Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 60

The Bundistag is equivalent to the lower house in other parliaments such
as the US House of Representatives or the British House of Commons.
It has 600 members, with the number varying a little depending on elec-
tion results. Half are elected directly and half are elected by proportional
representation, a system of allotting seats according to the votes for a
party. A party must receive a minimum of 5% to qualify for proportional
representation.
The Bundesrat, or upper house, is in some ways equivalent to those
in other parliaments such as the US Senate or the French Senate, but its
authority does not cover the full range. For instance, foreign affairs and
defense policy are not under its sway. Its participants—councilors—are
appointed by the governments of the various states (Lander). Different
ones attend depending on the topic. For instance when debating an
environmental bill, they may be the land environmental ministers. It has
similarities to the United Nations General Assembly. Their jurisdiction is
confined to issues that involve federal relations with the states, but in fact
these are extensive so they are involved in over half the legislation.
The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and
Nuclear Safety, sets national policy and is responsible for air quality,
water quality, waste management, noise abatement, nuclear safety, and
chemical safety. It has special duties for remediation in eastern Germany.
Its minister, appointed by the chancellor, sits in the cabinet. It is headquar-
tered in Bonn with a branch office in Berlin. It was established in 1986
after the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union. The Federal Environment
Agency (Umweltbundesamt), established in 1974, implements the national
laws on emissions trading, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and herbicides
provides scientific support to other branches of the federal government .
The federal republic has 16 states (Lander) much like the American
states. In some areas they may have more power than the national govern-
ment. For example, during the 1950s and 1960s, they had authority over
environmental issues, and the national government did not. Even when
authority is at the national level, the states may be responsible for imple-
mentation and enforcement. Again this parallels the American system of
delegated programs. The largest state is North Rhine-Westphalia with a
population of 18 million. Second is Bavaria with 12 million. The states
are smaller versions of the national government, with environmental
ministries of their own.
Post-War Events: During the 1950s people organized to oppose threats
to nature. In Bavaria the League for Conservation fought proposals by