In its constitution, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is committed to internationality, diversity and heterogeneity, and focuses on sustainable, forward-looking teaching and research that takes into account the necessary interplay between social, economic and environmental issues.
This conviction has given rise to a code of ethical conduct that is enshrined in the university’s founding principles. Consequently, the university has now hosted its Ethics Day for the third time. Held online for the first time since 2015 and 2018, the event on 23 June 2021 attracted more than 150 participants to the virtual space to discuss issues that are currently of concern to us in society, the economy and the environment.
Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of the university, addressed the event’s theme in his opening remarks. Are the pillars of society, the economy and the environment in harmony, or are they rather fragile? Through climate agreements, protests such as ‘Fridays for Future’ and the setting of sustainability targets at corporate or legislative level, they appear to be in harmony. This stands in contrast to well-known factors such as nationalism, restrictions on freedoms in totalitarian systems and trade barriers at the political level.
The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated “the determination and speed with which politics and society are able to act consistently in the face of an invisible but immediate threat”, said Locker-Grütjen. Nevertheless, we are faced with the question of whether, for example, investments running into the billions in individual companies (of systemic importance?) are justifiable in terms of climate and social policy, and how future generations view the future. For they face massive challenges: on the one hand, ‘economically, because they will have to bear the economic burden of the pandemic; ecologically, because they will have to bear the burden of climate change; and socially, because the education gap is widening excessively, threatening to cut off entire generations from basic education and a fundamental understanding of democracy’, he summarised the challenges.
Prof. Dr Achim Truger, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts (SVR), provided an overview of the economic situation. He described the coronavirus crisis not only as a health crisis, but also as an economic crisis. In his keynote address entitled “Coronavirus, the Economy and Transformation: Challenges for Economic Policy”, he noted that economic output fell by 4.8 percentage points in 2020; for 2021, the SVR currently expects an increase of 3.1 per cent, and pre-crisis levels are likely to be reached again at the start of 2022. The widespread use of short-time working has been particularly important in combating the crisis in Europe. Whilst this led to a sharp fall in hours worked per employee, it also meant a relatively small decline in the number of people in employment. The situation was different in the US: there, there was a massive fall in the number of people in employment and a sharp rise in unemployment.
According to Truger, the challenges we now face are public debt and inequality. Nevertheless, he emphasises that “public debt in Germany is not particularly dramatic” and that, from an economic perspective, he can give the all-clear: “Of course, this cannot continue for the next five years. However, during the financial crisis just over ten years ago, the debt-to-GDP ratio stood at over 80 per cent; now it is just over 70 per cent,” says Truger, assessing the situation.
He is more concerned about inequality in income distribution: over the last 20 years, the real income of the top ten per cent of earners has risen by around 25 per cent, whilst for those in the lowest income bracket, it has actually fallen since 2000. The distribution of the tax burden has also shifted as a result of tax reforms between 1998 and 2015: the bottom 70 per cent have seen their tax burden increase, whilst the top 30 per cent – and particularly the top 10 per cent – have seen theirs decrease. Truger noted that the debate must move away from traditional thinking (including deregulation and cuts to social services) towards a new way of thinking that focuses on tackling social problems in a constructive manner that is both socially and economically sustainable. The ecological transition, he said, is a huge societal challenge that can only succeed if everyone is brought on board and countries such as Germany set an example. However, the question of how to finance this transition needs to be resolved at a political level. Truger suggests that this could be achieved through loans and a moderate increase in the tax burden on the highest income brackets. In conclusion, he emphasised that qualitative growth is key; only then can growth continue, but in an environmentally sound manner.
University professor Dr Jakob Lempp addressed a social issue in his lecture on populism, a key concept of the 21st century. The breeding ground for this is the feeling that ‘Everything is getting worse!’, coupled with deep concerns about the future, mistrust of political institutions, and structural change and globalisation. Added to this is the presence of populist leaders and parties, as well as information channels. In his lecture, Lempp proposed solutions at several levels, including strengthening media literacy and political education.
There is something valuable and good in every person – that is the simple core idea behind ‘Starkmacher e.V.’. This state-recognised organisation for out-of-school youth education has made it its mission to nurture the potential of young people and make them ‘strong’ – in Germany, Europe and worldwide. From training conflict mediators in refugee camps in Jordan to the ‘Coffee’ project, which tackles youth unemployment in Europe and promotes sustainable economic practices. In his talk, co-founder and first chairman Christian Röser highlights the principle of “Think global, act global” as the cornerstone of the association. With the help of donations and government funding programmes, the association works to promote, amongst other things, education in the fields of sustainable development, ecology and sustainability.
‘Brot für die Welt’ is the aid organisation of the Protestant churches and is active in over 90 countries worldwide. It works to combat poverty and to ‘help people help themselves’, currently running over 1,800 projects. In their presentation, Sabine Portmann and Friederike Barthalme focused in particular on the area of fair trade. Since 2007, Brot für die Welt has been a partner in the ‘GEPA’ fair trade scheme, thereby supporting social and environmental standards in the cultivation and trade of products such as coffee and bananas. Furthermore, the aid organisation is campaigning for a supply chain law. Whilst Barthalme described the law recently passed by the Bundestag as a “paradigm shift”, she also sees considerable room for improvement and supports the call for a European supply chain law, so that producers in the Global South, in particular, can earn a living from their work.
Alfred Schumm, a qualified biologist and head of the newly created ‘Innovation, Science & Technologies’ department at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), made it clear in his presentation that humanity as a whole consumes more resources than the Earth has available. Referring to Greta Thunberg’s well-known quote, ‘Our House is on Fire’, he highlighted the catastrophic consequences that long-term global warming of two degrees would have for the planet. His conclusion: it is our responsibility to reshape the economic system as a whole so that it operates in the interests of the common good – as a means to an end – thereby enabling society to coexist whilst respecting planetary boundaries. This is a task for politics, business and society alike.
The three workshops that followed focused on what each individual can do in their immediate surroundings, ranging from permaculture and sustainable building renovation to managing orchard meadows and consuming fair trade products. Engagement is best fostered when it is driven by self-directed projects at local level.
The concluding panel discussion then took a political turn: Is democracy too sluggish to be innovative? Can a political system that attempts to represent the interests of all really achieve anything? Are laws imposed ‘from above’ sufficient to bring about change, and what role does our view of humanity and society play in this? Can the climate crisis be tackled without jeopardising jobs or fuelling social injustice?
It is clear that, to strike a balance between the three pillars – society, the economy and the environment – all parties must work together; dilemmas must be resolved; there must be greater diversity amongst the stakeholders; and younger generations must also be involved in decision-making processes. A positive conclusion: by nature, humans are cooperative beings with a desire for a sense of belonging and community. If this tendency is harnessed, much can be achieved.
To continue these fascinating discussions, the project team has decided to organise an in-person Ethics Day next year. The event is scheduled for 22 June 2022 on the Kamp-Lintfort campus.
