ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2012 - fu-berlin.de

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2012Responsibility in a finite world

Summary for policy makers

June 2012

Contents

SUMMARY _________________________________________________________________________________ 3

The new growth debate ____________________________________________________________________ 3

DECOUPLING PROSPERITY FROM RESOURCE USE __________________________________________ 4

Metallic and mineral resources ______________________________________________________________ 4

Food consumption as a policy issue _________________________________________________________ 5

Freight transport and climate protection _____________________________________________________ 6

Mobility and quality of life in urban agglomerations __________________________________________ 7

APPRECIATING THE VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES _______________________________________ 7

Environmentally sound use of forests ________________________________________________________ 7

Peatlands as carbon sinks ___________________________________________________________________ 8

Cross-sectoral marine protection ____________________________________________________________ 9

REINFORCING INTEGRATED CONCEPTS _____________________________________________________ 10

Integrated environmental protection: the example of industrial permitting _____________________ 10

Integrated monitoring ______________________________________________________________________ 11

Environmental and sustainability strategies __________________________________________________ 11

CONCLUSION ______________________________________________________________________________ 12

Environmental Report 2012

German Advisory Council on the Environment | Environmental Report 2012 – Responsibility in a finite world2

*1. In future, the environmental policy debate willincreasingly be determined by the central conceptof environmental limits: unlimited consumption ofnatural resources is not possible in a finite world.Sustainable economic activity requires that pros-perity be decoupled from resource use by makingfundamental innovations and appreciating the val-ue of vital ecosystem services.

In this Environmental Report, the German AdvisoryCouncil on the Environment (SRU) has deliberatelyfocused on a small number of key topics where itsees a special need for action or guidance, or

where important basic decisions will be needed inthe near future. By giving priority to these key is-sues, the Council aims to stress its mandated taskof facilitating judgements by all bodies responsiblefor environmental policy decisions in Germany.The SRU has identified the key issues in an itera-tive process on the basis of its own analyses andimportant reports on the future development ofmajor trends, and has bundled them into three the-matic clusters: “Decoupling prosperity from re-source use”, “Appreciating the value of ecosystemservices” and “Reinforcing integrated concepts”.


German Advisory Council on the Environment | Environmental Report 2012 – Responsibility in a finite world 3

SUMMARY

The new growth debate

*2. Both in Germany and at international level, anintensive debate is in progress about the “greeneconomy” and the “post-growth society”. In essencethis is a question of whether and how continuousgrowth can be achieved without exceeding envi-ronmental limits in the long term. Environmentallimits are already being exceeded in many regionsin the areas of climate change, loss of biodiversity,excessive nutrient loads, overfishing, land take forcommercial uses, soil erosion or water shortage.

The failure to observe environmental limits can in-volve the passing of tipping points which could haveserious repercussions on the environment, econo-my and society. Compliance with environmentallimits should therefore be seen as a priority in thenational, European and international debate on theenvironment – not only in climate protection issues.

Although the fact that environmental limits exist isundeniable, the task of defining them specifically atthe various spatial levels is a very challenging one.In addition to scientific findings, normative judge-ments about socially acceptable risks and the ex-pected degree of precautionary action must alsoplay an important role.

However, compliance with environmental limitsdoes not necessarily mean the end of growth. The

potential for decoupling prosperity from resourceuse is far from exhausted, and that applies to ener-gy supply in particular. One indispensable factorfor economic activity within environmental limits isan innovation strategy that goes hand in hand withthe transformation of major infrastructure and pro-duction systems. As a result of various market andgovernment failures, however, market prices are notproducing the right signals. In line with their consti-tutional responsibility (Article 20a of the GermanBasic Law, Article 191 of the Treaty on the Function-ing of the European Union), governmental institu-tions will have to take regulatory action to bringabout a breakthrough in solutions for the future.

Nevertheless, it is possible that long-term limits toeconomic growth may exist even if all potential forecological transformation is fully exploited. It istherefore important to make an early start on a de-bate about how essential societal objectives can re-main achievable with little or no economic growth.Central fields of action in this precautionary debateinclude defusing resource allocation conflicts, safe-guarding employment, investments in a growth-in-dependent economy and financing state expendi-ture and social security systems. Moreover, in theinterests of better communication of the achieve-ment of prosperity objectives, fresh thought shouldbe given to the task of measuring prosperity.



