corsus at the RNE Annual Conference „Zukunft gewinnen“
On 29 September, the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) invited attendees to Berlin for its annual conference and the celebration of its 25th anniversary. Shaping the future took centre stage: together, participants further developed future scenarios as well as sustainability strategies for green molecules and security. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered the keynote address. The panel discussion also gave young people a platform to share their perspective on a sustainable future. Dr.-Ing. Krishan Gairola took part on behalf of corsus.
The event opened with an insight into the Council’s work. This made clear the central importance of personal exchange among the members in dealing constructively with differing and sometimes opposing positions. In the subsequent discussion with the Federal Chancellery, the Council stressed that it would like to see such processes of understanding and consensus-building receive greater resonance in politics as well. In this context, Myriam Rapior (RNE) pointed to the Commission on the Future of Agriculture (Zukunftskommission Landwirtschaft), which succeeded in addressing a politically highly charged topic through joint dialogue and in arriving at viable outcomes – although these have so far not been taken up politically to a sufficient degree. Overall, sustainability must be understood far more strongly as a systemic principle and, so to speak, as the “operating system” of the economy, said Achim Steiner (RNE). Other countries, such as China, are currently pursuing this path more consistently. The issue of resilience could serve as a bridge to bring sustainability back towards the centre of the political and societal debate, added Marlehn Thieme (Welthungerhilfe).
The keynote speaker of the day was Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In his speech and the subsequent discussion, he outlined sustainability as a central guiding political principle and declared the 21st century the “century of sustainability”. The relationship between ecology, social issues and the economy – long understood largely as a field of tension – must, in the spirit of intergenerational equity, be rebalanced and brought together. Sustainability should therefore be understood not as an individual policy area, but as an overarching guiding principle of political action. Chancellor Merz placed ecological security on an equal footing with internal and external security. At the same time, he advocated overcoming the perceived contradiction between economic success and ambitious climate action. For 30 September, the Chancellor announced that the cabinet would adopt the Sustainability Action Plan (Aktionsplan Nachhaltigkeit). This plan is intended to systematically link the federal government’s major investment projects with their respective sustainability impact, thereby integrating sustainability more strongly into state action. For the further development of the plan, he said he would rely on the Council’s expertise.
Whether the proclaimed “century of sustainability” will indeed become a century of sustainable policy, however, remains to be seen. The political decisions taken so far not only leave considerable room for doubt; in our view, they rather reflect a political course that has so far contradicted rather than delivered on its own claim to sustainability. All the more will politics have to be measured by whether the Chancellor’s words are indeed followed by deeds – for example on climate action, social justice and the phasing out of fossil fuels – particularly on the part of his own cabinet.
The closing panel placed the perspectives of young people at the centre of the event. Among other things, they made clear how important self-shaped spaces for participation and dialogue on an equal footing are (Isabel Rutkowski, Katholische Landjugend – Catholic Rural Youth Movement), as well as positive visions of the future (Martina Vollmer, Siemens), and how devastating social cuts – for example to advance child maintenance payments (Unterhaltsvorschuss) – are in limiting the future opportunities of young people (Moritz Tapp, Bundesjugendring – Federal Youth Council). Theodor Schell (mayor of Scheinfeld) emphasised that sustainable development must address more strongly the needs of young people in rural areas and, more generally, urban–rural conflicts. All four panellists agreed that the representation of young people – including within the Council – must be expanded, and that young voices must be systematically included not only on youth-related issues, but across the full breadth of policy topics. The visibly impressed Council members promised to advocate for this; Dr. Werner Schnappauf pledged to explicitly make his seat available for this purpose once his term of office ends.
Between the contributions, participants actively engaged in future labs on future scenarios, the hydrogen economy and the sustainability return on security investments. For example, the Council was supported – under the guidance of Prof. Mark Lawrence (RNE, RIFS) and Hubertus Paetow (RNE, DLG) – in fleshing out the future scenarios for “Germany 2030plus”, which describe plausible development pathways and are intended to serve as the basis for a preference scenario of a liveable future. Surprising unanimity prevailed in the discussion with Kerstin Andreae (BDEW), Dr. Sabrina Schulz (EIES) and Prof. Kai Niebert (RNE and DNR): the expansion and also the import of biomethane are not an option; electrification takes priority; and at the same time the scale-up of hydrogen needs greater political attention, reliable framework conditions coordinated at European level, and an equivalent to the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) for hydrogen.
To close, children from the Neukölln community centre brought their sustainability topics to the stage through dance, rap and song.
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