Sufficiency as a "strategy of enough": invitation to an online discussion 29.04.2024

Human consumption of nature must be reduced quickly and drastically. Ecological crises are progressing at an alarming rate worldwide. The majority of elementary planetary pressure limits have been exceeded, as have ecological limits in Germany. Obviously, previous approaches to protecting the environment are not enough. At the same time, many people do not have sufficient access to energy and resources. On the basis of 16 theses, the SRU invites us to discuss a previously neglected dimension of future policy: Sufficiency. Sufficiency aims to reduce the consumption of goods and services with particularly harmful environmental impacts. It is an established concept in the environmental sciences that complements efficiency (more output per input) and consistency (same output with less environmentally harmful input). Sufficiency is often only discussed as an individual lifestyle issue. In fact, it is a structural task that requires appropriate political and economic framework conditions. These should promote environmentally friendly social practice - instead of making it more difficult, as is often the case. The development of sustainable economic practices and lifestyles is a shared social and political responsibility. In its paper, the German Advisory Council on the Environment presents 16 theses that are intended to invite politicians, civil society, science and business to engage in discussion. It explains why we need sufficiency to comply with the planetary boundaries and why sufficiency is also a question of justice. The theses relate to different areas of life and specialist perspectives (including economics, the circular economy, law and culture). They also address the fact that a discussion about a "strategy of enough" is likely to be difficult and contentious. Finally, the importance of the circular economy for sufficiency is emphasized, as it aims to make products durable, repairable and recyclable, thus reducing the consumption of raw materials and avoiding waste. The discussion will take place online on 29.04 from 16:00 - 18:30. More