Towards an ambitious environmental policy in Germany and Europe

In Germany as well as in the EU, it is important that the political system proves it is capable of taking action in response to the enormous ecological and economic challenges. "The EU is facing major challenges with regard to respecting the planetary boundaries, especially in the area of climate protection. That is why environmental policy, within the framework of the European Green Deal, must be a visible component of European economic, transport and agricultural policy. At the same time, binding rules must be set for implementation and monitoring", emphasises Prof. Christian Calliess. Economic sectors that hitherto have not integrated environmental aspects, such as agriculture and transport, must now also give priority to environmental and climate protection. The SRU is therefore proposing changes in various key areas.

In order to slow down climate change, it is essential to limit the total amount of CO₂ still emitted. This is a crucial factor in determining the scale of warming. The SRU therefore recommends that the German government should base its climate
policy on a long-term CO₂ budget consistent with the Paris temperature targets. Prof. Wolfgang Lucht explains: "A sufficient, fair and appropriate German CO₂ budget amounts to a maximum of 6.7 billion tonnes of CO₂ as of 2020. With linear reductions, Germany needs to be CO₂-neutral by 2038 already, not 2050." Robust climate protection measures are therefore urgently needed.

For years we have been talking about how Germany is on its way to becoming a circular economy. However, the figures show that we still use too many raw materials and thereby cause serious environmental pollution. "Material flows must be
reduced and a consistent product policy implemented so that more raw materials can be recycled", emphasises Prof. Vera Susanne Rotter. "It is important that products have a long service life, are easy to repair, can be recycled and are free of harmful pollutants." The SRU recommends that the waste hierarchy should be developed into a recycling hierarchy in order to firmly embed these principles. This should involve, for example, extending the Ecodesign Directive to other product groups. Recycling should not only be measured by quotas, but also by its quality.

Intact water bodies are a prerequisite for functioning ecosystems, biodiversity and living landscapes, and play an important role in climate change adaptation. There has been a widespread failure to meet the water conservation targets agreed at European level. Prof. Manfred Niekisch insists: "More land must be made available near rivers so that they can be restored to their natural state." In addition, the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive requires binding planning powers as well as sufficient funding and qualified personnel.

Many people in Germany are exposed to high levels of traffic noise. "Such exposure to noise represents a significant health risk", explains Prof. Hornberg. It affects socially disadvantaged people more often than others. In order to improve protection against traffic noise, the SRU recommends that nationwide upper limits for noise exposure should be set beyond which municipalities would be obliged to draw up noise action plans. In addition, the thresholds for harmful noise in Germany should be significantly tightened and the European limits for vehicle noise emission should be made more stringent.

Urban traffic has been dominated by the cars for decades now. Among the consequences are noise, air pollution, growing land and energy consumption, and significant health and environmental costs. The SRU believes that public transport, walking and cycling should be greatly expanded. The recent amendment to the road traffic regulations is not enough to bring about a change of direction and must be taken further. "A rigorous and systematic management of parking spaces
and a distance-based car toll should help to create space for active and environmentally friendly urban mobility", says Prof. Claudia Kemfert.

The SRU recommends a greater focus on neighbourhoods as a suitable level for action on environmental and climate policy. Measures at the neighbourhood level offer considerable potential for environmental and climate protection and enable synergies with other objectives. They are more effective than measures targeting individual buildings. They include heating provision through local heat grids, serial energy efficiency-oriented refurbishment and local renewable energy production. "In order to bring forward the urban energy transition, the law as it applies to self-sufficiency in electricity and heat supply should be simplified in future, and collective generation and local neighbourhood energy supply should be facilitated. These aspects should be included in the new German Energy Act for Buildings", emphasises Prof. Lamia Messari-Becker.

The economic reboot that will follow the Corona pandemic should be used to set the course for ecological transformation. The enormous financial resources that will be used to stimulate an economic revival must be consistently aligned on the goals of climate neutrality and environmental protection.

Further information is available from Dr. Julia Hertin, Tel.: +49 30 263696-118, email: julia.hertin@umweltrat.de

The SRU has been advising the German Federal Government on environmental policy issues for almost 50 years. The composition of the Council – seven university professors drawn from a variety of disciplines – ensures a comprehensive and scientifically independent appraisal that takes account not only of scientific and technical, but also of economic, legal, and political considerations.

The members of the Council are:

Prof. Dr. Claudia Hornberg (Chair),Universität Bielefeld

Prof. Dr. Manfred Niekisch (Deputy Chair), Professor of International Nature Conservation

Prof. Dr. Christian Calliess, Freie Universität Berlin

Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert, Hertie School of Governance and Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung Berlin

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lucht, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Potsdam-Institut Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lamia Messari-Becker, University of Siegen

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Vera Susanne Rotter, Technische ­Universität Berlin

German Advisory Council on the Environment

Luisenstraße 46, 10117 Berlin +49 30 263696-0

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