Saving the Planet

The campaign was launched this week and comes under the heading "Save our Earth." It is to be directed towards the readers of the Bild newspaper, the daily with Europe's largest circulation, by way of articles and competitions to be held throughout the rest of the year.

The organizers are aiming to change attitudes more than really make a substantial dent in Germany's climate-changing CO2 emissions, partially by calling on readers to make their own private contributions to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

It's a switch for the Bild, which isn't known as the standard bearer of the environmentalist movement's messages.

Advocates for German car industry

In the past, the paper has waged campaigns against the introduction of ecology taxes on fuels and energy as well as fiercely defended Germany's automotive culture of no speed limits and powerful cars.

Anybody can makes mistakes, though, said Gerhard Timm from the German branch of Friends of the Earth (BUND), adding that the unusual alliance is not a gimmick by the tabloid to boost sales by riding the current wave of "save the planet" sentiments.

"Anybody can change his mind, and it's my impression that Bild has finally realized that climate change is really an important and crucial issue for mankind," Timm said.

Over the past few weeks, the newspaper has been running headlines along the lines of "Our Planet is Dying" and "Only 13 Years Left to Change the World."

The paper has also highlighted the findings of the recent United Nations' scientific reports on climate change.

Journalists, readers need to do their part

Now, Bild has called on its 12 million daily readers to make their own personal contributions to cutting Germany's CO2 emissions.

The aim is to save 3.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the year -- a figure equivalent to the 3.5 million Bild newspapers printed every day.

Florian von Heintze, who is in charge of the campaign at the newspaper, admitted that the environmental organizations' expertise and credibility are needed to make the campaign a success.

"Unusual circumstances require unusual measures," Heintze said.

Heintze said the partnership with the environmental groups evolved as a result of readers' heightened interest in environmental issues, which led Bild's journalists to do more than just write about climate change.

Heintze said the paper and its readers "share a common goal, which is to save our Earth."

Germans worried about climate change

The campaign will be falling on fertile ground since 98 percent of Germans say climate change is something to worry about.

Bild is planning to start a competition, in which readers can submit their stories about how they have saved energy. The organizers said they might also crown a kind of Climate King or Queen.

In a series of articles, the paper plans to give readers tips about how they can protect the climate -- little things that can make a difference nonetheless, Timm said.

"In the traffic sector, you can reduce CO2 emissions by turning off the engine at red lights," he said. "At home, you can switch off electrical devices and stop using the 'stand-by' mode."

The campaign organizers said they are aware that reducing CO2 emissions by 3.5 million tons doesn't really compare with Germany's overall annual emissions of more than a billion tons.

Yet the mass-selling tabloid has a reputation for being able to change popular moods swiftly -- so Germany's environmentalists hope the campaign will put added pressure on politicians, which could lead to a change in industry where it really matters, they said.