Published 7/2/2021 Length: 1 h 10 min.
18 minute radio report from 23.06.2020 by Josephine Schulz in the media library of Deutschlandfunk:
www.deutschlandfunk.de/oeffentliche-auftraege-wie-der-staat-fair-einkaufen-will.724.de.html...
The demand for sustainable products can be increased through municipal procurement. Positive examples but also the problems of sustainable procurement are discussed in the article. Buildings and larger properties are not explicitly mentioned, but the principles basically apply there as well.
Keywords:
Procurement, DE-News, Communities
(2017)
Over the last 30 years, numerous tools have been developed to assess the ecological or sustainable aspects of buildings. This book discusses the role these tools can play in the implementation of the UN's 'New Urban Agenda'.
The 67-page book provides an up-to-date overview of the world's most important building assessment tools. It is available as a free download:
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/93577/factsheet/es
Keywords:
New books and studies, News Blog Europe (without DE), Tools, Certification & Labels, Life cycle assessment
Environmental crises endanger health. At the same time, an ecological change of course offers many opportunities to create healthier living conditions. This is the core message of the special report that the Environment Council is handing over to Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Health Minister Prof. Karl Lauterbach in Berlin today.
15 % of deaths in Europe are due to environmental risks, the WHO estimates. Health hazards arise, for example, from air pollutants, noise, chemicals and the spread of antibiotic resistance. New burdens, such as those caused by climate change and biodiversity loss, are also emerging.
"We have known about some of these problems for many years, and policy-makers should now tackle them consistently," says Prof. Claudia Hornberg, Chair of the Environmental Council. "For example, the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry must be more limited in order to reduce the risk of resistance. In addition, chemical regulation should focus on inherently safe chemicals as far as possible."
Only if the federal, state and local governments consistently think together about environment and health can healthy living conditions be created for all. Established instruments such as monitoring, limit values and environmental assessments must be adapted to new challenges. The report provides numerous suggestions for this.
There is also a need for action in urban design: "We need more nature in cities, also to cushion the effects of climate change," says Council member Prof. Wolfgang Köck. "Socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods are often subject to multiple stresses, especially noise and air pollution. Municipalities should specifically relieve these neighbourhoods. Health-related environmental protection in urban planning needs more active involvement of public health departments and greater public participation, as well as financial support from the federal and state governments."
"How important nature is for our health is often underestimated," adds Council member Prof. Josef Settele. "It helps to reduce stress, motivates us to exercise and strengthens the immune system, to name just a few examples. To preserve all these functions, we need to protect it better and give it more space."
Special report of the SRU
2023, 282 pages, 35 illustrations, 6 table(s), ISBN 978-3-947370-25-2
The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) has been advising the German government on environmental policy issues for over 50 years. The Council's composition of seven professors from different disciplines ensures a scientifically independent and comprehensive assessment, both from a scientific-technical and a social science perspective.
The Council currently consists of the following members:
Prof. Dr Claudia Hornberg (Chair), Bielefeld University
Prof. Dr Claudia Kemfert (Deputy Chair), Leuphana University Lüneburg and German Institute for Economic Research Berlin
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christina Dornack, Dresden University of Technology
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Köck, University of Leipzig and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Lucht, Humboldt University Berlin and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Prof. Dr Josef Settele, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Prof. Dr Annette Elisabeth Töller, Open University in Hagen
German Advisory Council on the Environment
Luisenstraße 46, 10117 Berlin, + 49 30 263696-0
www.umweltrat.de
Keywords:
DE-News, New books and studies, Environmental policy
Annual DIW Heat Monitor based on data from energy service provider ista Deutschland GmbH: Heating energy demand in residential buildings declines again for the first time since 2015 - Rising prices, however, cause heating expenditure to increase by 2.4 percent - CO2emissions have fallen by 21 percent overall since 2010, but by only 2.6 percent when adjusted for temperature - Energy-efficient renovation in residential buildings almost stagnant
Last year - for the first time since 2015 - tenants in Germany used slightly less heating (minus 3.2 per cent). However, at an annual average of 130 kWh per square metre of heated living space, the heating energy requirement in apartment buildings is now only back at the 2010 level. CO2-emissions have not fallen nearly as much as they would have to in order to achieve the 2030 climate targets: adjusted for temperature, they have only fallen by 2.6 per cent since 2010. These are the key findings of this year's heating monitor calculated by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) on the basis of data from energy service provider ista Deutschland GmbH. They are based on the heating bills of 300,000 multi-party houses in Germany and are adjusted for climate and weather conditions.
"If we only look at the absolute reduction in CO2 emissions, appearances are deceptive" Jan Stede
As energy prices for heating oil and natural gas rose by an average of 5.6 per cent last year, tenants spent 2.4 per cent more on space heating while demand fell. The regional differences in heating energy requirements and prices are very large. In western German households, seven per cent more is heated per square metre than in eastern German households. In 2019, heating energy requirements were highest in the Schleswig-Holstein Southwest and East Frisia regions, and lowest in central Mecklenburg/Rostock and Allgäu. Heating energy cost the most in Saarland and the least in Hamburg.
According to the study, there has been a significant overall reduction in CO2-emissions in the residential building sector have fallen by 20.7 per cent since 2010. However, this is largely due to the warmer winters. Adjusted for temperature and weather conditions, CO2-emissions have only fallen by 2.6 per cent over the past ten years.
"If we look at the absolute reduction in CO2-emissions, appearances are deceptive. The reduction of around 21 per cent, which would already make the climate targets unattainable, is hardly due to efforts to increase building efficiency. There is therefore no reason to scale back efforts to reduce emissions," says DIW economist Jan Stede, summarising the results.
"A sober assessment of ten years of building refurbishment shows that energy-efficient refurbishment does not automatically lead to less CO2. Climate policy measures must provide the right incentives for everyone involved: for landlords to invest and for tenant households to consume sparingly," comments Thomas Zinnöcker, CEO of energy and property service provider ista, on the results of the study. "More focus on results, unbureaucratic implementation and accompanying measures for consumers will make climate protection in buildings more effective."
Investment in the energy-efficient refurbishment of existing residential buildings is still too low to achieve the climate targets in the building sector. The plan was to increase the refurbishment rate to two per cent per year. Most recently, however, it was only one per cent. While energy-efficient refurbishment still accounted for a third of all measures in the building stock in 2010, in 2019 it was only a quarter.
The authors of the DIW study are therefore calling for stronger incentives for energy-efficient building renovations. "The higher subsidy rate for energy-efficient refurbishment and the planned CO2-pricing from next year could create additional incentives to invest more in this area again," hopes study author Franziska Schütze. With the CO2-However, care should be taken to ensure that social effects are cushioned. Tenants, especially those on low incomes, are disproportionately burdened by higher energy prices and have little influence on the building's energy efficiency and energy source. "Reimbursement of the income from the CO2-pricing in the form of a climate premium would relieve the burden on low and middle incomes and at the same time minimise the incentive effect of higher CO2-prices," suggests Jan Stede.
A commentary by the German Solar Energy Society (DGS) from 2 October 2020:
www.dgs.de/news/en-detail/021020-lediglich-effizient-klimaschutz-im-gebaeude/
Source: DIW press release from 30 September 2020
Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Research, Climate protection, New books and studies, Thermal insulation
