This book proposes a holistic transdisciplinary approach to sustainability as a subject of social sciences. At the same time, this approach shows new ways, as perspectives of philosophy, political science, law, economics, sociology, cultural studies and others are here no longer regarded separately. Instead, integrated perspectives on the key issues are carved out: Perspectives on conditions of transformation to sustainability, on key instruments and the normative questions. This allows for a concise answer to urgent and controversial questions such as the following: Is the EU an environmental pioneer? Is it possible to achieve sustainability by purely technical means? If not: will that mean to end of the growth society? How to deal with the follow-up problems? How will societal change be successful? Are political power and capitalism the main barriers to sustainability? What is the role of emotions and conceptions of normality in the transformation process? To which degree are rebound and shifting effects the reason why sustainability politics fail? How much climate protection can be claimed ethically and legally e.g. on grounds of human rights? And what is freedom? Despite all rhetoric, the weak transition in energy, climate, agriculture and conservation serves as key example in this book. It is shown how the Paris Agreement is weak with regard to details and at the same time overrules the growth society by means of a radical 1,5-1,8 degrees temperature limit. It is shown how emissions trading must – and can – be reformed radically. It is shown why CSR, education, cooperation and happiness research are overrated. And we will see what an integrated politics on climate, biodiversity, nitrogen and soil might look like. This book deals with conditions of transformation, governance instruments, ethics and law of sustainability. The relevance of the humanities to sustainability has never before been demonstrated so vividly and broadly as here. And in every area it opens up some completely new perspectives. (Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Club of Rome, Honorary President) Taking a transdisciplinary perspective, the book canvasses the entire spectrum of issues relevant to sustainability. A most valuable and timely contribution to the debate. (Prof. Dr. Klaus Bosselmann, University of Auckland, Author of “The Principle of Sustainability”) This books breathes life into the concept of sustainability. Felix Ekardt tears down the barriers between disciplines and builds a holistic fundament for sustainablility; fit to guide long-term decision-making on the necessary transformation and societal change. (Prof. Dr. Christina Voigt, Oslo University, Dept. of Public and International Law)

With cost-benefit analysis, economic sciences cultivate a specific decision-making procedure, which has also been partially adopted in politics. Although economists do not experience the approach as normative, on closer examination the approach can be identified as an economic ethics. The present philosophical and at the same time transdisciplinary (with special legal and economic components) treatment examines the persuasive power of this approach using climate change as an example, as the most important sustainability issue. The objections raised against the economisation of decision-making with regard to the utilitarian tradition, such as the criticism of the orientation towards weighing up options, the alleged lack of distributive justice or the tendency to describe people in behavioural science as selfish, are hardly or not at all convincing on closer examination. In several respects, however, it turns out that cost-benefit analysis faces insoluble problems. Firstly, the theoretical basis of (hidden normative) cost-benefit analysis in philosophical empiricism does not seem tenable. This means the idea of empiricism that normative questions must be transformed into questions of factual (countable and reproduceable) preferences of people. Secondly, there are massive collisions of cost-benefit analysis with a liberal-democratic constitutional law, whose principles are universal ethical principles. This concerns both freedom rights (which must not depend on the ability of humans to pay) and the model of democracy and respect for the rule of law. Thirdly, insoluble problems of application arise for cost-benefit analyses, which are particularly (but not only) apparent in the context of climate protection, in general considerations as in the case of legislation as well as in individual analyses, as done when constructing a coal-fired power plant. A strongly deflated cost-benefit analysis could nevertheless contribute factual material – such as partial aspects of decision consequences that can actually be depicted in monetary terms – to ethical or legal decision-making processes. In this respect the approach appears helpful and complementary, but not beyond that.

