Reproduced, with permission, from: German Advisory Council on Global Change,
Secretariat. 1993. Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveraenderungen
(German Advisory Council on Global Change) brochure. Bremerhaven, Germany: Alfred
Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
Appointment of committee
In the run-up to this conference the German government set up the "German Advisory Council on Global Change" (WBGU) by cabinet decision on April 8, 1992. This Council is directly subordinate to the Federal Government and administered by the Federal Minister for Research and Technology (BMFT) and the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). It is also assisted by an Interministerial Working Group consisting of 10 additional ministries. The Council was constituted on May 14, 1992 in the presence of Federal Ministers Dr. Heinz Riesenhuber and Prof. Klaus Töpfer.
Tasks
A Council with responsibility for environmental policy on the national level has existed for many years (Council of Environmental Experts, SRU, under the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety), however, no advisory body had previously existed in the field of global environmental change. Such an advisory council with expertise in both the natural and social sciences is evidently needed to assess the growing flux of information about environmental changes from all over the world, and also to propose alternatives for effective national and international environmental and research policies for the future. The following tasks have been assigned to the "Global Change Council":
1. To compile yearly Reports and carry out continuous analysis of global environmental changes and their consequences, e.g. climatic changes, depletion of the ozone layer, degradation of soils, clearing of tropical forests and destruction of sensitive terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, decreasing biodiversity, water pollution and water shortage.In particular, the Council is required to deal with the socioeconomic causes of global environmental change (population growth, economic activity, industrialization, agriculture, urbanization etc.) and their consequences, also taking into account ethical aspects.
2. To observe and evaluate national and international research activities in the field of global environmental change (in particular observation programmes, data use and data management etc.).
3. To identify possible areas of concern (future "ozone holes") and draw attention to those areas where research is inadequate or coordination is required.
4. To put forward proposals for political action at national and international level to prevent anthropogenic environmental changes.
The Council submits a Report each year in June to the Federal Government. Special Reports on urgent matters can be requested.
Members
The Advisory Council on Global Change consists of 12 members, half of them representing the natural sciences and half the social sciences. The members are appointed jointly by the Minister for Research and Development and the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety for a period of four years. Reappointment is permissible. The first period of appointment runs from June 1, 1992 to June 30, 1996.
The Council elected Prof. Graßl as chairman and Prof. Zimmermann as deputy chairman. A personal assistant is assigned to each member.
Secretariat
The Council was provided with a secretariat at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven. An interdisciplinary team was formed to support the Council scientifically and logistically. Prof. Schulz-Baldes was appointed as director.
First annual Report
On June 7, 1993 the Council submitted its first annual Report to the Federal Chancellor, Dr. Helmut Kohl, entitled "World in Transition: Basic Structure of Global Human-Environment Relations".
This first Report forms the basis for the Council's future work on selected global change issues. Therefore, some of the fundamental theses are briefly presented in the following paragraphs.
The Council seeks to treat the Earth as an integral system, placing particular emphasis on the essential interrelationships between nature and society. The purpose of this approach is to demonstrate the complexity of environmental problems, on the one hand, and to create a basis for evaluating the importance of current trends (population growth, human-made greenhouse effect, decreasing biodiversity, loss of fertile soils etc.) for the system as a whole, on the other hand. The in-depth treatment of principal themes in forthcoming Reports will be consistently oriented towards this holistic representation of human-environment relations and will thereby help to generate a deeper and fuller understanding of the Earth system.
After defining the term "Global Environmental Change" the Report goes on to describe the various sectors of the Earth system. In addition to the presentation of main components and essential trends in nature and the anthroposphere, particular importance was given to analyses of the interconnections of the various sectors. For this purpose the Council devised a qualitative global network of interrelations to serve as a methodological tool. This network will be developed and defined more precisely in forthcoming Reports. Quantification and regionalization will be dealt with using key indicators and a geographical information system.
