Chapter 6: Federal Republic of Germany 57
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5. How do rivers play an important part in German manufacturing and trade?
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6. What are the natural resources in Germany that have been beneficial to Germany’s strong economy?
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7. What is the relationship between the Gulf Stream and Germany’s marine climate?
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Directions: Read the selection and answer the questions that accompany the article.
ACID RAIN IN GERMANY
Germany is a country of old forests, beautiful rivers, and historic artwork and buildings. Over the
past thirty years, acid rain has taken its toll on these landmarks. Acid rain has ruined nearly half of the
Black Forest in southwestern Germany. It has damaged the soil and the trees growing in it. Many acres
of diseased trees are at risk of dying. Sulfur and nitrogen found in acid rain eat holes in the surfaces
of statues and buildings. Acid rain pollutes rivers, like the Danube and the Rhine, and kills the wildlife
living there.
When it comes to the problem of acid rain,
Germany is its own worst enemy. The main sources of
acid rain are smoke from factories and power plants.
These facilities burn fuels like natural gas, coal, and
oil. Cars and buses that burn gasoline and diesel
produce these gases too. Germany, however, depends
on manufacturing. The country is one of the leading
exporters of cars, steel, and chemical products. These
industries have mostly coal-burning factories. Germans
also own more cars than people of most other countries
do. This adds to acid rain through auto emissions.
Nature plays a part in the acid rain problem. The toxic smoke from manufacturing plants is carried
by air currents to other places before it falls to earth as acid rain. Germany shares its borders with many
other countries. With other countries involved, it is also a more difficult problem to solve. For example,
air currents bring the chemical-filled smoke from coal-burning factories in the United Kingdom to
Germany. The chemicals fall to earth in Germany as acid rain.
Germany has been working on the problem of acid rain. In southern Germany, plants that use water
power from streams and rivers in the region are replacing many coal-burning factories. The German
government has passed laws to reduce emissions from automobiles and factories. Factories are switching
to cleaner fuels. They are building taller smokestacks that scrub the smoke before it enters the air. In
2007, Germany, as a member of the European Union, promised to increase its use of cleaner, renewable
energy by 20 percent. Germany’s goal is to decrease the use of fossil fuels like coal and oil.
Germany is developing new types of energy. It is the leading producer of wind turbines and solar
power technology in the world. It is home to the largest wind farm and the largest solar energy plant in
the world. Because of these changes, the country’s harmful emissions are falling. This is reducing the
amount of acid rain.
Continued on next page.
