Joint Statement by Scientists Calling for an Ecological Sustainable and Participative Economy

– issued in advance of the G-20-Summit on 7/8 July 2017 in Hamburg, Germany –

„It would be a bad thing for science if later generations were not permitted to add new insights on the knowledge of their predecessors.“
(Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica, 1548)

 „How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! how short his time! and consequently how poor his products be, compared with those accumulated by nature during whole geological periods. Can we wonder, then, that nature’s productions should be far ‚truer‘ in character than man’s productions; that they should be infinitely better adapted to the most complex conditions of life?“
(Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection, 1859)

Today, climate change, extinction of species and environmental destruction are the gravest existential challenges threatening the lives of all human beings irrespectively of their different cultural and political conditions.
In view of this, we call on the business, scientific and political communities to switch to an ecologically sustainable and participative economy in order to reduce the threat to nature and mankind and to develop a new modern style of economics.
(Deutsche Version)

I.

Many countries have already decided to phase out nuclear power due to the hazard potential of radioactive waste, which can last for hundred thousands of years, and prioritize the use of renewable primary resources for electricity generation (energy transition).
Further important steps are to:

• stop extracting fossil fuels („stranded assets“) altogether from the ground;
• make electricity generation more effective and decentralise storage;
• reduce air pollution, particularly in regional conurbations, through a transport transition, e.g. free, integrated, low exhaust emitting public transport;
• as well as invent interconnectable road- and rail vehicles (Frederic Vester).

And also to:

• reduce water pollution allowing the associated processing costs of drinking water to decrease
• improve the living quality of the soil by organic management
• protect oceans from overfishing and oceanic life from death by plastic waste
• implement afforestation and preserve primeval forests as oxygen-producing „lungs of Earth“
• keep the natural reserves free from human interference as much as possible to allow the natural biodiversity to flourish.

As a general rule, ecologically sustainable management has to be prioritised over recycling strategies, as it avoids environmental damage from the start.

II.

Efforts to reduce damage, however, alone will not be sufficient, unless they are accompanied by an economic transition:
The way we deal with nature has to be modernised. We know nature does not need us, but we (Adam Smith: human animals) live from our natural basis. We are heterotroph, we live from organic matter. With every breath we take in air and give back to nature no longer needed gases. Therefore, our today’s view of nature solely as an external object, disposable at will by man (Karl Polanyi: „fictitious commodity“) has to be overcome. It was an historic and reductive assumption (Peter Bendixen). It has to be modernised. We have to follow now the understanding and insights of modern physics (Carlo Rovelli). We know that we, as natural beings, interact with the nature external to us in a continuing, open and reciprocal process directly, immediately and unmediated. It follows that external nature can no longer be treated as if it only is our environment, we have to recognise it as our co-world (Klaus-Michael Meyer-Abich).
We discern three different forms of our exchange with nature:

• direct, immediate and unmediated reciprocal interaction (= nateconomy) (Aristotle, Charles Darwin);
• exchange mediated by a means, i.e. money culturally developed by humans (= culteconomy);

and the interchange between the means and the aim (= economicult), which diminishes our co-world, as well as our own natural abilities, as pure means for the increase of money. Suchan interchange is neither fair nor without repercussions.
We understand that destroying our living co-world is the consequence of our present way of acting on it and viewing it. It is a culturally developed form of interaction, not a natural one. This insight allows us the understanding that we are the culprits, and also the victims of such a logic. Against all better knowledge, this logic is still defended as having no viable alternative.
Unless that traditional economic view of  nature is modernised, any call for change might be iscredited as a kind of threat to existing industries, economic growth, tax revenue and jobs. Therefore we call for not only a quantitative, but also a qualitative transition in our approach to nature; a paradigm change.

 III.

Many international and national institutions have already implemented strategies for sustainable development and some have even anchored the expression „conservation of nature“ in their constitutions. In the light of this statement, important next steps are to:

• reformulate this as „conservation of nature’s capability to evolve“.
• ensure that direct, immediate, unmediated interaction with our co-world as the basis for all life is made a basic human right.

