Environmental policy and environmental management
Environmental policies must provide answers to the adverse impacts of global megatrends on the environment and natural resources. Transformative environmental policies must also be integrated into corporate environmental management systems to ensure that both production and consumption are sustainable.
Sustainable development is not possible without protecting the environment and our natural resources. Water scarcity and pollution, land and marine waste, air pollution and the loss of fertile soils and important ecosystem services have serious economic and social consequences. Socially just environmental policies can mitigate the adverse impacts of economic and population growth, urbanisation and the climate crisis on our ecosystems and living conditions and can also open up new opportunities.
One of the core tasks of GIZ’s environmental policy advisory work is to help developing countries and emerging economies find their own development-friendly path towards greater protection for the environment, the climate and biodiversity. As well as addressing global issues, GIZ aims to strengthen environmental policy at regional, national and municipal level. The challenge here is to achieve a balance between protecting global and local environmental goods and meeting people’s needs.
Environmental policy action to promote a just transformation is vital, both at an overarching level (i.e. encompassing multiple issues and sectors) and in individual areas. GIZ’s key areas of intervention are:
- Biodiversity conservation
- Protection of forests, oceans, soils and the ozone layer
- Air pollution control
- Sustainable production and consumption
- Circular economy
- Sustainable energy management and mobility
International agreements, such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, emphasise transformative environmental policy. Such change requires cooperation based on trust. At international level, GIZ supports the drafting of environmental conventions and the inclusion of environmental policy aspects in other international agreements. At national level, GIZ supports the work of partner countries to create and implement ‘transformative’ environmental policies, e.g. through strategies designed to promote climate-friendly mobility or build a circular economy. Fairness is a crucial element of every transformation. This means ensuring that all relevant actors are involved and that poorer households are financially compensated for the costs of the transformation.
‘Transformative’ environmental policy is also relevant for private companies, which have to make their own contribution to sustainable production and consumption patterns. GIZ advises companies on environmentally friendly production and business models across their value chain. That includes advising on occupational health and safety, training and gender equality. Companies must fulfil environmental and social standards, and industrial parks benefit from sustainable management. Measures that address resource efficiency, sustainable design and the recovery of materials as part of a circular economy are among the top priorities for GIZ’s advisory work. Recycling is another important policy area on which GIZ advises.