The natural resources deficit: the implications for German politics
The natural resources deficit: the implications for German politics

Author(s): Anna Kwiatkowska-Drożdż
Subject(s): Energy and Environmental Studies, Environmental and Energy policy
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: natural resources deficit; Germany
Summary/Abstract: Falling amounts of natural resources and the ‘peak oil’ question, i.e. the point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of easily-accessible oil reserves is reached, have been among the key issues in public debate in Germany on all levels: expert, business and – most crucially – the government level. The alarming assessments of German analysts anticipate a rapid shrinkage of oil reserves and a sharp rise in oil prices, which in the longer term will affect the economic and political systems of importer countries. Concerns about the consequences of the projected resource deficit, especially among representatives of German industry, are also fuelled by the stance of those countries which export raw materials. China, which meets 97% of global demand for minerals crucial for the production of new technologies, cut its exports by 40% in summer 2010 (compared to 2009), arguing that it had to protect its reserves from overexploitation.

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