13.04.2005
Newsletter 02/05
N E W S L E T T E R - 02/05
Dear reader,
People working in mines, in waterworks or in aircraft cabins have more in common than they might think – they are exposed to considerable levels of natural radiation. This has become an occupational safety issue with the amendment to the German Radiation Protection Ordinance that is making itself felt in the private and public sector alike. Both private and public employers must implement the Ordinance in their operations. This is presenting them with entirely unaccustomed issues causing considerable difficulty in some cases. This issue of our newsletter gives you the details. You can also learn about the specific risks presented by the use of transgenic fish, and why cultivating transgenic crops can be even riskier in developing countries than it is in industrialized ones. Furthermore, we proudly announce EcoTopTen, a flagship campaign for sustainable consumption and product innovations in mass markets. Informative reading!
Yours Katja Kukatz, 13 April 2005
CONTENT
F O C A L T H E M E S
- Better protection against natural radiation
- Temelin interim storage facility
- Genetic engineering in the fish economy
- Genetic engineering in developing countries
- EcoTopTen – For intelligent consumption patterns
- Vacation without own car – No loss of convenience
N E W S F L A S H
- Sustainable mobility begins in the mind
- Access to Justice in Environmental Matters and the Role of NGOs
I N T E R N A L
E V E N T S
N E W S L E T T E R A R C H I V E
C O N T A C T
Better protection against natural radiation
New requirements through amended German Radiation Protection Ordinance / Öko-Institut advises public authorities
and private sector
The average
annual effective dose of natural radiation that people in Germany are exposed to is 2.1 millisieverts. It largely
occurs through the decay of natural radionuclides in the earth, in rocks, and in the atmosphere. People are
exposed to such naturally occurring radioactive substances or their decay products in rooms, through cosmic
radiation during air travel, in mining, or in waterworks, for example. They are also absorbed through food,
drinking water, or inhaled air. In 2001, the German Radiation Protection Ordinance (Strahlenschutzverordnung,
StrlSchV) was amended in order to improve protection against natural workplace radioactivity and radioactive
wastes. Companies and public authorities that handle naturally occurring radioactive material have since been
facing new requirements. The Öko-Institut is providing consultancy.
Even before the Ordinance was amended, the Öko-Institut dealt with the problems caused by natural radiation.
Since the new regulatory position, scientists see a special challenge in supporting public officials and
enterprises with putting the new regulations into practice, because many problems arise. The Ordinance leaves
much room for interpretation, and at the same time the requirements are very challenging. “We are entering
new territory,” says Christian Küppers, radiation protection expert with the Nuclear Engineering &
Plant Safety Division at the Öko-Institut, “When interpreting the new regulations, public officials and
employers often have no experience whatsoever to fall back on. In some cases, people have to measure or calculate
radiation exposure levels where there was no precedent.”
Private sector
According to the new Ordinance, enterprises must have their employees’ radiation exposure monitored if they
handle radioactive material and if the danger of exceeding a certain threshold value exists. So how can companies
monitor radiation exposure in practice? And how can they minimize radiation exposure as is now required by the
legislature? These are just some of the new problems.
There are also new waste management questions. Many operating processes produce radioactive material as a
by-product. Uranium and its decay products are released, for example, during the extraction of copper from ore.
After processing, radioactivity is actually higher than in the original material. Where should one put these
residues? The natural gas and petroleum industries also have a similar problem. During conveyance, radioactive
material gets deposited on the walls of pipelines. Where does one put the pipelines when these need to be
replaced? The list of operations that accrue radioactive material is long. Even small and medium-sized
enterprises can be affected. Until now, most of these residues, like those that are non-radioactive, were allowed
to be disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills or utilized in road construction.
According to the new Ordinance, this can continue to be allowed with higher-level residues only if the competent
authorities decide that the residue does not require special controls. In contrast, if it requires special
controls, often the only remaining option is expensive disposal for example in hazardous waste landfills or
underground repositories. But even the disposal of residues not requiring any special controls has become more
difficult. Landfill operators fear residents’ protests. And it does not pay to take on this protest in view
of the comparatively small quantity of radioactive residues that have to be disposed of. For enterprises, this
means that in order to remain competitive, they must find a disposal method that is as economically feasible as
possible while at the same time being politically viable. Above all, they must find a disposer who accepts
radioactive material.
