National Sustainable Development Strategy Progress
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National Sustainable Development Strategy 2012 Progress Report National Sustainable Development Strategy 2012 Progress Report 2 Table of Contents Foreword 11 Summary 12 A. Sustainability: the current challenge 17 B. National Sustainable Development Strategy 23 I. Aim of the Strategy 23 II. The functioning and operation of the Strategy 23 III. Institutions at the Federal level 32 1. Firmly embedded within the Federal Government 32 2. Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development 33 3. Sustainable Development Council 35 IV. Increasing the effectiveness of sustainability management 37 1. Sustainability impact assessment as part of the regulatory impact assessment 37 2. Activities of the State Secretaries’ Committee 38 3. Programme of sustainability measures 42 4. Peer review of the Strategy 44 5. Cooperation between the Federal Government and the Länder 46 6. Cooperation with municipal umbrella organisations 48 V. Ways of reinforcing the Strategy 48 1. Vision 2050 – Reinforcing the long-term nature of the strategy 49 2. Flagship projects – setting examples for integrated sustainability 49 3. The guiding principle of sustainability – encompassing different strategies 50 4. Helpful – an external perspective 50 5. “German Sustainability Action Day” on 4 June 2012 – raising the profile of sustainability 50 6. Sustainable development – of international importance 51 7. Sustainability in Europe – increasing its effectiveness 51 8. “Rio 2012” UN Conference – harnessing its momentum to advance the strategy 51 3 Contents VI. Public dialogue – sustainability can succeed only through collective effort 51 C. The State of Sustainability in Germany: Indicators and Goals for Sustainable Development 56 I. Further development of the indicators 56 II. Where we stand: Analysis of the sustainability indicators – Contribution of the Federal Statistical Office 62 III. Federal Government conclusions from the analysis of the Federal Statistical Office 112 D. Sustainability in Concrete Terms: Major Priorities 115 I. Sustainable economic activity 115 1. Challenges and opportunities of sustainable economic activities 115 2. Political basis of sustainable economic activity in Germany 117 a) National Sustainable Development Strategy 117 b) Europe 2020 Strategy 118 c) International efforts towards sustainable economic activity 119 3. Conditions, instruments and cross- cutting activities for sustainable economic activity 120 a) Role of the state 120 b) Role of commercial companies 121 4. Political and economic areas of sustainable economic activity 126 a) Strengthening responsible corporate behaviour by means of CSR 126 aa) Strengthening CSR in companies 126 bb) Raising the credibility and profile of CSR 127 cc) Integrating CSR into education, training, science and research 127 dd) Strengthening CSR internationally and in development policy contexts 128 4 Contents b) Taking into account the impact of demographic change 128 c) Ensuring sufficient skilled labour 129 d) Consumers as agents of sustainable development 131 e) Tapping the growth potential of environmental technology 132 f) Sustainable use of raw materials 134 g) Reducing material costs, improving resource efficiency 136 5. Measuring economic performance and prosperity (beyond GDP) 137 6. Conclusions 139 II. Climate and energy 139 1. Significance of the climate and energy issue for the guiding principle of sustainable development 139 2. Climate targets and the status quo in Germany 140 3. Energy Concept and Energy Package 141 a) The Federal Government’s Energy Concept 143 b) The Energy Package 147 c) Further implementation 151 4. International activities and partnerships for low-carbon development, higher energy efficiency and renewable energy 152 a) German development cooperation in climate protection, renewable energy and energy efficiency 152 b) International Climate Protection Initiative 152 c) Bilateral partnerships 153 d) Other activities and partnerships 153 5. Risk prevention and adaptation to climate change 155 6. Conclusion 156 III. Sustainable water policy 157 1. Significance of water for the guiding principle of sustainable development 157 5 Contents 2. The sustainable use of water resources in Germany: current status and challenges 158 a) Aquatic structures – protection against natural water hazards 158 b) Drinking water supply 159 c) Sewage disposal and discharge into rivers and lakes 159 d) Agriculture 160 e) Industry and business 160 f) Hydropower 160 g) Shipping 161 h) Leisure 161 i) Use of the sea, coastal waters and coasts, and related impacts 161 3. Strategic and integrated approaches at EU level to sustainably combine use and protection 162 4. Other challenges and Federal Government initiatives 164 5. International responsibility 