Main trends of global environmental change
On the basis of its first analysis the Council considers the following global problems or main trends to be particularly serious:
* WORLD POPULATION GROWTH
This central problem is difficult to influence in the near future but is of decisive importance for global environmental change in the long term. Population growth is closely related to the problem of poverty, and therefore combatting poverty is an urgent task, as are family planning, improving the status of women in society, education and training.
* LONG-TERM CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE ATMOSPHERE
There is an increasing concentration of natural greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) and synthetic substances (e.g. CFCs) in the atmosphere caused by human activities. Unless measures are taken to counteract this increase, far-reaching changes must be expected, above all a shift of precipitation zones and a rise in sea levels of around 65 + 35 cm by the year 2100. CFCs are responsible for depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer, which acts as a protective filter for harmful UV-B radiation.
* DECREASING BIODIVERSITY
The habitats of numerous plants and animals are destroyed by human activities, such as deforestation, dissection of biotopes, expansion of cities, emission of pollutants into air and water and intensification of agriculture. At the present rate of destruction of ecosystems we must expect that approximately 1.5 million species of fauna and flora will disappear within the next 25 years. A loss on this scale is unacceptable for ecological, ethical, aesthetic and cultural reasons. Furthermore, species have a long-term economic value, for example in the development of new medicines.
* SOIL DEGRADATION AND LOSS
Soil, the Earth's "thin outer skin" and basis for food production, is frequently overused and consequently eroded as world population grows. Even very sensitive soils are used for agricultural production and are often rapidly destroyed, whilst many others are polluted with toxic substances. The total area of fertile soil is declining continuously. The soil is an indispensable part of the terrestrial ecosystem and in many cases cannot be regenerated. In the light of this knowledge protection of the soils and the organisms which live in or depend on it must be given high priority from both the regional and global point of view.
* WATER POLLUTION AND SHORTAGE
Although water problems occur at the local or regional level, the frequency, scale and extent of their occurrence give rise to a global trend. In particular, poverty and underdevelopment lead to deficiencies in water supply and waste water disposal. Fresh water, as a resource and cultural asset, is threatened by shortage and pollution. This is often connected with wastage, for example when people are encouraged to use water irresponsibly because prices do not reflect its true costs.
All these main trends have accelerated growth and the long-term impact in common. The time scales are measured in decades or even centuries. For this reason urgent steps are necessary to reverse the trend of pollution and destruction.
The responsibility of humans and society
Human action is the cause of global environmental change, but it is also affected by the latter. In his third and most important role humans react to these changes by adapting to the damage which has occurred and taking precautionary measures to avoid causing further damage.
The prominence of these human roles varies according to region and culture group. Since people tend to think and act in local terms, one of the greatest challenges is to raise and strengthen awareness of the interactions between local behaviour and global effects. Recognition of generation wide links between our local actions and global impacts must form the basis for a universal ethic which also creates the framework for responsible political action.
Apart from population growth, the subsystem of economics also plays a central role in global environmental change. If crucial restructuring does not occur in this area there will be a serious risk that human society exhausts its "natural capital" at the expense of future generations.
Objectives of the Advisory Council
The Advisory Council considers its main task to be the evaluation of scientific knowledge concerning all aspects of global environmental change in the interdisciplinary context of the Earth system, and to formulate recommendations for political action on the basis of this knowledge. Furthermore, it aims to promote greater awareness of global implications at all levels by means of education and public relations work.
