"The council is composed in a way most excellently fitted to the requirements of sustainable environmental policy, given the necessary change of policy, business and society towards sustainable development," states Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Barbara Hendricks. "We're facing substantial challenges that we cannot master without responsible policy advice on a sound scientific basis. Therefore I'm looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with the new council. I'm confident the SRU will continue its successful tradition to support the Federal Government through comprehensive and targeted advice."
Lucht has been called upon as an expert for sustainability and earth system analysis, which is also the research domain at PIK that he's co-chairing. Moreover, he's teaching as a professor at Berlin's Humboldt University. Further newly appointed members of the council are Professor Claudia Hornberg from the University of Bielefeld for issues of health and environmental justice, Professor Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research (Deutsches Institut für Wirschaftsforschung, DIW) for economical and energy issues, Professor Lamia Messari-Becker from the University of Siegen for issues of civil engineering and urban development, and Professor Vera Susanne Rotter from the Technical University Berlin for technical environmental protection, circular economy and recycling. Re-appointments went out to Professor Christian Calliess from the Free University of Berlin for legal issues and European policy as well as Professor Manfred Niekisch from Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main and Director of the Frankfurt Zoo, for nature conservation and ecology.
"I see it as my mission to strengthen the voice of environmental policy by providing scientific advice with a criticical eye," says Lucht. "Environmental policy is not just for protecting the environment, it is also part of a transformative agenda to make Germany sustainable. It is imperative to push on the energy transformation towards climate stabilization. It is imperative to look at the development of our cities and landscapes from a more holistic perspective. And it is imperative to integrate national policies into the emerging international structure for sustainable development, taking into account the planetary boundaries. In this process, the many other players - for instance NGOs - are highly important partners in dialogue, reflecting citizen's engagement. I cannot imagine the dignity of humans without a dignity of nature. This has to be negotiated time and again, based on the insights provided by today's science."
Weblink to the SRU Advisor Council: http://www.umweltrat.de/EN/TheGermanAdvisoryCouncilOnTheEnvironment/Council/mission_node.html
Weblink to Wolfgang Lucht's personal website: https://www.pik-potsdam.de/members/wlucht/
