Environmental indicators are of fundamental relevance for displaying developments in different areas, such as the evolution of air emissions. Therefore, they often form the basis for political decision making.
On international and European level, several environmental indicator systems exist. Notable systems include the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), the European sustainable development indicators (SDI) as well as the agri-environmental indicators of the European environment agency (EEA) of the European Union.
On the national level, environmental indicators are provided in context of the SDGs. Furthermore, additional indicators are calculated for and supported by the relevant federal ministries.
Data included in the environmental indicators are taken from own surveys, from business statistics and from administrative data sources. The indicators are updated annually.