Environmental Policy and Management
Without the protection of the environment and resources, there can be no sustainable development. Effective environmental policy strategies are needed here. Aspects of "transformative" environmental policy must also be implemented in corporate environmental management in order to contribute thus to sustainable production and consuming behavior.
Environmental Policy
Sustainable development is not possible without the protection of the environment and natural resources and their responsible and fair use. Water scarcity and pollution, waste problems, inadequate air pollution control, loss of fertile soils and important ecosystem services have serious economic and social consequences. Environmental policy must provide answers to the negative impacts on the environment and natural resources caused by the megatrends of recent decades (globalization, urbanization, industrialization, biodiversity loss, climate change) in order to prevent the threat of long-term damage to our ecosystems and living conditions.
Accordingly, the fields of action of environmental policy are comprehensive, such as:
- Preservation of biodiversity
- Protection of forests, oceans and soils as well as the ozone layer
- Air pollution control
- Sustainable production and consuming behavior
- Recycling Management
- Sustainable energy management and mobility
- Avoiding environmental conflicts
International agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 and the Paris Climate Agreement, pursue ambitious goals and rely on "transformative" environmental policies that take holistic approaches from a cross-sectoral perspective.
Such a change requires stable and trusting cooperation at various levels. At the international level, GIZ accompanies environmental policy change by supporting the design of international environmental conventions and the consideration of environmental aspects in other international agreements. At the national level, GIZ supports partner countries in creating the conditions for a "transformative" environmental policy and in implementing this policy, e. g. through climate-friendly mobility strategies or exit strategies from the production and use of ozone- and climate-damaging materials. The central issue of environmental policy advice at the national level is, among other things, to design the necessary transformations in a fair way, i. e. to ensure that all relevant groups of actors are involved and that poorer households are financially compensated with regard to the costs of the transformation.
Evironmental Management
Aspects of "transformative" environmental policy must also be implemented in corporate environmental management in order to contribute thus to sustainable production and consuming behavior.
GIZ therefore advises companies along the entire value chain on sustainable water, wastewater, waste and resource management. Consultation also includes work safety, advanced training, and gender equality. The aim is to convince companies that environmentally friendly business practices can also be profitable. Companies in international supply chains improve their business opportunities if they can comply with international environmental and social standards. Industrial parks benefit from sustainable management.
GIZ's consultation in the area of environmental management takes place at the international level as well as at the state and company level, such as on the topic of sustainable chemicals management and environmentally compatible technologies. In addition, recycling is an important field of consulting, especially since in many developing and emerging countries e-waste and waste dumps pose a safety, environmental and health risk.
