Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Climate | Energy

Sectoral Targets as a Means to Reduce Global Carbon Emissions.

Final report of the UFO-Plan Project “Emissionsminderung in Industriestaaten und Entwicklungsländern – Kosten, Potenziale und ökologische Wirksamkeit”

This paper explores the effects of sectoral targets in international climate policy in a macroeconomic frame-work, their interaction with the EU emissions Trading System (EU ETS), and to which extent sectoral targets can address the concerns of competitiveness. We assume that a global binding agreement exists between the steel sector and governments. The steel sector seems particularly suited for...read more

Air

Inventory and effectiveness of measures to improve air quality

This report contains a description and analysis of 242 air quality plans (AQPs) and action plans published in Germany up to 30.11.2012. These plans offer an extensive overview of the current situation in Germany regarding air quality, different methodologies of assessment and proposed measures to improve air quality.read more

Chemicals

Integrative test strategy for the environmental assessment of nanomaterials

Currently there are no testing and assessment strategies for environmental fate and effects taking the specific properties and behaviour of engineered nanomaterials into account. Therefore, the project objective was to develop a strategy for the investigation of ecotoxicity and environmental fate that allows the consideration of nano-specific effects within the environmental risk assessment of nan...read more

Climate | Energy

Developing Sectoral Mechanisms in the Transition Period towards a New Climate Treaty

This study analyses how sectoral approaches are evolving in existing and future mitiga-tion mechanisms, and how they can help shaping the transition period to a new climate regime most effectively. The analysis is based on an evaluation of recent UNFCCC sub-missions, a desk review of the relevant literature and databases, as well as a set of semi-structured expert interviews. The desk review is co...read more

Waste | Resources

Sewage sludge management in Germany

Germany’s municipal sewage treatment plants generate some two million tons of dry sewage sludge annually, with the proportion of thermallytreated sewage sludge increasing from 31.5 per cent in 2004 to more than 54 % in 2011.read more

Climate | Energy

Germany in 2050 – a greenhouse gas-neutral country

The study shows that it is technically feasible for Germany to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. The scenario chosen in the study considers the issue from a purely national perspective and does not include interaction with other countries. Based on a national greenhouse gas reduction target of 95% by 2050 compared to 1990, the study  demonstrates that this target can be achieved in Germany by...read more

Water

Measures to reduce micropollutant emissions to water - Summary

Discharge via the municipal waste water system is the dominant emission pathway to water for many micropollutants especially for household chemicals, substances used in commerce and industry (especially in small and medium-sized enterprises), pharmaceuticals and biocides. Against this background, the primary objective of this study was to develop suitable measures or combinations of measures and t...read more