Potentiale für Ressourceneffizienz durch die Nutzung von Möglichkeitsfenstern

Die Kurzanalyse untersucht die Nutzung von Möglichkeitsfenstern bei der Erneuerung von Infrastrukturen zur Förderung der Ressourceneffizienz. Infrastrukturen sind Teil eines großen und wachsenden Materiallagers für Sekundärrohstoffe. Beim Neubau von Infrastrukturen, der Ertüchtigung bestehender Infrastrukturen oder der Bündelung von Infrastrukturen kann Politik daraufhin wirken, dass Materialien effizienter genutzt werden oder recycelte Rohstoffe verwendet werden . Typischerweise sind Infrastrukturen langlebig, während Entscheidungen zu ihrer Ausgestaltung in bestimmten, oft nur kurzen, Zeitfenstern möglich sind. Im Rahmen dieser Kurzanalyse wird gezeigt, wie das Konzept der Möglichkeitsfenster genutzt werden kann, um ressourcenpolitische Ziele zu stärken. Es werden dazu unterschiedliche Möglichkeitsfenster klassifiziert und näher beschrieben. Ziel der Studie ist es, politischen Entscheidungsträgerinnen und Entscheidungsträgern ein Verständnis für unterschiedliche Arten von Möglichkeitsfenstern anzubieten und mit Beispielen aus dem Infrastrukturbereich zu illustrieren. Auf dieser Grundlage sollen ressourcenpolitische Akteure dabei unterstützt werden, sich auf die Öffnung von Möglichkeitsfenstern vorzubereiten. Auf diesem Weg können diese genutzt werden, um ressourcenpolitische Ziele bei Neubau, Erneuerung oder Bündelung von Infrastrukturen zu verankern

Exportförderung innovativer Umwelttechnologien durch den Transfer von Umweltpolitik

Eine anspruchsvolle Umweltpolitik stimuliert die heimische Nachfrage nach umweltfreundlichen Technologien und stärkt die Umweltindustrie. Die Bedeutung von Umweltpolitik als Technologietreiber und die damit verbundenen Wettbewerbsvorteile wurden in vielen Fallstudien herausgearbeitet und ist mittlerweile auch unter politischen und wirtschaftlichen Akteuren anerkannt (z. B. Jänicke 2008 mit weiteren Nachweisen). Deutschland und Euro-pa haben hier in vielen umweltpolitischen Handlungsfeldern eine gute Ausgangsposition, so z.B. in der Klimapolitik, der Förderung erneuerbarer Energien, bei der Luftreinhaltung oder der Abfallpolitik oder auch bei Standards für Automobile, Chemikalien oder für Energieeffizienz. Das Papier diskutiert die Frage, inwieweit die gezielte Unterstützung der Ausbreitung von ambitionierten Umweltpolitiken und Standards ein geeignetes Instrument darstellt, die internationale Nachfrage nach Umwelttechnologien zu erhöhen. Dazu wird die wissenschaftliche Literatur zum Thema analysiert und internationale Fallbeispiele aus der Praxis untersucht. Ein Überblick über deutsche Akteure und Aktivitäten im Bereich der internationalen Zusammenarbeit in der Umweltpolitik zeigt bisherige Schwerpunkte und mögliche Ansatzpunkte zur Weiterentwicklung von Aktivitäten. Abschließend wird ein Konzept von Umweltaußenpolitik skizziert, welches einen Rahmen darstellt für die verschiedenen umweltbezogenen Aktivitäten der Bundesregierung in der internationalen Zusammenarbeit

the example of resource use in ICT products

Information and communication technology (ICT) products are one telling example for increasingly globalized production and consumption patterns and resulting distributional effects on a global scale. Consumption, which still takes place primarily in ‘Northern’ countries, is connected to a flow of valuable resources from developing countries to the industrialized world and at the same time leads to increasing environmental and social pressures mostly in developing states, where environmental costs are not internalized. For example, the mining of rare materials that are crucial for the production of electronic devices often involves poor working conditions and high environmental impacts; or an increasing quantity of electronic waste is exported to developing states where disposal and recycling takes place under dire working and health conditions. Both phenomena imply shifts of environmental burdens into developing countries. Therefore, the paper touches issues of international justice and equity. It deals with the questions how ‘Northern’ countries can cope with the issue of transboundary environmental problems, which are caused by their domestic consumption, but which appear outside their own territory and outside their authoritative reach. It will be argued that achieving a more resource efficient society and economy would be one way to deal with this problem. Drawing on an analysis of the main obstacles on the way towards higher resource efficiency, and using the example of ICT-products, the paper offers concrete policy proposals. In order to gain better knowledge about global material flows and the material input (incl. 'ecological rucksacks') per product, the implementation of information obligations following the 'No Data, No Market' principle could be a promising approach. On this information basis, dynamic standards and green public procurement could foster the production and consumption of resource efficient ICT-products. This policy mix of both supply- and demand-side instruments would have the potential to minimize translocated environmental burdens