Public authorities
The new legislation also requires the regional state (Land) authorities to adjust to new requirements since they
must oversee that employers implement radiation protection. To merely determine which enterprises are even
affected by the new Ordinance is difficult. Public Officials must furthermore present standardized requirements
to enterprises as to how these are to protect their employees. Even the legal classification and the radiological
assessment of residues that are to be disposed of can be a problem since it is not always definitely possible to
classify pursuant to the Ordinance the diverse materials that may arise, characterize them and furnish evidence
that they present no radiological concern.
With many questions, the Öko-Institut can give expert advice to companies and authorities. The scientists
- give support to radiological and legal classification of the relevant radioactive material
- help to identify radioactive residues and to inventory their quantity nationwide
- create plans with which the radiation exposure in enterprises can be monitored
- review applications made by waste generators
- develop and evaluate disposal options
- assign the radioactive residues to their waste classification
- develop catalogues of required actions in order to reduce acceptance problems among the population
In the meantime, the German legislature also plans to improve protection against the natural radionuclide radon
and its decay products in living spaces. Radon-222 is a noble gas that escapes from the earth. It has short-lived
decay products that are not gaseous. Attached to suspended airborne particulates, they can be inhaled and collect
in the lungs. The legislature would like to introduce a threshold value of 100 Becquerels per cubic metre for
new-builds. The reason: studies show that the risk of dying of lung cancer increases significantly already at 140
Becquerels per cubic metre of Radon-222. kk
Contact:
Christian Küppers
Simone Mohr
Öko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt Office
Nuclear Engineering & Plant Safety Division
[back to the index]
Temelin interim storage facility
Öko-Institut contributes to review of Czech environmental impact assessment on behalf of German Federal Office
for Radiation Protection
The Temelin nuclear power plant started operation in autumn 2000. It is not far from the German-Czech border. Its
operator, CEZ AG, is now planning an interim storage facility for spent fuel elements at the same site. The
environmental impacts of this project had to be assessed under Czech law. What is special here is that the
procedure has followed a transboundary approach. Acting on behalf of the German Federal Office for Radiation
Protection (BfS), the Öko-Institut has reviewed the documentation provided by the operator. This review produced
two main findings. First, the operator has not taken several conceivable incidents into account, which, if no
precautionary action is taken, could generate environmental impacts on the German side of the border. Second, the
standards set for the storage containers conform essentially with international standards and assessment
criteria. There are disparities in some points, however.
In October 2004, BfS published the CEZ documentation in Germany. As is common practice in such procedures, all
affected parties were to have an opportunity to express their concerns. BfS drew up an official opinion on behalf
of the German federal government. Prior to producing its opinion, BfS commissioned the Öko-Institut to review the
documentation according to the following aspects: Have conceivable transboundary environmental impacts been
examined sufficiently? Are there indications that the precautionary action taken against relevant transboundary
environmental impacts is insufficient? Which questions are yet unresolved and should be included in the opinion
submitted by BfS to the Czech environment ministry? The review focussed exclusively on environmental issues.
Safety engineering issues were not examined because the safety analysis of the Temelin interim storage facility
was not available.
Construction work on the planned interim storage facility is to begin in 2010. The storage facility is designed
for a 60-year service life. It is located about 55 kilometres from the German-Czech border and will hold 1370
tonnes of uranium in spent fuel elements. This corresponds to the quantity that will arise over a period of 30
years through the operation of the two units of the nuclear power plant. The fuel elements shall be stored in
containers in a hall. This technology is comparable to that used in German on-site interim storage
facilities.
Thanks to the distance to the German-Czech border, the Institute’s scientists do not expect any
environmental impacts on the German side during normal operations. Such impacts would only arise if larger
quantities of radioactive substances were released from the containers due to an extraordinary event. The
scientists therefore checked whether potential environmental impacts on the German side that could arise from
extraordinary events had been analysed in a reproducible manner. The experts examined in particular detail
relevant potential incidents such as the dropping of a container during transport, or fire in the building. They
found that the operator has not yet considered three possible events:
- A container drops when being unloaded in the receiving area of the interim storage facility.
