Do Germans have a false perception that they are already the leaders of environmental protection?
The false perception is already there. The Germans think they are the masters of climate change, which they are not. The main reason why the German CO2 balance is so good is because East German industry broke down in 1990. Germany has had something like an 18.5% reduction in CO2. About 11% came out of the East German economic downturn. Something like 5% resulted from the boom of alternative energy sources like wind or solar power. That means that only 2.5% came out of real achievement in energy efficiency. Germany is above the European average in terms of CO2 production per capita. In fact, it is the largest carbon dioxide emitter in Europe. The first step to really becoming a climate rescuer is to become aware that there is a need for change in Germany. The second step is to see past all the advertising and marketing gimmicks that make it seem that a large number of companies are already green. Vattenfall is one of the examples I give in the book. Vattenfall is one of the main produce