165 a) Background and challenges 165 b) Initiatives by the Federal Government 168 aa) Water management in development policy 168 bb) Bonn2011 Conference – The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy 168 cc) Innovation and networking of expertise 168 6. Conclusion 169 E. Current Reporting: Sustainability in Individual Policy Areas 170 I. Sustainable and stable financial policy 170 1. Exposing the need for action 170 2. National debt rule 171 3. Drawing lessons from the financial market crisis 171 4. Stabilising the euro area 174 II. Sustainable mobility 178 6 Contents III. Sustainable consumption and sustainable production 182 1. Changing consumer behaviour 182 2. Consumer information/product labelling 183 3. Product policy 184 4. Closed-cycle economy and recycling 185 IV. Preserving and managing natural resources 186 1. Reducing consumption of new land for development 186 a) Current trends 186 b) Instruments for reducing consumption of new land for development 186 c) Land use competition 188 2. Protecting biological diversity 188 a) Preserving biological diversity and the model of sustainable development 188 b) Aims and indicators 189 c) Status and implementation of the National Strategy for Biological Diversity 189 d) Federal Biodiversity Programme to implement the NBS 190 e) Sector strategies for conservation and sustainable utilisation of biological diversity and references to other Federal Government strategies that are relevant for biodiversity 191 aa) Biodiversity aspects of the “National Strategy for the Sustainable Use and Protection of the Oceans” 191 bb) Biodiversity aspects of the German Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 191 cc) Agrobiodiversity Sector Strategy 191 f) Other outstanding national activities for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity 192 g) References to the European Sustainability and Biodiversity Strategy 193 h) UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 193 i) Other outstanding international activities for conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity 195 7 Contents 3. Sustainable fisheries 195 4. Agriculture and forestry 197 V. Health 199 1. Challenges of a sustainable health care policy 199 2. Reform of statutory health and long-term care insurance 200 3. Prevention 201 4. Prevention through environmental protection 203 VI. Social inclusion, demography and migration 203 VII. Global challenges in respect of poverty and sustainable development 205 1. The Millennium Development Goals 205 2. Protecting global public goods 206 3. Priorities of a sustainable development policy 208 a) Increasing the effectiveness of development cooperation 208 b) Concentration on key sectors 208 c) Strengthening human rights 208 d) Creating economic opportunities 209 e) Strengthening civil society 209 VIII. Education and training 209 IX. Research and development 211 1. Germany in the international competition for knowledge 211 2. Research as a way out of the crisis 211 3. Federal Government activities 212 F. Sustainability in the German Bundestag – Contribution of the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development 216 G. Sustainability as a Social Process – Contribution of the German Sustainable Development Council 221 H. Sustainability in the Länder – Contribution of the Länder 223 8 Contents I. Sustainability at the Municipal Level – Contribution of the German Association of Municipal Umbrella Organisations 228 J. Sustainable Development in Europe 233 I. Principles and perspectives 233 II. European Sustainable Development Strategy 235 III. EUROSTAT Monitoring Report 236 IV. Activities in other European countries 237 V. European sustainability networks 237 K. Sustainability within the framework of the United Nations 239 I. UN Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 239 1. Institutional framework for sustainable development 239 2. Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication 240 II. UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York (CSD) 242 III. Millennium Development Goals and 2010 MDG Summit 243 IV. UN Convention to Combat Desertification 244 L. Outlook 245 9 10 Vorwort Twenty years ago, the states of the world made sus- tainability their guiding principle. Time for a new approach – this was the signal sent out by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Develop- ment held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. A great deal has changed since then. It has much more become a matter of course to consider the long-term repercussions of one’s actions. But we continue to be confronted with major challenges. By 2050, the world’s population is expected to rise to nine billion people. They will all be entitled to an adequate supply of food, water, energy and raw materials. But how can we secure the subsistence of a rapidly-growing