Description: From 10 to 14 September 2003, the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiated over a further liberalization of world trade. A lot was at stake there for the environment. It is true that in the current round of negotiations the Doha Declaration has agreed certain points relating to the environment. But this should not conceal the fact that the WTO is still a long way from taking due account of ecological aspects in its policies. The present paper begins by analyzing the discussion on environmental issues within the WTO, which for more than ten years has been conducted mainly in its Committee on Trade and Environment. It is shown that many environmental effects of trade liberalization have not been discussed at all, that conflicts of interest among WTO member-states prevent any deep discussion, and that an ecological reform of the WTO has up to now stood no chance. This analysis then forms the background for a twofold strategy. First, arguments are presented as to why the WTO, given its environmental policy deficits, should afford sufficient scope to institutions actively concerned with environmental policy. The conflictual relationship between Multilateral Environmental Agreements and the WTO is examined at this point. A distinction is drawn between minor and potentially critical conflicts, and it is shown how a limitation of the competence of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body, together with cooperative political-legal processes to resolve conflicts between affected institutions, might offer a solution and lead to greater institutional equity in the global political arena. Second, the paper discusses how ecological aspects might be integrated step by step into the WTO. After a detailed examination of the potential and limits of instruments like impact assessments, it makes a number of recommendations for their further development. Finally, it considers how impact assessments might be integrated into the WTO's institutional structures, so that ecological aspects can be systematically input into policy-making processes and better public participation in WTO policy be ensured. In this connection, the paper discusses both the integration of impact assessments into the WTO's Trade Policy Review Mechanism and the creation of a new Strategic Impact Assessment Body within the WTO.

Description: A vision for the establishment of a Geopark in Jordan is given in this work, with a subsequent application to the UNESCO Global Geopark programme. The Dead Sea area and its surroundings have suffered strong changes in the last decades, accompanied by a variety of natural hazards related to enhanced erosional processes. The aspiring Geopark will thematically encompass the influence that these changes and related natural hazards, including flash floods and subsidence, have had on the local population, from geological, over historical up to recent times. The hydrogeology and geomorphology, i.e., the connection between erosion by water, dissolution of minerals, and landscape evolution, will be the main guiding theme that connects the Eastern Rim Highlands with the Dead Sea rift valley through ephemeral wadis, vegetated springs areas, and traditionally communities. The creation of the Geopark is aimed at holistic, sustainable development and management of the area by eco-tourism, and includes education on water resource management, hazard awareness and resilience, as well as international research. We here present the conceptual approach to the initial development of a Geopark network in Jordan. In a narrative discourse, we highlight realised and further implementation steps, with an evaluation of the expected timeline, potential partner institutions, regional involvement and the chances for realisation.

Description: The project "Plastic Credits - Financing the Transition to the Global Circular Economy" supports the implementation of a waste management structure in India's rural regions. By that it aims to improve the current waste collection and treatment structures in the pilot regions Goa, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Herein, the project focuses on low value plastics (LVP), and especially multi-layer plastics (MLP), that have no market value. In order to analyze the environmental impacts of the project, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted. The considered environmental components comprise: greenhouse gas emissions, usage of primary resources, impacts on marine and terrestrial wildlife, standard of living, and economic costs.

Description: This paper aims to identify and discuss the chances, solutions, and possible drawbacks related to the establishment of safe geotourism sites in subsidence-affected areas, exemplarily applied to the Ghor Al-Haditha sinkhole site at the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea. Such safe areas shall be established in the territory of the proposed future UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) in Jordan. The highlights of the geopark and the basis of its creation are the subsidence features and stream channels found along the SE shoreline of the Dead Sea, which form both a natural hazard and geological heritage of high international significance and have attracted many researchers so far. This recent and ongoing formation is related to the sharp regression of the lake, the specific geomechanical conditions, and the hydrogeologic and climatic background of the surroundings. Nearby communities have suffered in economic terms from these natural phenomena, including flash floods and droughts in this semi-arid to arid region. We here present a concept on how to integrate geoscientific research for hazard monitoring and early warning to maintain safety for inhabitants and visitors on the one hand and reach sustainable economic development through the establishment of geotourism sites on the other hand. This highlight area of the proposed UGGp serves as a starting example for delineating safe zones for walkways and infrastructure. This involves two-way knowledge transfer between spatial planning and hydrogeophysical monitoring, a network of community-supported geophysical surveillance, and regular maintenance and adaptation. The cross-cutting benefits for the territory involve the delineation of safe areas for agriculture and geotourism, the increase of sustainable tourism in the region with a shift towards alternative ways of income, more investment in infrastructure, a growth of international visibility of the region, enhanced environmental education with focus on responsible water usage, and involvement in international research and education projects.

