Eco-Utopia?
Exploring environmental awareness in Germany

• Home
»
• Magazine Archives » Abroad View Spring 2008

By Zoey Laskaris

International leaders have convened for more than 30 years to discuss environmental problems: The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment set the stage for environmental diplomacy in 1972; the Brundtlandt Report (World Commission on Environment and Development) introduced the language of “sustainable development” in 1983; the Rio Conference (U.N. Conference on Environment and Development) produced an 800-page document, Agenda 21, that outlined the basis of international action and green diplomacy in 1992.

Despite these international efforts, environmental issues are more urgent today than ever before; and, although the international and national actors in the field of environmental politics are highly important, we must pay greater attention to the individual as an actor in the field of environmental politics.

While studying abroad in Germany and during my senior year at Middlebury College, I conducted research on the history of environmental awareness. A study of how Germans infiltrated their ecological ideas into the political system exposed a crucial point in the environmental history of the country: mainly, the development of an environmentally aware country. This national consciousness facilitated Germany’s path to becoming one of the most environmentally sustainable countries in the world.

Environmental awareness in Germany was not a fluid movement. It underwent a motivational shift among citizens of past generations and those of the more recent generations. The shift took place in the years surrounding the formation of the Green Party and its initial presence in the German Bundestag in 1983. The shift indicates a change from Germans choosing to be environmentally aware to acting with environmental awareness.

Being environmentally aware before the 1980s was, for the most part, a lifestyle choice and a commitment to a movement that was ridiculed and suppressed. Before the Greens entered the Bundestag, environmental awareness was a movement closely tied to social values; it was a reflection of the longing for the traditional, small community lifestyle, a progression of literary publications, a form of nationalism, and an outlet for citizens to express their radical beliefs and societal discontent.

After powerful grassroots efforts pushed the Green Party into the Bundestag, their presence brought environmental issues into the mainstream of the established political parties and their party programs. The Federal Republic handled environmental concerns on a national level and instituted environmental regulations and laws to set an ecological standard. To be environmentally aware after the mainstreaming of green ideas, indicated a compliance with environmental regulations and commitment to the goals of the German government. Citizens can still choose the extent to which they want to be environmentally aware; however, there is a minimum degree to which citizens can completely disregard the environment.

How can the United States develop its own environmental politics using Germany as an example? Individuals who attempted to influence their representatives to promote an ecological outlook can turn to German protestors for inspiration. People are often discouraged by the belief that the voices of individuals will never reach the national political agenda. In Germany, the anti-nuclear protestors in the ’70s and ’80s did not go home without realizing significant political successes. The grassroots efforts of the student movement elected a political party and ultimately influenced the ecological agenda of the entire parliament. The most important characteristic of the German protestors was that they embodied their causes; many altered their lifestyles to demonstrate the validity of their protest. They did not demand energy efficiency and then contradict their values by overheating their homes.

In the United States, the “Step It Up” campaign is an example of how citizens can create environmental progress. Individuals participating in the inaugural Step It Up on April 14, 2007, organized more than 1,000 actions around the globe to encourage congressional representatives to promote a carbon emissions reduction by the year 2050. The kinds of actions that were implemented, such as a day of car-free transportation, must become commonplace for Americans and persist as part of their daily lives. This will increase the legitimacy of their demands.

Americans appear to be at a similar stage in their history of environmental awareness as Germany was in the 1990s. On April 17, 2007 The New York Times printed a poll in collaboration with CBS titled “Views on the Environment: Americans place a priority on protecting the environment.” The survey indicated that 63 percent of Americans were ready to pay “higher taxes on gasoline and other fuels if the money was used for research into renewable energy sources like solar and wind.”

More striking was that 92 percent of Americans were willing to make sacrifices “in order to cut down on energy consumption and reduce global warming”; despite this statistic, not all 92 percent of Americans who are willing to do so have decreased their energy consumption. This is most likely due to the lack of a joint effort from the citizens and the government to implement institutions that structure emission reduction methods. Citizens have expressed their willingness to comply with regulations; it is up to the government to take the next step.

The distinct history of German philosophy and literary movements cannot be recreated in a different country. However, elements that were persuasive forces in raising environmental concern among Germans can be emphasized by current politicians, activists, and environmental organizations in other countries. For instance, at the start of the 18th century, Germans reacted strongly to a movement that preserved the aesthetic beauty of their environment. German citizens took pride in conserving nature, especially after it was romanticized in the poetry and literature of their culture. Similarly, in the United States today poets and authors such as Gary Snyder celebrate the natural landscape of America.

Another instance of environmental education in Germany was the willingness of Germans to fund environmentally friendly agricultural methods. In 1994, a survey  determined individuals who were informed of the personal health benefits of organically produced products increased their support for environmentally friendly technology or chemical free farming; farmers, consumers and the land benefited.

On a larger scale, the United States can mimic Germany’s governmental tactics for encouraging citizens to implement renewable energy facilities. Two examples are governmental provision of monetary incentives and the institution of pollution taxes. Germany demonstrated that green technology can generate a job market and that environmental technology can be cost-effective. Germany is one of the richest countries in the world and generates the majority of its energy from renewable sources. There are structural elements of the German government that enable efficient environmental regulation, such as the division of responsibilities among Germany’s states, and institutionalized channels for public expression. The legislative powers in the United States could follow suit and make an effort to encourage more state controlled environmental regulation.

The apocalyptic tone of many German writers does not have to be a requirement for triggering environmental concern. Instead, emphasis from politicians on the scientific warnings in our society can serve the same function. I say this with the proceedings that followed the 1986 Chernobyl incident in mind. Unless the belief that humans are meant to exist harmoniously with nature appeals to citizens around the world, the environmental effort will continue to be an unnecessary struggle.

Zoey Laskaris was an International Studies major at Middlebury College. In 2005, she studied in Berlin at Freie University’s Otto Suhr Insitute for Political Science. At the time of writing, she was living in Brooklyn, NY, and working with an environmental scientist on a book.