Linking Weak and Strong Sustainability Indicators: The Case of Global Warming

The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the weak and strong sustainability approach of assessing climate change and to show reasonable applications, weaknesses, possible improvements and linkages of both approaches. Main features of ?weak? and ?strong? sustainability approaches are characterized. Damage cost studies of global warming representing weak sustainability indicators are discussed. Further, the examples of the ?inverse scenario? approach of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) and the environmental space concept of the Dutch Advisory Council for Research on Nature and Environment (RMNO) are described and discussed for illustrating advantages and weaknesses of strong sustainability indicators. Finally, the integration of damage cost modules into a broader methodological framework of strong sustainability is recommended. --weak sustainability,strong sustainability,environmental space,invers scenario,external costs,climate change,global wearming,damage costs

Reflections on the call for a global "ecological turnaround"

This paper is about excessive overuse of resources and about serious environmental impacts, and the need for a global ecological turnaround. Ideas about a social contract for sustainability are being discussed, and examples given of resource decoupling and impact decoupling. Global environmental governance is seen as being insufficient and in need of vigorous reform. It seems that only through improved planetary cooperation can a collapse of the global ecosystems be prevented and global sustainability be secured.Die Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen 1992 in Rio de Janeiro markierte einen Meilenstein in der globalen Umweltpolitik. Der German Advisory Council on Global Change (WGBU) begründet in seinem jüngsten Hauptgutachten die Notwendigkeit einer großen globalen Transformation, wozu ein neuer Gesellschaftsvertrag zu schließen sei. Die “Große Transformation”, das Konzept des Ökonomen Karl Polanyi für die Analyse der ersten Industriellen Revolution, wird vom WBGU normativ umgedeutet: Ein radikaler Umbau der nationalen Ökonomien und der Weltwirtschaft innerhalb spezifischer “planetarischer Leitplanken” soll die Überforderung und den Zusammenbruch der globalen Ökosysteme vermeiden helfen. Zur strategischen Absicherung eines solchen strukturellen Optimismus plädiert der WBGU in seinem Gutachten für eine planetarische Zusammenarbeit - fordert dafür aber nichts weniger als eine “Internationale Kooperationsrevolution” ein

A social contract for sustainability

The social contract for the transformation to a sustainable society proposed by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) combines responsibility towards future generations with a culture of democratic participation. Within the transformation towards sustainability climate protection has particular significance, for without abatement of anthropogenic climate change, the natural life-support systems of present and future generations are at risk. A primary goal for the transformation fields energy and urbanisation is therefore to switch to a development pathway with no greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use, as far as possible, by mid-century, when the world's population is expected to have increased to some 9 billion people. A climate-friendly development pathway is also required for our land-use systems. To that end, a regulatory framework that is appropriate to deal with these challenges is required; this should be put in place following a broad social dialogue, leading to a consensus on the core issues facing society. In short, a social contract for sustainability is needed. In this symbolic agreement, individuals and civil society groups, governments and the international community, business and science pledge to take on shared responsibility for protecting natural life-support systems through agreements on the conservation of global commons. A key element of this social contract is the "proactive state" with greatly extended participation by citizens

The tolerable windows approach: Theoretical and methodological foundations

The tolerable windows (TW) approach is presented as a novel scheme for integrated assessment of climate change. The TW approach is based on the specification of a set of guardrails for climate evolution which refer to various climate-related attributes. These constraints, which define what we call tolerable windows, can be purely systemic in nature - like critical thresholds for the North Atlantic Deep Water formation - or of a normative type - like minimum standards for per-capita food production worldwide. Starting from this catalogue of knock-out criteria and using appropriate modeling techniques, those policy strategies which are compatible with all the constraints specified are sought to be identified. In addition to the discussion of the basic elements and the general theory of the TW approach, a modeling exercise is carried out, based on simple models and assumptions adopted from the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). The analysis shows that if the global mean temperature is restricted to 2 degrees C beyond the preindustrial level, the cumulative emissions of CO2 are asymptotically limited to about 1550 Gt C. Yet the temporal distribution of these emissions is also determined by the climate and socio-economic constraints: using, for example, a maximal tolerable rate of temperature change of 0.2 degrees C/ dec and a smoothly varying emissions profile, we obtain the maximal cumulative emissions, amounting to 370 Gt C in 2050 and 585 Gt C in 2100

Transition Pioneers – Urban Planners as a Source of Momentum for Sustainable Cities and Regions?

