Environmental agencies and researchers advance climate mitigation efforts

The German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) in Dessau-Roßlau continues its role as a central authority for climate and chemical monitoring. The agency is responsible for calculating Germany’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, which the federal government uses to assess progress toward climate targets. Additionally, the agency operates seven air quality monitoring stations across Germany, evaluates chemicals and pesticides, and manages the German Emissions Trading Authority, which facilitates billions in funding for climate transformation.

In Switzerland, researchers at Empa are developing a new approach to Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. To address the high energy costs and complexity of traditional methods, the team is utilizing ultra-thin coatings made of amine-containing materials. Unlike conventional porous filters that bind CO2 over several minutes, these coatings are designed to absorb and release CO2 in less than a second, prioritizing cycle speed over storage capacity per cycle to reduce energy consumption.