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Prices should tell the truth
(1992)
The discrepancy between ecologically conscious attitudes and actual behaviour is described as an inner resistance, and as connected with a propensity to ignore the external costs of wealth. Evidence is presented that this propensity is based on pro-material traits such as the positional attitude and the passion for goods. These traits are traced back to control orientation, whereas ecological responsibility is shown to be related to autonomy orientation. The societal origins of these basic orientations, and hence the conditions of reinforcing post-materially and ecologically minded behaviour, are discussed.
The Federal Republic of Germany committed itself in June 1990 to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 25% of the 1987 level by the year 2005, as a measure of slowing down the increase in the greenhouse effect. The issue of a human-caused climate change, however, did not surface in Germany for the first time just a few years ago. The potential threat was recognized a half a century ago. This article traces the history of the German climate change debate in the last 50 yr and discusses the forces and events that shaped it. The way in which various societal actors - among them scientists, the government, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the media - entered into and influenced the debate is also examined. Unfolding the history of the global warming debate in Germany reveals how the country's current policy stance evolved.
The party's over
(1993)
System transformation and environmental policy : problems and options in Central and Eastern Europe
(1993)
Sustainable economy
(1994)
This paper claims that countries of the North must develop a new model of wealth - one less harmful to the environment and capable of being applied throughout the world. There are reasons to be hopeful they will do so: first, they have the means at their disposal; second, it is a misconception that environmental protection is a cost; and third, there is mounting pressure for change as indicated by air, water and soil quality data. The challenge is to move the emphasis away from end-of-the-pipe pollution control to improving resource productivity. The best way of doing this is through the imposition of "green taxes" to raise resource prices. If governments compensate by cutting other taxes to make the change revenue-neutral, there would be real benefits to the environment and the economy, particularly in developing countries.
Earth politics
(1994)
What is "natural capital"?
(1995)
The well-travelled yogurt pot : lessons for new freight transport policies and regional production
(1995)
The main focus of this paper is on freight transportation and food supply in the United States and in Europe especially in Germany. Organic, resp. healthy and safe food is a growing demand in both countries. People who consume organic food often believe that this contributes to an environmentally sound behaviour. But transportation issues are not or rarely taken into consideration so far, although long distance transport not only needs energy, it as well influences quality, freshness and taste of food. On both sides of the Atlantic, in freight transportation and food supply can be found a lot of differences as well as similarities. Main differences to the U.S. from the European standpoint are e.g. the bigger land area and larger and much more concentrated economic units. Quite naturally one can find a higher volume of long distance freight transport than in Europe. Similarities can be observed, but very often they present themselves in another extent, e.g. the trend towards privatisation and liberalisation, to more extended suburbanisation or to an unreflected way of consumer behaviour. In addition, this report raises some new questions: is the ’technological solution’ of environmental problems the only way? What can be done to include lifestyles and consumer behaviour into a new strategy?
Sustainable development, as it emerged in Agenda 21 from the Rio conference in 1992, will only be meaningful when it touches the lives of ordinary people; then it becomes a reality. Local Agenda 21 (LA21) seeks to achieve that objective. This article assesses the origins of LA21, reviews its social and political significance, and considers its prospects in the light of case study experience emerging from the UK, Germany and Norway, focusing on the role of local government as a major stakeholder in Agenda 21 (A21). The range of response to LA21 has proved to be varied. A successful transformation to a more sustainable world will require visionary political leadership, supportive administrations, networks of experience sharing, alliances with non‐governmental organisations and local industry, and effective community mobilisation. All of that, in turn, requires equally supportive economic and social policy backing from national governments. This article will indicate that, not surprisingly, it is the domestic political context, nationally and locally, which in the main determines the speed and nature of response to LA21, now and in the future. By understanding and being aware of these contexts, factors impeding progress towards LA21 may be addressed, whilst at the same time retaining the diversity of response which is an essential part of local sustainability.
