Press releases by subject fields: environmental-economic accounting
Increase in the housing and transport area by 87 hectares per day
Press release
No.
382
/
2011-10-13
The housing and transport area in Germany grew by a total of 2.7% or 1,266 square kilometres in the period from 2007 to 2010. This is a calculated daily increase of 87 hectares or some 124 football fields. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis ), land use for housing and transport thus slowed down compared to the previous reference period (2006 to 2009) when the increase amounted to 94 hectares per day.
Private consumption producing 7.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions per resident in 2009
Press release
No.
465
/
2010-12-13The total volume of direct and indirect CO2 emissions caused by households in Germany amounted to 618 million tonnes in 2009. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis ) on the occasion of the UN Climate Change Conference which has just ended in Cancún, Mexico, this was an amount of 7.5 tonnes per resident.
Decreasing extraction of raw materials in Germany– increasing imports
Press release
No.
421
/
2010-11-17As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the German economy’s demand for raw materials decreased by 39 million tonnes in 2008 compared with 2000. However, two opposing trends were observed. While the domestic extraction of raw materials declined significantly by 123 million tonnes, imports rose by 84 million tonnes in the same period.
Declining energy consumption of households for housing purposes
Press release
No.
372
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2010-10-18The energy consumption of households for housing purposes continues to decline in Germany. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the consumption of household energy – adjusted for variations in temperature – dropped by a total of 6.7% between 2005 and 2009.
Increase in the housing and transport area by 94 hectares per day
Press release
No.
358
/
2010-10-06
As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the housing and transport area in Germany grew by a total of 3.0% or 1,371 square kilometres in the period from 2006 to 2009. This is a calculated daily increase of 94 hectares or some 134 football fields. Thus land use for housing and transport purposes slowed down compared to the previous reference period (2005 to 2008) when the increase amounted to 104 hectares per day. The goal of the sustainability policy of the German federal government is to reduce the use of new land for housing and transport purposes to 30 hectares per day by 2020.
Today, the President of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), Roderich Egeler, presented the Indicator Report 2010 on Sustainable Development in Germany to the Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks, Ronald Pofalla. This was now the third stock-taking exercise following those in 2006 and 2008. The Report describes the current state of development, using 35 indicators for which concrete targets have been set at the political level as part of the national strategy for sustainable development. The evaluation makes use of eye-catching weather symbols to give a first orientation on the progress achieved by the German sustainable development strategy. The symbols show to what extent the targets will presumably be achieved if the current trends are extrapolated mathematically.
Press release
No.
489
/
2009-12-16According to an analysis by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), households consumed 2.3% less motor fuels for passenger cars in 2008 than in 2007. As compared to 2000, the decrease amounted to 5.6%. Despite the decline in consumption, households spent more on motor fuels in 2008 than a year earlier, which was due to the significant increase in prices over that period. Between 2007 and 2008, the price of supergrade petrol rose by 4.4% and that of diesel oil by as much as 14%. Consequently, the households' expenditure on motor fuels increased by 3.0% to Euro 46.8 billion.
Half of global CO2 emissions produced by four countries
Press release
No.
468
/
2009-12-04China, the United States, Russia and India produce 50% of the global CO2 emissions from fuel combustion. In 2007, the People’s Republic of China for the first time replaced the United States as the world’s largest emitter. The two countries produced 40% of global emissions. This is reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on the occasion of the forthcoming Copenhagen climate summit (7 to 18 December 2009) on the basis of data of the International Energy Agency (IEA). As shown by these data, the volume of global emissions increased from about 21 to 29 billion tonnes between 1990 and 2007. Nearly half of that increase was caused by China.
Increase in settlement and traffic area by 104 hectares per day
Press release
No.
426
/
2009-11-11The settlement and traffic area in Germany grew by a total of 1 516 square kilometres or 3.3% in the years from 2005 to 2008. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this is a calculated daily increase of 104 hectares or some 149 football fields. In the period concerned, an increase was also observed in the area covered by forest, namely by 0.8% or 861 square kilometres. In contrast, the agricultural area decreased by 0.9% or 1 679 square kilometres.
Decreasing share of “environmental taxes” in tax revenue
Press release
No.