Description: A policy framework for sustainable resource management (SRM) is required both to guarantee the materials and energy supply of the EU economy and safeguard the natural resource basis in the future. Goals and strategies for sustaining the metabolism of the economy are described. Data are presented on the material throughput and physical growth of the EU's economy, on total material requirements (TMR), its composition, the decoupling from economic growth, and the increased shift to other regions. A first future target Material Flow Balance (t- MFB) of the EU is outlined. Detailed data reveal the "top ten" resource flows. Policy design for SRM should aim at an integrated and balanced approach along the material flow, comprising resource extraction, the product cycle and final waste disposal. Strategies and potential instruments to manage fossil fuels, metals and industrial minerals, construction minerals and excavation are discussed. Possible priorities and examples are given for target setting, focusing on limited expansion of built-up area, reduced use of non-renewables, increased resource productivity, and shift to sustainable cultivation of biomass.

Description: Vom 10. bis zum 14. September diesen Jahres verhandelt die Ministerkonferenz der Welthandelsorganisation (WTO) über eine weitere Liberalisierung des Welthandels. Dabei steht für die Umwelt eine Menge auf dem Spiel. Zwar wurden mit der Doha Deklaration in der gegenwärtigen Verhandlungsrunde einige Verhandlungen mit Umweltbezug vereinbart. Dies täuscht aber darüber hinweg, dass die WTO noch weit entfernt davon ist, ökologische Aspekte in ihrer Politik angemessen zu berücksichtigen. Vorliegendes Papier analysiert zunächst die Diskussion über Umweltthemen in der WTO, welche seit über zehn Jahren vor allem im Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) der WTO geführt wird. Die Analyse zeigt auf, dass zahlreiche Umwelteffekte von Handelsliberalisierungen gar nicht diskutiert wurden, Interessengegensätze zwischen Mitgliedsstaaten der WTO eine tief gehende Diskussion vereiteln und Ansätze einer ökologischen Reform der WTO bislang keine Chance hatten. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Analyse wird sodann eine doppelte Strategie entwickelt. Erstens wird dargelegt, warum die WTO aufgrund ihrer umweltpolitischen Defizite denjenigen Institutionen ihren Handlungsspielraum lassen sollte, die sich aktiv mit Umweltpolitik beschäftigen. Hierzu wird das Konfliktverhältnis multilateraler Umweltabkommen und der WTO untersucht. Zunächst erfolgt eine Klassifizierung in unbedenkliche und potentiell kritische Konfliktfälle. Dann wird aufgezeigt, wie einerseits eine Begrenzung der Zuständigkeiten des Streitschlichtungsorgans der WTO sowie andererseits kooperative, politisch-rechtliche Prozesse zur Lösung der Konflikte zwischen den betroffenen Institutionen eine Lösung bieten und zu einer größeren institutionellen Gleichheit in der globalen politischen Arena führen könnten. Zweitens wird erörtert, wie ökologische Aspekte Schritt für Schritt in die WTO integriert werden könnten. Hierzu werden Instrumente der strategischen Folgenabschätzung untersucht. Nach einer eingehenden Analyse der Potenziale und Grenzen von strategischen Folgenabschätzungen werden Empfehlungen zu ihrer Weiterentwicklung formuliert. Anschließend werden Möglichkeiten dargestellt, wie strategische Folgenabschätzung in die institutionellen Strukturen der WTO integriert werden könnten, um ökologische Aspekte systematisch in die politischen Entscheidungsprozesse einfließen zu lassen und eine verbesserte Partizipation der Öffentlichkeit an der Politik der WTO zu gewährleisten. Dabei wird einerseits eine Integration strategischer Folgenabschätzungen in den Trade Policy Review Mechanism der WTO und andererseits die Einrichtung eines neuen Strategic Impact Assessment Body innerhalb der WTO diskutiert.

