Environmental Protection : Germany

In 1994, the newly created Article 20a of the Basic Law elevated environmental protection to an aim of the state: “The state, aware of its responsibility for present and future generations, shall protect the natural sources of life.” This duty is incumbent on all branches of government and encompasses among other things the concept of recycling, the achievement of environmentally sound mobility and the reconciliation of agriculture with nature conservation.

The business community, too, has recognized that ecology and economy do not have to be contradictory and that environmental protection is also necessary on economic grounds. The resolute safeguarding of air, water and soil is essential for sound and sustained economic advancement. About one million people in Germany are directly or indirectly involved in preventing or reducing pollution. A modern environmental protection industry has evolved which offers highly sophisticated technology for preventing and correcting damage to the environment. High-tech environmental engineering products made in Germany are thus much in demand all over the globe and now account for more than 18 percent of world trade in this field.