Germany. Postwar Economic Policies

Tire economic policies of the immediate post-World War II era served only to exacerbate the problems inherited from the Nazi era. In West Germany the "economic miracle" of the 1950s resulted in the utter befoulment of the Ruhr region. When the Christian Democratic government under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (ruled 1949-1963) failed to address this issue, the Social Democrats launched their "Blue Skies over the Ruhr" campaign, which helped bring Chancellor Willy Brandt (ruled 1969-1974) to power.

Meanwhile, the Green Party emerged over issues such as nuclear-reactor safety, river pollution, urban congestion, airport runway expansion, and nuclear-weapons modernization by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in 1983 the Greens won 5.6 percent of the national vote and joined the Bundestag for the first time. Since 1998 tire party has been in coalition with the SPD-led government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (b. 1944).

Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (b. 1948) and Environmental Minister Jürgen Trittin (b. 1954) are both members of the Green Party. In June 2000 tire Greens secured an agreement that foresees the total phaseout of Germany's nineteen nuclear power plants as early as 2021 (thirty-two years after the last plant became operational in 1989).

In East Germany, Soviet-style economic practices entailed a concentration on heavy industry—coal, lignite, steel, chemicals—especially in the urban centers of East Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz (Karl-Marx-Stadt). The country's communist system stifled any significant civic and political discourse, so government leaders were free to pollute with little fear of public backlash.

As a consequence, East Germany's land, air, and water continued to deteriorate for the duration of the country's existence. The two most visible symbols of the country's environmental mismanagement were the once-ubiquitous Trabant, a small car made mostly of plastic and equipped with a two-stroke engine that spews a trail of toxins from its tailpipe; and Bitterfeld, nicknamed "the filthiest city of Europe," which lies close to some of Europe's largest lignite strip mines.

Fortunately, air and water quality improved tremendously in the former East Germany after 1990 as the Trabants were gradually phased out and the worst-polluting mines, factories, and power plants shut down. Paradoxically, the buffer zone that once separated East and West Germany (and the wall that once divided Berlin) functioned as an unofficial nature refuge; industrial and agricultural development now threatens this open space.

Within Europe, West Germany has been in the forefront of antipollution legislation for many decades. Notable laws include the 1957 Federal Wastewater Act, the 1974 Federal Air Pollution (Emissions) Act, the 1976 Hazardous Waste Disposal Act, and the 1991 Packaging Disposal Act. Chancellor Helmut Kohl (ruled 1982-1998) was also instrumental in forcing other European governments to ban the use of leaded gasoline in automobiles.

Internationally, Germany has participated in forums such as the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment and the 1992 Rio Conference on Environment and Development. It is party to most major international treaties, including the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the 1979 convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), and the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change (as well as the 1997 Kyoto protocols).

Severe environmental problems nonetheless continue to plague Germany. Its economy is highly dependent on oil (imported from Russia, Norway, United Kingdom, and Libya), coal, and lignite, which generate large quantities of carbon dioxide, sulfur, and ozone. This dependency on fossil fuels will undoubtedly grow, at least in the short term, as the country's nuclear plants are shut down.

Air pollution is especially problematic in the densely populated Ruhr region and in the vicinity of the German-Czech-Polish border (the "Yellow Triangle"). Water pollution remains a problem as well, especially along the heavily industrialized stretches of the Rhine, Main, Emscher, Erft, and Elbe Rivers. It may take decades to develop more-benign energy sources, clean up the country's industrial regions, and mitigate the damage caused by East German Authorities.