- When in the interim storage facility, the maximum conceivable weight drops onto the container, for instance a roof girder of the building.
- The impacts of an earthquake upon stability and secure closure of the containers. The scientists recommend that the consequences of these events be analysed in the further course of the procedure, and that appropriate precautionary action be taken.
The documentation provided by CEZ also considers the consequences of an intentional crash of a wide-body
aircraft. However, the comparison made with German analyses of this event scenario is not considered sufficient.
Proof of whether the interim storage facility is safe enough in such a case should be furnished on the basis of
specific parameters for the planned interim storage facility in Temelin.
The information provided on the storage containers also gave cause for criticism. According to the operator, the
containers conform with international safety standards in all respects. The scientists found, however, that
several aspects have not been taken sufficiently into account. These concern, for instance, the definition of a
limiting leakage rate, and the information provided on compliance with residual moisture levels within
containers. Moreover, the containers are to be stored for 60 years; this is 20 years longer than the storage
period approved for German on-site interim storage facilities. This aspect needs to be taken into account in the
safety analysis, which has not yet been presented. ms/kk
The opinion delivered by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection which builds upon the study prepared
by the Öko-Institut, is available here.
Contact:
Mathias Sering
Öko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt Office
Nuclear Engineering & Plant Safety Division
[back to the index]
Genetic engineering in the fish economy
Urgently needed risk study disregarded due to economical reasons
Worldwide
fish production is in a crisis. The world’s oceans have been overfished, and catch quotas are stagnating,
but the demand for fish is still growing. Genetic engineering shall become a priority from this crisis so as to
increase production. Because it is much easier to genetically modify fish than cattle, pigs or sheep, the
marketing of transgenic fish is imminent in Chile, the USA and Canada. However serious consequences for the
maritime ecosystems may not be ruled out and transgenic fish partly exhibit considerable abnormalities. What kind
of risks does genetic engineering of fish include? How can they be reduced and in what field is further research
urgently needed? These are the central questions that a survey of the Öko-Institut, on behalf of the German
Federal Agency for Nature Conservation deals with.
Fish are genetically modified in order to grow faster, obtain a higher body weight or achieve a better feed
conversion rate. Fish shall possess a better tolerance against frost or specific pollutants and be armed against
diseases and parasites. Up to now 35 fish species have been genetically modified. The argument of those
supporting genetic engineering is that many of the above mentioned aims shall be achieved faster than with
conventional breeding methods. For genetic engineering, genes from other species are inserted into the genome of
the fish. Generally genes of other fish species are used, but also rat genes or human genes for example can also
be used. “The methods used for the creation of transgenic fish are not yet completely technically
mature.” criticizes Dr. Jennifer Teufel, genetic engineering expert at the Biodiversity, Nutrition and
Agriculture division at the Öko-Institut. She goes on to say “And even if the breeding targets can be
reached, so far there is no guarantee for a long term expression of a specific characteristic.”
Genetically modified fish sometimes show serious adverse effects: extreme deformation of the head and body,
tumours, altered pigmentation, malformation of the fins and vertebra, abnormal gill growth, missing segments of
the body and atrophied neck and caudal part. Genetic modifications are not only questionable under aspects of
animal welfare but also pose great environmental risks. Central questions include: What happens if genes foreign
to the species reach wild populations? What are the consequences if transgenic fish have a higher competition
ability and fitness than their non-transgenic conspecifics? Which factors determine how transgenic fish effect
the composition of natural populations? “So far these questions are not studied systematically. As long as
we do not know the answers to these questions”, according to the opinion of Jennifer Teufel “the use
of transgenic fish is disproportionate to the possible risks.”
Up to now fish in aquaculture are usually raised in net cages on coastal waters with direct or indirect access to
the sea. However, each year hundreds of thousands of these fish escape from their facility. For example in the
catches of wild pacific salmon an increasing number of Atlantic salmon originating from aquaculture sites are
found. Even in Alaska where no aquaculture of Atlantic salmon exists, the species may be found in catches of wild
fish.
