J. Pankrath - Böcker

Since the beginning of industrialization in the last century, a steady increase in energy consumption can be observed. At the same time, energy generation switched from wood and coal to predominantly oil, coal and natural gas. Soon, many countries became aware of the fact that the resources of fossil fuels, especially of oil and natural gas are finite. Diversification of energy sources became a requirement for the future. Governments expressed their concern by setting up natural energy programmes while international organisations undertook assessments of the global energy resources and possible rates of supply and substitution. When it comes to setting up energy policies, the following factors must be taken into consideration: population growth, level and nature of socio-economic activity, the costs of energy, the adequacy and reliability of supply, the availability of technology and supporting infrastructure, the success of energy conservation programmes and concern about the environment, safety aspects of production and use of energy as well as educational efforts toward a rational use of energy. When we express our most urgent concern, the long-term global energy provision, experts offer four interrelated partial strategies: - the strategy of rational use and conservation of energy - the strategy of using renewable energy sources - the coal strategy including coal gasification and liquefaction - the nuclear power strategy. Any strategy, however, for securing future energy supply has, from my point of view, to be thoroughly examined as to its impact on the environment.

The present workshop is the third of a series of interna- tional conferences carried out within the framework of a research project on behalf of the Federal Minister of the Interior. Under this project, entitled "Impacts of Air Pollution on Climate", the Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt) has sponsored so far: an international conference on "Man's Impact on Climate" at Berlin in June 1978, an international workshop on "Energy/Climate Interactions" at MUnster in March 1980; and an international workshop on "Food/Climate Interactions" at Berlin in December 1980, the results of which are pre- sented in this book. Based on the Federal Environmental Agency's report on "Im- pacts of Air Pollution on Climate", on November 11, 1979, the Federal Cabinet approved a climate research programme of the Federal Government. Details of the programme are being vlOrked out by a committee on climate research under the chairmanship of the president of the German Weather Service with the execu- tive office placed in the Federal Environmental Agency.This demonstrates that, by establishing a nationally co-or- dinated climate research programme, the Federal Government re- cognizes the importance of climate to the national economy. There- fore the Federal Republic of Germany intents to contribute appro- priately both to the comprehensive international programme of the United Nations on Climate and Environment, as represented by UNEP and WHO, and to the Climate Research Programme of the Commission of the European Communities.

This volume is based on a workshop on "Effects of accumulation of air pollutants in forest ecosystems'; held in GOttingen, Federal Republic of Germany, from May 16-18, 1982. This work'shop was initiated and sponsored by the Environmental Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany (project officer: Dr. J. Pankrath) as part of a research contract (project leader: Dr. B. Ulrich). THE PROBLEM SEEN UNDER THE ASPECT OF ADMINISTRATION The problem of forest damage caused by air pollution is not new in Europe. Already in 1983 a comprehensive report from Schroeder and Reuss about vegetation damages by fume in the Harz mountains was published. In 1923, Prof. Dr. Julius Stocklasa of the Bohemian Technical Highschool in Prague was concerned with research of toxical effects of sulphur dioxide in his publication "The damage of vegetation by flue gas and exhalations of facili­ ties". This comprehensive and instructive work concludes with the sentence: "It is already high time for the governments of all cultural states to take legal, police and private measures in order to prevent damage by flue gases". In the neighbourhood of industries with high gaseous and dust emissions damages have been shown to occur for a long timei these deleterious effects have influenced the growth of trees and in extreme cases have even caused their early death.

This volume is based on a workshop on "Effects of accumulation of air pollutants in forest ecosystems'; held in GOttingen, Federal Republic of Germany, from May 16-18, 1982. This work'shop was initiated and sponsored by the Environmental Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany (project officer: Dr. J. Pankrath) as part of a research contract (project leader: Dr. B. Ulrich). THE PROBLEM SEEN UNDER THE ASPECT OF ADMINISTRATION The problem of forest damage caused by air pollution is not new in Europe. Already in 1983 a comprehensive report from Schroeder and Reuss about vegetation damages by fume in the Harz mountains was published. In 1923, Prof. Dr. Julius Stocklasa of the Bohemian Technical Highschool in Prague was concerned with research of toxical effects of sulphur dioxide in his publication "The damage of vegetation by flue gas and exhalations of facili­ ties". This comprehensive and instructive work concludes with the sentence: "It is already high time for the governments of all cultural states to take legal, police and private measures in order to prevent damage by flue gases". In the neighbourhood of industries with high gaseous and dust emissions damages have been shown to occur for a long timei these deleterious effects have influenced the growth of trees and in extreme cases have even caused their early death.