Grace Ferguson and Don Barr

Professor Muick
Bio 012 Tuesday and Thursday
7 October 2015
Country Project
Germany

With an estimated population of 80,854,408 across 228,494,080 acres, or

92468273.513 hectares, Germany is the second most populous country of Europe. Almost the
size of the State of Montana, (The World) Germany is also 87% the size of California
(States).

Bordered by Austria and Switzerland to the south, Czech Republic and Poland to the
east, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium to the west and Denmark to the north,
Germany has many neighbors and is a necessary stop for a trip to Europe. But she is not land
locked, her northern borders are kissed by the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.

The total fertility rate is currently 1.44 children born per woman, but the population is
on the decline with only a -0.17% growth rate. People of Germany are fortunate to have the
life expectancy of the ripe age of 83 years for females and 78.26 years for males. Luckily
infant mortality rates are low with 3.43 babies per 1,000 births. Overall there are 11.42 deaths
per 1,000 people, but this is not offset much by 8.47 births per 1,000 people, which might
cause a sharper population decline in coming years (The World). Due to increasing job
requirements, little economic growth and the cost of raising children, many Germans are
currently not planning families. More of the country's population are feeling the pressure of

finding enough time to maintain a busy career and there is a social responsibility to avoid
overcrowding and damaging the environment (Kramer, Wahl Germany's). Since at least
2007, the population has been a steady decline. The number of immigrants has not been
enough to offset the decline (Munz, Europe). There is a migration rate to Germany of 1.24
migrants per 1,000 citizens (The World).Nothing can be said as of this paper's publication of
the recent immigration rush to Germany due to the lack of empirical data.
Being a very developed country, the literacy rate is high, 99% of the total population of
Germany. Males typically spend 17 years total in school while females spend 16 years in
education. Access is easily and readily available to both sexes without any restrictions.
Germans do seem to take pride in a proper education (The world). The idea of kindergarten
was originally a German idea and began in Germany (Flippo, The German).
Average income per person is $45,900 for a labor force of 42.65 million people.
Unemployment is low, at 5%. People save on average 23.6% after all expenditures (The
world).
A big issue of concern in Germany is air quality and air pollution. Germans have a
cultural belief that they originated from the dark forests of the land and feel a kindred and
spiritual connection with their temperate deciduous forests. However, since 1960, acid rain
caused by air pollution, has been noticeably damaging Germany's legendary Black Forest. By
1984, more than half of the trees showed the negative impacts of acid rain. The highly acidic
rain has a habit of washing away calcium out of the soil which is essential to vegetation
growth. If the acid upsets the PH balance of the soil too greatly, cadmium and aluminum can
be released from harder, clay soils and run into water sources (Hairsine, Germany).
The source is mostly coal fired power plants, which provided 44% of electrical power

to Germany last year . After the disaster of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, in
March of 2011, Germany decided to shut down it's remaining operational 26 nuclear power
plants. Since then, the country has relied heavily upon coal fire power plants to produce a bulk
of the energy needed. So far, 9 nuclear plants have been shut down and they want to get the
remaining 17 operational shut down by 2022 (Kunzig, Germany). Emissions from coal and
automotive exhaust release green house gas pollutants such as, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides into the air. When these compounds react with oxygen, they turn into nitric acid and
sulfuric acid and enter clouds, causing the rain to become highly acidic. The government has
subsidized programs in place to disperse crushed limestone, basically calcium with high
alkalinity, to neutralize the affects of acid rain across much of the country. There are huge
campaigns to disperse thousands of tons by helicopter across affected forests, but at a
staggering cost. This program ran Germany 44 million euros, in 2013 (Hairsine, Gemany).
The beautiful red spruce trees of the Black Forest lost 80% of their numbers between
1965 and 1983, while sugar maples dwindled by 84% and beeches fell 63% during this same
period in west Germany. Nearby Switzerland reported a loss of 14% of their trees during this
time period along the border with Germany. All due to acid rain. As the acid rain falls, it
removes calcium, magnesium and potassium from the needles or leaves of the tree. A highly
acidic fog can remove the waxy protective coating on leaves, weakening them and leaving
them more vulnerable to the transmission of disease and insects.
However, surprisingly, not all is to despair because some European mature forests are
able to neutralize or thrive in highly acidic soil. Unfortunately, that is not the case for much of
Germany (Stewart, Acid). Incidentally, many lichens thrive in parts of forests of Germany
which have been heavily impacted by the acid rain. And there are some forests in the northern

