I noticed that over time, Germany gradually fell on the track to improve their ecological footprint. I thought that this particular observation is interesting because I did not expect a first world state to have a relatively consistent declining ecological footprint. I wanted to understand more about why Germany’s ecological footprint peaked in the 1970s and what has caused it to be on a constant decline since then.

Germany’s ecological footprint in the year 1973 was 568,337,947.14. In the year 2015, it was 386,178,015.56 (Global Footprint Network). Observing that the biomass capacity has been relatively consistent over time, it was interesting to notice this change in their ecological footprint.

It is not surprising to notice that during that time, environmental activism in Germany was not prominent. There was also a belief during the 1970s that the Western economic growth could only be achieved by sacrificing the environment (Library of Congress). I believe that this ideology played a significant factor in their ecological deficit during that time period. One identifiable moment where environmental activism was not prioritised in Germany was during the Oil Crisis of 1973 and the looming global recession. It was not until 1986 that environmental activism went on a rise in Germany. The year 1986 had a series of ecological disasters, most notably the accident at Chernobyl (Library of Congress). I think that this is when environmental conservatism began in Germany, and it can be observed through an extent in their ecological footprint over the years.

It is interesting to see how a country’s belief in strong economic growth was rooted in the belief that the environment must be scarified to achieve it, and how after observing the downfalls of such growth, environmental conservatism took priority. I hope we continue to see the importance of protecting our environment in the near future, and keep the decline of ecological deficit going wherever possible.

References :

(n.d), Country Trends, Germany. Open Data Platform. Retrieved from https://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=79&type=BCtot,EFCtot

(n.d) Eric Solsten, ed. Germany: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1995. Retrieved from http://countrystudies.us/germany/81.htm