How East Germany cleaned up dirty power
Author: Umair Irfan and ClimateWire
Source: Scientific American
Date: November 3rd, 2014
Source: Scientific American
Date: November 3rd, 2014
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summary As Germany continues to develop, scientists explore its development from coal energy to renewable sources. After the tragic events of WWII and the Cold War, it took a lot of work and taxes to bring both east and west Germany to a stabilized status. In the 1990s, the German government proposed a plan called "Energiewende" or energy transition. This called for the switch from nuclear energy to more renewable sources like solar and wind. It is speculated that all development will be completed in 2050. This proves to be beneficial for Germany in the long-run, however; there are short-term impacts. Many factory workers find themselves unemployed and the cost of this project equates to about 1.5 trillion euros. Despite these setbacks, Germany remains one of the best economic countries in Europe with a strong electric grid.
reflection I thought this article was interesting because it highlighted a countries attempt to improve the problems caused by war. This isn't mentioned a lot, especially since WWII and Germany are sensitive subjects for many people. It is good to see that they are contributing so much revenue to a long-term benefit. The article reminds me of how here in the U.S., we have the money and technology to do what they are doing and we our government continues to be swayed by big business and militarism.
The next step is for the U.S. to follow in Germany's actions. There are many issues that we are currently facing but won't deal with because our government is too concerned with money. It's amazing that trillions were spent on renewable energy efforts that will have a long-lasting effect on their society. |