Search
Partnerships, Politics and International Collaboration
In 2015 the United Nations ratified the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a milestone in international and national politics. The signatory countries will strive to attain by 2030 a world without hunger and poverty, with more fairness, an intact environment, clean drinking water and good working conditions for all. Implementation at national level and discourse on experiences at multinational level are needed. Facilitating these aims are the key task of the German Council for Development.Read More
Sustainable Development in City and Country
More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, trending upward. In Germany, too, many cities are growing. Climate protection, a liveable environment and adequate housing, incorporating environmental protection – all these are decisive factors for cities and rural areas alike. The German Sustainable Development Strategy calls for urban development that promotes “cross-cutting thinking”. The Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) contributes to this goal through its “Sustainable City” dialogue with city mayors and its 30-hectare land use goal.Read More
Education and Research
In order to realise the Sustainable Development Goals, education and research must be key priorities. It is they which increasingly are tasked with creating the foundation of knowledge and skills we will need. Projects of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) introduce new approaches and solutions and help embed them in society.Read More
Climate Change and the Energy Transition
According to the terms of the Paris Agreement, the signatories commit to restricting global warming to “well below 2 °C”. Moreover, efforts are to be taken to keep warming to less than 1.5 °C in order to limit the negative effects of climate change. This translates to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that dwarfs all initiatives thus far. The energy transition in Germany stands for just such a major industrial and societal transformation.Read More
Sustainable Business and Sustainable Finance
Sustainability needs to become the global standard of business: without this, it will be impossible to achieve the Paris climate goals and the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. But how can globalised companies with worldwide supply chains take on social and environmental responsibility? How does sustainable finance advance the cause of decarbonising the world’s economy?Read More
Agriculture, Land Use and Soil Conservation
Soil is a key foundation for life and an only conditionally renewable resource. It fulfils a variety of functions necessary for existence. For agriculture, the fertility of soil is a decisive factor. However, soil and agriculture do not just impact on each other. Soil is also of particular importance for protecting water, air, climate and biodiversity. Nevertheless, more than ten million hectares of arable land are lost globally to other uses every year.Read More
Sustainable Consumption
Sustainable consumption means making more-conscious choices and in some cases buying less – and fundamentally keeping the social and ecological aspects of products and services in view. As a topic it is again gaining momentum in political circles: since 2016 the German Sustainable Development Strategy has for the first time included an indicator-linked goal for sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption does not just concern private households. Public-sector procurement practice can also be an important amplifier and can help change the market.Read More
Resource Conservation and Circular Economy
When seen in relation to the planetary limits of ecological burden, absolute raw material consumption in industrialised countries is too high. Facilitating sustainable consumption and production patterns and drastically cutting resource requirements is thus a key goal of global sustainable development. A circular economy is one possibility to decoupling growth from the consumption of non-renewable resources.Read More