If transgenic fish pair with non-transgenic conspecifics, this may have adverse effects on entire ecosystems. Two
examples: If frost-tolerant transgenic fish immigrate into new climatic regions, they may possibly replace native
species. If – as has already been observed – certain transgenic fish lines are hungrier than their
wild populations, it may possibly have unforeseeable consequences on populations of their prey and the entire
food chain.
Even supporters of genetic engineering do not deny the risks that include the use of transgenic fish, but by
concentrating mainly on the development of escape-proof aquaculture systems and the breeding of sterile
populations, they disregard the urgently needed systematic research on risks that the Öko-Institut calls for.
A case by case and species-specific research on risks is needed in the field of:
- Animal physiology: Which effect do genetic modifications have on physiological functions of the fishes, for example: on the swimming ability or the consumption of oxygen during rest or in movement?
- Ecology of behaviour: Which effects have changed edacious behaviour, an already observed cannibalism or an increased risk disposition on wild populations and the environment?
- Food safety: What could be the physiological consequences of the consumption of fish with an altered nutrient composition,? For example: with less fish oil due to the insertion of genes for growth hormones?
- Circulation of nutrients: What effect has an altered composition of fish excrements on the decomposition process of nutrients? This observed phenomenon has not yet been studied systematically.
The current state of research and technology leaves many critical questions concerning the utilization of
transgenic animals unanswered. Therefore, the commercial utilization has to be refused and aquaculture of
transgenic fish must presently be limited to escape-proof land-based facilities. Furthermore it has to be
questioned whether genetic modifications of animals on economic grounds are ethically justifiable.
The study “Update of the standard of knowledge concerning transgenic aquatic organisms” will be
published shortly by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Further information about the topic can
be obtained from the Genetic Engineering Newsletter - Special Issue 13 “Transgenic livestock”. kk
Contact:
Dr. Jennifer Teufel
Öko-Institut e.V., Freiburg office
Biodiversity, Nutrition and Agriculture Division
[back to the index]
Genetic engineering in developing countries
Cultivation of transgenic crops poses even greater risks in developing countries
Agriculture in developing countries has to cope with numerous problems: Low yields, no yield security, unfertile
soils, pesticides that threaten human health or the environment and malnutrition. Supporters of genetic
engineering argue that the cultivation of transgenic crops could solve many of these problems. Up to now there is
no proof for their theory. Generally the cultivation of transgenic crops includes many ecological and health
risks. Some of these problems are even more severe in developing countries. On behalf of the "Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit“ (GTZ)“ the Öko-Institut has compiled these risks. The
background study is part of the status report “Gene technology in the agriculture of developing
countries”. The report of the GTZ combines eight studies from different experts.
Cultivation of transgenic crops poses ecological risks, for example by “outcrossing”. This is the
transmission of transgenes into other cultivars, wild populations of the same species or populations of closely
related species. Consequences, amongst others, may include:
- reduced biodiversity
- less plant resources for further crop breeding
- resistance of problematic weeds against herbicides
- constriction or prevention of non-gmo and ecological agriculture
So far there doesn’t exist any reliable, universal methods in order to prevent outcrossing. Depending on
the crop species the risk of outcrossing may at best be reduced. Scientists have proven pollen even in the air
masses in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Depending on the species, successful fertilization occurs partly in
distances of more than 20 kilometres,.
Transgenic plants partly show new metabolites. Interactions between plants and their environments are generally
very intense but have been little studied in developing countries so far. New metabolites and an altered
composition of the substances of content may lead to unwanted changes in these ecosystems.
Presently, if and in what way transgenic plants may have adverse effects on human health is studied very poorly
or sometimes not at all. The necessary proof of food safety for approval by the European Food Safety Authority is
generally not very substantiated. Risk assessment is partly based on assumptions and theoretical comparisons and
not on scientific studies. At the same time it cannot be ruled out that the consumption of genetically modified
food or feed may have an effect on the microorganisms in the intestinal tract of animals or man. Theoretically
microorganisms resistant to antibiotics may develop. Desired or unwanted metabolites of transgenic plants could
be toxic for man or cause allergies.
“These problems are aggravated for bio-geographical and cultural reasons in developing countries due to the
scarcity of facts and insufficient risk studies” reasons Ruth Brauner, head of the Biodiversity, Nutrition
and Agriculture Division at the Öko-Institut.
