“Sustainability under pressure. Fractures in society, the environment and the economy” was the theme of the 4th Ethics Day at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences at the end of June. The event, held on the Kamp-Lintfort campus, comprised a varied programme covering a range of topics.
In his welcome address to around 100 guests, University President Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen emphasised that sustainability – not least in the wake of the recent ‘Excellence’ funding – would be the university’s central focus in the coming years. The aim, he said, is to prepare students – and thus future generations – for the challenges of the future, such as economic pressures, the consequences of climate change and societal challenges.
Prof. Dr Achim Truger, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, addressed the German economy in 2022/2023 in his keynote speech and described the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic – such as lockdowns and supply chain issues – which led to the historic slump in the German economy. He also explained how the war in Ukraine is affecting the German economy and inflation through supply bottlenecks, rising energy costs and increasing uncertainty. He identified the robust labour market, which is performing well despite the crises, as a key stabilising factor during the crisis in Germany. He also gave the all-clear regarding the German government’s debt-to-GDP ratio, noting that Germany is in a favourable position both historically and by international comparison.
In the second section, he addressed inflation and the effects of rising energy prices and the relief packages. He noted that the rise in gas prices, in particular, had reached historic levels. He welcomed the fact that the two relief packages would provide the greatest relief to the most financially vulnerable households. However, an unfavourable distribution pattern was evident due to the 3 per cent loss of purchasing power, which placed the greatest burden on the poorest households. Future relief packages would need to address this issue.
In conclusion, Truger explained the implications of a gas embargo by Russia, which would have far-reaching consequences for industry right down to the lowest levels of production. The question of an embargo could only be answered through interdisciplinary considerations – an economic perspective alone would not suffice. However, the clear objective must be to reduce energy dependence. Other measures, such as energy saving, a general speed limit, a reduction in gas consumption by private households and, as a short-term stopgap, increased energy generation from coal and nuclear power, must also be prioritised. In the long term, and also in the interests of sustainability, this dependence must be ended through the use of renewable energy sources within the country itself.
The lecture by Prof. Dr Jakob Lempp, a political scientist at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, examined the concept and issues surrounding populism. According to Lempp, the causes of populism are manifold, but there is generally a demand for it, for example, due to crises, perceived poor governance or changes in media consumption. This is met by a response from populist leaders or parties, which usually consists of a combination of populism and economic ideology or a focus on anti-establishment issues. The prevalence of populism is closely linked to satisfaction with the status quo of democracy and is no longer a marginal phenomenon: satisfaction with and trust in the institutions of the political system continue to decline.
To reduce populism, potential solutions exist at four different levels – discursive, cognitive-psychological and political – on both the demand and supply sides. Lempp identifies a lack of ability amongst populists to assess their own place in the world. Populism is surprisingly resilient even in times of crisis – that is, precisely when a response to real problems is actually required. Nevertheless, he also sees an opportunity in crises, as they can heighten the realisation that a real problem exists and that a genuine response is therefore required, thereby increasing the willingness to leave these problems to the experts. Prof. Dr Josh Spero from Fitchburg State University concluded by giving his assessment of populism in America via video link.
Finding local solutions to global challenges – that is the aim of ‘Permakultur Niederrhein e.V.’, which HSRW’s Prof. Dr Florian Wichern and Christopher Henrichs, an alumnus of the university, presented following the keynote speeches. In the field of transformative agricultural research, the focus is on collaborative development processes involving various experts from academia and the field, who aim to find solutions to local issues such as drought in the district of Kleve or episodes of heavy rainfall. They presented a model of the Kleve campus that takes various conditions into account – such as wind patterns and water sources – and demonstrated what a potential show garden featuring various projects on the campus might look like.
Sabine Portmann, Riana Pohl and Friederike Bartholme introduced the organisation ‘Brot für die Welt’, focusing in particular on sustainability and fair trade. Brot für die Welt operates in 90 countries, working on the ground with local partner organisations and promoting the principle of ‘helping people to help themselves’.
In addition to the presentations, three different workshops were held for the participants. Prof. Dr Florian Wichern and Christopher Heinrichs led an interactive session on ‘transformative research into permaculture’. Sabine Portmann, Riana Pohl and Friederike Bartholmé from ‘Brot für die Welt’ explored the topic ‘Sustainability and Fair Trade – global interconnections’. The AStA, in collaboration with Elena Buksmann, organised a workshop on the topic of ‘Cross-generational loneliness: From pandemic-induced isolation back to crowds’.
The panellists – Prof. Dr Irmgard Buder, Prof. Dr Florian Wichern, Prof. Dr Torsten Niechoj, Dr Maximilian Sommer and the AStA representative Katerina Moorehead subsequently discussed the topics of sustainability in everyday life, a compulsory year of community or social service, and the effects of degrowth – the reduction of consumption and production – on the environment and the world’s population. Katerina Moorehead from the AStA called for more financial support for start-ups working on sustainable ideas and solutions. According to Moorehead, the university’s StartGlocal initiative demonstrates that students have excellent and sustainable ideas.