An approach for the governance of sustainability trans-formation(s)?

In this article, we develop the concept of transformative environmental policy as a com-plementary field of environmental policy, which addresses on-going processes of societal change and utilizes them for achieving environmental sustainability. In our view, transformative environmental policies are not replacing other environmental policies that protect natural resources or reduce emissions or such policies that aim to integrate environmental concerns in other domains of policy making. Instead, transformative environmental policy is focused on on-going societal change. The concept of transformative environmental policy is based on the assumption of limited government’s capacities to plan and steer societal transformations. Based on this assumption, it suggests three key elements of governing transformative change: 1) a systematic observation and analysis of processes of societal change, 2) identifying issue areas and action fields which are critical for societal change even if they are beyond the traditional responsibility of environmental departments, and 3) the development, support and review of experiments which have the potential of re-directing societal trends towards sustainability. The concept is based on the notion of transformation as a co-evolution of different societal systems, and in particular technological systems, culture and institutions. There is no single determinant that is causal for transformation, and certainly not a single governmental intervention. Instead, transformations are the result of a dynamic interplay between different systems and innovation. The concept seeks realistic opportunities of influencing societal transformations towards sustainability. It is a characteristic of transformations that the direction and the pace of change are disputed. This is also the case for transformations towards sustainability: Different actors compete on the framing of visions which may guide such transformation. They range from green economy-visions of industrialized and globalized societies to post growth-visions and regionalized societies. The paper is organized as follows: The first section discusses questions on the characteristics of societal transformations, the drivers and actors of transformation based on a review of literature. The second section summarizes findings from an analysis of visions of transformations towards sustainability. The third and final section develops the concept of a transformative environmental policy and discusses the implications for policy making and opportunities to govern transformative change

a survey of positions and expectations of civil society organisations in six European countries on the green economy

This report presents findings from an online survey and a number of expert interviews on the perspectives of European civil society on Sustainable Development and the Green Economy in the run-up to the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. The survey was sent out to civil society organisations in six selected European countries to gain a better understanding of their views on specific aspects of the Green Economy concept. In addition to this, the data analysis allows the authors to compare respondents’ answers across different groups of civil society as well as between countries. The survey questions range from the definitional aspects of what the Green Economy is and what its elements are to the conflict dimensions identified in the first part of the study as well as the risks and opportunities seen in the Green Economy. Finally, it includes the questions what role governments should take and what policy and financing instruments should be used more widely in the transition to the Green Economy

Green economy discourses in the Run-Up to Rio 2012

The study analyses central contributions to the debate on the concept of a Green Economy in the run-up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. It does so by identifying the pillars on which the various understandings of a green economy are based as well as analysing policy concepts published and statements made. It concludes that currently there are three distinguishable discourses on the green economy and that the political challenge for the Rio+20 conference will lie in building bridges between these different understanding to build a consensus. A central role for the EESC is seen in supporting the EU’s role as a role model and helping to build the bridges and adapt the concept in other countries

Greening des gesellschaftlichen Wandels

Transformation ist ein zentrales Konzept der gegenwärtigen Umweltpolitik. Doch der Prozess entzieht sich einer direkten Steuerung. Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, den Wandel politisch zu gestalten

A Tale of Two Paces

After decades of economic expansion, largely at the expense of environmental quality, new trends in environmental governance are taking shape in Asia. This paper analyses these developments in China, India, Vietnam and Indonesia. It finds that environmental governance within a “traditional” agenda of environmental protection remains severely hampered by capacity constraints. Simultaneously, all four countries have embarked on ambitious policy initiatives to address climate change and promote clean technologies, signaling an important shift in national priorities. The paper discusses possible implications of these trends, sketching possible scenarios for the further development of environmental governance