Science and technology in Germany
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(© dpa - Report)
Germany is a land of ideas - and among the most innovative countries world-wide. Internationally renowned institutions like the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft for applied research, the Leibniz Gesellschaft and the Helmholtz Association have made the country a hub of cutting-edge international science and research.
What will the cities of the future look like? How can resources be used sustainably? How can the economy expand without harming the climate? And can science and research contribute towards solving these global issues? South Africa and Germany are providing answers to these questions with a joint initiative: the German - South African Year of Science 2012/2013, which will be opened by the Federal Minister of Research Annette Schavan and her South African counterpart Naledi Pandor in Cape Town on April 16, 2012.
German–South African Year of Science
Will the international community be able to make concrete steps towards global climate protection? This will be the decisive question when representatives from around 200 states meet from November 28 to December 9, 2011 in Durban, South Africa, at the 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop 17) to negotiate an agreement for the years following 2012. That is when the Kyoto Protocol expires, so far the most important instrument in international climate change policy.
Climate protection
Germany’s strong innovation profile has remained stable since the 2008 STI Outlook. Science and technology occupations are well represented in total employment, and medium and high-technology manufacturing exports have been robust for a number of years.
OECD Country Note Germany
The printing press, gummy bears, computers, television, and MP3s are part of our daily lives. All these important innovations are German inventions.
German inventions
It is a major element in climate and environmental protection, a vital habitat, an important economic factor and a popular place for recreation: the forest is an indispensible ecosystem on our planet – and in 2011 it is the focus of a special International Year of Forests, called into being by the United Nations (UN). The year is aiming to raise people’s awareness about the significance of forests, their sustainable cultivation and their role in fighting poverty.
International Year of Forests
The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Associationdoes research in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as on coasts and in high and mid-latitude oceans. It coordinates polar research in Germany, analyses global environmental changes, and contributes to deciphering the complex natural connections in the Earth System.
The Alfred Wegener Institute
Single cylinder, about 0.9 hp and a top speed of 12 km per hour: the German engineer Carl Benz revolutionized mobility 125 years ago with his patent automobile (photograph). His invention of 1886 is regarded as the world’s first car, and is very reminiscent of a coach without the horse. At that time, this strange looking three-wheeler with a petrol engine certainly raised a few doubtful eyebrows.
German inventive genius that changed the world
Developing cycle paths, improving public transport, putting more electric vehicles on the roads, modernizing houses, designating areas for new biotopes and using waste for energy production are just some of the environmentally friendly ideas with which Hamburg aims to make a mark as European Green Capital in 2011. Germany’s second largest city, which has 1.7 million inhabitants, was awarded the honour by the European Commission and beat 35 European competitors in the process. Hamburg is now the second city – after the Swedish capital Stockholm – to receive this title for an exemplary commitment to environmental protection and nature conservation.
Hamburg: Green Role Model for Europe
The RETech portal gives you information on the engagement of German waste management companies abroad, ranging from country profiles on waste management for 33 countries, via promotion options, to specific approaches for doing business abroad or merely for making contacts.
RETech
