Background

German Environment

As a well-developed industrialized nation with a high population density, Germany finds itself particularly dependent on natural resources. Understanding these resources are limited and the impact the continual drain extracting those resources has on the environment, Germany continues to take steps to ensure that not only are those resources available for meeting their everyday needs, but that the country’s needs are met without leaving any long-term negative impact on the environment. Today, Germany has reached a high level of environmental protection. According to an OECD Environmental Performance Review Programme of Germany performed a few years ago, Germany held a top position in environmental protection worldwide.

German public awareness regarding the impact of environmental issues found its roots in the early 1970s. This culminated in Bavaria becoming the first state to create a ministry for the environment in 1970. The Federal Government introduction of its first Environmental Programme in 1971 established that the Ministry of the Interior would handle the general responsibility for the protection of the environment.

Up until 1986, three different ministries within the Federal Government: the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health handled environmental issues. On 6 June 1986 the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit/BMU) was created. Since that point, the Federal Government has held responsibility for taking the lead on national environmental policy.