244
/
2009-07-01As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the revenue from “environment-related taxes” as indicated by Environmental-Economic Accounting – based on tax statistics – amounted to approximately EUR 54.4 billion in 2008; hence they remained largely unchanged on 2007 (+0.3%). Overall tax revenue of public budgets (EUR 561 billion in 2008), however, rose by 4.3% compared with the previous year.
Energy productivity increasing just slightly between 2000 and 2008
Press release
No.
156
/
2009-04-23Between 2000 and 2008 the energy productivity of the overall economy in Germany increased at a slower pace than before. For that period, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) calculated an average increase of 1.6% per year. Between 1990 and 2000 the energy productivity was up by 2.2% on an annual average.
Energy consumption of private households for housing is declining
Press release
No.
055
/
2009-02-18The energy consumption of private households for housing in Germany has been declining considerably since 2000. According to calculations of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the consumption of household energy – adjusted for variations in temperature and changes in domestic fuel stocks – dropped by a total of 10.9% between 2000 and 2007. When compared with the previous year, the adjusted energy consumption fell by 2.9% in 2007.
Press release
No.
428
/
2008-11-14The overall raw material productivity in Germany in 2007 was by 35.4% higher than in 1994. This is one of the results shown in the new indicator report on sustainable development of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). One of the targets of the national sustainability strategy for Germany is that the raw material productivity should double from 1994 to 2020. To achieve that goal, the development speed of the raw material indicator would have to increase considerably compared with the last few years.
Increase in settlement and traffic area by 113 hectares per day
Press release
No.
419
/
2008-11-11The settlement and traffic area in Germanygrew by a total of 1 648 km² in the years from 2004 to 2007. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), that is a calculated daily increase by 113 hectares or some 161 football fields. The sustainability strategy of the federal government aims to reduce the daily demand for new settlement and traffic area to 30 hectares per day by the year 2020.
Energy consumption of households fell slightly from 1995 to 2006
Press release
No.
411
/
2008-11-05Despite soaring energy prices, the direct energy consumption of households in Germany decreased only slightly between 1995 and 2006 with –0.7%. Direct energy consumption is composed of the consumption of housing energy (fuels, central heating and electricity), which remained almost unchanged, and the consumption of motor fuels, which showed a small decline (–3.7%).
Revenue from environmental taxes down by EUR 919 million
Press release
No.
244
/
2008-07-08As reported by the Federal Statistical Office(Destatis), the revenue from environment-related taxes in 2007 amounted to about EUR 54.2 billion, which was EUR 919 million less (–1.7%) than in the previous year, according to information of environmental-economic accounting. Energy tax (the former mineral oil tax) accounted for just under EUR 39 billion of the environment-related tax revenue in 2007. That was 2.4% less than in the previous year. Revenue from motor vehicle tax remained nearly unchanged at EUR 8.9 billion (–0.4%), while electricity tax rose by 1.3% to EUR 6.4 billion.
Press release
No.
455
/
2007-11-13In Germany, some 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) were produced in the production of export goods in 2004. That is just under 43% of the total CO2 emissions of the domestic production branches, amounting to 700 million tonnes. “Compared with 1995, that part of CO2 emissions rose by 24% due to increased exports – and despite substantial efficiency gains in energy use for production”, said the President of the Federal Statistical Office, Walter Radermacher, at the press conference on “Environmental-economic aspects of globalisation” in Berlin today. Altogether, CO2 emissions of the production branches in Germany were down by 2.5% in Germany over the same period.
Settlement and traffic area increasing: 113 hectare/day
Press release
No.
436
/
2007-10-31As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the settlement and traffic area in Germanyincreased from 2003 to 2006 by a total of 1,657 km² or 113 hectare/day. This is shown by the results of the 2006 area survey. Compared with the four-year average for 2002 to 2005 (114 hectare/day), the increase in the demand for area required for settlement and traffic purposes slowed down slightly. The goal of the national sustainability policy of the German federal government is to reduce the daily demand for new settlement and traffic area to 30 hectare/day by 2020.
Share of environmental taxes in tax revenue decreasing in 2006
Press release
No.
