Man-made climate change is a global challenge. The core task is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offset unavoidable emissions. Timely, sustainable infrastructure investments are key to climate action success. The focus is on reducing energy demand and a complete switch of the electricity and heat supply to renewable energies, taking into account interplay with other environmental challenges. The German Environment Agency supports this process with strategies, scenarios, measures and instruments as well as monitoring activities. It also implements individual instruments, such as emissions trading, guarantees of origin for green electricity or the Blue Angel ecolabel.
This year’s Green Cooling Summit, jointly organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment, deals with the question of how single-split air conditioning appliances with the natural refrigerant propane (R 290) can be leveraged on a global scale.
The decline in climate-harming emissions in Germany has slowed. This is shown by the emissions data published by the German Environment Agency (UBA) for 2025. According to these figures, Germany emitted around 649 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents last year.
For 10 years, the Blauer Kompass Award of the federal government has regularly given recognition to innovative projects for climate preparedness and for adapting to the impacts of climate change. The new round of the competition has started, and for the first time, it also includes a dedicated application category for schools. The application deadline is 20 March 2026.
Revenue from the European and the national emissions trading systems in Germany totaled €21.4 billion in 2025. Revenues from these two central market-based climate policy instruments were thus well above the previous year’s result (€18.5 billion). This was reported by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (UBA).
Climate change is accelerating and threatens the foundations of our lives – but there is still time to act. Solar power plays a crucial role in this transition. A new analysis by the German Environment Agency (UBA) shows that if land for solar installations is chosen wisely, solar capacity can be expanded rapidly while safeguarding areas of high ecological and agricultural value.
Many homeowners remain hesitant when it comes to replacing heating systems in existing properties.
Germany’s gross electricity generation from renewable energy is expected to reach 292 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2025, about 2 percent higher than last year’s output.
The results of COP30 are disappointing and reflect the complex geopolitical situation that prevented substantial progress. The proposed roadmap for a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas failed due to a strong opposition. Despite immense differences, many smaller decisions and successes were achieved.
Starting on November 10th — 10 years after the Paris Agreement—the international community will once again negotiate the future of global climate action. This time, the talks will take place on the banks of the Amazon in Belém, Brazil, a symbolic location. The focus will be on new national climate action contributions and the measurability of adaptation progress.
Restoring just two percent of land to rivers and streams could help Germany achieve many of the European water protection goals.This is the result of calculations carried out on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA). According to these findings, water bodies in Germany are currently lacking about 7,000 square kilometres of land.
Many Germans desire to travel sustainably, but this wish is hardly reflected in their actual travel behaviour up to now. This is shown by the new report from the demand monitor “Sustainability in Holiday Travel” by the Research Association for Holidays and Travel (FUR) together with the German Environment Agency (UBA).
In 2026, emission allowances in the German national emissions trading system (nETS) will be auctioned for the first time. The auctions, conducted within a set price corridor, mark the transition to the new European Emissions Trading System for fuels (EU ETS 2). The German Environment Agency commissioned the Leipzig-based energy exchange, European Energy Exchange (EEX), to conduct the auctions.