Developing countries are the centres of origin for many crop species as in the case of Central America for corn,
South America for the potato or South-Eastern Asia for soy. In those regions a high diversity of different
cultivars of these crops exists. This diversity is the basis for further breeding activities of crops. The
diversity of cultivars assures that crops will still be able to survive and adapt in future times, even under
more difficult climatic conditions or in the case of a changed pressure of pests or diseases. Outcrossing of
transgenic plants may threaten this diversity. Because agrarian ecosystems are poorly studied in developing
countries ecological effects are difficult to estimate. At the same time the risk of outcrossing is even higher
in these countries due to two reasons:
- Agriculture in developing countries is generally structured significantly more small-sized than in industrialized countries.
- Agricultural methods are traditionally varying from those of industrialized countries. The practice of farm-saved seeds is common and seeds are newly sown in the next season; therefore, the risk of a continuous contamination of seed in the case of outcrossing of transgenes is higher.
Health risks are also not sufficiently studied. It is very unlikely that the requirements for applications for
approval of transgenic crops will be higher in developing countries than in the EU. Whether transgenic crops pose
a risk for human health or not, will therefore only be known in the long run should a health incident arise from
the consumption of food which was originated from commercial cultivation.
The background study “Risks of the use of gene technology in agriculture” can be read in
German here. The status report “Gene technology in the agriculture of developing countries”
combines the results of eight background studies regarding the most important aspects of the theme. This includes
the public discussion about genetic engineering, chances and risks and concepts to deal with them, coexistence,
agrarian trade, and agrarian research. The German brochure can be ordered from the Deutschen Gesellschaft für
Technische Zusammenarbeit, Abteilung 45 Agrarwirtschaft, Fischerei und Ernährung, Postfach 5180, 65726 Eschborn,
marlis.lindecke@gtz.de. The complete studies are enclosed to the
brochure. Soon they are also available on the internet at www2.gtz.de/biotech/dokument.htm.
kk
Contact for the background study 3:
Ruth Brauner
Öko-Institut e.V., Freiburg office
Coordinator of the division biodiversity, nutrition & agriculture
[back to the index]
EcoTopTen – For intelligent consumption patterns
All-round quality products for consumers, innovation goals for companies
Aware and
sustainable shopping has just got that much easier. Starting in March this year, the EcoTopTen campaign is
providing German consumers with comprehensive overviews of those products that are recommendable in every
respect. Such products not only have low environmental impact, but also meet customers’ quality
expectations and are affordable. The first product overviews are now available online at www.ecotopten.de. These cover cars in various classes,
car-sharing services, gas-fired condensing boilers and wood-pellet-fired heating systems, “virtual”
answering machines, and washing machines. Further overviews on small cars, laundry driers and electricity
providers will follow by May. A series of 15 more product recommendations will be published at regular intervals
until mid-2006. EcoTopTen is a flagship campaign for sustainable consumption and product innovations, initiated
by the Öko-Institut.
Consumer campaign
The market overviews shall put consumers in a position to take quick decisions for sustainable products. For
“consumers are not willing to wade through consumer advice manuals”, stresses project leader Kathrin
Graulich at the Institute. EcoTopTen gives consumers targeted information on all-round quality products, and on
their prices and follow-on costs, such as for electricity or water. The campaign also provides tips on how to use
these products in a way that saves money and is environmentally benign. “We deliver product overviews in
the ten key areas of everyday life and save buyers the research effort” says Dr. Rainer Griesshammer,
deputy director of the Institute and EcoTopTen initiator. The ten product fields are: Building & housing;
Mobility; Eating & drinking; Refrigerating, cooking, dishwashing; Clothing; Laundry washing & drying;
Information & communication; TV & Co.; Electricity; Investment. Taken together, the products in these
fields currently generate 64 percent of Germany’s total carbon dioxide emissions and 58 percent of its
energy consumption, and account for about two-thirds of all consumer expenditure.
What is new about EcoTopTen?
