Une région de tradition industrielle
Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn are respectively the first, second and ninth largest cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous and wealthiest of the German federal states. The state's economic boom began in the early 19th century, with the establishment of numerous coal mines and steelworks. This industrialization particularly affected the Ruhr region, at the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia, with Düsseldorf and Cologne on its doorstep. Both saw the emergence of numerous industrial clusters, and are still home to a number of companies today. Düsseldorf is home to Henkel (owner of Le Chat, Schwarzkopf, Super Croix, etc.), Rheinmetall (metallurgy, armaments and automotive) and Metro (retail), while Cologne is home to Lufthansa (Europe's largest airline) and Ford Europe. This industrial and mining activity has had a lasting impact on the landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia, and continues to do so. The region is characterized by a high level of anthropization (i.e., the modification of the environment by man) and air pollution. Discharges from various factories, as well as exhaust fumes from densely-populated traffic, are responsible for this deterioration in air quality. North Rhine-Westphalia alone is responsible for around a quarter of allCO2 emissions in Germany, itself the most polluting country in Europe.
Des efforts réels pour protéger l’environnement
In 2008, along with Berlin and Hanover, Cologne became the first German city to be designated an Umweltzone. These are air pollution abatement zones established in dozens of German cities, including Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn. Only the least-polluting cars are allowed to enter the zone, according to a sticker system affixed to the vehicle. At the same time, these cities offer an efficient, low-pollution public transport network. KVB, Cologne's public transport network, has set itself the target of powering its entire fleet of vehicles with renewable energies by 2030, including buses. Thanks to these measures, air quality in these three cities - and in Germany as a whole - has improved significantly over the past twenty years.
At the same time, the highly urbanized North Rhine-Westphalia region makes a point of preserving green spaces, both urban and rural, and even creating new ones. The region even boasts a number of industrial, mining and military wastelands that have been converted into green spaces. The Duisburg Nord landscape park, some 30 km north of Düsseldorf, is one of the most successful examples. In the 1990s, this former steelworks site was transformed into a superb park offering a variety of on-site leisure activities and highlighting its industrial past, to the point of winning several awards for the quality of this urban planning project. Cologne has also been the subject of a redevelopment project, through the Kölner Grüngürtel, Cologne's green belt, once a system of fortifications protecting the city, which the Treaty of Versailles ending the First World War forced to be destroyed. The military wasteland was very quickly converted into a vast green space, helping to aerate the city.
More generally, while Germany remains Europe's leading polluter in many respects (greenhouse gas emissions, plastic exports, etc.), it has a particularly innovative ecological policy. One example is Pfand, the German deposit system. Plastic bottles and aluminum cans are subject to a deposit, so that in order to recover up to 25 euro cents per container, it must be returned to a dedicated collection point, and thus recycled. Combined with a solid waste sorting system and a well-established ecological awareness among the population, Germany ranks as the fourth country in the world with the best recycling rate.
Germany's nuclear phase-out continues to be a hot topic in the international media. The idea was first proposed in the 2000s by the ruling coalition, when nuclear power accounted for a third of the country's electricity production. Twenty years later, in 2023, the closure of Germany's last three reactors marks the success of the project.
Les aires protégées
It is one of Europe's most densely populated urban areas, yet North Rhine-Westphalia often surprises visitors with its outpouring of green space. One of Germany's sixteen national parks is the Eifel National Park, located in the north of the state, a good hour's drive from Düsseldorf. Covering an area of 110 km2, it is home to a forest of beech and coniferous trees. Thanks to its proximity to urban centers, the national park is a veritable sanctuary for wildlife, and species such as the European wildcat and the black stork have even been spotted here.
There are also other green areas protected to varying degrees, such as Naturpark Siebengebirge, the state's oldest nature park, directly south of Bonn. Also covering 110 km2, it stretches along the Rhine, protecting its banks and providing an ideal playground for cyclists and hikers. The river is an ecological corridor of crucial importance to the region, but its banks are often artificialized in the area, where they are home to several towns, roads and numerous vineyards. In the cities, too, the banks of the Rhine are home to green spaces, such as Rheinpark, a vast landscaped park occupying both banks of the river and forming part of Cologne's green belt. Düsseldorf's Nordpark is famous for its Japanese garden, while Bonn's residents enjoy strolling along the Rheinaue paths.
