Overview
German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) is Germany’s central federal environmental authority, established in 1974 by federal law to safeguard people and the environment through research, policy advice, enforcement and public information. It operates under the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and is headquartered in Dessau-Roßlau, Germany. UBA’s overarching mission is early detection and assessment of environmental risks to inform timely solutions and support evidence-based policy-making.
Mission and focus areas
UBA’s main goals include monitoring environmental conditions, analysing interrelationships between human activity and ecosystems, and developing scientifically grounded advice on pollution control, climate protection, air quality, water management, waste avoidance and chemical safety. The agency conducts research in its own laboratories and commissions external scientific studies to inform federal bodies and the public. It also implements environmental laws, including emissions trading and chemical authorisations, aiding sustainable governance and regulatory compliance. UBA contributes to sustainable development by generating authoritative environmental data and supporting policy frameworks that align with climate objectives and resource efficiency.
Structure and governance
UBA employs multidisciplinary experts such as biologists, chemists, economists and engineers across multiple sites in Germany, including regional offices in Berlin, Bad Elster and Langen. Its organisational structure includes divisions dedicated to climate protection, chemical safety and environmental planning. As a federal authority, UBA is led by a president and works in close cooperation with the Federal Environment Ministry, international institutions such as the World Health Organization and EU bodies. Its governance is defined by statutory mandates and federal environmental legislation.
Programs and offerings
UBA produces a wide range of outputs that support sustainability practitioners and policymakers, including research reports, environmental indicators, databases, newsletters and public information services. It maintains Germany’s largest environmental library in the German-speaking world and operates air quality monitoring networks. UBA also offers data and analysis on topics such as waste management, climate impacts, and resource conservation, making it a key source of independent scientific evidence for environmental strategy and practice.
Our mission
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”) sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. As Germany’s main environmental protection agency , our task is to ensure that our fellow citizens have a healthy environment with clean air and water, free of pollutants to the greatest extent possible. Here at the UBA, we concern ourselves with an extremely broad spectrum of issues, including waste avoidance, climate protection, and pesticide approvals.
