The possibilities behind proliferating renewable energies have been realized by German environmentalists. Distancing themselves from nuclear energy, they have had unparalleled success with green technologies. Though loosened restrictions encourage ventures, another major contributor is the German citizenry. The people and industry of
Germany are coming together on a grassroots level to establish a cooperatively funded green infrastructure. This article sheds light on a German movement taking place in the form of cooperatives; German citizens that have come to replace anonymous investors and foreign special interests. This shows German environmentalists to be as economically self-sustaining as the technology they produce.
The ground is fertile for green innovation. Recent natural disasters attributed to climate change, surfacing fears regarding the safety of nuclear power, the precariousness of fossil fuels and the world economy have proven a potent fertilizer. From this newly fertile ground has sprung the revival of the cooperative in
Germany. In the mid 19
th century German cooperatives first sprang to prominence. They functioned to aid small individual traders through unification and elimination of traditional corporate controls. Today cooperatives provide solidarity among entire communities who seek autonomy from global financial institutions. By shunning foreign investors and receiving funding from German cooperative banks, the cooperative community has discovered a way to grow the German economy almost entirely from within; especially valuable in a time of European financial crisis.
Simultaneously, many cooperatives have gained independence from nationwide energy infrastructure by producing self-contained renewable energy sources. The dedicated involvement of the citizenry, especially in southern Germany where one poll states that one in three citizens are involved with cooperatives, reveals a dramatic schism with the American worldview. The Rasmusssen Energy Update shows a majority of 58% of the American public considers climate change a serious problem. Yet whatever their amount of concern, it's indisputable that most Americans aren’t actively involved with this issue. Green industry shows slow growth in the U.S., and subsists mainly on life support from government subsidy. Environmental issues remain divisive in America, more political than environmental. The political nature of the discussion has had a polarizing effect on the people of America, in which a large segment of the population remains unconvinced of the existence of climate change. However, the German cooperative movement has shown that the pursuit of green technology can have economic as well as environmental benefits. To gain the same financial autonomy as the German cooperatives, dependence on foreign fossil fuels in the U.S.A. must be eliminated. Furthermore, as world fuel resources are zero-sum and move closer to depletion daily, the advent of renewable energy is inevitable. Until the American constituency faces facts and takes an active role in forming energy policy , it can never truly gain the independence that all Americans cherish.
Main Source:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15655243,00.html
You've written a very good analysis of the problem. The Japanese disaster was a real wake-up call to Germans, who had already decided to move away from nuclear power even though its neighbors have not.
ReplyDeleteGermans have a history of group work in both business and their private lives that provides a sound foundation for such initiative to come to fruition. Realize, however, that these have not always worked. There are many folks upset with the wind technology, which to date has not yielded the wished-for results. So while some may argue that they aren't even breaking even, others point out that at least they are doing something. What sort of sea change would have to occur in the US for these kinds of initiatives to be successful?
I find this article and analysis to be extremely interesting. Considering my previous experience serving on a Nuclear powered submarine I find nuclear energy to be a safe, reliable, and sustainable source of energy. Though not to be taken lightly, and with strict controls in place when dealing with Nuclear Power there is no room for any complacency. I do see the need for additional alternative energy sources, so that no nation depends solely on one source.
ReplyDelete