Germany is known as one of the world’s leading countries in environmental sustainability. German federal government has been working hard to eliminate the use of coal altogether and encourage the use of wind and sun among their industrial companies (Porter). However, their coal companies are still reluctant to comply with the coal reduction policy. In reaction, the German federal government resorted to giving companies monetary incentives for compliance instead of fining them.
As a leader of green efforts, Germany sets example of green practices for many countries. What they did with the coal company, however, does not seem to sufficiently address the coal dependence problem. Although overall coal dependence seems to be decreasing in Germany and United States, other developing countries such as China and India’s level of coal consumption is in fact increasing as shown below:
What should the other countries do? Should other governments bribe companies so they can comply with the carbon dioxide emission regulation? This does not seem to be the best answer since money is very scarce in all governments. This is a tough act to follow. While companies such as Heinz, Pantagonia, and Pepsi are making significant gains in sustainability, the countries in the world are still facing coal dependence challenges today.
Porter, E. (2016) “The Challenge of Cutting Coal Dependence.” The New York Times. Accessed 27, September. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/business/economy/the-challenge-of-cutting-coal-dependence.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSustainable%20Business&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection&_r=0