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The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals — in print and online — sponsors more than 12 conferences annually, and offers numerous programs and services.


The '''Federal Environment Agency of Germany''' was founded in 1974 and is the central federal authority for [[Natural environment|environmental]] matters in [[Germany]]. The agency is commonly referred to as the '''UBA''', an acronym for its German language name of ''Umweltbundesamt''.
For further information regarding society activities, membership, or general inquiries please send an email to amsinfo@ametsoc.org.
History of the AMS


The Federal Environment Agency is part of Germany's [[Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety]] (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, referred to as the BMU) and is responsible for protecting the environment as well as human health and well-being from adverse environmental impacts. Its key mandates are:<ref>[http://umweltbundesamt.de/uba-info-e/index.htm Get to know us: Mandate and Organization] From the English version website of the Umweltbundesamt (UBA)</ref>
The American Meteorological Society was founded in 1919 by Charles Franklin Brooks of the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts. Its initial membership came primarily from the U.S. Signal Corps and U.S. Weather Bureau and numbered just less than 600. Its initial publication, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, was meant to serve as a supplement to the Monthly Weather Review, which, at the time, was published by the U.S. Weather Bureau.
 
* To provide scientific support to the: Federal Ministries of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; Health; Education and Research; and Transport, Building and Urban Affairs.
* Implementation of environmental laws such as [[Air pollution emissions|emissions]] trading, authorization (approval) of [[chemical]]s, [[pharmaceutical]]s and [[pesticide]]s.
* To provide public information about environmental protection issues.
 
== Organization and staffing ==
 
The UBA is headquartered in the city of [[Dessau]] and also has offices in the cities of [[Berlin]], [[Langen]], and [[Bad Elster]] as well as monitoring stations at seven other  locations nationwide. As of 2009, the agency had a total staff of about 1,400 working at 13 locations and an annual budget of about €100,000,000. About 800 of the total staff work in the Dessau headquarters.<ref name=epanet>[http://epanet.ew.eea.europa.eu/european_epas/countries/de Network of the Heads of Environmental Protection Agencies: Germany] </ref><ref name=Umwelt>[http://www.umweltdaten.de/publikationen/fpdf-l/3122.pdf Umweltbundesamt Federal Environment Agency for People and the Environment]</ref>
 
The UBA's  organization chart is summarized below. The agency is governed by the ''Office of the President'' consisting of a President and a Vice-President, assisted by a ''Council of Environmental Advisors'', an ''Internal Audit and Corruption Prevention Unit'', a ''Press Officer'' and other functional entities.
 
As shown in the chart below, there are four operational groups (Division I, II, III and IV), an administrative management and services group (Division Z) and a special group for [[air pollution emissions]] trading (Division E). Most of the functions depicted in the chart are located in the headquarters site in Dessau, but some are in Berlin and the other locations (Langen and Bad Elster).
 
{{Image|UBA Organization.png|center|600px|Organization chart of the UBA.<ref name=Umwelt/><ref>[http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/uba-info-e/uba-organisation-druckversion.pdf Umweltbundesamt for our environment, Organizational Chart] As of November 26, 2010</ref>}}
 
==Major tasks and issues==
 
The major tasks and issues for which the UBA is responsible may be summarized as:<ref name=epanet/>
 
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=40%}}
* Agriculture and foodstuffs industry
* Air and air pollution control
* Chemicals policy and pollutants
* Climate change
* Energy
* Environmental awareness and sustainable consumption
* Environmental data
* Environmental economics and management
* Environmental laws and associated claims
* Environmental monitoring
* Environmental and spatial planning
{{col-break|width=60%}}
* German Emissions Trading Authority
* Health and environmental hygiene
* International and Antarctic environmental protection
* Noise
* Products
* Resource conservation
* Soil and contaminated sites
* Technology processes and safety
* Transport
* Waste management
* Water, drinking water and water protection
{{col-end}}
 
==Air quality and air pollution control==
 
[[Air pollution emissions|Air pollution]] in Germany has markedly decreased in the last 20 years. Through the introduction of [[flue gas]] clean-up systems in [[Conventional coal-fired power plant|power plants]] and industrial installations; and the use of modern [[catalyst]]s and fuels, considerably fewer pollutants are today released into the atmosphere. [[Air quality]] limit values for [[sulfur dioxide]], [[carbon monoxide]], [[benzene]] and [[lead]] set by the [[European Union]] are no longer exceeded in Germany.<ref>[http://www.umweltdaten.de/publikationen/fpdf-l/3943.pdf  Trends in Air Quality in Germany] As of October 2009</ref>
 
The basic air pollution control regulation in Germany is entitled "Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control" (Technische Anleitung zur Reinhaltung der Luft) and commonly referred to as the TA Luft.<ref name=TALuft>[http://www.bmu.de/files/pdfs/allgemein/application/pdf/taluft_engl.pdf Complete text of the TA Luft]</ref> The first version of the TA Luft was enacted in 1964 by the West Germany Parliament.<ref>'''Note:''' The Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) was known as West Germany in the period between its creation in 1949 and the reunification with East Germany  in October 1990.</ref><ref name=MIT>{{cite book|author=The Social Learning Group|title=Learning to Manage Global Environmental Risks, Volume 1: A Comparative History of Social Responses to Climate Change, Ozone Depletion and Acid Rain|edition=|publisher=MIT Press|year=2001|id=ISBN 0-262-19444-9}} See page  84.</ref>
 
Ten year later, the West Germany Parliament enacted the  Federal Air Pollution Control Act (Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz), referred to as the BImSchG,<ref>'''Note:''' In English, the BImSchG is also sometimes referred to as the Federal Immission Control Act</ref> which included a revised version of TA Luft. In 1983, the TA Luft was revised and in 1984 the BImSchG was also revised. The TA Luft was again revised in 1986 to include requirements for the use of the Best Available Technology (BAT). In 2002, the BImSchG and the TA Luft were further revised. The BImSchG is now the primary law for air pollution control in Germany.<ref name=MIT/>
 
Although the Federal Environment Agency and the TA Luft are both under the jurisdiction of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, it is not clear whether the agency has any responsibility for updating the TA Luft.
 
==References==
{{reflist}}

Revision as of 17:36, 5 January 2011

The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, professors, students, and weather enthusiasts. AMS publishes nine atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic journals — in print and online — sponsors more than 12 conferences annually, and offers numerous programs and services.

For further information regarding society activities, membership, or general inquiries please send an email to amsinfo@ametsoc.org. History of the AMS

The American Meteorological Society was founded in 1919 by Charles Franklin Brooks of the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Massachusetts. Its initial membership came primarily from the U.S. Signal Corps and U.S. Weather Bureau and numbered just less than 600. Its initial publication, the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, was meant to serve as a supplement to the Monthly Weather Review, which, at the time, was published by the U.S. Weather Bureau.

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