Greetings,
It's an exciting time as the snow continues to fall upon my dwelling here in Osnabrück, Germany. I've been having a good time recently continuing my daily school routines and whatnot.
I had the opportunity to go to a local football match a couple weekends ago. It was very exciting, and Osnabrück won! They are actually now first place in the third German football league. If they keep up the good work, they will be moved up to the second league for next season.
VFL Osnabrück Football Match
I am greatly concerned for the future of our world as today is the last day of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. I fear that this generation will look back on this day, December 18, 2009, and see it as the point when we could have done something to stop a perilous foe but didn't.
On that note, I'd like to share with you all a culture experience I have recently had.
In my European politics class, we have been discussing energy politics and specifically the politics in regard to the pending climate crisis. Unlike anything I have ever experienced in the U.S., we actually study the science of global warming and the possible implications of the threat. It's actually very interesting. Germans learning about the science of global warming in class instead of just being entranced by the latest Sarah Palin op-ed certainly explains part of the reason why Americans are relatively so stagnant on the issue of climate change. (Germany is offering a 25% cut from 1990 levels of carbon emissions, whereas the United States is offering on a 4% reduction.)
Servus,
Alex
Different countries have different abilities to lower their carbon emissions. Some of this ability is based on how bad their energy infastructure was in 1990. It is probably easier for Germany to lower their emissions from 1990's level than the US. I suggest this possibility because much of the german power industry in 1990 was old warpac stuff (east germany) I think that whatever has replaced that is much more efficient. It is also important to examine how much ecomomies have increased since 1990. It is much more usefull to compare reduction percentages from current emission levels.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is much bias in various teachers in the United States, the US still desires to be politics neutral. This means that controversial issues are often not addressed in the K-12 levels. These issues are addressed at the University level. The German education system is much different. For one, it teaches much that would be at the university level in the US. The state (in Germany) takes on more of a "parental" role in deciding what truths to teach its young people. This is not a critical comment, just a note that systems and societies are different. For example some European countries do not allow home schooling, making it illegal for parents to raise their kids while strongly influencing them with certain beliefs.
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