part of the country which has highly acidic soil naturally and the forest thrives upon it
(Hairsine, Germany).
Acid rain is not immediately harmful to people, we can walk in it or even bathe in it.
However, fine particles of sulfates and nitrates can be inhaled by people and land deep within
their lung tissues. These particulates can even get indoors and are believed to cause an elevated
number of illnesses such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Air pollution is
believed to have caused approximately 400,000 premature deaths in the the region of central
Europe. The high air pollution is also thought to be a contributing factor to the rise is the
number of type 1 diabetes in children. Poor air quality is thought to be a contributing factor for
around 47,000 deaths per year in Germany (EEA, Europe's). Between 2000 and 2012, there
was a steady average of 45,800 deaths due to trachea, bronchus and throat cancers in Germany
per year. Within the same time period, there has been a steady average of 132,000 deaths per
year by ischaemic heart disease. These afflictions are known to be aggravated by air pollution.
13 of every 100,000 deaths is thought to be from outside air pollution (WHO, Germany).

During the cold winter months, the air in the upper atmosphere is warmer with lighter
air above than the cold, heavier air below and the layers will not blend. This area of high
pressure with little rain causes more flare ups of particulates in the air. People are more apt to
use more energy to warm their houses and the lack of rain will not help to settle the
particulates. Due to altitude and wind patterns, the flare ups typically begin in the southern,
Bavaria region and are usually some of the most severe, next mostly severely impacted would
be the central part of the country, as well as the eastern border around the capital, Berlin.
However, some of the particulates during this period are thought to have come from France. As
the country begins to warm through spring, the flare ups and dispersal of airborne particulates
becomes more mild, due to the air currents beginning to mix more and the barometric pressure
evens out. The need for indoor heating also begins to subside. Surprisingly, the flare ups in the
summer time are moderate, but consistent and seem to last longer. Much of the summer time
pollution is attributed to road dust and increased transportation pollution, which accounts for
about 17% of the annual air pollution, is higher due to increased travel and tourism (BurnsMurdoch, Daily). The high altitudes of some of Germany's forest can have an adverse affect
upon the trees. Fog builds and lasts longer at higher elevations and that fog is typically highly
acidic and damages the leaves and needle of the trees (Hairsine, Germany).

Lets us reference again, Germany's population data.

With a steadily declining population, common sense might lead one to believe that this

will lessen the amount of air pollution. However, this is not so cut and dry, due to how much
pollution can drift in from other countries (Burns-Murdoch, Daily). Less people should
mean less pollution, but the trend over the past few decades has been for Germans to escape
the urban sprawl of the highly urbanized and congested areas and move to more rural and
greener areas. This then creates more of a need for transportation, which releases more air
pollution and green house gases. The Ruhr area of northern Germany is expected to have
decreased emissions from personal energy use, but projected to have higher emissions from
transportation (Lefebre, Simulating). If you will reference the graph, the mean age of
Germans is the mid 40s, when they are still working, due to a weakening economy, need to
commute to work and still young enough to travel and vacation. The next largest age group

would be the 20-40 year old crowd, old enough to travel, hold jobs, own or lease a housing
unit and purchase products readily. Thus leaving a higher carbon footprint.
However, a very important trend is not necessarily the population growth having as
much of an impact as the overall new energy culture of the German people. The enegiewende
is not quite a new idea, but a bold movement to the use of all renewable energy sources. 92%
of Germans support the culture. With legislature pushed by German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, Germany targets to reduce emissions to 80% of 1990 levels by the year 2050. As of
this year, they have lowered their emissions 27% since 1990. Currently, 27% of Germany's
power comes from solar and wind power which is a significant improvement over the 9% of
energy from renewable resources used by the country only 10 years ago. Through the use of
these renewable resources, 2% of German households sell electricity to the grid for general
use. A combination of solar, methane gas from a local landfill and wind driven turbine are used
to heat a massive water heater, over half a million gallons which provides heat and hot water to
over 800 homes in the city of Hamburg. Germany also has big dreams of placing massive wind
turbine farms along it's windy north shore. They may even run power lines all of the way
across the country to the southern end (Kunzig, Germany). Hopefully this is progress you
cannot stop.
There are some groups furthering the cause of energiewende, such as, the Fraunhofer
Institutes, which is the leading figure in the world of solar research. Near Feiburg, the institute
has created over 50 houses which all produce more energy than they consume from solar
panels. https://www.fraunhofer.de/en.html
The first Bundnis 90 Die Grunen, or Alliance 90/ The Green Party members made it
into the national parliament in 1983 and begin voicing serious environmental concerns, which

