Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

In 2013 the disturbed soil of peatlands and forests caused emissions with climate impact of about 45 million tonnes CO2 in Germany alone. The drainage of peatland exposes plant material to the air which was previously preserved in airtight conditions and then releases carbon and nitrous oxide. An UBA study develops incentives how to reduce peatland emissions worldwide.

The UBA recommends a swift move to renovate Germany's building stock comprehensively. A new UBA study shows how it can be done.

The Federal Government and the Länder want to strengthen their joint measures to combat marine litter and are coordinating their future action at a round table.

Although the Antarctic does not "belong" to anyone as such, anybody travelling to the territory covered by the Antarctic Treaty must comply with certain rules during their stay. Any German national planning an activity in the Antarctic or organising a journey which originates in Germany must be granted approval from the German Federal Environment Agency.

Roald Amundsen said, “We must not cease to remember with gratitude and admiration the first seafarers who navigated their ships through storms and fog to augment our knowledge of the land of ice in the south”. Since discovery of the Antarctic our knowledge of it has grown steadily, and so has our responsibility for this fragile ecosystem.

Environmental protection continues to be a significant economic factor in Germany's economy, says the latest report by UBA on the environmental industry.

This year's Blue Angel Prize goes to the telecommunications service provider Telekom Deutschland GmbH. During the ceremonies for the German Sustainability Award, Mr. Ralph Caspers, environmental ambassador for the Blue Angel, conferred the award on 27 November in Düsseldorf.

The German Environment Agency has published its Data on the Environment 2015 report. Action is needed with regard to greenhouse gases, raw material efficiency and nutrient pollution, good news in recycling and drinking water quality.

The aim of the research project “Resource-efficient land use – Towards a Global Sustainable Land Use Standard” was to spark a debate on the development of a standard for global sustainable land use, launch the requisite scientific process and explore and identify options for implementing a global sustainable land use.

The prize will be awarded this year to businesses which have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to protecting the environment and climate.

Significantly more court decisions taken on exports of waste to Africa and Eastern Europe

Fertile soils are essential for life. Their preservation is set to become one of the United Nations’ global sustainability goals, under the heading “land degradation neutral world”. A legal study commissioned by UBA looked into how this goal could be implemented at international level.