Members of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (as at July 1, 1993)
Prof. Dr. Friedrich O. Beese Agronomist: Director of the Institute of Soil Ecology at the GSF Research Centre for Environment and Health, Oberschleißheim (Institut für Bodenökologie am GSF-Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit,Oberschleißeheim)
Prof Dr. Hartmut Graßel (Chairman) Physicist: Director of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg (Max-Planck-Institut füer Meteorologie, Hamburg)
Prof. Dr. Gotthilf Hempel Fishery biologist: Director of the Centre for Marine Tropical Ecology at the University of Bremen (Zentrum für Marine Tropenökologie an der Universität Bremen)
Prof. Dr. Paul Klemmer Economist: President of the Rhenish-Westphalian Institute of Economic Research, Essen (Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Essen)
Prof. Dr. Lenelis Kruse-Graumann Psychologist: Specialist in "Ecological Psychology" at the Open University Hagen (Schwerpunkt "Ökologische Psychologie" an der Fernuniversität Hagen)
Prof. Dr. Karin Labitzke Meteorologist: Institute of Meteorology at the Free University Berlin (Institut für Meteorologie der Freien Universität Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Heidrun Müuhle Agronomist: Head of the Department of Agricultural Lands at the Environmental Research Centre, Leipzig-Halle (Projektbereich Agrarlandschaften am Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle)
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber Physicist: Director of the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research (Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung)
Prof. Dr. Udo Ernst Simonis Economist: Department of Technology - Work - Environment at the Science Centre Berlin (Forschungsschwerpunkt Technik - Arbeit - Umwelt am Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Hans-Willi Thoenes Technologist: Rhenish-Westphalian Technical Control Board, Essen (Rheinisch-Westfälischer TÜV, Essen)
Prof. Dr. Paul Velsinger Economist: Head of the Department of Regional Economics at the University of Dortmund (Fachgebiet Raumwirtschaftspolitik an der Universität Dortmund)
Prof. Dr. Horst Zimmermann (Deputy Chairman) Economist: Department of Public Finance at the University of Marburg (Abteilung füer Finanzwissenschaft an der Universitäot Marburg)Personal assistants to the Council members (as at July 1, 1993)
Dr. Arthur Block Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research
(Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber) Sebastian Büttner, Engineer Science Centre Berlin
(Prof. Dr. Udo Ernst Simonis) Dr. Svenne Eichler Environmental Research Centre, Leipzig
(Prof. Dr. Heidrun Müuhle) Oliver Fromm, Economist Department of Public Finance, University of Marburg
(Prof. Dr. Horst Zimmermann) Gerhard Hartmuth, Psychologist Open University Hagen
(Prof. Dr. Lenelis Kruse-Graumann) Birgit Köbbert, Meteorologist Institute of Meteorology, Free University Berlin
(Prof. Dr. Karin Labitzke)
Dr. Gerhard Lammel Max Planck Institute of Meteorology, Hamburg
(Prof Dr. Hartmut Graßul) Wiebke Lass, Economist Department of Public Finance, University of Marburg
(Prof. Dr. Horst Zimmermann) Roger Lienenkamp, Engineer Department of Regional Economics, University of Dortmund
(Prof. Dr. Paul Velsinger) Dr. Heike Schmidt Centre of Marine Tropical Ecology, Bremen
(Prof. Dr. Gotthilf Hempel) Dr. Ralf Schramedei Rhenish-Westphalian Technical Control Board, Essen
(Prof. Dr. Hans-Willi Thoenes) Rüdiger Wink, Economist Department of Economics, University of Bochum
(Prof. Dr. Paul Klemmer) Dr. Ingo Wöhler Institute for Soil Science and Forestry, University of Göttingen
(Prof. Dr. Friedrich O. Beese) Staff members of the WBGU Secretariat at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven (as at July 1, 1993)
Holger Hoff, Geoecologist Vesna Karic Ursula Liebert Dr. Carsten Loose Dr. Marina Müller (Deputy Director) Barbara Schäfer, Economist Martina Schneider-Kremer Prof. Dr. Meinhard Schulz-Baldes (Director)
Publications of the Advisory Council
Welt im Wandel: Grundstruktur globaler Mensch-Umwelt-Beziehungen. Jahresgutachten 1993. Economica Verlag Bonn, 1993.
World in Transition: Basic Structure of Global Human-Environment Interactions. 1993 Annual Report. Economica Verlag Bonn, 1994.