Ecological sustainable modernisation must be prioritised in all areas of life, in the public and business sector, as well as in the scientific and private sphere:

•  Legislative powers should not regard themselves only as the governor of others‘ behaviour.
• All public actors have the duty to practice sustainability in the pursuit of their own dealings.
• It is not enough to install environment ministries/departments or sustainability advisory   councils. Ecologically sustainable modernisation is a cutting-across sectional task.
• Public buildings, whether federal or local/regional, police stations or judicial institutions, technology centres or universities, schools or nurseries, shall be modernised sustainably.
• Planning authorities have to shift their primary focus away from short-term cost advantages to long-term pay-offs. Higher one-off investments pay for themselves by reducing costs for heat and power in the long run.
• A review of academic courses, for example architecture and engineering, should be initiated in order to establish ecologically sustainable construction and renovation as normal.
• Economic courses have to be modernised with the aim to teach an understanding of nature with self-value and our three-dimensional unmediated reciprocal interaction process with her.
• Sustainability standards should become binding for all public programmes.
• In addition to the statutory duty to submit an annual financial statement, banks and all businesses should be obliged by an EU directive to disclose their interaction with nature in precise physical units, as for example weight, volume etc., via an Integrated Balance Sheet, because our interaction with nature can only be measured by physical units and not in money. As a cultural invention, money has no relevance to nature.

The Integrated Balance Sheet is to be separated into business-, product- and human ecology.      That way, it is possible to state nature’s annual profit through reduced utilization, which can   become an equally important objective to the entrepreneurial pursuit of financial profit.
A key area in terms of transitioning towards a fundamentally fair and cooperative interaction with our co-world is the financial industry:

• Public banks should cease to accept as minimum reserves financial products that are damaging to people or our co-world.
• Central banks should cease to accept as minimum reserves financial products that are damaging to people or our co-world.
• All commercial banks should submit verifiable information on sustainability standards for their own business and the financial products they offer.
• Approval of new financial products should be subject to compliance with Sustainable Development Goals based on the Agenda 2030.
• An independent, publicly inspected rating agency (sustainability „control board“) should be set up for financial products.
• Speculation on foodstuffs should be restricted to genuine hedging transactions for food-producing companies.

Furthermore, we demand that labour and income are decoupled. An unconditional basic income of the same amount for men and women is necessary.  Additionally, „houses of self-work“ need to be established. Not until then we will value our own abilities in the same way as paid dependant labour.  It means progress when everybody can enjoy more freedom and self-determination in their work.
Last but not least, as the US economist Kenneth E. Boulding wrote, „Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything physical, on a physically finite planet, is either mad or an economist.“

IV.

This statement was drafted on 2 May and last amended on 29 May.  It is based on individual, subject-specific statements by environmentally conscious members of the scientific community. The authors of the individual sections are united by a common recognition of the urgent necessity for modernising. Although, agreement with all the demands presented herein is not a prerequisite.
Initial signatories:

• Dr. Irene Schöne, Kiel
• Prof. Dr. Harald Bolsinger, Würzburg (for the section on the financial industry)
• Prof. Dr. Johannes Hoffmann, Kelkheim
• Prof. Dr. Volker Stahlmann, Ottensoos

Additional signatories:

1. Hayder  Abbas Alhawani, Berlin
2. Dr. Constanze Adolf, Brüssel/Belgien
3. Bernd Ahlers, Berlin
4. Helmut Alber, Stuttgart
5. Dipl.-Ing. Arch. Nicole Allé, Berlin
6. Ulrich Amelung, Berlin
7. Thomas Andersen, Berlin
8. Gerd Aschmann, München
9. Dr. Enno Aufderheide, Bonn
10. Prof. Dr. Antonio Autiero, Münster
11. Bettina-Maria Avdulahi, Berlin
12. Prof. Dr. Klaus Bade, Berlin
13. Sibyle Bauriedl, Berlin
14. Dr. Norbert Blüm, Bonn
15. Olga Borobio, Berlin
16. Dr. Mariana Bozesan, München
17. Georg Brakmann, Waiblingen
18. Prof. Dr. Peter Brandt, Hagen
19. Dr. Joachim Braun, Berlin
20. Tilo Braune, Bonn
21. Dr. Christian Breyer, Lappeenranta/Finnland
22. Prof. Dr. Benezet Bujo, Fribourg/Schweiz
23. Rainer Burchardt, Mözen
24. Prof. Dr. Edward O. Wilson, Cambridge/USA
25. Ing. Mag. Paul Chaloupka, Dübendorf/Schweiz
26. Maren Charlet, Kelsterbach
27. Prof. Dr. John D’Arcy May, Melbourne/Australien
28. Jürgen DeGraeve, Manching
29. Thomas Deinlein, Nürnberg
30. Ed, van Hinte Den Haag/Niederlande
31. Rainer Diehl, Worms
32. Günter Dören, Höxter
33. Prof. Dr. Michael Düren, Gießen
34. Alexander Ebel, Berlin
35. Dieter Ernst, Berlin
36. Petra Ernstberger, Hof-Marktredwitz
37. Fahime Farsaie, Köln
38. Jürgen Feist, Beckum
39. Agnes Feist, Beckum
40. Peter Finke, Bielefeld
41. Manuel Flach, Ludwigsburg
42. Claudia Friedrich, Stuttgart
43. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gantke, Frankfurt
44. Roland Geiger, Kiel
45. Dr. Keivandokht Ghahari, Köln
46. Matthias Giegerich, Frankfurt
47. Dr. Henner Gladen, Erlangen
48. Rüdiger Glodde, Berlin
49. Dr. Wolf Grabendorff, Quito/Ecuador
50. Thomas Gschwend, Oberriet/Schweiz
51. Gerhard Guldner, Berlin
52. Dr. Lothar Gündling, Porto/Portugal
53. Prof. Dr. Heinz Häberle, Herrsching
54. Prof. Dr. Andreas Häberle, Rapperswil/Schweiz
55. Rainer Hachfeld, Berlin
56. Ernst Haile, Ingolstadt
57. Beate Hänska, Berlin
58. Franz Hantmann, Münster
59. Dr. Gerd Harms, Potsdam
60. Dr. Jürgen Haselberger, Cuxhaven
61. Martin Heindl, Wasserburg
62. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hempel, Gaggenau
63. Prof. Dr. Bernd Hirschl, Berlin
64. Dr. Winfried Hoffmann, Hanau
65. Maria Hoffmann, Kelkheim
66. Dr. Gerhard Hofmann, Berlin
67. Walter Hofmann, Dachsberg-Wilfingen
68. Hildegard Hofmann, Nürnberg
69. Doris Holler-Bruckner, Orth/Österreich
70. Dieter Holm, Hartbeespoort/Südafrika
71. Norbert Hüttmann, Frankfurt am Main
72. Uwe Hupach, Köln
73. Hartmut Idzko, Berlin
74. Severino Jallas, Bad Neuenahr
75. Frank Jedanowski, Drensteinfurt
76. Dr. Alla Ahmed Juma, Köln
77. Nana Karlstetter, Berlin
78. Josef Kastner, Wien/Österreich
79. Heidrun Kessler, Werther
80. Prof. Dr. Hans Kessler, Werther
81. Dieter Klein, Bad Schwalbach
82. Jutta Kleymann, München
83. Stefan Klinkenberg, Berlin
84. Dr. Erwin Knapek, Oberhaching
85. Lorenz Knauer, München
86. Prof. Dr. Andreas Knie, Berlin
87. Dr. Gerhard Knies, Hamburg
88. Ute Koczy, Lemgo
89. Thorsten Kodalle, Bielefeld
