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April 21, 2025: Research Article | Open Access 
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A Straight Forward Method to Analyze the Variation Dynamics of Corporate Top Polluter Rankings Exemplified Through the German PRTR Register
Heiko Thimm* and Vanessa Schmidt
Pforzheim University, School of Engineering Tiefenbronner Str. 65, D-75175 Pforzheim.
J Earth Envi Sci, 2025; 4(1):100136
:  10.71010/JEES.2025.e136
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Abstract
Public pollution registers such as the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) play a vital role in promoting environmental transparency and accountability. While pollution rankings at various levels-regions, countries, industry sectors, and cities-are widely used, limited research has focused on analyzing the temporal dynamics of these rankings. This study introduces a straightforward data analysis and visualization method to explore the variation dynamics of top polluter rankings over time. The method involves determining pollution ranks based on reported amounts and quantifying rank changes between periods using a simple numeric scheme. This approach facilitates the effective visualization of dynamic shifts and measures variation strength using a dedicated formula. The proposed method is demonstrated using data from the German PRTR register, a subset of the E-PRTR containing approximately 80,000 pollution reports from German businesses. The analysis focuses on the dynamic changes in the top 10 polluters from 2007 to 2022 for two pollution categories: Release of Heavy Metals into Water and Release of GHGs into the Air across several industry sectors. The study provides valuable insights into ranking stability, shifts in pollution hotspots, and sector-specific performance, offering a practical tool for stakeholders seeking data-driven insights into environmental performance over time.
Keywords: corporate pollution reporting, German PRTR register, data science, machine learning, pollution prediction.
   How to Cite:

Thimm H and Schmidt V (2025) A Straight Forward Method to Analyze the Variation Dynamics of Corporate Top Polluter Rankings Exemplified Through the German PRTR Register. J Earth Envi Sci: JEES-e136.

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