at the time were mostly regarding nuclear power. In 1990, the Green Party got their first bill
passed supporting energiewende, people had the right to feed into the electrical grid and utility
companies had to pay the a feeding-into tariff. Suddenly wind turbines appeared along the
windy northern part of the country. In 1993, a member of the Green Party and mayor of
Hammelburg, Hans-Josef Fell, got approved a municipal code which made the city utility to
ensure renewable energy producers a price which more than covered costs. Fell immediately
got an association of local investors organized to build a modest 15-kilowatt solar power plant.
This association was one of the first of its kind, but far from the last. These days, there are
hundreds in Germany. In 2000, the Green Party was able to make the feed-in tariff a national
law and practice. The tariff pays well and guaranteed for 20 years to those putting electricity
into the grid. Many countries have followed this example around the world (Kunzig
Germany). http://www.gruene-bundestag.de/service-navigation/english_ID_2000025.html
With over 480,000 members and 2,200 local groups, BUND (Friends of The Earth
Germany) has many workshops and outreach programs to educate the public about
environmental policies, proposed policies and sustainable living. They have are currently
fighting in court the construction of more coal powered plants and trying get nuclear plants
shut down faster. http://www.bund.net/ueber_uns/
Germany is fortunate enough to be fed by 11 large rivers; the Elbe, Danube, Rhine,
Weser, Ems, Warnow/Peene, Elder, Schiel/Trave, Oder, Rhone and Maas rivers all contribute
to 2.2% of the country's surface which is covered by water. Lakes and 291 dams make up for .
85% of the country's surface. However, 11.7% of land surface is set aside for the protection of
drinking water. A bit interesting to note is that even though there are over 80 million people,
utilities industries use 56% of the water consumption. Forestry and agriculture use less than

1%. The water supply and demand are judged to be quite sufficient since only about 24% of
fresh water resources are utilized (Germany). Another interesting fact is there is about 1,327
cubic feet of renewable fresh water available per capita (Renewable).
However, water can be become scarce in the Brandenburg and sometimes not enough
water is present to keep rivers at a constant level due to flooding of strip mine pits. Areas of
central and eastern Germany typically suffer from water shortage during the summer months
and drought compounds this. Aquifer recharge in this area has been noticeably less over the
past few decades due to an increase in area populations. There is a rising chance of flooding
due to climate change and a warming trend in the annual climate. Flooding could quite easily
contaminate fresh ground water and rivers with pesticides, particulates, chemicals from
automobiles and sewage (Germany).

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/222817013_Simulating_the_impact_of_urban_sprawl
_on_air_quality_and_population_exposure_in_the_German_Ruhr_area._Part_I_reproducing_t
he_base_state._Atmos_Environ
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00001
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html
http://www.city-data.com/states/California-Location-size-and-extent.html 20 October 2015
https://biologyprojectcharliesmith.wordpress.com/
http://www.berlin-institut.org/en/online-handbookdemography/populationdynamics/europe.html
http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/europes-cities-still-suffering-from

BUND (friends of The Eart Germany) About us bund.net NP Web 24 October 2015
Burns-Murdoch, John Daily air pollution levels mapped across Germany interactive
theguardian.com 26 September 2012 Web 22 October 2015
Climateadaptation.eu Germany/Fresh water sources climateadaptation.eu NP Web 25
October 2015
Kramer, Wahl Germany's Declining Population aicgs.org 28 January 2015 Web
20 October 2015
United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The World Fact Book Europe: Germany
cia.gov 14 October 2015 Web 20 October 2015
City-data.com States/California city-data.com NP Web 20 October 2015
Flippo, Hyde The German way: Education german-way.com 11 May 1996 Web
20 October 2015
Fraunhofer Institute Publications frauhofer.de NP Web 25 October 2015
Lefebre, Filip, Simulating the impact of urban sprawl on air quality and population exposure
in the German Ruhr area. Part I: reproducing the base state. Atmos Environ
researchgate.net 12 October 2007 Web 24 October 2015
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/222817013_Simulating_the_impact_of_urban_
sprawl_on_air_quality_and_population_exposure_in_the_German_Ruhr_area._Part_I_
reproducing_the_base_state._Atmos_Environ

Munz, Rainer Europe: Population change and it's consequences an overview

berlin-institute.org 23 November 2007 Web 21 October 2015

Hairsine, Kate Germany - controversially - still bombards forests with limestone to combat
acid rain dw.com19 November 2013 Web 21 October 2015
Stewart, Robert Acid Rain and Acid Deposition oceanworld.tamu.edu 3 September 2012
Web 21 October 2015
European Environment Agency (EEA) Europe's cities still suffering from harmful air
pollution eea.europa.eu 23 July 2015 Web 22 October 2015
World Health Organization (WHO) Germany: WHO statistical profile who.int January 2015
Web 22 October 2015
Kunzig, Robert Germany could be a model fro how we get power in the future
nationalgeographic.com 15 October 2015 Web 20 October 2015
The World Bank Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita (cubic meters)
data.worldbank.org 2015 Web 25 October 2015