This book analyses and develops overarching concepts for forest policy and forest governance and includes a detailed investigation into the historical discussion on forests. It examines opportunities and limits for negative emissions in a sector that – like peatlands – appears significantly less ambivalent compared to highly technical large-scale forms of climate geoengineering. The analysis shows that the binding climate and biodiversity targets under international law are much more ambitious than most people assume. Measured against that, the volume critically reviews the potentials of afforestation and reforestation for climate mitigation, which is often presented as the new saviour to fulfil the commitments of the Paris Agreement and to reach climate neutrality in the future. It becomes clear that ultimately only biodiverse and thus resilient forests can function as a carbon sink in the long term. The volume shows that the existing European and international forest governance approaches fail to comply with these targets and insights. Furthermore, the book develops a bundle of policy measures. Quantity governance systems for livestock farming, fossil fuels and similar drivers of deforestations represent the most important approach. They are most effective when not directly targeting forests due to their heterogeneity but central damaging factors. With regard to the dominant regulatory and subsidy-based governance for forests we show that it remains necessary to supplement these quantity governance systems with certain easily graspable and thus controllable regulatory and subsidy regulations such as a regulatory protection of old-growth forests with almost no exceptions; extension of the livestock-to-land-ratio established in organic farming to all farming; far-reaching restriction of bioenergy use to certain residues flanked by import bans; and a national and international complete conversion of all agricultural and forest subsidies to “public money for public services” to promote nature conservation and afforestation in addition to the quantity control systems.

Die Energiewende ist eine Jahrhundertaufgabe. Doch die bisherige Energie- und Klimapolitik greift viel zu kurz. Entgegen der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung sind Deutschland und Europa beispielsweise von ihren Klimazielen meilenweit entfernt. Unbequeme Wahrheiten, wie die Notwendigkeit zur konsequenten Verteuerung der fossilen Brennstoffe, werden nicht diskutiert. Felix Ekardt setzt sich mit der Frage auseinander, wie Gesellschaften und der Einzelne sich verändern und so zu einer echten globalen Energiewende beitragen können, obwohl unsere alltäglichen Wünsche dem oft entgegenstehen. Er beschreibt, warum ein deutsches beziehungsweise europäisches Vorangehen (auch ökonomisch) sinnvoll sein könnte - und warum neue Lebensstile keine Einschränkung sind, sondern Freiheit und soziale Gerechtigkeit erst ermöglichen.

Studies on governance and human rights issues of international and European legal climate policy in the post-Kyoto process.

Demokratie, Klima und Frieden stehen unter Druck – und das nicht zufällig. Wir leben in einer Zeit multipler existenzieller Krisen, die tief miteinander verflochten sind. Die Abhängigkeit von fossilen Energien befeuert autoritäre Regime, untergräbt Demokratien und gefährdet den Frieden – in Europa wie global. Gleichzeitig scheitert die Menschheit am dringend nötigen ökologischen Wandel. Felix Ekardt – Jurist, Philosoph, Soziologe und Initiator der weltweit erfolgreichsten Verfassungsklage auf mehr Klimaschutz – analysiert, wie dieselben menschlichen Triebkräfte unsere Lebensgrundlagen bedrohen. Er zeigt, warum wir Freiheit und Demokratie neu denken müssen – und wie ein modernes, postfossiles Leben gelingen kann. Das Buch ist philosophische Tiefenanalyse, politischer Weckruf und konstruktiver Ausblick zugleich. Es stellt unbequeme Fragen und bietet konkrete Antworten: Gibt es objektiv gerechte Gesellschaftsordnungen? Was bedeutet Freiheit im 21. Jahrhundert? Und warum gibt es keine Alternative zu radikaler Nachhaltigkeit – wenn wir Demokratie und Frieden bewahren wollen?

This book delivers a theory of societal change, a theory of justice and a theory of effective governance and policy instruments - all with regard to sustainability, understood as a goal that calls for ways of life that function long-term and globally. Examples are from the areas of energy, climate change, and land-use. The book develops a transdisciplinary approach based in philosophy, law, political science, sociology, and other humanities.