DECOUPLING PROSPERITY FROM RESOURCE USE

*3. The first cluster in this report is concerned withthe potential for decoupling and the relevant de-sign options in four fields: metallic and mineral resources, food consumption, freight transport andurban mobility. In all four fields, growth in nationalincome has in the past involved an increase in ac-tivities that generate pressures on the environ-ment. Not least for this reason they are currently

facing major ecological challenges. In all thesefields, however, there are ways and means of de-coupling prosperity from environmental pollutionwhich set out to achieve marked reductions in con-sumption of the environment as a resource or as asink for pollutants, without having adverse effectson economic development and on other environ-mental media.

Metallic and mineral resources

*4. The present debate about abiotic, non-energyresources focuses on security of supply for a com-petitive economy. By contrast, it pays relatively lit-tle attention to the environmental impacts of re-source extraction and processing . Resource extrac-tion in particular gives rise to extensive encroach-ments on natural systems. Subsequent processingsteps often involve the use of potentially harmfulchemicals and substantial inputs of energy associ-ated with greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmentally sound resource managementaims on the one hand to decouple resource con-sumption from economic growth by increasing effi-ciency, and on the other to reduce the environmen-tal impacts of the resource industries. Possible ap-proaches include a marked increase in closed-cyclemanagement of resources and a reduction in envi-ronmental pressures along the entire value chain.One special challenge to the resource sector is re-ducing the environmental impacts of resource ex-traction, because today these mainly occur outsideGermany.

The SRU regards the following approaches as use-ful means of achieving environmentally sounderresource management:

Closed-cycle management, for example, can be ex-panded by introducing minimum standards for dis-posal of end-of-life electrical and electronic equip-ment, laying down higher recovery rates, requiring

compulsory evidence of the functioning of usedequipment for export, and establishing deposit systems for mobile phones and computers.

At national and European level the environmentalcompliance of resource extraction can be improvedby a package of regulatory and economic instru-ments. For example, the legislation on miningshould be reformed with a view to strengtheningthe position of nature conservation interests. More-over, introducing a tax on primary construction materials could reduce the pressure to continue extracting mineral resources in Germany and couldprovide an incentive to make increased use of sec-ondary raw materials in the construction industry.Furthermore, a move away from the present policyof generous allocation of emission allowances toindustry could help to reduce the climate impactsof the production of resource-intensive goods.

To this end the sectoral benchmarks to be laiddown for the allocation of emission allowancesfrom 2013 onwards need to lead to ambitious emis-sion reduction obligations. Potential carbon-leak-age effects must not result in over-allocation ofemission allowances in certain sectors, including inparticular the resource-intensive industries. Over-allocation endangers the effectiveness of the entireemissions trading scheme. In order to reduce theexisting over-allocation of emission allowances, theemission target for 2020 must be stepped up.

The compliance of resource extraction in resource-exporting countries with appropriate environmen-tal and social standards should be embodiedthrough international resource agreements and

certification systems. The German government andthe EU could be major driving forces behind an international framework treaty on resources.



Food consumption as a policy issue

*5. The consumption of food, through its produc-tion, processing and transport, has significant im-pacts on nature and the environment. This appliesabove all to meat consumption, and also to con-sumption of dairy products. In view of the world’sgrowing population and the serious environmentalimpacts of intensive farming, Germany’s high percapita consumption of animal products, which re-quire considerably more land per calorie than plantproducts, is not capable of global generalisation.This raises the fundamental question of how policymakers can induce consumers to adopt more envi-ronmentally aware consumption habits.

It is possible to draw up a number of generalguidelines for environment-friendly food consump-tion: the most pressing of these is to reduce foodwastage. A reduction of at least 50 percent by 2025should be defined as a political goal. Among otherthings, this should be achieved by reviewing the re-quirements for “best-before” dates on food packs.

