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In the 1980s, fears that German forests were dying from acid rain — when the word “Waldsterben,” or “forest death,” was coined — led to widespread protests and galvanized the popularity of the nascent Greens party.

RWE said the company "sees no legal basis" for the claim, citing a case from the 1990s known as "Waldsterben," in which German courts denied that German companies emitting sulfur oxide were liable for damage done to Swedish forests by acid rain.

The signs of what Germans call Waldsterben, or dying forests, are obvious.

To combat Waldsterben, the government has increased the amount of research money from $1.6 million in 1983 to $2.8 million in 1984.