The world's strongest green party, more installed solar power capacity than any other country on Earth - Germany has long seen itself as cutting-edge when it came to environmental protection. The German public is now discovering, however, that the country is not quite as "green" as it hoped.
 | Picture Gallery (click on the picture to start)Knut, the German polar bear cub, has become a symbol for climate change. (Photo: Reuters) |
German car manufacturers face serious problems meeting European Union emission guidelines and the planned nuclear power phase-out will require massive investment in renewable energies or a turn toward abundant, but dirty coal.
Germany is in a good position to make a transition to a more energy efficient and more climate-friendly economy. Since the unification of East and West Germany in 1990, Germany has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 20 percent, while other countries’ emissions have surged. This decrease, however, is in large part due to the economic decline of emission intensive industries in the former East Germany.
The path to a “green” economy may not be as easy, nor as swift as environmentalists would like. Germany’s reliance on coal presents a big obstacle.
Energy security concerns – the desire to reduce dependence on imported gas and oil – and a host of other factors like rising energy costs, unemployment, and the unpopularity of nuclear energy have led Germany to turn to coal and lignite to generate power. Many scientists say this will inevitablyincrease national carbon dioxide emissions.
A highly profitable energy revolution
Although some argue that strict ecological restrictions will mean job losses and higher energy costs for Germany, the global energy “revolution” is already proving highly profitable for German industries and investors.
Since the 1990s, Germany has developed into a world leader in renewable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric. Along with a growing domestic demand, Germany exported over six billion euros worth of solar photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, and other technologies in 2006.
Meanwhile, federal and local government in Germany has taken steps to promote energy efficiency in buildings, household appliances, and transport through taxes, tax breaks, and government funding.
All of these policies may ultimately help Germany reach its goal of reducing the country’s total carbon dioxide emissions by 21 percent by the year 2012 – significantly more than the mandatory 8 percent imposed by the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. As of 2007, Germany was on track to meet its Kyoto target.
Pushing climate change to the top of the global agenda
Germany’s unique political situation in 2007 – its dual-role as president of the European Union and host of the annual group of eight (G8) industrialized nations summit – helped push climate change to the top of the global agenda.
In February 2007 German Chancellor Angela Merkel presided over an agreement by all EU nations to cut greenhouse gases by 20 percent of 1990 levels by 2020. With the economic crisis hitting Germany's export-oriented industry hard, Merkel has started to tone down her climate targets drawing criticism from EU observers and environmentalists.
Among other topics, EU officials criticized Merkel's call for weaker emission targets for European car manufacturers to improve competitiveness of energy-intensive German cars.
editor: Valdis Wish
last update: April 17, 2009
Do you have something interesting to add? Write a comment and discuss this topic with other readers. Comments should be on-topic, non-commercial, and not contain abuse of any kind.
Comment Policy
