Schavan and Altmaier launch joint initiative
Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Research, and Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Environment, want to speed up the transformation towards a sustainable green economy under a joint initiative. Schavan and Altmaier invited some 450 experts from science, industry, politics, associations and society to a two-day conference in Berlin in order to discuss topics such as how market-based instruments can be used to achieve sustainable production, pricing and consumption. The conference in Berlin is intended to be the first step towards a green economy research programme. The aim of a green economy is to make future economic activities more resource-efficient, more environmentally friendly and more socially inclusive.
Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Research, stressed at the conference opening that she was aiming for a low-carbon and resource-efficient social market economy. "The way we live and conduct our economic activities has an enormous impact on our environment. That is why we want to provide society with a guideline for action to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change and the scarcity of energy and resources", Schavan said. "By means of a green economy, we are pursuing the aim of one day interlinking sustainable approaches from production to corporate management to consumption and recycling in a single system."
Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of Environment, stressed: "The process of 'greening' the economy is at a very advanced stage in Germany. We make the same profit as ten years ago with fewer resources, lower emissions and less energy consumption. Opportunities on the market are enormous: energy and resource efficiency are increasingly becoming a competitive factor; environmental and efficiency technologies are drivers of growth along the entire industrial value added chain."
The international community (UN) recognized green economy in Rio as a central strategic instrument for sustainable development and stressed that the transformation towards a green economy is a task for all states - developing and emerging countries and industrialized states alike. Business and consumers will be empowered to accelerate the conversion of economy in their own vested interest. Representatives of business, trade unions and environmental associations have been involved in this process from the very beginning to ensure practicability and application orientation.
Germany is in an excellent position. More than 2.8 percent of GDP are invested each year in research and development. German businesses hold a global leadership position for many environmental technologies. In the segment of environmentally friendly energies and energy storage, for example, their world market share is 23 percent. Over 2 million people are already working in the environmental sector. Project funding for sustainability research has almost doubled over the past eight years - to a current amount of 430 million euros.