A reduction in consumption of animal products isdesirable. The German government is thereforerecommended to abolish the reduced rate of value-added tax on animal products. It should also evalu-ate Danish experience with the introduction of a taxon saturated fatty acids and investigate the possi-bility of introducing such a tax in Germany if thisproves to have positive impacts on the environ-ment.

Preference should also be given to products fromextensive grazing and from feeding with extensive-ly produced feeds. One promising means of pro-moting consumption of goods produced on landwhich has been managed in line with nature con-servation standards is to introduce, in addition tothe existing EU eco label, a “nature conservationlabel”. The label should identify products whichhave been grown on land subject to agro-environ-mental measures or contract-based nature conser-vation.

Quantity

Prosperity

Resource consumption

Environmental impacts

Time

Decoupling of

resource consumption

Decoupling of

environmental impacts

The two decoupling objectives of green resource management (source: SRU, 2012)



Freight transport and climate protection

*6. The predicted growth rates for (road) freighttraffic are so high that the climate policy targets for2050 are at risk unless drastic measures are taken.However, transport policy has so far failed to devel-op viable ideas for sustainable freight traffic.

Current forecasts for the growth of freight transportdemand appear too high. Most forecasts assume adynamic expansion of infrastructures which doesnot seem realistic in view of sharply rising costsand limited budgets. Infrastructure shortages,marked increases in transport costs and structuralchanges in the national economy will in all proba-bility bring a considerable reduction in the pace oftransport growth.

However, such a decoupling of economic growthfrom freight traffic growth and other – technicaland logistical – efficiency improvements will not besufficient to achieve the climate protection targets.In the long term, therefore, there is a need to switchfreight transport to renewable energy sources.Since biofuels from sustainable cultivation will notbe available in sufficient quantities, this primarilyrequires a changeover to systems based on elec-tricity from renewable sources. Although the po-tential for shifting from road to rail is widely under-estimated, this will not be sufficient either. It there-fore needs to be supplemented by “renewables-based electrification of roads”.

Studies to date indicate that overhead-cable sys-tems for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are an inter-esting option. Against this background, the intro-duction of an overhead-cable system for electric-powered HGVs (“trolley trucks”) should be giventhorough examination from a technical and eco-nomic point of view and in terms of European lawand tested in demonstration projects. The interac-tions with rail freight traffic should also be investi-gated.

The technical potential for efficiency improvementsin freight traffic should in particular be exploited bylaying down binding fuel consumption limits fortrucks. Taxing motor fuels on the basis of their car-bon content and including external costs in theHGV toll system would create additional incentivesfor technological innovation, logistical optimisationand shifting to rail transport.

In the field of infrastructure policy there is an ur-gent need to set new priorities that favour climate-friendly solutions for transport by road and rail.The German federal transport route planningprocess should therefore be redesigned to create agoal-oriented strategic network planning systemgeared primarily to climate policy objectives. Tothis end the procedure should be given a legalfoundation which ensures that environmental im-pact assessment and public involvement take placeat an early stage.

To promote a more environmentally aware style ofconsumption, there is also a need to step up infor-mation campaigns, improve educational offeringsand reshape the range of products available to thepublic in the restaurant and canteen sector. In addi-

tion, more should be done to encourage the estab-lishment of dialogue forums and round tables withthe aim of networking private actors, in order to exploit the great potential that non-governmentalactors possess in this field.



Mobility and quality of life in urban agglomerations

*7. The problems of over-use of natural resourcesand competition between uses of the limited publicspace are particularly pertinent in urban agglomer-ations. Here, the impacts of automobile-dominatedmobility on urban quality of life are particularly vis-ible: As well as causing noise problems, emissionsof atmospheric pollutants and accident risks, cartraffic reduces the availability of quiet and greenrecreation areas and limits the mobility of sectionsof the population that do not use a car. At the sametime, urban agglomerations offer many opportuni-ties for sustainable mobility.

