Climate and European Green Deal are top priorities, says new UBA head Messner

Climate action and the European Green Deal are at the "top of the list" of the Federal Environment Agency's (UBA) priorities, says new head Dirk Messner in an interview with Die Zeit. "I would like to move political processes to be in closer cooperation with other European environmental agencies and partners," he continued, proposing the common target of reducing emissions from intra-European air traffic by 80 percent. “Together with other EU environmental agencies we could design alternative transport infrastructures for Europe," he said. Unfortunately, the environmental sectors of Germany's economy are losing their lead in research, patents and jobs, Messner told Die Zeit.

The UBA is Germany's main environmental protection agency, concerned with issues including waste avoidance, climate protection, and pesticide approvals. The UBA's work centers around gathering data concerning the state of the environment, investigating the relevant interrelationships and making projections – and then, based on these findings, providing federal bodies such as the Ministry of the Environment with policy advice.