Frank Uekötter

The Greenest Nation?: A New History of German Environmentalism

An account of German environmentalism that shows the influence of the past on todays environmental decisions. Germany enjoys an enviably green reputation. Environmentalists in other countries applaud its strict environmental laws, its world-class green technology firms, its phase-out of nuclear power, and its influential Green Party. Germans are proud of these achievements, and environmentalism has become part of the German national identity. In The Greenest Nation? Frank Uekoetter offers an overview of the evolution of German environmentalism since the late nineteenth century. He discusses, among other things, early efforts at nature protection and urban sanitation, the Nazi experience, and civic mobilization in the postwar years. He shows that much of Germanys green reputation rests on accomplishments of the 1980s, and emphasizes the mutually supportive roles of environmental nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and the state. Uekoetter looks at environmentalism in terms of civic activism, government policy, and culture and life, eschewing the usual focus on politics, prophets, and NGOs. He also views German environmentalism in an international context, tracing transnational networks of environmental issues and actions and discussing German achievements in relation to global trends. Bringing his discussion up to the present, he shows the influence of the past on todays environmental decisions. As environmentalism is wrestling with the challenges of the twenty-first century, Germany could provide a laboratory for the rest of the world.

Myths, Big Myths and Global Environmentalism

This articles explores the tension between the global outreach of environmentalism and its local and national contexts. It looks at the long tradition of environmental activism avant la lettre, the two episodes of global networking around 1970 and 1990, relations with state authorities, political affiliations, and the overlaps with other social movements. It concludes that in light of the diversity of the environmental movement, global environmentalism was a myth, though probably a helpful one.

You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet: A Death-Defying Look at the Future of the Climate Debate

The article looks at the ongoing debate on climate change against the background of established modes of environmental discourse. It argues that the climate discourse diverges notably from established lines of discussion in that it inspires an enthusiastic community of scientists, politicians and activists while offering no perspective for success. It uses Luhmannian systems theory to argue that the climate community shows symptoms of autopoiesis, resulting in a notable inability to communicate with the rest of society. It concludes with an agenda for the environmental humanities.

What should we remember : A global poll among environmental historians

lective environmental memory of the world, what would it be?” In the spring of 2013, scholars from around the world found themselves confronted with this pointed question, and many of them – 22 in all – sent a reply. The original idea was that, in a volume dedicated to the merger of memory studies and environmental history, such a poll would broaden our perspective beyond the individual articles. The result is a colorful mix. It includes animals and bombs, dust and climate, organic and mineral resources, the old conservation movement and the new post-1970 environmental movement. From a geographical per“ What Should We Remember? A Global Poll Among Environmental Historians