To relieve urban agglomerations of the pressuresof car traffic and make traffic generally more envi-ronment-friendly, a shift between the differentmodes of transport is needed. As a medium-termtarget, efforts should be made to increase the shareof the modal split accounted for by the “environ-mental network” (local public transport, cycle andpedestrian traffic) by 20 percent by 2025 (comparedto the status quo in the concerned area), and in the

long term to raise it to between 70 and 80 percent. To achieve such a target, there is a need to step upassistance for and investment in the environmentalnetwork. Such measures include a cycle-friendlyand pedestrian-friendly infrastructure with a 30 kphspeed limit as the standard speed limit for mo-torised vehicles in inner city areas. The financing oflocal public transport can only be ensured effec-tively by means of appropriate federal legislation.

However, there is also a need to correct unjustifiedand environmentally harmful subsidies for car traf-fic (e.g. reduced tax rate on diesel fuel and low tax-ation of privately used company cars).

An integrated traffic development planning systemthat includes effective cooperation between the cityand its surroundings can help to decouple trafficfrom mobility. Emissions by the remaining car traf-fic must be kept as low as possible. To this end thesystem of “environmental zones” should be devel-oped further.

Environmentally sound use of forests

*9. A wide range of uses compete for forest land:timber is of particular commercial importance as araw material, a construction material and a sourceof energy. Another function that is at least equallyimportant, however, is that of forests as a naturalhabitat and a factor in local and global climate pro-tection. On the one hand, near-natural forests arean important sink for greenhouse gases, while onthe other hand they are essential for adaptation to

the extreme weather events which can be expectedto result from climate change.

The rise in energy and raw material prices bringswith it the threat of commercialisation of forestuse, which represents an increasing risk to the non-commercial functions of the forests. When consid-ering possible uses, however, priority must be given to conserving the natural basis of life. Steps

APPRECIATING THE VALUE OF ECOSYSTEMSERVICES

*8. The second key issue, “Appreciating the valueof ecosystem services”, is concerned with thequestion of how to revalorise ecosystem servicesthat have been neglected in the past. The SRU dis-cusses this for the examples of peatlands, forests

and seas. In all these fields the question is how tostrengthen the position of ecosystems vis-à-vis direct commercial use interests so that they canalso provide non-marketable services on a long-term basis.

must therefore be taken to conserve it on a sustain-able basis.

The forest related targets of the German NationalStrategy on Biological Diversity must be imple-mented as a matter of urgency and laid down incorresponding Länder strategies for specific areas.The measures taken in this context must includeproviding legal safeguards for naturally developingforest on 10 percent of the suitable forest areas be-longing to the public sector. A high-quality certifi-cation system should be used on at least 80 per-cent of the area under forest.

There should be minimum ecological standards forthe entire area under forest in Germany. This could,for example, be assisted by a more concrete defini-tion of “good forestry practice” in Section 11 sub-section 1 of the Federal Forests Act (Bundeswald -gesetz) or secondary legislation powers under theFederal Nature Conservation Act (Bundesnatur -schutzgesetz). At the same time these standardswould also form the baseline for a payment for ad-

ditional public services going beyond this standard.Assessment of damage caused by game shouldalso include damage to biological diversity. Thetask of preventing damage due to game should begiven priority over financial compensation meas-ures.

In the interests of climate change mitigation in theyears ahead, efforts should be made to build up additional carbon stocks in forests by increasingthe age of forest stands. High forest age is also thebasis for the existence of many endangered forestspecies. To protect the carbon storage function, theSRU recommends sparing use of biomass fromforests. At least 50 percent of the natural timberstocks should be maintained. While having regardto nature conservation and soil protection, the potential of timber from landscape maintenanceand residual timber should be exploited. Full car-bon accounting must always take account of notonly the surface and sub-surface biomass, but alsothe carbon stored in dead wood, litter and forestsoil.



Peatlands as carbon sinks

*10. Peat soils make an outstanding, but hithertolargely neglected contribution to climate protection.They contain and store large quantities of carbon.This ecosystem service provided by peat soils isdestroyed by land drainage, especially for agricul-tural use. In Germany this is true of some 12,000 km²,which account for about 4 percent of the country’sannual greenhouse gas emissions and are thus re-sponsible for around one third of greenhouse gasemissions by the agricultural sector.

