3 Assignments

Dangerous levels of air pollution (Mainly South West Germany)

“Any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation produced by solar warming of the Earth's surface. They include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO2), and water vapor” (World Bank, 2014). After Fukushima, the nuclear disaster of 2011, German government adopted a policy of phasing out the country’s nuclear power plants. In doing so, they allowed utilities to burn more coal. Emissions from coal-burning industries continue to be on the rise, causing air pollution to worsen.

Concentrations of NO2, PM10 and O3 are also too high and at these concentrations are harmful to their citizens. The chart below shows the trend of CO2 emissions per thousand tons rising steadily from 929,540 tons in 2011 up to 961,200 in 2014. Located in south-west Germany, Stuttgart is known as the most congested city in nation, with the largest quantities of dust particles and nitrogen dioxide in the air. Stuttgart’s air quality threatens human health more than 60 days every year (Osterath, 2016). Within a forty-kilometer radius of Stuttgart are two other cities, Reutlingen and Markgrönigen, which have what is considered the second and third most polluted air in all of Germany.

Significant water pollution (Specific to Eastern Germany)

Years of open-cast mining in East Germany has polluted several rivers. With mines, no longer in operation, water levels have risen and caused a brown sludge to fill up local rivers killing wildlife (Smith, 2015). Upon reunification with West Germany in 1990, it was estimated that 42% of moving water and 24% of still waters were so contaminated that they could not be processed enough to create drinking water (Grabow, 2014).

Persistent pollutants such as nitrates, heavy metals, pesticides, and medicinal products all plague German waterways. Raw sewage and other industrial run-offs have also been draining into the Baltic Sea from those same rivers in Eastern Germany.

Air temperature changes have occurred

There has been a gradual, but not linear warming in Germany between 1900 and 2000 of 1 degree Celsius. There is strong regional variation: South-Western Germany has seen a more significant temperature increase (i.e. 1.3-degree change), while Northeastern Germany has only seen a change of 0.6 degrees Celsius in the same period of time (Schönthaler, 2015).

Precipitation changes have occurred

Between the year 1900 and 2000, the yearly average precipitation increased by 9% (Schönthaler, 2015). There are strong regional and seasonal variations (i.e. trend toward increased winter precipitation in mainly north-western Germany with an increase of up to 32% between 1951 and 2006) (Schönthaler, 2015). For the general population, increased precipitation particularly in the winter months means more tax dollars will need to be spent clearing streets of snow and de-icing sidewalks and bike lanes and there is also an increased risk for slips and falls. Continuous snow-cover however, has drastically changed, decreasing as much as 40% in altitudes below 300m in the Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg regions (Schönthaler, 2015). This could be negative for the tourist industry and all those wishing to ski in the German Alps. The number of dry days has also increased from 5% to 20% especially in Eastern Germany.

More extreme weather events

Longer heat waves can lead to reduced energy production (i.e. shortage of cooling water halts energy production), as well as higher health risks to the general population caused by heat stress (Schönthaler, 2015). For the German population climate change poses a few health risks. Cardiovascular problems can be heightened by the heat waves, allergies formed as a result of increased pollen in the air, and an increased number of respiratory diseases which are worsened by particulate matter (WHO, 2010).

Thermophilic species of mosquitoes like the Asian tiger mosquito, are also spreading in the South of Germany, which can transmit diseases such as dengue fever and malaria. In 2010, 500 cases of Dengue fever were registered in Germany that were traced back to the invasive mosquito species (Becker, 2011).

Extreme weather events also cause severe quality fluctuations and lower yields in the agricultural sector caused by the various types of storms (hail, rain, snow) and long spells of heat resulting in dryness. In November 2015, the government of Germany published their first report monitoring climate impacts and adaptation (Ittershagen, 2015). The report cites cause for concern in the number of hot days experienced in Germany each year, recently increasing from 3 days with temperatures over 30 degrees centigrade to 8 (Ittershagen, 2015). There are a number of industries affected by the recent changes in precipitation and temperature in Germany. Agriculture as an example, has begun to suffer greatly as heat waves often escalate into intense droughts decreasing crop yields. Tourism, an industry primarily dependent on the weather and climate of a region, can be affected two-fold. The first is an increased summer season with rising temperatures, as well as a reduced and less appealing winter season which has higher temperatures and less snowfall.

Ecological Tax Reform Act (1999)

Mandated gradual increases in the tax rates on oil and gas and introduced a new levy on electricity. Revised in 2006, this mandate brought with it much public resistance as it increased the price of crude oil and called into question Germany’s industrial competitiveness. Fossil fuel consumption has since declined every year since 2003 (Buehler, 2011). In 2003, for instance, roughly €16.1 billion raised through the tax reform was used to reduce and stabilize nonwage labor costs, allowing pension contributions to be lowered by 1.7 percent. With hiring rendered less expensive, the energy tax reform has helped promote employment and has contributed to the creation of roughly 250,000 jobs (Buehler, 2011).

Green infrastructure/ low-impact development

Include innovations such as green roofs, green facades, and permeable pavements. They mimic the natural processes of soils and vegetation to provide “environmental services” such as storm water management, urban heat island amelioration, and habitat, even in dense urban areas (World Bank, 2014).

Government incentives and grants pushing green infrastructure have been remarkably effective. Further laws have been passed in an effort to protect their environment; basically, if a company is to impair the natural environment they must pay compensation or restoration. Green infrastructure is a way for businesses to offset their footprint. Restoring older buildings is another way to meet these requirements, making them more efficient, in some cases helping to reduce CO2 emissions by 25 to 30 million tons annually (Smith, 2015).

Freiburg Model of transport sustainability

Freiburg achieved a more sustainable transportation system by (1) successfully integrating land-use and transportation planning, (2) coordinating and integrating public transportation regionally, (3) promoting bicycling, (4) restricting automobile use, and (5) encouraging citizen participation throughout the process (Ryan, 2003). The following energy savings have been realized in Freiburg, Germany:

· 28 GJ (calculated as "CER", cumulative energy requirements).

· Reduction of CO2-equivalents per year: 2100 tons.

· Reduction of sulphur-dioxide (SO2-) equivalents per year: 4 tons.

· Saving of mineral resources per year: 1600 tons (Thorpe, 2014).

Climate Action Plan 2020

An aim to reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 40% compared to 1990. The Climate Action Plan (CAP) outlines the necessary measures needed to meet targets, however Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen over the last four years. If the nation continues on the same path it is currently, with only current policies in place, they would fall short of their goal of a 40% reduction compared to 1990. They would miss this mark by 7% or 87 million tons; this is known as the climate gap (Appun, 2016).

Electricity production from renewable sources

Germany has taken many important steps towards decreasing their emissions and have turned to renewable energy sources including hydro, wind power, solar power etc. to power their economy. Figure 3 below shows the growth in renewable energy sources production from 1900-2015. There is an evident increase in renewable power generation and as of 2014, renewable sources accounted for 30.8% of the net electricity production (Electricity Production in Germany, 2016)