Water is a major source of all life. Streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands and oceans are a habitats for myriads of plants and animals. In addition, groundwater is the main source of drinking water and an underestimated natural habitat. Water mainly contribute to quality of life – food, daily hygiene and recreational activities. As a source of energy, transportation medium and resource, water is also a crucial economic factor. Due to increasing competition, effective protection and careful use of the water is crucial for biodiversity and sustainable uses of this important resource.
World Water Day 2022: Some 70 percent of drinking water in Germany is extracted from groundwater and spring water. Our ecosystems and forests in particular depend on a sufficient amount of groundwater. Contamination by nitrate or pesticides, climate change and water abstraction are endangering the quality and quantity of this vital resource.
At the conclusion of the 5th UNEA Conference in Nairobi, which adopted a resolution to start negotiations for an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, the Roundtable on Marine Litter (RTM) is calling for a swift reduction of inputs of microplastics to the North Sea/Baltic Sea.
Better supra-regional flood protection is possible, say the results of a five-year research project carried out by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA). Simulations indicate severe flooding along Danube, Elbe and Rhine rivers could be considerably reduced in the event of a future emergency.
The world's oceans are becoming increasingly burdened by man-made noise. This noise can disturb or even harm marine animals. An international research project entitled "Hearing in penguins", which is funded by the German Environment Agency (UBA), shows that penguins, just like whales and seals, also hear and react to noise in the sea.
The "Environmental Monitor" for 2020 from the German Environment Agency (UBA) draws a mixed picture of the condition of the environment in Germany. While there have been recent improvements in air quality or greenhouse gases, other indicators fare poorly.
Pharmaceuticals, detergents, pesticides etc. – ever more chemicals are polluting our waters. The Trace Substance Strategy of the German Federal Government focuses on preventing further inputs of such trace substances to the aquatic environment. UBA will move ahead on work to implement the Trace Substance Strategy at a newly established Federal Centre for Trace Substances.
After two years of intensive consultations, the Federal Environment Ministry has concluded the National Water Dialogue, which deals with the water management of the future. The virtual closing event will be attended today by Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze and numerous experts from water management, administration and research.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) reports positive environmental performance 30 years after German reunification. Air, water and soil much cleaner – climate change remains greatest challenge.
Pesticides can cause damage to the environment. A project coordinated by the German Environment Agency for the European Environment Agency provides the first overview of pesticides in rivers. lakes and groundwater reported by EU Member States. The report confirms that additional measures are necessary to ensure compliance with environmental quality standards in waters.
Rat poison that is used in municipal sewer systems is a source of emissions to surface water where it bioaccumulates in fish liver. These are the findings of a new research project done on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA). The active substances used in baits are not degraded completely in wastewater treatment plants and are thus channelled to rivers.
Children and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 17 in Germany have too many persistent chemicals from the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance group, or PFAS, in their blood. These are the findings of an evaluation of the representative German Environmental Survey for Children and Adolescents, GerES V.
On 1 July 2020, Germany assumed chairmanship of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) for a period of two years. Oversupply of nutrients, unexploded ordnance, marine litter, underwater noise pollution and climate change are the stresses on the marine ecosystems of the Baltic Sea on which Germany wants to focus during its tenure.
