1. Global Management of
Resource use
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ,
Dept. Community Ecology, Halle, Germany
Presentation at the
European High-Level Conference on Rio +20:
High-
“Achieving Global Justice in the Green
Economy”
Brussels, March 15th 2012
Brussels,
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

2. The threat:
Our resource consumption
cannot be globalised
because this would be
environmentally and/or socially
unsustainable
and thus pose a risk for peace.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

3. Inhabitants with a per capita income
above 200 US $/day consume most resources
Inhabitants with a per capita income
below 1 US $ a day (total: 3.5 billion) suffer from
energy and resource poverty. This will not change
as long as purchasing power decides about
access.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

4. A Green Economy in the con- con-
text of SD (improving well-being in an
well-
inclusive way, while respecting the
planetary boundaries) promises not
only a response to the multi- multi-
crisis (climate, food, water, energy,
.
biodiversity, economy, social), but
promises an escape from a development
path which produced or permitted such
crises to one proactively addressing and
avoiding them. Will
them.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07
it deliver??

5. “Sustainable
development is
development that
meets the needs of the
present without
compromising the
ability of future
generations to meet
their own needs. It
It
contains within it two
key concepts: …
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

6. (definition cont.)
1. The concept of “needs”,
in particular the essential
needs of the world’s poor, to
which overriding priority
should be given, and
2. The idea of limitations
imposed by the state of
technology and social
organisation on the
environment’s ability to meet
present and future needs.”
(WCED 1987, p.43)
p.43)
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

7. Sustainable Development: the basic
concepts are justice and limits:
limits:
No justice – no sustainability!
sustainability!
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

8. Sustainable Development History Lessons:
Four options for escaping the scarcity trap
Three opt for an expansionist paradigm
1. · The imperial option
2. · The liberal option
3. · The engineering option
One opts for an adaptation paradigm
4. · The political sustainability option incl. resource
efficiency, consumption limits and social justice.
Expansionist options have dominated in the past –
and Europe (Raw Materials Strategy) and the
NATO Member States seem prepared to try them
again. The Resource Efficiency Strategy
is a first step out of this trap.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

9. …including conservation of landscape,
agriculture, beauty & biodiversity
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

10. Resource
efficiency means
less demand, less
supply conflicts,
similar services,
less waste and
pollution, and
often more jobs
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

11. Innovative environmental
technologies combining
emission reduction and
recycling are needed
but not really new
and insufficient.
E.g.: Metal dust recovery
system, enforced by regional
kings „to avoid damage to
neighbouring fields and
grazing grounds”.
Source: Agricola, G. (1556). De re metallica
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

12. The biggest market failure ever: E.g.
•in the producing industry, in average ½ of the total
expenditure is for resources (3% for energy), 1/5 is for
personnel.
•20% of resource cost can be saved with a payback
time of less than 1 year, another 20% pays out in less
than 3 years.
•The savings potential is equivalent to the total
personnel costs, increasing productivity, profit and
competitiveness.
•On the macro level, an increase of energy and
material efficiency by 20% would create
up to 1 million new jobs in Germany.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

13. Besides innovation, ex-novation is
urgently needed.
EU companies sell
unsustainable consumption
and EU
citizens benefit
…
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

14. Market failures must be corrected
The market lacks social sensitivity,
dedication to development, environmental
awareness and over all a long term view.
For Development to be successful,
Government must not serve the
market, but complement it,
providing social, developmental and
environmental guard rails, and a long-
long-
term vision
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

15. Government is responsible for
- distributional justice and social equality,
- gender justice, equity and non-
discrimination;
- good work (minimum standards for work
quality and salary levels, cooperation
with business and trade unions);
- poverty alleviation (hardly attractive for
business) and inclusiveness;
- compatibility with social,
cultural and political values
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

16. A really Green Economy
requires limitations ...
… to certain activities, in order to allow
replenishing of natural resources or natural
capital, justice and social equality.
The alternative is collapse (e.g. fisheries),
and with it a complete loss of jobs.
Green investments are generally more labour
intensive, and can have direct effects for
poverty reduction, in particular by improving
the agro-productivity of rural smallholders
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

17. But: for decreasing resource
consumption, efficiency is not enough
What we need is absolute decoupling of economic
development and resource consumption, not a
relative one with increasing emissions and waste
generation.
Rebound effect: The money saved through efficiency
(win-win solutions) is spent, consuming resources
and compensating (part of) the efficiency gains.
Jevons‘ Paradox: Efficiency decreases the relative
cost of a resource, generating incentives to use more
of it, and it stimulates growth and thus resource use.
∑ Conclusion: Efficiency without skimming off (part
of) the gains may lead to perverse
outcomes.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

18. A really long way to go
• from low tech low resource societies
• via low tech high consumption and high tech
high resources
• to high tech low resource societies
Local resources for local use support income & jobs
but not world market & high tech production.
Re-domesticate he money, keep it local not national
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

19. A Green Economy is not per se
reaching the MDGs (a frequent illusion),
but it offers opportunities to overcome the
failures of past market radicalism (too much
was deregulated trusting self-regulation)
A regulation example: feed-in tariffs
- strengthen local participation;
- allow for community & coop - ownership;
- has mobilised billions of private capital for
restoring and protecting
the public goods
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

20. A Great Transition…
… involves the emergence not only of a new
economy, but also of a new society. We
should shape it consciously, with justice a
key orientation: with limits to growth, (re-)
distribution becomes central.
5 P’s on/off the agenda
Peace – what happened to the peace dividend?
Power – where has empowerment gone (Ag. 21)?
Planet – Resource efficiency is not enough
People – social cohesion is crumbling
Prosperity – for all, all profit for the few?
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

21. The best
way to
explore the
future is to
invent it.
Do it.
Sustainably.
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07

22. Thank you for your attention
For the presentation and other papers see
http://seri.academia.edu/JoachimHSpangenberg
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Halle
Joachim.Spangenberg@ufz.de
Dr. Joachim H. Spangenberg, Biodiversity and SPAC, Belgrade 9.10. 07