Infographics

The "travel and transport" sector accounts for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions across all film formats, at 40 to 80 per cent. Equipment, catering and, in the case of daily soaps, space heating, air conditioning and studio lighting also account for a larger share.

Different film formats emit different amounts per minute of film produced: elaborate series and feature films emit more than daily soaps, documentaries or docu-series.

The "travel and transport" sector accounts for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions across all film formats. If emissions are to be reduced, the greatest success is achieved the earlier climate protection is planned into the preparation of a film and the effort and costs are taken into account.

This figure traces the growth of the various metals in the anthropogenic metals stock – which is created by human activity – to 2040.

This figure illustrates the anthropogenic metals stock. It is fed by nine sectors: technical goods in building construction, mobile goods in buildings (excluding electrical appliances), mobile goods in buildings (electrical appliances), power generation plants, power grids, vehicles, transport infrastructure, industrial plants, and machines.

This figure explains the urban mining cycle: the anthropogenic material stock – created by human activity – is the source of raw materials for future use.

Microsimulation model

In view of the currently rapidly growing number of used batteries from electric vehicles, buses and e-scooters, the question of proper end-of-life management is becoming more and more urgent (see infographic). Although recycling capacities are being built up in the EU, the logistics and recycling processes are usually associated with considerable costs.

The map shows the ten coal-fired power plants in the European Union with the highest absolute CO2 emissions in 2021 compared to 2005.

The diagrams show how greenhouse gas emissions in various sectors need to be reduced to meet the German government’s national targets and the targets imposed on Germany by the European Union’s climate regime.

As growing carbon pools, forests can help to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This carbon storage – also termed carbon sink capacity – strongly depends on the intensity of forest management and timber extraction.

Forests play an important role on the path to carbon neutrality by 2045. On the one hand, they provide wood, a replenishable raw material, which can be used to substitute carbon-intensive materials such as steel and concrete as well as energy sources such as coal or natural gas. At the same time, however, forests themselves can be carbon stores and help to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Nature-based Solutions are locally appropriate, adaptive actions to protect, sustainably manage or restore natural or modified ecosystems in order to address targeted societal challenge(s) - such as climate change mitigation -, while simultaneously enhancing human well-being and providing biodiversity benefits.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Its long-term temperature goal can only be reached when Parties progressively commit to ambitious climate targets and establish a clear plan for their implementation. NDCs are heterogeneous in nature and thus challenging to compare. The infographic shows the results of a method development by the NewClimate Institute and Oeko-Institut for the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) to analyse NDC design through four key elements.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Its long-term temperature goal can only be reached when Parties progressively commit to ambitious climate targets and establish a clear plan for their implementation. NDCs are heterogeneous in nature and thus challenging to compare. The infographic shows the results of a method development by the NewClimate Institute and Oeko-Institut for the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) to analyse NDC design through four key elements.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are central for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Its long-term temperature goal can only be reached when Parties progressively commit to ambitious climate targets and establish a clear plan for their implementation. NDCs are heterogeneous in nature and thus challenging to compare. The infographic shows the results of a method development by the NewClimate Institute and Oeko-Institut for the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) to analyse NDC design through four key elements.

The infographic shows the potential for reducing climate-damaging greenhouse gases in agriculture. In this way, emissions can be completely reduced to zero by the year 2045 or 2050.

Electric cars are cheaper than their reputation. In the calculation model, the experts calculated and compared the total costs of three mid-range cars with electric drive, petrol and diesel engines.

Even in small towns and villages, a large proportion of the population can cover 60 per cent of their journeys without their own car because the distances are less than eight kilometres.

Flying is cheap. And that is precisely why it is so attractive. But how is it possible that getting around by plane is so cheap compared to other modes of transport - despite its immensely damaging effect on the climate? The answer is: Unlike most other modes of transportation, air travel is only lightly regulated.

Flying is associated with a positive image. But many of the things we "commonly" think can be seen differently. The infographic highlights this.

More and more airlines and travelers are relying on offsetting the climate impact of their flights. With offsetting - or carbon offsetting - the climate impact of flights is compensated by greenhouse gas reduction measures from other actors, such as renewable energy. The infographic shows the differences between the two concepts of "climate offsetting" and "climate responsibility." As a general rule, offsetting or the financing of innovative climate protection should always be the last step towards more climate protection in air transport - the priority should always be to avoid flights wherever possible.

Flying is the most climate-damaging form of mobility: on the one hand, the combustion of fossil kerosene generates CO2 emissions; on the other hand, it contributes to climate heating through nitrogen oxides, contrails and changes in cloud cover.

Flying will not be completely avoidable in the future. Therefore, various measures can be taken to mitigate emissions and reduce the harmful impact on the climate. There are two main ways to do this in the long term: using alternative fuels - such as E-Fuels or sustainable biofuels - and alternative propulsion concepts such as hydrogen and electric aircraft.

If we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C, CO₂ emissions from aviation must also be reduced to zero. The infographic shows various options for action: The simplest and most effective way for climate protection in aviation is, of course, to avoid flights. Video conferencing and home office instead of business trips is one option.

The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050. This means that total residual emissions should not be higher than the CO2 permanently sequestered from the atmosphere by forests, etc. In moving towards this goal, the EU’s current climate target for 2030 – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent compared with the 1990 baseline – must be raised to -55 per cent at minimum.

The graphic shows the different production paths of hydrogen. For example, "green hydrogen" is produced on the basis of renewable electricity; oxygen is produced during electrolysis. Blue hydrogen" uses natural gas; CO2 is released during the production process, which has to be captured and stored. "Turquoise hydrogen" also uses natural gas, coal is produced as a residual product of pyrolysis.

The farewell to the combustion engine is foreshadowed in large parts of road traffic: Major states and regions have set themselves the goal of no longer permitting new combustion engines after a certain year, usually between 2025 and 2040, or even of equipping their vehicle fleets completely with alternative drive systems.

What are the CO2 emissions of a Google search? In response to this popular question a researcher at the Oeko-Institut set out to calculate how digitalisation affects the climate – or at least illustrate the scale of the issue.

Efficiency of power-to-fuel production now and in future

The chart shows the appliances that should be used as long as possible from the environmental perspective (left-hand side). The fundamental principle is: From an environmental point of view, it is advisable, with a few exceptions, to repair defective household appliances and extend their total use-time. This saves energy and resources that are used in the manufacturing of new products.