The state of nature is very important to Germans, and they consider their country a flagship in climate protection. However, Germany has still not been able to give up one of its weaknesses.
It began years ago with air pollution and deforestation. In 1961, Willy Brandt, the SPD candidate for the chancellorship of the FRG, found a fitting slogan: “The skies over the Ruhr basin must turn blue again.
Leukemia and rickets, especially among children, were on the rise in the industrial and coal mining regions during the “fat years” of the economic boom. Brandt then declared an “almost total disregard for the public task” of protecting the environment. This did not help him personally: He lost the election to Konrad Adenauer. However, the problem was voiced.
My friend the tree
A couple of years later, the singer Alexandra (real name Doris Nefedov, Doris Nefedov) sang “Mein Freund der Baum” (“My Friend the Tree”), which became a mega-hit, which was probably only possible in Germany. The melancholy memories of the tree, to which she entrusted her secrets as a child, touched the sentimental Germans. The song also included a reproach: “Soon a house of glass and stone will grow where the tree was cut down.
A few years later, in 1981, the topic of forest reduction was on everyone’s lips. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest the irreparable damage to nature. Almost parallel to this, the protests against nuclear power in the Federal Republic of Germany reached a climax. The Green Party was founded, which has since been largely seen as the “guardian” of the environment in Germany.
Ecology became a priority
Since then there has been a great deal of attention given to protecting the environment. Landfills at city entrances have disappeared, and recycling has been successfully introduced. Industrial enterprises installed filters in their equipment. The quality of water in rivers improved so much that the popular Minister of the Environment, Klaus Töpfer, took a bath in the Rhine in 1988 under the gaze of television cameras. Germany also kept a close eye on environmental incidents abroad, and in 1986 “Chernobyl” became the country’s “Word of the Year.
Since the beginning of the global warming debate, Germany has proclaimed itself one of the world’s leaders in the fight to preserve the climate. Since 1990, the country has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent, more than most developed countries. The per capita figure is even higher in the United Kingdom, although the topic of environmental protection is not so actively discussed there.
A great weakness of the Germans
However, Germans are not so committed to nature in all areas of life. In no other European country can drivers drive on the freeway without a speed limit: the world-famous German cars are usually equipped with powerful engines. To date, all sectors have contributed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions except the automobile sector.
But public transport in international comparison looks exemplary. And Germans are also zealous members of the World Wildlife Fund – WWF and local counterparts – NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) and BUND (Bund für Umweltund Naturschutz Deutschland).
All surveys show that environmental protection is very important to Germans. Every two years, the relevant federal office surveys German residents on this topic, and the results are considered to be a reliable yardstick.
