential for the German context.
The availability of raw materials is determined by more than technical-geological, economic and political factors alone: the environmental risks of mining also has an impact.
The OECD Test Guideline No. 318 features the very first standardized test method particular for nanomaterials adopted by OECD. It is one important component needed for the adaptation of nanospecific requirements for environmental risk assessment applied within legislations on chemical safety.
Capital investments which target the energy, transport and building sectors can help to limit the rise in Earth’s temperatures to less than 2 degrees. A new UBA study proposes the criteria by which public financial institutions like development banks should proceed and identifies which projects should no longer be funded.
Assessing and managing the effects of glyphosate on diversity and abundance of non-target species fully complies with European and national laws. Glyphosate is expected to have a particularly strong impact on non-target organisms by disrupting food webs in agricultural areas.
The agencies from nearly 20 EU countries responsible for the enforcement of the European WEEE Directive have formed a network. UBA initiated the constitutional meeting on 7-8 September 2017. The representatives from all participating EU-countries agreed to cooperate more closely in the future in order to prosecute non-compliant producers who trade across borders more effectively.
In an initial step to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport, shipping companies must monitor and report their emissions starting 01.01.2018. The German Emissions Trading Authority at UBA (DEHSt) is the competent authority for emissions monitoring in Germany.
UBA is engaged in transboundary efforts to improve the protection of man and the environment, for example in the case of fires at industrial facilities or oil spills. In September 2017 UBA launched a joint emergency exercise with the German and Polish fire brigade and organised a seminar on how to prevent transboundary pollution by contaminated fire-water.
Certain substances are harmful to man and the environment. The AskREACH project will raise awareness on Substances of Very High Concern in articles among the European population, retailers and industry. Consumers can use a smartphone app to get information on such substances or send requests for information to suppliers. The European Chemicals Regulation REACH provides the legal framework.
Land take, air and noise pollution: these are just some of the major challenges which motorized transport brings to many cities in Germany.
