Press | Umweltbundesamt

Overall emissions of greenhouse gases in Germany declined by roughly 24 million tonnes in 2007 as compared to 2006 (minus 2.4 percent). With a total of 981.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents emissions are now below the one billion threshold for the first time.  Since 1990 Germany had achieved, by the end of 2007, an overall reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions of 20.4 percent.  These are the... read more

PCs, notebooks and mobile phones perform invaluable services, and we could hardly cope in our daily lives anymore without information and communication technology (ICT). However, ICT ravenously consumes large amounts of energy. The share of IT and entertainment electronics in overall electricity consumption in Germany is presently estimated at roughly eight per cent. Furthermore, the IT sector i... read more

The German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has published a new manual for project proponents of Joint Implementation (JI) projects under the Kyoto Protocol. In its capacity as the Designated Focal Point (DFP) for Germany, the DEHSt authorises such climate protection projects with German involvement either domestically or abroad.  The manual is a navigabl... read more

Which pollutants are in the house dust of family homes with children? Updated information on the topic can be found in the Federal Environment Agency’s (UBA) report on house dust (Hausstaub), carried out as part of the German Environmental Survey of Children (GerES IV). Researchers detected substances whose production and uses in some cases have been banned for years on account of their harmfulne... read more

The Blue Angel has stood for high standards in environmental protection for 30 years.  It is an important instrument in achieving the goals set by the federal government in climate and resource protection.  The Blue Angel is an engine of innovation for the most efficient solutions on the market, making it particularly important in ecological industrial policy as a means to promote new technologies... read more

Goods and services in the IT and telecommunications industry (ICT) can do their bit to harmonise the goals of climate protection and economic growth. This is the conclusion reached at the annual conference on the challenges and opportunities posed by climate protection and resource efficiency (Jahreskonferenz Klimaschutz und Ressourceneffizienz - Herausforderungen und Marktchancen für die Informat... read more

During the allocation procedure for the second trading period of emissions trading (2008-2012) the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency awarded certificates to 1,625 installations. In the first trading period, 2005-2007, there were still 1,849 installations participating in emissions trading. The number has gone down because installations have been combined... read more

As of 2008 industrial facilities must report their releases of pollutants to air, water and land as well as their transfer of waste and waste water in a Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR). The PRTR replaces the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER), and is to be established and operated following an international agreement drafted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Eur... read more