Environmental protection has become a global issue. It is therefore necessary to provide policy advice to the government increasingly focussed on international developments and players. Already the field of view of environmental protection has expanded beyond national borders. The fact that the pollution of the river Rhine has decreased considerably is thanks to the cooperation of neighbouring riparian countries: the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine was founded in 1950 and it grew to a genuine cross-border environmental protection instrument after the Sandoz chemical accident in Basle in 1986. Also, protection agreements were adopted for the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the seventies: the Oslo and Paris conventions for the North Sea which were later merged into the OSPAR convention and the Helsinki convention (HELCOM) for the Baltic Sea. Air pollution has also been increasingly looked at in view of its international implications and internationally codified by the Geneva Convention on Longrange Transboundary Air Pollution. The convention has helped to significantly reduce the burden of pollutants via the air pathway on European ecosystems over the last three decades. Of particular importance was the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. Recent research by European scientists has shown that the protocol works and that the ozone layer is gradually recovering. The risk of skin cancer and environmental damage due to aggressive UV radiation has been greatly reduced through the global protection efforts. In terms of chemical safety, the Stockholm Convention 2001 became a cornerstone for a global ban on the production and use of particularly hazardous substances. Meanwhile, in addition to the so-called “dirty dozen”, the convention has been extended to a large number of other materials. The big push for global environmental protection came in the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro – the UN Conference on Environment and Development. The concept of sustainability moved to the centre of both international environmental policy and development cooperation. At the same time the big three Rio Conventions were initiated: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). International climate protection has long since moved to rank equally with the peace policy and international economic policies on the agenda of heads of states and governments. Neglected climate protection has already become a crucial issue for small island states today – and it will be the sine-qua-non of coexistence for the states in the medium to long term. Since the climate conference in Cancún, Mexico, the international community has agreed to pursue a common goal: the medium global average temperature should not rise more than two degrees in comparison to the pre-indus-
trial level to ensure that climate change remains on a fairly manageable track. On this basis, a common understanding for a new international regulatory regime shall be established to pursue the objectives of global climate protection. The Federal Environment Agency advises the German Federal Government in the preparation and negotiations and its experts take part in developing the specialist basis for the international legislation process. In addition to the further development of international environment law, an intensified global cooperation is also necessary at the scientific level. Data collection of air pollutants, for instance, requires international cooperation. It becomes increasingly important to share the rapidly growing knowledge about environmental relationships, problems and possible solutions. Whether it is climate research, the evaluation of chemicals or the potential for an efficient use of resources, the exchange of expertise between the science policy advisory bodies is absolutely essential in order to provide adequate recommendations. Experts of the Federal Environment Agency therefore participate in numerous committees of the European Union, the OECD and the UN as well as in international specialist organizations. Eventually, global environmental protection means a change in management pattern – not only in our country, but world-wide. Green Economy has become the guiding principle of a new relationship between economy and environmental protection. Thus the limits of environmental impacts are not only considered as restrictions of economic activity, but also as innovation drivers and an impetus for the development of “green” future markets. To preserve and develop wealth in many countries without endangering the balance of the global climate regime, exhausting the finite resources and overextending the use of ecosystems requires a new inventive and innovative culture. Germany is a highly respected global provider of know-how and advanced technology. In many “green” future markets Germany is a market leader, and these “green markets” continue to grow: the world market volume of 1.4 trillion euros in 2007 will increase up to 3.1 trillion euros by 2020 according to estimates. Already some 1.8 million people work in the environmental industry today. Alone the necessary measures needed to reach the German climate protection target by 2020 can create about 630,000 new jobs in Germany. If Germany continues to combine its environmental protection research and development with its international pioneering role in environmental politics, new opportunities will emerge for German companies in the export markets.
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