In the discourse about sustainable development, "constant natural capital" is frequently referred to as a criterion for ecological sustainability. But what is "natural capital"? The concept will be analyzed by presenting arguments in favour of using the term and different versions of sustainability (strong and weak). Subsequently, a critique of the "natural capital" concept is brought forward, from an ecological as well as from an economic perspective. Following this critique, the use of material inputs and the material input per unit of service (MIPS) as a measure for the environmental impact potential is suggested. Dematerialisation is understood to be an alternative management rule for sustainability. In conclusion, a change of perspective is proposed. Due to the conceptual and measurement problems associated with the "constant-natural-capital" criterion (which refers to a stock), it seems more reasonable from a scientific as well as from a practical perspective to add flows (i.e. material inputs) to a decision criterion for whether a development is sustainable or not.
This paper compares the one-sector neoclassical (Solow) growth model with a neo-Austrian growth model. The solutions of the neoclassical growth model in terms of the golden rule of accumulation and the Ramsey rule are well known, and these conditions are compared with the outcomes of the neo-Austrian growth model, which we derive using a basic three-process model.
This paper takes a look at the development of freight transport and its further perspectives in the light of environmental sustainability. It clearly challenges the traditional view that further growth in freight transport is indispensable whatever stage of economic development an individual economy has achieved. Moreover it suggests measures to be taken into consideration in sectors other than the transport sector which may help to break the trend of continuing freight transport growth. Current developments of freight transport volume and modal split are rather counterproductive as regards curbing the unwanted environmental impacts. As growth in volume is a major contributing factor for most adverse effects caused, a substantial decoupling of economic growth and freight transport would be extremely helpful. While freight transport activity is almost entirely derived demand there can be no sufficient solution for the resulting environmental problems within the sector itself. Therefore, it is necessary to examine potentials for reducing demand for freight transport in all sectors of the economy. Contrasting to the widely held view that freight transport is in general an inevitable prerequisite of economic development, there are potentials for reducing the freight intensity of the economy which could be far more exploited. Such potentials are increasing the share of regional production, slowing down the metabolism of materials in the economy, and substituting transfer of information for transport of physical products. While each of these potentials on its own may appear to offer limited effects, a proper combination might yield substantial results. The presented preliminary ideas suggest that the notion of everlasting freight transport growth is misleading and hint at the necessity for further research.
Why speed matters
(1997)
Sustainable development
(1997)
China and climate change
(1997)
Germany
(1997)
The issue or concept of "sustainable development" entered onto the public and political agenda only relatively recently, and, five years after signing Agenda 21, perceptions of it are still ambiguous. A review of organisational adjustments and of German communications to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development shows that the German government's level of commitment to Agenda 21 is still low. This view is supported by an assessment of developments, and the Government's poor performance so far, in three institutional indicators. However, there is evidence that some incremental steps towards a sustainability transition are being taken as in some areas of business and industry and local government attitudes are begining to change. In addition, awareness of sustainable development is being raised by the efforts of non‐governmental organisations and the scientific community. Generally though, the lack of institutional reorganisation is the major obstacle to a German sustainability transition. This is an expression of the generally low priority of environmental and global development issues in the aftermath of German unification and the related economic and social problems. The traditional economic paradigm where economic growth is believed to be the precondition for welfare prevails and is considered by a majority of decision‐makers not to be compatible with the sustainability transition.
Global climate
(1997)
Green taxes come to Europe
(1997)
Five years after the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the hesitancy of developed countries is turning out to be the main impediment to implementing an effective policy for sustainable development. Alongside the further development of international environmental regimes, setting up national action plans is necessary to close the action-gap in the North. However, this can only succeed if the action plans include binding objectives that can be monitored and evaluated. Current national strategies for sustainable development only meet this criterion in exceptional cases; in most cases only qualitatively and legally nonbinding objectives are included. In the present paper, a suggestion for a cluster of environmental policy targets is put forth, which - using Germany as an example - establishes the sustainability concept at the national level. Particular emphasis is placed on the normative dimension of target setting.