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German expressions using 'earth'

April 20, 2022

The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have dominated headlines in recent years and months, but our planet is also demanding attention. To honor Earth Day, here are a few "down-to-earth" idioms from the German language.

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A person holds a small model of the globe in their hand
Image: picture-alliance/U. Baumgarten

With the world in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic, another global challenge — the climate crisis — has taken a back seat in many people's minds.

Still, the pandemic heightened a collective solidarity that has recently extended to the people of Ukraine suffering an armed invasion by Russia — a war with potential climate consequences as countries seek to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels by switching to clean energy.    

But our ability to work together needs to focus directly on the challenges of the climate crisis, while also acknowledging our contribution to the problem.

Earth Day is April 22, with the motto in 2022 being "Invest in our Planet."  

"This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods," says the Earth Day website.

To pay tribute to Mother Earth, for "Meet the Germans," we look at German phrases using the word "earth." 

Click through the gallery above to learn some.

You'll find more from Meet the Germans on  YouTube and at dw.com/MeettheGermans, as well as on Instagram.

This is an updated version of an article originally published in April 2021.

DW Editor and reporter Louisa Schaefer smiling into the camera.
Louisa Schaefer Culture editor and reporter based in Cologne/Bonn, originally from the US