The EcoTopTen product ratings give equal weight to the criteria of low
environmental impact and annual overall cost, while at the same time taking high quality into account –
this is an entirely novel approach. “The EcoTopTen criteria are based upon existing criteria to the extent
possible, such as those of ecolabel schemes” explains Griesshammer, “EcoTopTen is thus not a new
label.” There are minimum environmental criteria that must be met for products to get an EcoTopTen listing,
but there are also price ceilings that must not be exceeded. This is why, in the ‘Laundry washing &
drying’ product field, for instance, not a single washing machine gained an EcoTopTen listing. Where data
availability permits, EcoTopTen also provides information on social criteria and quality tests.
Cars – Piloting the field
Working together with VCD (Verkehrsclub Deutschland, the German eco-mobility club), the Institute has analysed
compact cars, family cars and mini-vans. The results show that there are already many reasonably priced cars with
good environmental performance. EcoTopTen lists ten family cars – led by the Skoda Fabia 1.4 Combi –
and seven compact cars, led by a substantial margin by the Audi A2. In the mini-van group, however, only the
natural gas-fuelled Opel Zafira meets EcoTopTen criteria. Read about further results in German at www.ecotopten.de.
Research and innovation project
The analysis conducted for cars has revealed that many products on the market meet the EcoTopTen criteria. In
other product fields, however, this is not yet the case. Bicycles are an example. In response, Öko-Institut,
working together with ISOE, the Institute for Social-Ecological Research, is defining innovation goals from the
consumer perspective and is communicating these to interested companies. For example, Öko-Institut is fostering
the development of safe and low-maintenance everyday bicycles whose lights and brakes work in every weather and
without continual repairs.
The EcoTopTen initiative is supported by the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, the
Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Legacy for the Future Foundation. The www.ecotopten.de campaign website provides
full information on EcoTopTen. EcoTopTen involves media activities with celebrities, environmental and consumer
associations, schools and local authorities. These activities include competitions, film spots, information
booths at trade fairs and more. The monthly “natur & kosmos” magazine is the campaign’s
media partner. Information in English is available here. kk
Contact:
Kathrin Graulich
Öko-Institut e.V., Freiburg Office
Sustainable Products & Material Flows Division
[back to the index]
Vacation without own car – No loss of convenience
Obtaining information about free public transit / New project educates tourism operators
People who now
take a vacation in the Black Forest can enjoy a new special service. Currently there are around 50 tourist
locations that offer the KONUS guest card. With this card, overnight guests are allowed to use the local public
transit system free of charge. This program is financed through a 21 cent per night increase in the visitor tax.
But how does a tourist get information about bus routes, timetables, car sharing, or information about how to get
to suggested hiking routes with public transit? How can one convince tourists before they leave home that a
vacation without their own car doesn’t lessen their mobility? The new service must be adequately
communicated. This is exactly the goal of a new project that is part of the EU INTERREG-III-B Project
“Alpine Awareness- Transalpine Awareness Raising for Sustainable Mobility”, in which the Öko-Institut
is a project partner.
KONUS stands for “Kostenlose Nutzung des Öffentlichen Personennahverkehrs für Schwarzwaldurlauber”
which means „free use of the public transit system for Blackforest Tourists“. Since the beginning of
this year, with the KONUS card, tourist can use regional buses and trains from the Ortenau to the Swiss border in
the south, free of charge. Initially, after a two year test period, the KONUS guest card could become a
successful model for Black Forest tourism. But a prerequisite is that tourist operators are adequately informed
about the new service.
As part of the EU Project “Alpine Awareness”, therefore the Öko-Institut is developing, together with
the TU Munich, educational concepts for hotel owners and employees, as well as for people working in the tourist
information sector. They should find out the needs of tourist travelling without a car, or tourists who would
like to do without their car once arriving at their destination. Tourist operators should also learn to provide
extensive information to vacationers about the offers of the local public transit companies. In the best case,
these tourism professionals will become perfect “transit consultants” for Black Forest vacationers.
These education concepts will be tested by tourism institutions and trainers who are responsible for educating
tourism employees. Afterwards, the educational concepts from the Black Forest will be tested in the tourist areas
of other European partners of “Alpine Awareness”.