Long-term recovery of degraded peatlands to anear-natural state can therefore make a significantcontribution to climate protection, through rewet-ting, extensification and restoration. In addition torelieving the pressure on the climate, this alsogives rise to positive synergies for biodiversity andthe water balance. To make it possible to take spe-cific protective measures, it is first necessary to cre-ate and harmonise the basic data. The SRU there-fore recommends a “Federal Initiative on PeatlandProtection” in two phases.

Phase I should collect data about the location, sta-tus (use, water level, biodiversity status and poten-tial) and ownership situation of all peatlands by2017. In parallel with this, a register of current andcompleted restoration projects should be estab-lished, with a platform for sharing the relevant in-formation. Near-natural mires must be safeguardedand their condition improved where necessary.

In Phase II, the water level of all raised bog soilsshould be increased until they reach a near-naturalcondition (where possible from a hydrologicalpoint of view). In the interests of conserving raisedbog soils both inside and outside Germany, a planfor phasing-out peat use should be drawn up. Aswell as the end of peat cutting in Germany, thisshould also include research into alternatives and a ban on the use of peat. In the case of fens, their water levels should be raised and their use mademore extensive in order to achieve a marked reduc-tion in greenhouse gas emissions from these soils.



Cross-sectoral marine protection

*11. The North Sea and Baltic Sea are under mas-sive pressure from a large number of uses leadingto a wide range of impacts on their ecosystems.Various parties are responsible for this, in particu-lar the fisheries sector, agriculture, internationalshipping, energy use and resource extraction. Con-sequences of these impacts include changes in thefood web, harmful effects on benthic communities,eutrophication, noise pollution, and the accumula-tion of hazardous substances in organisms at theend of food chains.

The central challenge of marine policy is to inte-grate marine protection in the various sectoral poli-cies. To this end there is a need for changes inthese policies and the establishment of ambitiousconservation targets. Although the EU’s MarineStrategy Framework Directive (MSFD) takes a com-prehensive approach to protecting the seas, it haslittle influence on the relevant sectoral, and espe-cially European, policies. Ambitious implementa-tion of the directive nevertheless offers consider-able opportunities for marine protection. The ob-jectives and instruments of the regional marineprotection conventions (Helsinki and OSPAR con-ventions) provide an important basis for this andshould be followed up as far as possible.

At European level, further reforms of the CommonFisheries Policy and the Common Agricultural Poli-cy are a priority. At international level there is aneed to continue developing environmental stan-dards for marine shipping. Ambitious marine pro-tection targets established in the course of imple-menting the MSFD and embodied in the Europeanmaritime policy provide opportunities for develop-ing the relevant sectoral policies in the interests ofmarine protection.

In addition, marine protection can be improved bycreating a high protection status in marine protect-ed areas, including targeted management plans,the designation of no-take zones and the introduc-tion of adequate monitoring plans, and by reinforc-ing the steering effect of the spatial plans for theGerman exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Reinforcing marine protection in Germany in termsof institutions and personnel is indispensable if theconservation of marine biodiversity and marine resources is to be successful. In this context, con-sideration should be given to setting up a FederalMarine Agency.

Successes and undesirable developments in thefield of conservation, extensification and restora-tion measures must be documented in a monitor-ing programme.

Furthermore, the services that mires perform forclimate protection must be rewarded appropriately.Possible options are to expand the funding re-sources for peatland conservation, abolish mis-guided incentives that make drainage attractive,and make payments for the maintenance of re-stored peat soils and extensification of their use.Moreover, the protection status of peat soils shouldalso be reinforced in the legislation on nature con-servation and soil protection, particularly vis-à-viscompeting uses.

Functions as

space for recreation

and adventure

Carbon storage (peat),

CO2 sink

Cooling effect on local

and regional climate

Reservoir and filter

in landscape water

balance (e.g. flood

control)

Habitat of

numerous specialised

species – biodiversity

conservation

NEAR-NATURAL

PEATLAND

Ecosystem services of near-natural peatland with high

water level (source: SRU, 2012)



