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The European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS 1) covers emissions from energy-intensive industry, the energy sector and intra-European aviation. In 2023, the 1,725 stationary installations in Germany covered by the EU ETS 1 emitted around 289 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂-eq). This corresponds to a reduction of around 18 per cent compared to the previous year.

Sponge city concepts are an essential basis for adapting cities to extreme weather events such as heavy rain, heat and drought. Many local authorities are working toward that aim. However, it is becoming increasingly important to remove barriers so that towns and cities can better prepare for changing climate conditions.

The incoming European Commission should continue an ambitious policy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution, protects biodiversity and distributes the burden fairly. This is the key message of a Scientific Opinion Paper by the German Environment Agency and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation for EU climate, environmental and biodiversity policy in the years ahead.

The first version of the umwelt.info internet portal is available to the public at https://mvp.umwelt.info. Lilian Busse, Vice President of the German Environment Agency, commented: “The online launch of umwelt.info is an important milestone for us. We are testing the portal under real conditions for the first time and are looking forward to the feedback from users.”

On World Environment Day, the German Environment Ministry (BMUV), together with the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), provided comprehensive information on the health risks and protective measures related to the climate crisis at the Environment Week event.

To protect the unique Antarctic flora and fauna, Germany is committed to a coherent and representative network of protected areas in the Antarctic. Thanks to a German-American initiative it has now been possible to expand this network. Seven islands at the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, the so-called “Danger Islands”, were declared a protected area.

The federal “Blue Compass” award is the highest state honour for projects that demonstrate exemplary preparedness and adaptation strategies to the consequences of the climate crisis. More than 300 applications were received for the current round of the competition – another record number of entries.

The Global Stocktake assesses the collective progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement every five years. The first Global Stocktake has revealed major gaps on the way to achieving international climate action goals but also pointed at a clear path ahead. On behalf of UBA, researchers analysed the contributions of the Parties to the Paris Agreement.

On May 14, 2024 at the IFAT trade fair in Munich, Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, honoured several local authorities for their commitment to better organic waste collection.

The German Environment Agency's (UBA) Environmental Monitor 2024 once again presents a mixed picture of the state of the environment in Germany. While there have been successes in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, many indicators show a clear need for action.

Heat pumps will play a key role in the future, greenhouse gas-neutral heating of buildings. Last year, every fourth new heating system in Germany was already a heat pump. Nevertheless, there are still many misconceptions and a lack of information about their potential use.

The Single-Use Plastics Fund Act, passed on 15 May 2023, obliges manufacturers to bear the costs for the collection of their single-use plastic products when discarded as waste in streets or parks from 2024. The German Environment Agency is setting up the digital platform DIVID to manage and process the levies that companies must pay into the Single-Use Plastic Fund.