Another component of the project especially engages young vacationers. A new brochure will inform them how to
arrive at their vacation destination using public transportation or by bike. An intended side-effect is that
parents, travelling with these young vacationers, will be convinced to also use the KONUS card, rather than their
own car, for purposes of excursions to vacation destinations.
The “Alpine Awareness” project includes partners form Italy, Austria, France, and Germany. The lead
partner is the Province Belluno in north Italy. wl
Contact:
Willi Loose
Öko-Institut e.V., Freiburg Office
Transportation Activity Area
[back to the index]
Sustainable mobility begins in the mind
Mobility is a cultural question – what shapes it? / New research project
In Freiburg the cityscape cannot be imagined without them; in contrast, bicycle riders lead a shadowy existence
in Frankfurt – two cities, two mobility cultures. How did these differences arise? An interdisciplinary
research team under contract with the German Transport Ministry is now pursuing this question. The researchers
are examining which factors influence so-called ‘mobility culture’ in role model cities with
sustainable transport system development. From that they want to derive a policy that will be an exemplary
influence on the mobility culture of a German city. The project is headed by the Institute for Social-Ecological
Research, Frankfurt, working together with the StetePlanung transportation consultancy, Darmstadt, the Script
Corporate + Public Communication agency, and the Öko-Institut.
The working hypothesis is that the mobility culture of a city is shaped by both ‘hard’ and
‘soft’ factors. The attitudes, behaviour, and manners of the traffic participants play a large role
in it. They are closely coupled to city milieus and lifestyles and in this sense are ‘mobility’
styles. Naturally, city transport planning has an influence. It manifests itself substantially in the traffic
infrastructure that has been built. The underlying concepts and general principles, political decisions,
compromises, and announcements also have a say in the mobility culture. Mobility culture is furthermore shaped by
official and unofficial city discourses. This is a matter not only of mobility and traffic, conservation and
sustainability, but also economic growth and jobs, equal opportunities for women, men, children, the elderly, the
young. Finally, a particular mobility culture is also an expression of the historical process of growth of a city
region. This is associated with symbols, visions, and images of a city. The mobility culture of a banking city
such as Frankfurt cannot be the same as that of old university cities such as Freiburg or Tübingen.
On the basis of this working hypothesis, the research team is initially analysing the mobility culture in several
model cities that have sustainable transport system development, among them Freiburg, Salzburg, Zürich, and
Bolzano. The researchers are involving in the project numerous professional city mobility and public opinion
shapers who have presumably exercised a formative influence on the mobility culture of the model cities. A design
concept for a concrete city – Frankfurt am Main – will be developed from that. The results shall have
model character and be applicable to other regions and cities in German-speaking regions. wl
Contact:
Willi Loose
Öko-Institut e.V., Freiburg Office
Transportation Activity Area
[back to the index]
Access to Justice in Environmental Matters and the Role of NGOs
Empirical findings and legal appraisal / New book based on study by Öko-Institut and CEDRE
In order to provide input on the preparation of a proposal for a Directive, the European Commission commissioned
in 2002 a study on Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The study was performed by the Öko-Institut and
the Centre d’Etude du Droit de l’Environnment CEDRE. Now the authors, Nicolas de Sadeleer, Gerhard
Roller and Miriam Dross, have published the results in a new book. This aims to assess recent developments and
the current situation concerning NGO access to justice in environmental matters in a range of member states, and
in particular to obtain empirical data on the number of cases brought by environmental associations.
Miriam Dross is staff lawyer at the Environmental Law Division of the Öko-Institut, Berlin office. Her main
fields of expertise are international and European law. Nicolas de Sadeleer is Marie Curie Chair holder at the
University of Oslo where he is in charge of an EU sponsored research programme. He is also professor of
environmental law at the Facultés universitaires Saint-Louis and at the Institut d’études européennes de
l’Université catholique de Louvain and post doctoral research fellow at the Faculty of Law of the Vrijie
Universiteit Brussels. Gerhard Roller is professor of law at Bingen University for applied sciences and Director
of the Institute for Environmental Studies and Applied Research.