Integrated environmental protection: the example of industrial permitting

*13. Environmental protection basically requires anintegrated approach if problems are to be solved ina meaningful way and not merely shifted around.In Germany, however, the integrated approach dic-tated by European law has yet to be fully imple-mented in industrial permitting. This requires a holistic view of the environment in order to avoidmere shifting of environmental pressures. In thefirst instance, this applies to formal integration inindustrial permitting. The aim should be, as laiddown in the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), toensure that all authorities responsible for such pro-cedures work on the basis of an effectively integrat-ed concept. In Germany this is currently only thecase in a small number of Länder. Furthermore,there is a trend towards a “municipalisation” of en-vironmental administration, which presents addi-tional obstacles to the integration of procedures. To this end the system of environmental inspec-tions required by Article 23(1) of the IED should beused to ensure joint recording of all environmentalimpacts. This would provide a stimulus to organiseauthorities so that only one authority had overallresponsibility for inspections and for permittingand monitoring.

It would also be desirable to have a single permit-ting process in the form of an integrated installa-

tion permit. Such a process could only be given lifeat Land level if the relevant sectoral authoritieswere brought together. For example, it would bepossible to establish the integrated installation per-mit by offering a standard arrangement in the Ad-ministrative Procedures Act (Verwaltungsverfah rens -gesetz – VwVfG).

With regard to material integration, there are goodreasons from an emission point of view for fallingback on abstract general limits. However, the emis-sion limits of the Technical Instructions for AirQuality Control (TA Luft) should be regulated by astatutory instrument (Immission Control Ordinance– BImSchV). Especially with a view to better imple-mentation of European legislation requirements forintegrated environmental protection, the SRU alsoconsiders it necessary to move from the bound de-cision towards a discretionary decision. This couldif necessary be supplemented by instructions onexercising discretion and balancing interests.Among other things, such an arrangement wouldcater better for the prevailing practice in which thebound decision has largely moved closer towards a discretionary decision. In particular, the approachthat sensitive environmental media like water canbasically be made subject to a state regulatoryframework and that there can therefore be no strict

REINFORCING INTEGRATED CONCEPTS

*12. The third part of this report, “Reinforcing inte-grated concepts”, looks at essential institutionalfundamentals of successful environmental policy.The basis for effective environmental protection isan integrated monitoring system that provides anappropriate representation of the interactions be-tween substance inputs and the dynamics ofecosystems. An integrated approach in environ-mental protection includes methods that detect andprevent any shifting of problems from one environ-mental medium to another. This is discussed hereusing the example of industrial permitting law. The

integration of environmental issues in other sectorsis also of outstanding importance. The startingpoint for this is an updated long-term system of environmental targets which serves as a compassand can be used to measure the performance andsuccess of policy measures. Environmental pro-grammes and sustainability strategies at Europeanand national level are the appropriate processes forexpert discussion of such objectives and for estab-lishing them with high priority in the individual policy sectors.



Integrated monitoring

*14. Nature and the environment form the basis forsustainable development. Their condition is influ-enced by environmental pressures due to many dif-ferent factors, the regulation of which is reflectedby different and sometimes competing administra-tive competencies. Political and economic deci-sions have to be geared to the goal of conservingor restoring good ecosystem status. Environmentalmonitoring provides the essential basis for identify-ing problems at an early stage, testing the practicalrelevance of modelled interactions, evaluating theeffectiveness of political measures, and – not least– making integrated environmental protection pos-sible. The necessary monitoring should link use ef-fects, substance pollution and climate change im-pacts with biodiversity status data, and should de-scribe changes in regional biodiversity.

This calls on the one hand for an integrated moni-toring approach which combines the study of expo-sure to and effects of substances across several en-vironmental media. For representative general in-formation on biodiversity status in the variousland-use types, nationwide introduction of ecologi-

cal sample areas would provide the necessary basic information.

The various existing monitoring activities shouldbe coordinated by means of nationwide standards– including for chemicals monitoring – on the basisof the legislative competence in nature conserva-tion law and institutionalised at the Federal Statisti-cal Office. On the whole, this cooperation can im-prove the flow of information between authorities.It would also be possible to give the public trans-parent access to monitoring results.

Consistency between enforcement tasks is also amajor goal of the European Commission and itsscientific bodies. Steps should therefore be takento ensure that in particular the substance-relatedinformation from the REACH Regulation is integrat-ed in the integrated monitoring and that the moni-toring results are used in enforcing the REACHRegulation. Especially in the field of chemicals andgenetic engineering monitoring, the resulting costsshould be borne by the polluters.