90. Alfons Kuhles, Meiersberg
91. Roger Kutschki, Berlin
92. Ernest Lang, München
93. Eric Langenskiöld, Zürich/Schweiz
94. Sigrid Latka-Jöhring, Bonn
95. Alois Leibrecht, Pflaumdorf
96. Gisela Lerch, Berlin
97. Dipl.Kfm. Fritz Lietsch, München
98. Joachim Lund, Berlin
99. Doto Mann, Willebadessen
100. Eckhard Markmann,
101. Thomas Matussek, Berlin
102. Monika Meerwald, Berlin
103. Ursula Meiß, Herne
104. Dr. Lutz Mez, Berlin
105. Donald Müller-Judex, Inning
106. Veronika Neukum-Hofmann, Berlin
107. Dr. Knut Nevermann, Berlin
108. Ewa Nitsch, München
109. Robert Nünning, Münster
110. Klaus Oberzig, Berlin
111. Andreas Oberdorfer, Oberriexingen
112. Prof. Dr. Haruko Okano, Toko/Japan
113. Hartmut Palmer, Bonn
114. Ewald Pankratz, Waldshut-Tiengen
115. Uta Petersen, Berlin
116. Dmitri Pogorzhelski, Berlin
117. Prof. Dr. Dieter Puchta, Berlin
118. Wilfried Rähse, Hamburg
119. Werner Rehm, Berlin
120. Marcella Rehm, Berlin
121. Hardy Rehmann, Sinzig
122. Prof. Dr. Ortwin Renn, Berlin
123. Christoph Richter, Almeria/Spanien
124. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, Kahl
125. Dr. Klaus Hermann Ringwald, Brunei
126. Klaus Rollenhagen, Berlin
127. Dr. Helmut Röscheisen, Köln
128. Prof. Dr. Michael Rosenberger, Linz/Österreich
129. Ralf Ruszynski, Berlin
130. Franz Schäufele, Lenningen
131. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Scherhorn, Mannheim
132. Prof. Dr. Robert Schlögl, Berlin
133. Brigitta Schmidt, Bad Neuenahr
134. Prof. Dr. Heribert Schmitz, Goldbach
135. Martina Schmöllebeck, Nürnberg
136. Martin Schmuck, Mönchengladbach
137. Prof. Dr. Armin Schneider, Koblenz
138. Sebastian Schönauer, Regensburg
139. Heiner Schröder, Sottrum
140. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder, Kassel
141. Rainer Schubert, Hamburg
142. Dr. Eberhard Schürmann, Hamburg
143. Rosi Schusser, Berlin
144. Manfred Schweda, Casablanca/Marokko
145. Prof. Dr. Franz Segbers, Marburg
146. Dr. Hyunju Shin, Seoul/Südkorea
147. Norbert Spielmann, Kreuzwertheim
148. Tina Stadlmayer, London/Großbritanien
149. Prof. Dr. Franz-Josef Stendebach, Hünfeld
150. Georg Stoll, Aachen
151. Dr. Jean-Marc Suter, Bern/Schweiz
152. Walter Tauber, Grünendeich
153. Michael Thalhammer, Wien/Österreich
154. Wolfgang Thierse, Berlin
155. Lorenz Töpperwien, Köln
156. Heinrich Trosch, Frankfurt
157. Rolf Uhlig, Münster
158.  Umwelt-Akademie e.V.,  München
159. Prof. Dr. Paul Velsinger, Dortmund
160. Marcus Vietzke, Berlin
161. Stefan Vögtli, Lupsingen/Schweiz
162. David Volbracht, Münster
163. Dr. Gerda Vonnahme-Bär, Bad Wünnenberg
164. Monika von Brandt, Mannheim
165. Benjamin Wagner vom Berg, Bremerhaven
166. Dieter Walch, Nieder-Olm
167. Rainer Weghake, Ahlen
168. Dr. Mathias Wehkamp, Varel
169. Wolfgang Weigel, Saarbrücken
170. Matthias Wiegel, Berlin
171. Stephan Wiehler, Berlin
172. Andreas Wischnat, Dubai
173. Peter Wittke, Kösching
174. Gerhard Zander, Nürnberg
175. Christa Ziller, Bonng
176. Dr. Hannes Ziller, Bonn
177. Amelia Zinke, München