Motion tabled by the parliamentary groups of the CDU/CSU, SPD,
ALLIANCE 90/THE GREENS and F.D.P.
Setting-up of a Study Commission
Protection of Humanity and the Environment - Objectives and General
Conditions of Sustainable Development
The Bundestag is requested to adopt the following motion:
In order to prepare the ground for parliamentary decisions on
possible measures for shaping a sustainable industrial society, a
Study Commission on Protection of Humanity and the Environment -
Objectives and General Conditions of Sustainable Development shall
be set up in accordance with Section 56 of the Rules of Procedure
of the German Bundestag.
The Study Commission shall continue the work of the Study
Commission on Protection of Humanity and the Environment -
Assessment Criteria and Prospects for Environmentally-Sound Product
Cycles in Industrial Society, which focussed on patterns and paths
of development for the industrial society of the future. In order
to facilitate sustainable development, it is necessary to design an
appropriate economic, ecological and social framework and to
examine the options for implementing it on national and
international levels.
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I. |
The German Bundestag assigns the Study Commission the task of
examining the following fields in particular:
- Formulation of environmental objectives
for sustainable development
In the course of orienting the economy and society to a model of
sustainable development, structural changes in the economic and
social systems will be necessary.
The preconditions for sustainable development cannot be named
without clarifying the consequences of such a form of development.
On the one hand, environmental objectives can be formulated only by
taking their ecological, social and economic consequences into
consideration; on the other hand, social and economic objectives
cannot be achieved without considering their ecological impact. The
development of new concepts and structures will often prove
necessary.
Limiting the entry of pollutants into the environment, and the
emission of substances harmful to the climate, is an essential
prerequisite for sustainable development. Owing to the universal
nature of the model of sustainable development, account must be
taken not only of undesireable local effects of pollution on the
ecosystem, but also of its global impact.
Therefore, when formulating national objectives and the measures
for achieving them, the possibility of applying them
internationally must be taken into consideration.
The following tasks must be performed in developing criteria for
environmental policy:
- compile an environmental inventory with special reference to
pollutant sources and sinks;
- identify specific problem areas and material flows;
- further develop primary criteria for assessing the handling of
substances, in particular if used in contact with the
environment;
- specify normative environmental objectives and environmental
quality objectives;
- complete the ground work for a national environment plan.
-
Design an economic and social framework for
sustainable development
The following steps must be taken in designing an economic and
social framework:
- The first step should involve analysing and describing the
adaptability of the existing social market economy and the existing
socio-cultural system. The limits of their adaptability within the
framework of sustainable development should be determined, and, if
necessary, the minimum requirements for ensuring their long-term
stability should be defined.
- The next step involves identifying the interaction between
social and economic aspects and conditions, also in conjunction
with environmental objectives.
-
Lastly, the fundamental principles and mechanisms regulating the
socioeconomic systems must be analyzed. It is important here to
examine how market controls, freedom of contract, and the system of
property ownership, as well as the concepts of liberty and justice,
can be adapted to the model of sustainable development.
- The need for social, economic and
technical innovation
Sustainable development can be achieved only by a process of change
encompassing both technical and social innovations.
Ultimately, the model of sustainable development can be
successfully implemented only if all actors cooperate on the basis
of an enhanced awareness of the problems at hand.
It is therefore necessary:
- to develop strategies to promote the development of new
processes, products and structures which use fewer resources and do
not generate harmful substances,
- to develop scenarios for achieving the primary objective of
sustainable development on an international level,
- to attach priority in education on raising awareness of the
concept of sustainable development and imparting the knowledge and
skills required for its realization,
- to create a social and cultural framework which is more
conducive to innovation,
- to analyse the factors which influence the behaviour of
consumers and manufacturers, with special reference to how
individuals translate their attitudes towards the environment into
action,
-
to describe the process of change required for implementing the
model of sustainable development, as well as the concomitant
reassessment of values, attitudes, patterns of consumption and
lifestyles, on the basis of social objectives and available
experience.
- Measures for implementing sustainable
development
In accomplishing its task of creating an appropriate framework for
social, economic and technical innovation, the State has various
means at its disposal which, however, must be modified,
complemented or combined in line with the social objectives derived
from the concept of sustainable development. In view of the
scarcity of environmental and other resources, it must be examined
how the costs of pollution, borne up to now by the general public,
can best be turned into internal corporate costs on the
polluter-pays-principle.
In this context, increased emphasis should be placed on the
following areas:
- reviewing and refining environmental policy instruments,
- proposals for improving the adaptation of regulatory provisions
to the demands and possibilities of industry-wide and cross-media
environmental protection,
- examination and evaluation of the scope for applying economic
instruments in a social and ecological market economy, on the basis
of specific examples from various fields (levies, taxes [e.g. an
"ecological tax reform"], permits, liability provisions, etc),
- review of ways to promote voluntary measures and the provision
of environmental information (environmental management systems,
ecological auditing, life-cycle balances, environmental performance
evaluation, responsible care, etc),
- reviewing and reassessing governmental revenue and expenditure
with respect to their impact on the environment,
- highlighting the ecological consequences of legislative
proposals,
- refining the methodology of material flow management, taking
into particular consideration approaches based on discourse and
cooperation,
- discussing how instruments can be used singly or in combined
form in order to achieve specific environmental objectives
accurately and efficiently (taking specific examples from various
fields).
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Bonn, 30 May 1995
Dr Wolfgang Schäuble, Michael Glos and parliamentary
group
Rudolf Scharping and parliamentary group
Joseph Fischer (Frankfurt), Kerstin Müller (Cologne) and
parliamentary group
Dr Hermann Otto Solms and parliamentary group
Reasons
The Study Commission on Protection of Humanity and the Environment
concluded its work in the 12th electoral period with the submission
of a report entitled "Shaping Industrial Society - Prospects for
Sustainable Management of Substance Chains and Material
Flows".
This report included basic rules for handling substances,
highlighted the importance of nature as a factor imposing
constraints on economic development, and described the economic,
ecological and social criteria for sustainable development. The
authors of the report point out that the Commission was unable to
treat certain aspects of its mandate to the extent desired.
The findings of the Study Commission provide a good basis for
continuing this work. Above all, further efforts can and should be
made to finally achieve the objective of developing models and
paths for the future development of substance management in
industrial societies, taking into consideration economic,
ecological and social criteria. |