Environmental and sustainability strategies

*15. Even twenty years after the Rio Conference,the aim of systematically aligning developmentpaths in Germany, Europe and the world to staywithin environmental limits has – despite partialsuccesses – not been achieved. The contradictionthat dangerous ecological trends continue to existdespite many successes in environmental policyshows how great the political challenges are. TheSRU therefore considers it necessary to intensifythe focus of (environmental) policy activities onprotected environmental assets and to initiate far-reaching transformation processes.

Such processes involve massive challenges, includ-ing political ones, which as yet have scarcely beenreflected in a broad debate within society. Politicalstrategy processes can make an important contri-bution to conducting a qualified discussion aboutenvironmental “guard rails”, further operationalis-ing such guard rails and establishing them as abinding policy.

The EU’s Seventh Environmental Action Pro-gramme offers a topical opportunity to formulateand develop medium- and long-term environmen-

claim to use of the environment can also be ap-plied in a constitutional way to other environmen-tal media such as air and soil. In view of the nation-al air quality targets which are otherwise difficult to

achieve, the authorities could in this way be givendiscretion to refuse approval if statutory air qualitytargets were not complied with.

tal policy objectives and stake out the environmen-tal policy framework for the next decade.

In Germany too, an overarching environmentalprogramme could help to enhance environmentalpolicy and give a further important impetus to envi-ronmental policy. Moreover, the system of objec-tives in the National Sustainability Strategy is inneed of review. The cases of failure to meet targetswhich are documented in the progress reports onthe National Sustainability Strategy give cause togear the strategy more strongly to achieving envi-ronmental targets. This also applies to thematic en-vironmental strategies and to relevant strategies of

other ministries (e.g. transport, agriculture andconstruction).

The state’s responsibility for conserving the naturalbasis of life can in particular be strengthened by in-stitutional precautions. These include the proposalto incorporate in the German Basic Law an environ-mental integration clause based on the Europeanmodel (Art. 11 of the Treaty on the Functioning ofthe European Union), or to strengthen the positionof the Environment Ministry within the FederalCabinet (e.g. introduction of a suspensive right ofobjection for the Environment Ministry and a rightto initiate activities in other portfolios).



The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) has been advis-ing the German government since 1972. The Council is made up of sevenuniversity professors from a range of different environment-related disci-plines. This ensures an encompassing and independent evaluation froma natural scientific and technical as well as from an economic, legal andpolitical science perspective. The Council has currently the followingmembers:

Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich (Chair), Technische Universität MünchenProf. Dr. Heidi Foth (Vice Chair), Universität Halle-Wittenberg Prof. Dr. Christian Calliess, Freie Universität Berlin Prof. Dr. Olav Hohmeyer, Universität FlensburgProf. Dr. Karin Holm-Müller, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnProf. Dr. Manfred Niekisch, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt und Zoologischer Garten FrankfurtProf. Dr. Miranda Schreurs, Freie Universität Berlin

Published by:

German Advisory Council on the

Environment (SRU)

Secretariat:

Luisenstraße 4610117 Berlin

Phone: +49 (030) 26 36 96 -104Fax: +49 (030) 26 36 96 -109Email: [email protected]: www.umweltrat.de

Images: p.1: gettyimages (1), Bernd Müller (2),Zoonar (3, 6), Goele (4), Brigitte Hiss (5)

The printed version of the Environmental Report

will be published by the Erich Schmidt Verlag,

Berlin (in German only). It is expected to be

available in autumn 2012.

An electronic version of this report and

further information are available online at

www.umweltrat.de

CONCLUSION

*16. In view of new insights about the transgres-sion of environmental limits which could call intoquestion the current model for prosperity, there is aneed for reorientation of environmental policy. A qualified debate about such a reorientation re-quires a broad public debate as well as robust scientific knowledge about the economic and social

repercussions of such transgressions and aboutoptions for how to avoid them. As with climate protection, the SRU considers it possible in princi-ple to reach a sound consensus on the need for action despite widely divergent interests in a plu-ralistic democracy.

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