Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Waste | Resources, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Options under International Law to Increase Resource Efficiency

Resource protection and resource efficiency are an ecological, economic and social necessity. Many resources are limited and under pressure from the rising world population, production methods, consumer behaviour and the high per capita resource consumption. Using more and more resources will exceed the limits of the earth’s ecological carrying capacity in the foreseeable future. This development...read more

WasserNachhaltigkeit | Strategien | Internationales

Marine Regions Forum

An international stakeholder forum to strengthen regional ocean governance

The marine environment, subject to multiple pressures, is transboundary by nature. For ocean management and conservation, there is a need of enhanced collaboration and cross-sectoral solutions. This project aimed to develop a participatory dialogue platform that strengthens cooperation within and between marine regions in line with the 2030 Agenda. The “Marine Regions Forum” brings together stakeh...read more

Economy | Consumption

Carbon Bubble – Analyses, economic risks, measures and instruments

Conditions for investment in climate protection are quite favorable. Nevertheless, financial resources continue to flow into fossil energy sources. This is accompanied by risks. To assess these risks, UBA has had a method developed which allows financial institutions to roughly estimate transitory climate risks. Simulating the economic development of certain key industries shows that climate risks...read more

Wirtschaft | Konsum

Environmental Due Diligence in EU Law

Considerations for Designing EU (Secondary) Legislation

The debate on sustainability related corporate due diligence obligations in global value chains has recently gained considerable momentum, in particular at EU level. However, so far, it has been dominated by the focus on human rights due diligence. By contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to the specifics of a stand-alone environmental due diligence obligation. This paper examines ho...read more

Water

Assessment of communication masking in Antarctic marine mammals by underwater sound from airguns

Marine mammals depend largely on their sense of hearing. Underwater noise can lead to acoustic masking of biologically important sounds. Marine airguns used for scientific studies of the seabed produce this type of sound. In this project, models were developed to assess the masking potential of airguns on blue whale, fin whale, killer whale and Weddell seal communication. The results of the models...read more

Chemicals

Advancing REACH: Interplay of the REACH Processes

The report aims at identifying deficits in the interplay of the ⁠REACH⁠ processes registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction and points out potential obstacles in meeting the regulation’s goal of achieving a high level of protection in an efficient way. The interfaces between the processes registration, dossier evaluation, substance evaluation, authorisation and restrict...read more

Climate | Energy, Water

Environmental Impacts of Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems for Reduction of SOx on Ships – Analysis of status quo

Report compiled within the framework of the project ImpEx

The interim report covers the status quo on the use of scrubbers (Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems, EGCS) for sulphur reduction in seagoing ships. Based on a literature study, it includes technical aspects, a market analysis, legal framework and the status of research activities. The focus is on discharge water. Prior research studies demonstrated an acidic pH and the presence of several pollutants su...read more

Climate | Energy, Economy | Consumption

China’s Pilot Emissions Trading Systems and Electricity Markets (Hubei and Shenzhen)

Influence of market structures and market regulations on the carbon market

Electricity generation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in many countries. Most emissions trading systems (ETS) therefore address emissions from electricity generation. The de-sign of an ETS and the structure and regulation of the electricity sector have a large impact on the environmental effectiveness and the quality of the carbon price signal. This report analyses the interacti...read more