Sustainability as a guiding, normative concept for spatial development faces various challenges when it comes to planning practice. Spatial planners have to contribute to comprehensive societal changes that are necessary in order to transform society to sustainability. This fundamental societal change has been framed as “Great Transformation” by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU). Urban planners as one of the key actors for sustainable urban and regional development are faced with the challenge of contributing to societal transformation processes towards sustainability. Based on the theoretical background of transition theory and the Multi-Level-Perspective this paper identifies innovative planners as pioneers for sustainable urban development. It examines the role of these innovative planners in their specific context and asks what role they play on the way towards a “Great Transformation”. The paper is based on guideline-based expert interviews with innovative urban planners across the whole of Germany. By examining the career patterns of planning practitioners of different areas the existence of personal beliefs relating to sustainability becomes clear. In order to fulfil their beliefs pioneers find themselves in varying positions ranging from communicators, developers and multiplier of alternative ideas and projects of sustainable urban development. They perform their role on niche level as well as on the regime level and are able to connect actors of the both. Applying unorthodox methods and planning tools and being involved in local, regional as well as global actor networks, the selected pioneers contribute to the sustainability transformation

Global environmental governance: speeding up the debate on a world environment organization

With the beginning of the new millennium, the longstanding need for reform of the United Nations system has gained new momentum. Efficiency gains and better coordination are desirable, though not sufficient to bring about improvement in international relations. There is need, therefore, to look for institutional innovations that would upgrade the pressing tasks of environmental and development policy in the eyes of national governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, improve the institutional setting for the negotiation and implementation of new agreements and action programs, and strengthen the action capacity of the developing countries on these matters. The present essay points to and elaborates the need . for global environmental governance with the help of a »World Environment and Development Organization» within the United Nations system, and outlines the shape it might be given. --Global environmental problems,capacity building for development and environmental protection,UN reform,WEDO

Taking the lead: post-2012 climate targets for the North: towards adequate and equitable future climate commitments for industrialised countries

Any definition of adequacy consistent with the objective of the Climate Convention will require increased mitigation efforts in industrialized countries far beyond those levels agreed in Kyoto. This paper, therefore, focuses on future reduction targets for industrialised (Annex I) countries. It starts with an assessment of mid- and long-term targets already adopted in industrialised countries against the backdrop of required emission cuts to keep climate change within tolerable limits. Taking into account their heterogeneous national circumstances, the main part of the paper presents a method for differentiating Annex I countries with a view to assigning future mitigation and financial transfer commitments. This differentiation exercise is based on an analytical approach that was developed in the project “South-North Dialogue – Equity in the Greenhouse". Slightly modifying the original approach the level of reduction targets is determined by the two criteria of “responsibility" and “potential" to mitigate. Obligations to provide financial and technological resources to developing countries, on the other hand, are to be assigned according to the “capability" criteria. --

The relationship between intra- and intergenerational ecological justice. Determinants of goal conflicts and synergies in sustainability policy

The guiding principle of sustainability is widely accepted in today´s international policies. The principle contains two seperate objectives of justice with regard to the conservation and use of ecosystems and their services: (1) global justice between different people of the present generation ("intragenerational justice"); and (2) justice between people of different generations ("intergenerational justice"). Three hypotheses about the relationship between these objectives are logically possible and are, in fact, held in the political and scientific discourse on sustainable development: independency, facilitation and rivalry. Applying the method of qualitative content analysis we evaluate political documents and the scientific literature on sustainable development by systematically revealing the lines of reasoning and determinants underlying the different hypotheses. These determinants are the quantity and quality of ecosystem services, population development, substitutability of ecosystem services by humanmade goods and services, technological progress, institutions and political restrictionssustainable development, ecosystem services, intragenerational justice, intergenerational justice, ecological justice, sustainability research

A Regulatory Framework for a Policy of Sustainability: Lessons from the Neo-Liberal School

In this paper targets, institutions and policy measures for describing and implementing sustainable development are evaluated in terms of their conformity with the economic framework of a market system. Firstly, from the viewpoint of neo-liberal economic thinking as conceived by the German Freiburg school of economists (Eucken), a general set of criteria is developed, including issues of operationalization and legitimation of goals as well as institutional and instrumental issues. On this basis general rules for designing an ecological framework guaranteeing the greatest possible degree of conformity with a market system are derived. The concrete application of these rules leads to recommendations for a policy of sustainability with respect to the setting of goals, the establishment of institutions (role of ecological councils, of a central environmental organization on UN level and of the GATT/WTO regime) as well as the use of appropriate instruments. --sustainability targets,regulatory rules,neo-liberal framework,environment and international trade,environmental policy assessment