Description: In diesem Wuppertal Paper unternehmen Claudia von Braunmühl und Uta von Winterfeld eine begriffliche Erkundung im Spannungsfeld von Nachhaltigkeit, Globalisierung und Demokratie. Sie beziehen sich vorrangig auf die Arbeiten der Enquete-Kommission des Deutschen Bundestages "Globalisierung der Weltwirtschaft" (2002) und stellen das dort verhandelte Konzept von Global Governance vor sowie seine demokratietheoretische Schwächen. Des weiteren geht es um zwei Denkrichtungen, die den Autorinnen geeignet erscheinen, der politischen Dimension und Problematik von Globalisierungsprozessen gerecht zu werden. In einem Abschnitt über "Nachhaltiges Regieren?" skizzieren sie, entlang welcher Rationalitätsmuster die Demokratiedefizite in Verbindung mit Globalisierung und Nachhaltigkeit verlaufen und verknüpfen diese Überlegungen mit der Debatte, die derzeit zum Themenkomplex "globale öffentliche Güter" geführt wird.

Description: Shallow, semi-enclosed coastal systems are particularly prone to eutrophication. Depending on local site conditions and historical nutrient legacies, sea-based measures might be necessary in addition to land-based nutrient removal. In this study, C:N:P ratios were combined with open-source bathymetric information and linked with the prevailing geomorphological and sedimentological regimes to gain insights into nutrient hotspots and understand their sources and fate in coastal waters. Land-based sediment samples were taken behind outlets at three sites in Eckernförde Bay (Baltic Sea), and complemented with ship-based sampling at locations approximately 8 m and 12 m water depth. The total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in surface sediments increased at deeper sites. This suggests that an increased downslope particle transport and deposition regime, based on local geomorphology, might influence nutrient hotspots to a larger extent than proximity to sources (e.g., outlets). Overall, the recorded C:N ratios (mean = 28.12) were closer to the ratio of terrestrial plants than those of marine phytoplankton, indicating allochthonous sources of organic matter.

Description: Transnational corporations' (TNCs) economic operations cover numerous countries and can be diverted between several continents. These units have reached a level of significance, having not only economic, but also social and environmental implications. This justifies that they shall be treated separately as a social phenomenon, when considering strategies for the development towards sustainability. This paper presents the concept of Responsible Corporate Governance (RCG), as a strategy to "govern" TNCs. RCG is suggested as a stakeholder based policy instrument, which aims at allocating responsibilities to societal actors aiming at corporate accountability. RCG recognises that the process of societal change is strongly based on what can be called as bottom up-processes. Learning processes take place through the interaction of the different societal members, which eventually leads to macro changes. Therefore, governing TNCs towards sustainability improvements is considered to be a collective process including all stakeholders. Firstly, the paper places the concept of RCG in the ongoing debate of political modernization based on the fact that society develops overtime and the political system must correspondingly modernize. In this context, political overload developed as a consequence of increased resource interdependencies is explained and as a resolution, network approach is discussed. Secondly, demands on the orientation of the TNCs in terms of accountability and innovative action are brought forward. Here, the paper also lists down corporate elements (stakeholder empowered corporate governance, management and performance evaluation systems, transparency enhancement and accountability verification), which need to be in place to attain an accountable orientation in the society. Following, using an analytical framework, the orientation and capabilities of each societal actor (environmental non-governmental organisations, financial institutions, intergovernmental organisations) to affect improvements in the corporate responsibility elements are investigated and recommendations for their effective orientation are listed.