Access to Justice in Environmental Matters and the Role of NGOs, Empirical Findings and Legal Appraisal. Nicolas
de Sadeleer, Gerhard Roller & Miriam Dross. February 2005, 228 p. Published at Europa Law Publishing. The
Avosetta Series (6). ISBN 9076871280. 62 Euro. Further details on www.europalawpublishing.com/avosetta/avosetta_6.htm. Order at Jacqueline Lensink, PO Box 6047, 9702
HA Groningen, The Netherlands, T +31 50 526 3844, F +31 50 526 3867, info@europalawpublishing.com.
Contact:
Miriam Dross
Öko-Institut e.V., Berlin Office
Environmental Law Division
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Michael Sailer newly appointed to Euratom Scientific and Technical Committee
The European Commission’s advisory body for nuclear issues
Michael Sailer, nuclear expert at the Öko-Institut, has been appointed to the Euratom Scientific and Technical
Committee, for the period up to 2009. The STC has 39 members and is attached to the European Commission. It
advises the Commission on all nuclear issues, covering the whole range from fission and fusion to radiation
protection. One of its main tasks is to assess and comment on the Commission’s nuclear research
programme.
The Scientific and Technical Committee STC is set up by the Euratom Treaty. Sailer’s
appointment to the STC is a personal mandate. The 51-year-old engineer heads the Öko-Institut’s Nuclear
Engineering & Plant Safety Division, and is a deputy director of the Institute. He played a key role in
establishing the Institute’s Darmstadt office in the 1980s. Sailer is esteemed as an expert in all nuclear
engineering issues. His work focuses particularly on reactor safety and waste management. Among other positions,
he has been a member of the German Reactor Safety Commission (Reaktor-Sicherheitskommission, RSK) since 1999, and
has chaired the commission since 2002.
The RSK comprises 13 eminent experts, advising the German Environment Ministry on an honorary basis on questions
relating to the scientific-technological assessment of nuclear facility safety, and on questions relating to
disposal. kk
Contact:
Michael Sailer
Öko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt Office
Coordinator of Nuclear Engineering & Plant Safety Division
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PROSA: International congress on sustainability management in industry
Öko-Institut hosts congress on 4 and 5 July in Lausanne, Switzerland
New societal aspirations are presenting modern companies with new challenges. Not only economic performance
counts. Customers, investors and tighter legislation demand improved environmental and social performance. How
can companies meet this new responsibility? Which sustainability management methods are available? How can social
and environmental concerns be integrated into product development processes? These are some of the questions to
which the international "Product Sustainability Assessment PROSA" congress will provide answers. The
Öko-Institut and the IMD – International Institute for Management Development will convene the congress on
5 and 6 July 2005 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Building upon case studies, scientists and executives will identify
the essential elements of product sustainability strategies, will debate the state of methodology development,
and will map out perspectives.
Cars will be taken as the reference case study. The congress will also examine a range of further case studies,
such as telecommunication products, household appliances and industrial products (B2B). Monday 4 July will
provide an overview of product sustainability analysis tools already used in practice. In addition, speakers from
both academia and industry will present eco-efficiency analysis, supplier auditing, and methods used to analyse
social aspects. These themes will be explored in greater depth in three parallel study groups on Tuesday 5 July.
Study group outcomes will be reported back to the plenary in short debriefing sessions.
The congress targets
- producers of goods and services (strategic planning, product development and marketing departments),
- trading firms,
- insurers and rating agencies,
- politicians and ministries (product policy, sustainability strategy),
- stakeholders,
- researchers (methodology development).
The Öko-Institut is organizing the congress in cooperation with IMD – International Institute for Management Development. The venue is
IMD, Chemin de Bellerive 23 in Lausanne, Switzerland. The registration fee is Euro 300, for Öko-Institut members
Euro 150. The congress language will be English. The number of participants is limited. Registrations will be
received online as of now at www.prosa.org. You may also request the congress documentation from Andrea Droste, by E-Mail or
phone ++49-761-45295-49. The deadline for registrations is Friday, 17 June. Read the congress programme here.
Contact:
Dr. Rainer
Grießhammer
Öko-Institut e.V.
Deputy Director
Sustainable Products & Material Flows Division
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C O N T A C T
Publisher
Öko-Institut e.V.
Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut)
Editorial office
Department of Public Relations & Communication
Christiane Rathmann
Katja Kukatz
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