291
/
2007-07-20As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the revenue from environment-related taxes amounted to some EUR 55 billion in 2006 and were thus nearly unchanged compared with 2005 (–0.2%), according to information of environmental-economic accounting. Total tax revenue of public budgets (a total of EUR 526,3 billion in 2006) rose 7.6% on the previous year, with above-average increases recorded for income-related taxes (+10.7%), trade tax (+19.4%) and tax on acquisition of real estate (+28.0%). Thus the share of environment-related taxes in total tax revenue was down by 0.8 percentage points to 10.5%.
Settlement and traffic area increasing: 114 ha/day
Press release
No.
492
/
2006-11-23As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the settlement and traffic area in Germany increased from 2002 to 2005 by a total of 1,670 km² or 114 ha/day.
Energy consumption of households increasing despite improved efficiency
Press release
No.
477
/
2006-11-14Energy consumption of households for housing purposes rose 3.5% from 1995 to 2005 when adjusted for the annual temperature variations. “The considerable improvements achieved in heat insulation, heating technology and household appliances were not sufficient to offset the increased energy consumption of households caused, among other things, by growing equipment with electrical appliances and the increasing living floor space”, said the Vice-President of the Federal Statistical Office, Walter Radermacher, at a press conference held jointly with the Federal Environmental Agency in Berlin today.
82% of utilisable new-grown timber in forests was cut in 2004
Press release
No.
268
/
2006-07-06As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, timber cutting in Germany in 2004 was more than offset by the new growth of timber. Forests are thus used in a sustainable manner: According to results of forest accounting, 82% (35.4 million tonnes) of the quantity of utilisable timber grown in 2004 was cut.
Press release
No.
225
/
2006-06-02As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the revenue from environment-related taxes amounted to around EUR 55 billion in 2005. Mineral oil tax accounted for EUR 40.1 billion, motor vehicle tax for EUR 8.7 billion and electricity tax for EUR 6.5 billion. As in 2004, there was a slight decline of revenue by EUR 881 million (–1.6%) against the preceding year.
Increasing raw material productivity due to declining use of construction raw materials
Press release
No.
461
/
2005-11-02Taking the goals of the national sustainability policy as a yardstick, increased efforts will still be required to meet the targets set in the area of raw material and energy productivity. This was stressed today by the President of the Federal Statistical Office, Johann Hahlen, at a press conference on environmental-economic accounting in Berlin.
Revenue from environmental taxes declining to EUR 56 billion
Press release
No.
284
/
2005-07-06As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, according to results of Environmental-Economic Accounting, the revenue from environment-related taxes amounted to about EUR 56 billion in 2004. Mineral oil tax accounted for EUR 41.8 billion, motor vehicle tax for EUR 7.7 billion and electricity tax for EUR 6.6 billion.
Timber cutting in German forests more than offset by
increases
Press release
No.
189
/
2005-04-22WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, in 2003, the wooded area in Germany continued to increase as in the years before. With about 101,890 km², the total area available to forestry for commercial use remained almost unchanged. The area gained through first afforestation corresponded to an area of nearly the same size taken out of cultivation (e.g. for reasons of environmental protection).
Settlement and traffic area increasing: 93 hectares/day
Press release
No.
466
/
2004-11-08WIESBADEN – The settlement and traffic area in Germany increased by a total 341 square kilometres or 93 hectares/day in 2003. As further reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the increase insettlement and traffic area thus slowed down for the third time in a row (in 2001, the increase was 117 hectares/day, in 2002 it was 105 hectares/day). Between 1993 and 2000, the increase had accelerated from 120 hectares/day to 131 hectares/day.
Considerable increase in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in goods transport
Press release
No.
460
/
2004-11-02WIESBADEN – Taking the goals of the federal government's sustainability strategy as a yardstick, a reversal of trends will be required as regards the transport indicators of "goods transport intensity" and "share of inland waterways transport in goods transport performance".
Receipts from environment-related taxes amounting to
EUR 57 bn in 2003
Press release
No.
252
/
2004-06-03As reported by the Federal Statistical Office in the context of environmental-economic accounting, the receipts from environment-related taxes amounted to about EUR 57 billion in 2003, of which EUR 43.2 billion were attributable to the mineral-oil tax, EUR 7.3 billion to the motor vehicle tax and EUR 6.5 billion to the electricity tax.
